Nelson French joined the Orient Line as an Assistant Purser when he was released from the Army in 1947. He was appointed Purser in 1954 and thereafter served in every ship of the Orient fleet. He was involved in the commissioning and the Maiden Voyage of the last great Orient Liner, ORIANA. On leaving the sea, Nelson French became a Bursar at St. Catherine's College, Oxford. He retired in 1981 and now lives in Oxfordshire.