John Amyas Alexander

The boys were looked after by female relatives for some years, until their mother Lily was able to qualify as a teacher to support the family.

He was keen on drama, and recalled that in a school production he once played Juliet to Paul Scofield's Romeo.

While leading a walking tour in Austria during the long summer vacation, John met Yvonne Villeneau, daughter of a French family resident in London.

[1] Archaeology as a modern academic discipline was then coming into being, and John was inspired by the combination of fieldwork and theory that it offered.

After competing the Dip Arch, John undertook a PhD in Archaeology at Cambridge University, focusing on the European Iron Age, which he gained in 1960.