Ray Derrick was brought up and educated in Deal, Kent, England, UK. He joined the British Army as a ‘boy’ soldier in 1961 and then served in the Royal Artillery as a topographical surveyor until 1974, attaining the rank of Sergeant. On leaving the Army in 1974 he worked on various land seismic oil & gas exploration crews throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East until 2002. In 2002 he became a Client Representative working as a consultant Health & Safety Advisor for major oil companies, again worldwide. He lived in Spain from 2002 until retirement in 2014. Married for 40yrs, he moved to Thailand after the death of his wife Margaret in 2014. He now lives permanently in Phuket in Thailand.