 Archie grew up on a farm and was able to drive a tractor when he was only five.  His family was very poor and he only got his first pair of shoes when he was five.  He was born in Lake City Florida U.S.A.  He was the second youngest out of nine children. My great grandparents on the farm where my grandad grew up

 Archie worked on the farm as a child. He was not allowed to go to school if there was work to be done.  They grew tobacco and cotton on the farm.  When he was ten years old, Archie’s mum, Elsie-Mae, had a stroke. She was left unable to walk very well. From then on, Archie did a lot of the cooking at home.

 Archie graduated from high school when he was 18 years old. He went to university but he didn’t like it and left after only three weeks.  He joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He was sent to London to work at the U.S. embassy. That’s where he met my grandmother, Valerie.

 After marrying Valerie and leaving the Marine Corps, Archie returned to Florida where he bought his own farm. He grew tobacco and cotton.  After a family rift with his dad, Archie left Florida and moved to Georgia with his young family. He worked there as a long distance truck driver.  After a couple of years, Archie, Valerie and their family moved to the UK. Archie worked in the UK as a garage attendant and a factory worker before qualifying as an agricultural mechanic. He worked on tractors and combine harvesters.  When he was in his fifties, he set up his own gardening business and did this until he retired.