In 1935, he married Veronica Beatrice (died 1992), daughter of Major Aynsley Eyre Greenwell and Beatrice Lilian née Sanderson, and had one son and three daughters.
[1][3] His career was interrupted by the Second World War, when he joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve.
After he was demobilised, he returned to his old brewery as a member of the Board; in 1964 he succeeded his father (who had been in the post for 19 years) as Chairman.
He was also Chairman of the Brewers' Society between 1962–64 and Master of the Brewers' Company in 1962; he therefore held the rare distinction of chairing the three leading professional organisations for the brewing industry.
Professionally, he encouraged information exchange through the European Brewery Convention and, according to an obituary in the IOB's journal, he possessed a "very wide knowledge of all aspects of the industry and ... shrewd judgement.