Mike Kewell obituary

My father, Mike Kewell, who has died aged 83, was a weather forecaster turned transport economist who worked for many years for British Rail, including on planning for the building of the Channel Tunnel.

Mike was born in Danbury, Essex, to Margaret (nee Tonkin), a machinist, and Frederick Kewell, a roofing consultant. He attended King Edward VI grammar school in Chelmsford, then worked briefly for Barclays Bank before two years of national service with the RAF as a progress clerk, rising to corporal. In 1958 he spent nine months as a purser serving on the SS Nevasa and SS Dunera, troop ships that also carried civilian passengers.