Donald Keith

The author was born in Astley, Greater Manchester, in 1933, to a coal-mining family and blessed with a mother who was determined against the odds to give her two sons the best education she could muster. She worked tirelessly to achieve that end in days when grammar school was for the fortunate few—the very few in that local area.

Following back-breaking, early working experience in the mining industry, Donald eventually attained the status of Chartered Engineer, which eventually took him around the world as a consultant engineer to the pharmaceutical and confectionery industries.