After his time in the RAF, John said in 1980 he joined the Royal Observer Corps.

Speaking of the history, he said during 1925 as part of preparations for war the Observer Corps was formed as part of the UK’s aerial defence. The purpose was to report and track enemy and allied aircraft across London and areas South. It became part of the Air Ministry in 1929. By the start of WWll The Observer Corps Air Defence System had covered the entire country. The organisation was granted Royal status in 1941 in recognition of their service during the Battle of Britain.

Also in 1941 women were accepted for the first time. Later in 1944, volunteers rose to 1000 and were tasked with the identification of allied and enemy aircraft During the D-Day Landings. In 1945 the Corps were stood down, but during 1947 the Corps were remobilized to face the Cold War threat. They would monitor and warn of a nuclear attack and track radio active fallout if detected. To facilitate this almost 1500 underground posts were created. The Corps undertook regular drills and training till 1980s when reduced tensions between East and West reduced the need for warnings and monitoring.

In 1995 The Corps was finally stood down.

The Blast Recorder