He was an apprentice with the Great Western Railway from 1933 to 1938. He then joined the Drawing Office at Cardiff Docks where he stayed until 1949.
He married Mary Reed in the summer of 1946. They had two children. After the war he became Assistant Engineer for the Port of London Authority Mechanical, working on St Katherine's, the India and Millwall Docks. In 1956 he moved north to take the post of Assistant Mechanical Engineer of the Manchester Ship Canal Company, taking over the lead role in 1962.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basaleg Patrol | Patrol Corporal | Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
| Bassaleg Patrol | Patrol Corporal | Unknown | 03 Dec 1944 |
Engineering draughtsman
He was commissioned as a probationary temporary sublieutenant in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve on 22 Oct 1939. On 22 Jan 1940 he sailed for Freetown in West Africa in the Accra to join the battlecruiser HMS Renown as an engineering officer. Almost their first duty was to return to the Plymouth, escorting HMS Exeter, heavily damaged at the Battle of the River Plate. Renown continued on to Scapa Flow and would take part in the Norwegian campaign later that year, before returning to the UK. Sublieutenant Campbell ceased to be in the Navy list from the December 1940 edition, suggesting he had returned to civilian life by then. Most likely his expertise was required to help run the essential GWR docks at Cardiff.
Corporal Campbell was among the Auxiliers sent to the Isle of Wight around D Day to provide patrols in case of a possible German counterattack.
Sometimes also known as Alf.
TNA ref WO199/3389
1939 Register
FindMyPast
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-55678-339
The Guardian 8 Nov 1962
Daily Telegraph 30 Jul 1999
https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92728742
