1968

Emmigrating in all directions, or so it seemed.

We weren't fleeing religious persecution or the like. We didn't need to emmigrate really. I had a good job at Blackburn Aircraft in Yorkshire, we had a comfortable home (a "Blackburn" allocated council house), a car, Mitchell happy in school etc etc.
The RAF had perhaps left us with wanderlust. We had no real roots. There were rumours of Blackburn's Buccaneer aircraft production ending. So, somehow or other I started "making enquiries."

At one point we were set to emmigrate in three different directions:
South Africa, I had a job 'for the asking' with Atlas Aircraft in SA. They were desperate for people with Buccaneer aircraft experience, which meant me; an aircraft inspector thereon. The South African Air Force had had two batches of Buccaneers from Blackburns and quite a few of our people had been to South Africa on support work on the aircraft. But stories were coming back with these people: English speakers were very much second class citizens to the Afrikaans- speaking Boers who 'ran the country'. I wasn't too keen to raise my two boys in the aparheid regime of the Republic. So, despite it having the world's best weather we didn't go.
Australia, Very much THE place to which English folk emmigrated in those days (whites only then, that's sort of aparheidish isn't it?). But Aussie is very much the unknown and very the-other-side-of-the-world. The word had it that newly-arriveds were housed in camps outside Sydney where you stayed while seeking work and proper accomodation. In Australia I had no job waiting so we sat and wondered about this one. Then along came ...............
Canada. Canada came in the shape of Canadair. An ad' appeard in the newspaper and I took a day off and went for an interview in nearby Hull. Well, the Canadair people did a number on me. Maps of Montreal showed mostly parks - my air fare was paid - we got a 'forgiveable' $300 loan - the money seemed good - the job building aeroplanes appealed................ the rest as they say is history.

Sold the car, stayed with mother-in-law in Blackpool while the wheels got into motion, had our medical in Leeds and somehow ... that was it.

"The Day" is described elswhere.