Dick Francis – Episode 1 – My seven years at School
I joined in September 1963, complete with bright green blazer, cap and tie and found myself in the first form of Ken Murch (“Bogue”). I travelled to and from school daily on the train which meant that I was allowed to leave at the first bell whereas others had to wait for the second bell. Coming from the ‘far east’ of the region I found myself in Lake House which, for some unknown reason, excelled in sport through my entire time at school.
The Headmaster was the formidable KD Anderson who commanded widespread respect – perhaps even fear – among my schoolmates. I have one abiding memory of him which was when a helicopter landed on the playing field (something to do with the Combined Cadet Force). The whole school was allowed to watch and KD went striding out to greet it in full mortarboard and gown … only for his mortarboard to be blown off and his gown blown up to completely cover his head. Oh how we all laughed.
I will always remember that playing field, especially on long hot summer days, with its football, rugby and cricket pitches. It was the size of a small housing estate … and I think it is indeed now actually a small housing estate.
In my early years, I developed a love of all things scientific and I was a passionate member of the Bug Club for several years until the lure of Saturday football became too great.
At fourteen I started the fourth year and was somehow streamed into form 4A. That is when my problems began. I started to really struggle under the pressure – and expectation – to excel at exams. I regularly suffered panic attacks and stomach upsets which almost always caused extreme embarrassment. I stumbled through GCE O-levels (three passes with a fourth in Latin after a re-sit) and went on to form 5A. That year was a little better for me as I immersed myself in sport. I added several more O-levels, but the spectre of A-levels, with all their consequences, began to emerge. I was placed in 6th Arts Lower, primarily because of my emerging love of meteorology which was wrongly associated with Geography! Mid-way through lower sixth, I was switched to 6th Science Lower when somebody realised the mistake. This was a total disaster as I was confronted with vast amounts of work to catch up. A-levels were a nightmare. I passed Physics but failed Maths; I did not sit Chemistry. By this time, I was suffering an almost complete breakdown which effectively ended my chances of going to university. Hence I decided to attend the ‘University of Life’ and go straight to work.
To be continued in Episode 2.
My classmates from memory: Dave Kendall, Dave Jackson, Chris Gregory, Ray Barnes, <?> Ireland, <? > Metcalf, Jon Joyce, John Curry, Dave Erban (or Urban), Chris Everett, David Orfila, Mark (?) Simpkins, <?> Best, Richard Frostick, <?> Robins, <?> David Zieman (or Zeeman … or similar), <?> Dobbie
My teachers from memory: KD Anderson (headmaster), Mrs Anderson (KD’s wife), Messrs. Murch, French, Ashton, Ayling, Henderson, Powicke, Siviter, Pasquill, Priollieu (spelling?), Jepson, Curry, Harris (or Harries?), Lambert (two of them with the same surname), Quittendon, Wardle, Riley, Scales and Miss Kingston (or Kington?)
Dick Francis – Episode 2 – My life after School
My career after leaving School has been characterised by several distinct phases.
In 1970 I joined the Meteorological Office directly from school aged 18 into the most junior grade of the scientific civil service. In the following years, despite several career ‘excursions’ (see below), I became one of very few staff to progress from the most junior to the most senior scientific grade.
Following my early years, in which I received all my basic training in theoretical and practical meteorology, I worked mainly with computer systems specialising first in instrument development and later in outstation automation. During this time, I was based in Bracknell, Berkshire. In 1976 I married a local Bracknell girl, and we have just celebrated our ruby anniversary.
Then, in 1987 I was seconded to the European Space Agency in Germany for a fixed period of four years during which I worked with meteorological satellites for the first time. My work involved near-real-time monitoring and controlling of level two products derived from Meteosat image data. On a personal note, having been previously told that we were unlikely to have children, our miracle baby Lucy (now 26 years old) was born in Germany in 1990.
In late 1991 I returned to the Met Office headquarters in Bracknell where I was given the task of developing a replacement for the central observational data storage system. During this period I acquired training and skills in project management and systems analysis and design.
In 1992 I successfully applied for a staff post at EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites) in Germany. In a ten-year spell there I acquired further expertise in meteorological satellites and their operation and I achieved the level of Division Head (User Services Division). My work began in support of the development of a Meteorological Products Extraction Facility after which I was appointed Manager of the Meteorological Archive and Retrieval Facility which began operations under my management in 1995. Thereafter I was promoted to Head of User Service Division and had managerial responsibilities for all aspects of the User Service and the data archive. During this period we lived in the beautiful Taunus hills and my wife worked at the International School of Wiesbaden where Lucy was also educated.
I returned to the Meteorological Office in 2002 (just as it relocated to Exeter) via open competition as a satellite specialist and was appointed Head of the Satellite Data Processing Systems group. Lucy transferred first to St Margaret’s school in Exeter and later went to Newcastle University, where she got a first in biomedical science. We moved to the beautiful village of Lympstone and my wife Sue continued her career as a Teaching Assistant at Exmouth Community College.
In 2007 I started a further outward secondment, this time to the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva. I was expecting this to be a long-term career move, but, due to unforeseen budgetary limitations, it lasted just one year and I then returned to the Meteorological Office – back to my previous post.
Then, in 2011, I was offered a new post in EUMETSAT, as a seconded expert to the European Commission, to advise it on matters pertaining to the nascent Copernicus earth observation satellite programme. I remained in that post until the EUMETSAT obligatory retirement age of 63 (actually just after that date having been given special dispensation) and returned, for the last time (?) to the UK.
I am now enjoying an early retirement in beautiful Devon, spending my time doing voluntary work, serving my local Rotary club, and growing old not-so-gracefully.
If anyone would like to contact me then please feel free to do so by email at …
Dick Francis – boy and man
Dick Francis – 2016
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