Page 425 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

420 History and Science of Knots

social studies at the renowned Hendon police training school.
Ex-Inspector Budworth then began another career, managing public sec-
tor swimming pools and leisure centres; and for the past six years he has been a
full-time lecturer of sport and recreation management in a large South London
college of further education.
His fascination for knot tying was triggered when, as an 11-year-old Sea
Scout, he asked his troop leader about a bellrope he'd seen-and was told:
`Don't bother with that, son. It's too complicated for you.' In 1982 he co-
founded the International Guild of Knot Tyers and for seven years edited their
publications, becoming the knotting writer that other writers consult. He
promoted the systematic identification of knotted clues discovered at scenes of
crime-and the subsequent presentation of evidence about them in courts-
now widely practised by criminal investigators and forensic scientists.
Geoffrey has written several books (including two on knot tying). The
latest, nearing completion, is an authorised 200-year history of Thames Divi-
sion.
He is married, with two grown-up daughters, and lives in Tonbridge, Kent.
His current pastimes include cruising tideways in his 12 foot inflatable sailing
dinghy, riding unicycles and juggling. He is also reading biology as a third-year
undergraduate student with the Open University.

John Roger Carter

Roger was born in 1932, in the industrial Midlands of England-about as far
from the sea as one can get in Britain. He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy
Seaman , at the age of fifteen, and served for twelve-and-a-half years in all
manner of ships, from a battleship to a small wooden minesweeper.
Leaving the Navy, he spent some time ashore (making nylon), before
becoming Skipper of an esturial tanker working on the River Severn. After
a few years of that, he emigrated to New Zealand, to join the Pilot Staff of
the Wellington Harbour Board. His next twenty years were spent in pilot
boats and tugs, as well as on other floating plant; his jobs included nautical
surveying and Berthing Master. His final ten years before retirement were
spent as supervisor of the Boat Harbours and Marinas in Wellington Harbour.
Roger is a Member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, and President
of its New Zealand Chapter. His knotting interests stem from his nautical
background, and extend from sailor's work; he is expert in both practical and
decorative knotting. In recognition of the debt our cultures owe to cordage
and knots, he has developed strong interests in the history and etymology of
the subject.
Married, with two sons, he now lives on the sea-front overlooking Cook
Strait, about twenty miles north of the New Zealand capital. There he engages