Last updated on August 24, 2002


Farnworth Grammar School
Personal Profile

Keith Seddon



 

  • FGS from 1947 to 1954 (Science Sixth).
  • RAF from 1954 to 1958 working on radio (we called it wireless) and radar.
  • Ferranti from January 1959 for thirty-six years working firstly on the Bloodhound surface-to-air missile, then on Argus computer systems. I was the project engineer for the UK's first two police computer systems at Birmingham and Glasgow, and for the UK's first fire brigade system for Greater Manchester County Fire Service.
  • I did umpteen more systems of various types before the company went into administrative receivership at the end of '94. (Not my fault!) I was kept on for over a year and then made (constructively) redundant in early '95 as I was working on the replacement system for GMC Fire Service. I took advantage of this event to take early retirement and to get away from the continual stress of customers, time-scales and bad management. It was the best decision that I ever made. I've been a gentleman of leisure ever since and I love it.
  • I was introduced to fell-walking by Mr. Wotton and to rock-climbing by Mr. Baxter. I still walk but I gave up climbing some years ago. I have too vivid an imagination to be a good climber. The "What if…?" factor becomes more significant as one grows older.
  • I'm interested in electronics and radio, and I restore ancient radio equipment. I'm a member of the Mynydd Climbing Club, which is also "getting on a bit" and celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2003.
  • I lived at Walkden, where I was born, until 1970 when I moved to my present location in the Peak District where I can be on the hills in a matter of minutes.