ɪn dʒuːlˈaɪ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti sˈɪks, hiː stˈɑːɹɾᵻd wˈɜːk æz ɐ tˈɛst ˌɛndʒɪnˈɪɹ ɪnðə kwˈɔlᵻɾi əʃˈʊɹɹəns dᵻpˈɑːɹtmənt ʌv θˈɔːɹn ˌiːˌɛmˈaɪ dᵻfˈɛns ᵻlɛktɹˈɑːnɪks æt fˈɛlθæm, mˈɪdəlsˌɛks.
In July 1976, he started work as a test engineer in the quality assurance department of Thorn EMI Defence Electronics at Feltham, Middlesex.