Nick joined the army straight from school, via Durham University, on an Officer Cadetship to study at university, then to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (Sandhurst).

He then studied English for 3 fun years and spent his time reading books, drinking beer, playing hockey, rowing and trying his hand at being a student politician. Every summer was spent with a Gunner Regiment, learning on the job how to lead soldiers and being an Orderly Officer. Nick learned a great deal from the soldiers and SNCOs he would meet every summer.  After graduation, he returned to Sandhurst for 6 months of soldier training.

Nick would go on to serve in the Royal Artillery for 23 years, mostly in Germany, the UK, Central America and the period of Northern Ireland’s Troubles. His first decade was spent with artillery, while his latter time was spent in the MOD as a Staff Officer. Nick’s roles included:

1. Being the army’s ‘advertising man’ for 2 years, making recruitment adverts and running  £30 million annual campaigns. Nick’s stint was a particular point of pride, and filled the army with good men and women.

2. He would go on to command 120 Yorkshiremen (and a few stray Brummies!) of the 52nd Niagara Battery Royal Artillery. There I met my fellow trustees Ben, Andy and Steve; but not Gary who was serving away.

3. His last posting was army “Ombudsman” (although the MOD didn’t call it that!)

He describes righting the wrongs inflicted on soldiers by the ‘Green Machine’ as a worthy role if ever there was.He left the army in 1996 to turn a small law firm in Watford into a bigger one. 15 years later they boasted 400 staff in 4 Offices from Fleet Street to Milton Keynes. Nick left in 2011 and fully retired at 60 after two bouts of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma blood cancer.

From 2016-2021, Nick tutored kids in English and History at GCSE and A-level. He also spent time coaching young people taking the Army Officer Selection Board to go to Sandhurst.During this period, Nick volunteered for SSAFA (the Soldiers Sailors and Families Association, the oldest UK military charity founded in 1885) and helped run welfare work throughout Surrey and train other volunteers.Nick received top-of-the-range hearing aids through his association with Ben and UK Veterans Hearing Foundation (UK Veterans Hearing Help at the time). Once free of his SSAFA commitments, Nick became a trustee as a show of appreciation.”I’m married for 35 years now, (my wife says 42, or since we began ‘walking out’!) We have two grown sons: the first lives at home, while the other is a city lawyer and dedicated rugby player. His law firm uses artificial intelligence, not human lawyers. My interests are veterans affairs, border terriers – especially mine, our five-year-old Martha – literature, film, national hunt horse racing, Rhone and Burgundy red wines, enjoying life and not growing up!”