Peter Werry

I am Peter Werry born at Walthamstow, London. I am a Food Chemist by training and 50 years ago specialised in the creation of food and beverage flavourings, so I am the 'edible' version of a Perfumer and am a Flavourist. As it takes about 5 years of study to remember the odour and taste of 3,500 food grade substances, there are only about 500 of us worldwide. This has given me unrivalled opportunities to travel throughout Europe and North America when I was based in London and further travel when I relocated to Singapore 28 years ago. I have now moved to China 8 years ago, first to Shanghai and now Guangzhou (used to be known as Canton) for the dynamic emerging food industry.

I became interested in Aircraft after reading Clostermann's 'The Big Show', and first collected everything about the WWII but then realised that I could better use my limited money to specialise. My interest in the Luftwaffe was sparked by my selection of a school prize, (I was and still am a nerd with horn-rimmed glasses and scruffy hair!), Heinz Knocke's 'I flew for the Fuhrer' which received me a bollocking from my ex-Commando headmaster (John Cummings). Then I discovered Jack Beaumont in his out-house shop at 2a Ridge avenue then 'Gruppe 66' to build up a good library and 'cut & paste' databank. All this had to be sold when there was a marital change and this loss caused me to turn my back on all aviation subjects.

This dormant state changed when looking for a book in Hong Kong to read on the plane back to Shanghai, I purchased the previously owned Meyer & Skipdonk 'From Training to the Front' and off I went again but now having the web is enabling me to reassemble my lost library to allow me make a more positive contribution to LEMB when I retire back to England. My peripatetic wife Grazyna is Polish and a food specialist with MSc from Moscow University so is useful for translating the flood of books coming from Eastern Europe although at the moment she resides in France. Of great help is the only other China member, Luke Wang (etraro) who is based in Shanghai and sources books from Japan for me. The ironical point is that we did not know of each other when I lived there for 4 years so did not get to see his marvellous library until I moved south and joined LEMB.

I will update this profile in a few years time when I move to Sussex(?). Just signed a 3-year extension to my contract so will remain in China until 2015 but I have promised my wife that then I will retire.

Thank you all for your help and for reading this so that you now know 'What on earth is an Englishman doing up the Pearl River without a paddle'.