Tom was born in Hilingdon, Middlesex, in 1950. His parents moved to the village of Harefield two years later and as he grew up he was drawn to the banks of the canal, or cut as it as known to the old boatmen. As he grew older and stronger he would offer to work the locks for passing boats, for a small fee! Leaving school he trained as a motor mechanic at Uxbridge Technical College and went on to a successful career in the motor trade, where he worked until taking early retirement in 2006. He never lost his interest in the canals and by the time he had retired he and his wife, Pam, had bought their own boat, moved aboard and set up a small business, selling gifts and souvenirs as they travelled throughout the canal system. His first book, L-Plate Boating was published in 2010and he and Pam continue to live and trade on the canals.