Brian served in the Royal Observer Corps at Linton, rising from being an ordinary observer to become a Leading Observer and then Chief Observer. Posts like his were staffed by 10 people, including the occasional woman. The former nanny to the children of King Haile Selassie was there very briefly. The post was underground with a firmly secured lid. A shaft gave access to the monitor room which was kitted out with Tilly lamps, Primus stoves, ration packs and five-gallon cans of water. Observers could take their own supplies, and Brian and his men insulated their post with polystyrene tiles. Brian prides himself on having run a “happy post”.
 
He proved himself expert at identifying enemy aircraft, a skill on which the Royal Observer Corps was tested on annually. Films of aircraft were screened for them at the Doric Cinema in Newmarket.
 
Brian had to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet for communications, a skill which he still practises on car registration numbers.