I am now a retired schoolmaster, but was a practising history teacher when I was awarded my Churchill Fellowship in 1998. Educated at Marlborough College and Sandhurst, I was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets for six years, and then went to Goldsmith's College, London University to read history and I completed a PGCE at Cambridge University. I taught at Berkhamsted School, Ampleforth College and then Pangbourne College, where I was Head of History for 22 years.

My principal interest was naval history, and in order to complete my biography of Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, my Fellowship allowed me to travel to Washington DC to undertake research into the Second World War in the USA. The book, Churchill's Anchor, was published in 2000. Since then I have edited The Bramall Papers (2017) and The Altham-Bradman Letters (2021). Research and writing remain part of my active life, along with lecturing and teaching.

The Churchill Fellowship – the chance of a lifetime – remains a glorious memory. The medal sits on my desk in front of me, to remind me of the opportunity I had.