When he was 26 John returned to England to become a Handicraft teacher at Shoreditch Training College, a decision in part influenced by his old friend and fellow Radio Officer, Roger Hardy. Whilst at Shoreditch John learned a range of handicraft skills, including carpentry, metalwork and clock-making. The culmination of his Teacher Training was his thesis, whose subject was the architecture of the Kennet and Avon Canal. This required a 4-day trip along the 90-mile length of this canal on his trusty bike, during which time he took 8 rolls of film of every significant item of historical interest. The result was 27,000 words long (not the 6000 requested!). The thesis went on to become one of nearly a dozen books that John was to publish.