The simplest thing to do would be to buy his marriage cert ,it should give his fathers details,and his occupation,it would be a very good starting point for you as you do not know where he was born,family history isn't so difficult but every one has at some point bought important certificates,ask around your family someone may actuayl have them tucked away in a drawer,you will glean enough information from them to get started,and then you will get a lot more help from rootschatters,with far more knowledge than me,