I first met David in 1969 when I was seconded from Stafford to work with him in Trafford Park for the transition period before he moved to Stafford in 1970.  I worked for David for almost 15 years, first as a trainee and eventually as his deputy,  before  moving to another department of the company.  We were always close friends and the experience and wisdom that I obtained from David stood me in great stead throughout my career.  When I spent  a (sometimes harrowing) six month period in Australia in 1979, David was very solicitous and  regularly contacted my wife Angela with concern and support for her and our family.  We shared many experiences together at work, many of them challenging, all of them enjoyable both in this country and abroad. There were some amazing and enjoyable times I recall in particular  in Singapore where we spent several months together. Even after I moved from David's department we were involved in happy collaboration together for the remainder of my career until my retirement - a little before his own.  Subsequently, of course we met regularly at meetings, events and dinners of the ALSTOM International Association.  We also met occasionally during our frequent visits to Wildwood Co-op,  although both these occasions have been missing since Covid struck.
 
Kind regards
John Loughran