Eric was born in Coatbridge during the Second World War. He won a scholarship to Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth at sixteen, was streamed as an Engineer Officer, volunteered for submarines and thirty-seven years later retired as Commodore in charge of Britain’s principal nuclear submarine base at Faslane. A creature of the Cold War, he served in five submarines, two squadrons, the staff of Submarine HQ and the Ministry of Defence. In addition to being a nuclear propulsion specialist, he took a Masters degree in Acoustics at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, and became a lead officer in the ultra-secret world of underwater warfare and stealth technology. His MBE was awarded for leadership during a submarine emergency on patrol.
On Her Majesty’s Nuclear Service, his thought-provoking and sometimes hilarious autobiography, was voted runner-up in the 2018 Mountbatten Best Book Awards. He has also published three books of comic verse – Colquhounsville-sur Mer, Democracy for Birds and Love Songs for the Romantically Challenged and is a winner of the Scottish Association of Writers Constable Trophy.
In retirement, he was Councillor for Helensburgh East in Argyll & Bute Council for eight years and is an active member and Past President of the Bridgeton Burns Club.
