Before Herbert's retirement in 1993, he was the Personnel Manager of the Greater Nottingham Retail Group of CSW. In his early years Herbert served two and a half years in the Royal Horse Guards (the Blues) in the British Army. He then spent the next sixteen years working in the coal mines during which time he was active in local politics spending some years as Chairman of the Rural District (Mayor) of Worksop in Nottinghamshire, England. While he was working and raising four children with Margaret, he studied at Nottingham University and won a scholarship to Ruskin College at Oxford. He earned his degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Upon graduation, he joined the Greater Nottingham Co-operative Society's Human Relations department during which time he served as the National Executive of the Co-Operative Union, the National Secretary of the Personnel Management Association, and as the President of the National Association of Co-operative Officials. Herbert held a number of important national posts including; member of the N.I.R.E., chairman of the Midland Section S.I.R.C., president of C.P.O.A, and trustee of the Distributive Industry Training Trust.

Herbert's one note to fame (besides being a fantastic father and husband) was being invited by the Lord Chamberlain commanded by Her Majesty the Queen to an Afternoon Party in the Garden of Buckingham Palace as a thank you for all his good work in his local council.