Along came Jones

A perspective about our first meeting from Graeme Wright, another immigrant, this time from Scotland, via Spain and Montreal :

It was Monday June 13th 1988. That morning I turned up at Dowty as previously arranged with Ralph Darlington and he had not told anyone. I asked at reception for Ralph and was told he was in England at British Aerospace and fortunately, Derek Hodgson knew I was starting, Barry Rotherham at Bell Helicopter had told Derek.

So it was Derek who sort of took me under his wing.

I was in the Cad Room getting introduced etc and met Jimmy Chow.

Perhaps after an hour or so later (mid-morning), Jimmy said "Graeme I have someone that you might be interested to meet ..." He took me out past the Queen Mother's office to the first desk in the adjacent row. You were there holding court, getting laughs and being typically "Dave".

Jimmy said "Dave meet Graeme he just started" ..You replied with some really remarkable comment to Jimmy along the lines of "Fuck off you little Chinese Fucker .." or similar. That was it Dave, we had just met and I had to adjust ...!!!

I recall thinking "How the hell did he get into Canada..?" . Initially that first meeting alarmed me until I had adjusted ......

That is my clearest memory of my first Dowty morning ...!!!