Tony was born on May 21 1938 in Hampton, South West London, the first child of Frank and Nora Land, with the family moving into their home in Kingston Vale, shortly after Tony was born.
Tony was a war baby. His father was called up into the Navy in January 1941 and later that year, the family moved with Tony’s grandmother Mary to Dartmouth, where Frank was stationed at the Royal Naval College and where Tony’s brother, Mike was born in 1942. In 1943, after Frank had been reposted, the rest of the family were evacuated to Yoxhall in Staffordshire for the remainder of the war. After the war, the family moved back to Kingston Vale, where Tony’s sister, Janet was born in 1947.
The next big move in Tony’s life took place when his family moved to Birkenhead in 1951. At the time of the move, Tony was at boarding school in King’s College School in Wimbledon, so he joined the rest of his family a little bit later. Tony and his family lived in Beresford Rd next to Birkenhead School, which he attended. He joined "Junior school " (yrs 7 and 8) before going into the Senior school.
Aside from his academic career Tony was involved in stage managing school plays, and he was also a school prefect. He joined the Combined Cadet Force and after a year there joined the Naval section, as did his younger brother Mike. During these years he was a very keen birdwatcher and spent his spare time staying on Hilbre Island off the coast of the Wirral, where there was a small observatory. Tony would often stay overnight as the tide would prevent him walking back to shore. He was ringing migrating birds an interest he kept up all his life in other remote areas.
The family moved to Hull in 1960, when Tony was studying Geography at university in Southampton, which is where he met my auntie Pat. After his studies, Tony enjoyed a gap year in Finland. Tony and Pat married in August 1963.
