Born in Portsmouth, the 2nd son of a working-class family, Ken joined the Royal Signals Corp on 31st December 1931. On 28th March 1937, he boarded the P&O ship the S.S. Rawalpindi on route to Hong Kong where he served until his capture by the Japanese.

Ken was stationed in Hong Kong where he fell in love with Zina Mai Ling, the daughter of a restauranteur.

He was a switchboard operator and was on duty when the call came in for Hong Kong to surrender. Details of any combat experience are not known by his surviving relative.

The details of his life as a POW were shared with his daughter, who is his only child. Ken was a qualified Lifeguard and as a strong swimmer, despite many hours in the water he survived the sinking of the Lisbon Maru.

Ken was determined to survive his imprisonment in Osaka and return to Hong Kong to marry his lover. After the war he was unable to trace Zina Mai Ling.

He eventually married and when a daughter was born, with his wife's total agreement, he honored his lover by naming his daughter Zina. Ken's determination to survive, despite torture, starvation, and disease was powered by his love for Zina Mai Ling.

Ken was a founding member of the Portsmouth and District Far East Prisoner of War (FEPOW) Club, served as Chairman, and assisted members in applying for disability pensions.

In later life Ken suffered physically and mentally from his years as a POW.