Working for HW Poole and Sons established in 1888, he had the opportunity to exploit 100 years of knowledge and experience. He excelled during his apprenticeship and showed real skill during a further two years on the bench by learning each exacting detail of the processes required, developing a keen eye for the highest quality and a drive for perfection. In 1987, Tony was instrumental in the acquisition of the contract to supply the Queens Household Cavalry. He volunteered to hand make some guardsman boot samples following the original Napoleonic blueprint. These were then inspected to the exacting standards of the MOD on behalf of the Palace. Each boot was cut in half and exhaustively inspected to ensure only the highest standards were attained. This included the counting of every individual hand stitch. Once satisfied, the contract was awarded. Each pair of boots were inspected and awarded the military stamp of approval. Tony commenced the production of over 50 pairs for the first order and it is to his credit that after only six pairs, Tony was assigned his own quality stamp and self inspected all the subsequent pairs he produced.
