At school Kenneth was an all-round athlete and a good student.
He was an outstanding footballer and cricketer, and a good boxer. He also had a talent for woodwork.

Kenneth left school at 16. His certificate of completion records high marks all the subjects he had studied, including maths, physics and English. As a schoolboy, Kenneth’s dream was to fly with the Royal Air Force. He was too young to join up when he left school and took an apprenticeship as a die pattern maker.