How a chance application brought the Towse family’s connection to the MLA full circle

Locksmithing is more than just a trade — it’s often a legacy. At the Master Locksmiths Association, we are proud to see skills, tools, and values passed from one generation to the next across our Approved Company network of locksmiths.

Few stories illustrate that legacy more powerfully than that of Thomas Towse, a locksmith at Thomas Locksmiths an MLA Approved Company in Brighton, whose journey began decades before he ever picked up his first tool — with his grandfather Les Towse and great uncle Richard Sampey, both key figures in the MLA’s own history.

Richard Sampey, who served as MLA President in 1976, is featured in the gallery of MLA presidents—dating back to 1972—on display at MLA Headquarters in Rugby.

🗝️ From Police to Padlocks

The family’s connection to the trade began in the early 1970s. After a career in the police force, Les Towse was offered a job by his brother-in-law and close friend, Richard Sampey, at Chanctonbury Locksmiths in Worthing. Already an established locksmith, Richard recognised Les’s eye for detail and steady hands — and the move into the security industry proved a natural fit.

By 1975, Les had passed his Master Locksmiths Association exam, working alongside other industry pioneers, including a young Brian Philpott. That same year, he was gifted a book from Richard to mark the occasion — a personal memento that still survives in the family today.

Handwritten note from Richard Sampey congratulating Les Towse on passing his MLA exam dated December 1975 him

This book, gifted to Les Towse by Richard Sampey in 1975 upon passing his MLA exam, now belongs to his grandson Thomas — a meaningful piece of locksmithing history passed down through generations.

Just one year later, in 1976, Richard Sampey became President of the Master Locksmiths Association, continuing to play a key role in shaping the Association’s standards and community.

Richard Sampey, MLA President in 1976.
A respected leader and lifelong locksmith, Richard played a vital role in shaping the Association during its early years.

The two later founded Nukey (Countplace Ltd) in Littlehampton, specialising in keys to code. They eventually sold the business and retired from the trade in 1999.

Locksmith History Repeats

While Thomas grew up hearing stories of the trade — from MOD safe work to thousands of automotive keys cut for brands like Honda UK — it wasn’t initially a career path he saw open to him. Locksmithing wasn’t widely promoted in colleges, and few opportunities were publicly advertised.

That changed in 2018, when a trainee bench locksmith role became available at Thomas Locksmiths. Over 450 applicants applied. Among the CVs, one stood out — or rather, one surname.

Marc Chipman, a senior locksmith at the company, happened to walk past a colleague sorting applications. The name Towse caught his eye. As fate would have it, Marc had begun his own career 40 years earlier as a trainee at Chanctonbury Locksmiths — taught directly by Les Towse in 1978.

Thomas, like Marc, was 18 when he began. And while he never got to meet Marc’s mentor in a workshop setting, he now hears first-hand stories of what Les and Richard were like to work with — offering a new perspective on relatives he knew only from a family lens.

A Locksmithing Legacy Remembered

Sadly, both Les Towse and Richard Sampey passed away in late 2017, just months before Thomas began his journey into the locksmithing profession. “It’s a bitter regret that they never knew I started in a trade they both held closely,” he reflects.

But the impact they made — on the industry, on their colleagues, and within their family — lives on. Today, Thomas continues their work at an MLA Approved Company, supported by a colleague trained by his grandfather, and working with tools and mementos passed down through generations.

Among those is the original MLA exam book, gifted to Les in 1975 by Richard, now part of Thomas’s own locksmithing collection.

“Even though I never got directly taught by my Grandad or Uncle,” Thomas says,

Locksmithing Full Circle

At the MLA, we celebrate not only professional excellence, but the personal stories that keep our community connected across time. Thomas’s journey is a remarkable example of how locksmithing can be inherited, rediscovered, and reimagined — across generations, but always grounded in trust, skill, and shared history.

More interviews with locksmiths

To find out more about Thomas Locksmiths Ltd, visit Thomas Locksmiths Ltd Company Profile

Recommend Reading

• Join the Master Locksmiths Association
• Why use an MLA Approved Locksmith
• Courses to become a locksmith