Cruel comment launches stellar 34-year Naval career
Ian Shepherd MSM, 67, smiles broadly and tightly squeezes my hand as we meet outside the Norfolk and Suffolk Air Museum, in Flixton, Suffolk. He’s a warm and enthusiastic character who looks a decade younger. We sit in the canteen, between a jet fighter and a missile system, and begin to chat. Ian, who lives with wife Shirley in the rural Suffolk village of Redgrave, was born into the tiny village of Cuerdley, near Widnes in Cheshire. “1955 was a great year” he quips. “The same year Lego was invented”. His first 15 years were spent around the farm. The hard, physical work shaped him into an athletic sports-loving youngster. Seeking a new direction, he decided to join the Royal Marines. “No-one in my family had ever been in the military. Through both world wars, they were farmers and miners.” Ignoring his father’s protests, Ian set off to the recruiting office in Liverpool. “I was first through the door” he says. The 6’2” Marine on duty was just removing his wet cape. “He lo...