Gary was born to Frank and Dorrie Baker in Lordswood Nursing Home on 6th February 1954, at 7.10pm weighing 7lb 10oz. He lived with his parents at 41 Vicarage Road until April 1955 when they moved to Streetley. His mother remembers him as a quiet but curious child, who early on would play for hours with his toys, trying out different arrangements, always very careful manually with objects. In 1957 Rusty the Border Collie joined the family, and stayed with them until he died in January 1973 at the good old age of 16. Rusty appears in lots of the family's photos! Dorrie's sisters Amy and Jean doted on Gary, and he was often taken for rides on the bus to visit his Great-Nan. Often the visit would result in his being bought a dinky toy to add to his collection. He used to keep the cars in a wooden box which went everywhere with him at all times. Gary was quite lonely as a young child, and had an imaginary freind called Joey, who his parents had to include along with Gary. Joey was soon forgotten about though when Gary's brother Lawrence arrived in November 1957. Gary used to accompany his Mother to the hospital for her ante-natal visits, and would give the nurses pennies to "buy bits of the baby", becaue that's what he thought they were going there for each time. Gary loved having a baby brother, and the two remained firm friends throughout their lives. In April 1959 Gary started school at Blackmore Drive Primary in Streetley - going in the entrance door and walking straight out through the other door! He did not want to be left at school that day, and took a while to settle down. In October 1963 the family all moved to Station Road in Whithall, and Gary went to Silver Street school in Hollywood, where Miss Woodward was a well-remembered teacher. Gary and Lawrence larked about as only boys can do: Lawrence aimed the axles of a small vehicle at Gary's mouth which was a true shot, causing Gary to immediately swallow the axle, and giving his Mother an anxious few days until the axle re-appeared. The canary survived having the kitten put in its cage "to see what would happen", and the kitten survived being flushed down the toilet for similar reasons. Even at that age Gary was experimenting with unorthodox methods! Gary passed his 11+ and moved up to Redditch County High in September 1965. There he obtained 7 "O" levels, and started in the 6th form. He was a regular and keen member of the local Air Cadets, as he loved flying. Over several years in his mid-teens he built himself a flight simulator in his bedroom, using instruments obtained from old aircraft from the airfield where Dorrie used to fly from, and all who saw it remembered it as something quite amazing and unique. Even the ceiling of his bedroom was painted like a night sky with stars across it. He also built a funicular railway from his bedroom window to the garden, which lit up at night. Gary did all the wiring and electical work himself, taught by his Dad, and the book he referred to then, "The Boy Electrician", he continued to refer to right to his last year, and is still on the bookshelf in the house. He and Lawrence both helped their Dad who was a scoutmaster, often assisting him to cook at the camps they held in the area. Gary was always neatly dressed and tidy, and kept his bedroom in good order. The family frequently went on camping (and then caravan) holidays around the country, sometimes with other members of the family (Dorrie's younger sister Amy with her husband Fred had 3 boys of a similar age - Lee, Keith and Peter). Fred made Gary a wooden farmyard for his animals, which he spent hours playing with, and which even now is in the house and played with by his own grandsons. When he was 17 he applied to join the RAF, as it was his dream to beomce a pilot and fly planes, but although he passed the exams he was turned down due to his asthma and hay fever. He was bitterly disappointed by this, and lost heart in his studies. However he never got the chance to finish them, as in March 1972 Dorrie and the boys moved down to Chagford, the same time as Frank moved away.