Malcolm - thank you for your reply, and really nice to hear from you!
Your father sounds a like real character and I would hardly imagine his tales would need any embroidering at all! But it's seriously amazing to put out an enquiry on PPRuNe on a very remote possibilty and have it answered from the horse's mouth (almost) albeit a couple of years later. I'd be delighted to hear more of his anecdotes and to see some of his collection - as I'm sure, would be many other Pruners. Would you be averse to putting them on Prune?
Kev.