Neville Osmond gave this tribute at Peter’s Thanksgiving Service, 2oth April 2012.
‘Memories of Peter the Man. Peter was born 24th February 1924, in a Nursing home in Salisbury. THe house was knocked down when the new roundabout at St Marks was built, so it is a family joke that he was born in the middle of a roundabout! He started school at North Ealing Elementary School in 1929 where his family had moved. In 1933 he gained a choral scholarship at Salisbury Cathedral where the character of his life wasmoulded. When he left Salisbury he won. an Exhibition to King’s School Worcester, and the clouds of war were gathering. Soon the School was evacuated to Criccieth, North Wales. As a member of the Officer’s Training Corps , he helped to defend the beach at Criccieth until the Home Guard was formed.
At the end of his schooldays he joined his family who had beem evacuated to Blackpool with his father’s work in the Civil Service, and Peter worked as a junior clerk at Barclays Bank. It was here that he met Eileen, also a civil servant evacuee. When he was 18 he volunteered to join the Navy to train as a telegrapher. He served on HMS Loyalty, Minesweeper, sweeping the English Channel until he was commissioned Sub Lieutenant and was posted to Aden as a Naval Air Liaison Officer. Later he was sent to the Island of Masirah. After the war in Europe ended, he returned to the UK. In Jan. 1946 he obtained a class B release and went to Fitzwilliam College Cambridge where he took a short degree course and was awarded his B.A.. He took the post graduate certificate of Education. He and Eileen were Married at Holy Trinity Church, Southchurch, Essex on 7th sept. 1946.
Peter had thoughts of ordination beforethe war, but after his time at Cambridge he turned his thoughts more to teaching religious knowledge in schools.
His first teaching post was at Spalding Grammar school Lincolnshire. Here he bought the first family house, kept chickens and joined the local operatic society. Rosemary was born in 1950.
In 1952 the family moved to Kenya, where Peter taught various subjects and was Bursar at the Alliance High School for boys at Kikuyu. This was the time of the Mau Mau rebellion and Peter served as a Senior Reserve Officer with the local Police, as well as his teaching duties, and he also started a Scout group in a local village, taking a schoolboy with him as interpreter. Barbara (Bee) was born in Nairobi. Time is too short to tell of all Peter’s adventures in Kenya.
In 1956 back from Kenya and leave, Peter applied for a job in Cawley New Town where he taught at Sarah Robinson Secondary School for three years. During this time he and Eileen organsied school triops to Germany and Austria, and Peter taught German at adult evening classes. He also became an examiner for Cambridge overseas “O” level papers on The Life and Teaching of Christ.
There was always a new challenge for Peter, and thus time he was invited to apply for the Deputy Headship of a large Comprenhensive Secondary School in Bognor Regis where he taught Scripture and German, but his main job was admisnistration. While he was in Bognor, he took up archery and became sufficiently proficient to shoot in competitions for the club.
In May 1962 Peter became Headmaster of the Bourne School near Chichester. His work included Youth work at both District and County levels. He also started National Savings in the School as well as street groups, which later Eileen took over when he became involved in setting up school groups throughout West Sussex. Eventually he became Chairman of the Educational Advisory Committee of South East England. It was through this work that he and Eileen attended a Buckingham Palace Garden Party.
Peter was ordained in (21st May) 1967, and his Church duties increased. At this time there was a reorganisation of the schools in the Chichester area and he felt that it would be better for a new Head to take on the task of turning Bourne School into a Comprehensive. It was arranged that the Head of the Grammar School should replace Peter who became Head of the Grammar School for a term and then Second Master of the new complex.
In 1968 a letter came from Salisbury suggesting he should come as Vicar Choral, and Chaplain and teacher at the Cathedral School. He went to the interview and was accepted. This began the last chapter of Peter’s teaching life, terminating with Peter and Eileen being in charge of the School, the Queen came for the Maundy Service and besides singing the service, they had the Children of the Chapel Royal at the School. The other highlight of that time was that both Rosemary and Bee were married at the Cathedral.
That is Peter’s C.V., but what of Peter himself? As a boy he was away at school a lot of the time, but had a happy family life with his sister and brother. He enjoyed each new phase of his life, and left an impression on many people with whol he worked. He was seldom cross, but if he was displeased about anything, he was tight lipped and silent. As a father, he kept order and as a husband he was loving and caring, helping in the general running of family life. When granchildren arrived he embraced the grandfather role, and the arrival of seven great grand children gave him the title of Pop which he enjoyed. Tributes refer to him as a friendly, kind, warm hearted and welcoming. He was amusing, with a twinkle in his eye, and a warm smile. In fact, a lovely man.’ (Neville’s original notes on file).