We had the Queen visit us in 1967 to open the INT and in later years H.R.H. Princess Anne came for a Garden Party to unveil the Garden Sundial. I was awarded the Silver Jubilee medal in 1977 for 25 years at RGO along with 5 others who have long since retired:
Mr. A.E. CARTER – P.S.O.; Mr. A.E. CORDWELL – H.S.O.; Miss J.E. PERRY – Exec/Officer;  Mr. E.E. STOAKLEY – P.T.O. ;  Mr. H.J.R. DUFFELL – Craftsman.
But I still keep going. It was great when all these sections came from different parts of England to work together at Herstmonceux. They were the happy years, I must not forget that during the early years this place was like a marriage bureau, there must have been between 40 or 50 couples met here, many have long since gone.   I have served with Sir Harold Spencer Jones, Sir Richard Woolley, Mrs. Burbidge, Dr. Hunter, Prof. Smith and now Prof. Box.   Regarding the Castle and surrounding buildings I think I know every niche of the rooms, every socket/switch and fuse-board, but you can only remember them by working on the bits.

 The Conference room was in the first place the Solar Department office, but the ceiling had a beautiful painting – as though you were looking through a balcony at the clouds and sky, like this across the whole length from North to South, but this was ruined when holes had to be drilled through from the walls above for the electrical bits.  The Chapel also has the same fixing as the library, the centre filling can be lowered on a special winch, making life a lot easier to change lamps etc.  The general office used this room so alterations again were needed with the typing pool in the existing Laurie Project office, but again this was changed when the Conference room was installed, the Exhibition was the Meridian Section early on, but once the West building was finished they all moved up there.

 I forgot to mention during the early days that Anna Neagle was at the Castle, to film the opening shots of ‘Spring in Park Lane’. She has since died. I have seen during the period of time that the Ministry of Work were stationed in the works pound, the 2 main arches in front of the Castle have been completely renewed. A Mr. Danny Elliot, was in charge and they worked their way right around the 4 walls of the Castle changing large portions of stone and making the new shapes all by hand on the premises so today it has blended in with the weather and looks quite attractive.