Mwadui My parents decided to emigrate to Mwadui In Tanganyika, East Africa after my father retired from the Royal Navy. Mwadui was founded in 1940 by the Canadian Geologist John Thoburn Williamson after he found the largest Kimberlite pipe ever discovered in the World. The surface area was 361 acres. To date the pit has been excavated to a depth of 90 metes [300 feet] and yielded 3,800 kg of diamonds. This was a unique experience never to be forgotten |
Antarctica I was always fascinated by the great white continent to the south. Then in 1977 I had the opportunity to go South with The British Antarctic Survey as a carpenter/builder. The raw beauty of the Antarctic Peninsular region is breathtaking to say the least. The sheer power of nature undisturbed is humbling to all who witness it. The memories of the trip there via the Panama Canal and the inland waterways of Southern Chile as well as the Southern Ocean will stay with me forever |
Royal Hospital School I returned to the UK from Mwadui to go to the Royal Hospital School at Holbrook near Ipswich in Suffolk. Again this was just so different to what most kids did and again the memories are just as vivid now as at the time |
The 2nd MTB Flotilla escapes from Hong Kong on Christmas Day 1941 This is where my love affaire with the World Wide Web started when I made up a one page web site back in 1996. I had very limited information on my late father's escape from Hong Kong but within five years I had people contacting me from all over the World with scraps of information. The result is the complete story of this epic journey across China into Burma and ultimately home to Blighty. |
HMS Victory's 1805 working Cutter The Society for Nautical Research commissioned the building of two 25 foot cutter's for HMS Victory to complete her compliment of small boats as was in 1805. These were built to the original drawings. One was built to the original specifications, the other using modern materials and bonding agents. This was to facilitate launch and recovery on a regular basis and is demonstrated at boating events throughout Europe. |
Hamstat Property Solutions Hamstat Property Solutions is a well established business concerning Property maintenance of all types. Kitchen fitting is a specialty of the business and a seamless work top mitering service is provided for the more budget minded who wish to fit their own cabinets. We also provide a PC/web solution service. Hamstati Property Solutions is situated in Mid Sussex region just 12 miles North of Brighton. |
Hamstat on line was established in 1996 primarily to research my late father's escape from Hong Kong on Christmas Day 1941. The response over the years has been phenomenal and the result is the story of the epic journey under the most arduous conditions and through Japanese occupied China to Rangoon in Burma. I then decided to add a few sites concerning other interesting aspects of my life to date. There is a site covering my time in Antarctica along with links to present day sites and live web Cams. There is also a site covering my upbringing in Mwadui, a diamond mine on the plains of East Africa. So it is just a collection of unusual places I have lived and worked in.