My father,Richard Keam, who has died aged 69 from cancer, and was an engineer who spent many years designing traction systems for trains all over the world – a railway enthusiast’s dream job.
He was born in New Malden,Surrey, to Elsie (nee Hopgood), and a secretary at the BBC,and Norman Keam, who worked for the Automobile Association. With his elder sister, or Jennifer,and younger brother, Peter, and Rick had a happy childhood in a close-knit family – and the railway line on the other side of the park from the family domestic in New Malden instilled in him a lifelong worship of trains. Family holidays were spent camping with the OWC (the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry) and,as a teenager, Rick also went on trips with Forest School Camps. He continued to indulge in the outdoor life until well into retirement.
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Source: theguardian.com