Part 2 (Obituaries) - King's College - University of Cambridge

146
OBITUARIES
Shortly thereafter Peter met his future wife Sheila at a committee meeting of
the Esher Young Conservatives. They had both been enrolled in the group by
their mothers in the hope that they would finally meet someone. Peter and
Sheila shared a deeply felt shyness and soon found out that they had much in
common. After a short period they were married, and remained happily
together for over 50 years.
It was in London that Peter started his professional career, but he was also sent
by Matthew Wrightson (now Stewart Wrightson) to Milan and Bern. In 1956
he left for Lisbon to open up an office for the company. It was assumed that
he would be gone for two or three months, but he never came back. Life in
Lisbon suited Peter and Sheila well and he saw no reason to give up the fine
view from his office in the High Town overlooking the harbour, declining all
offers of promotion that would entail him moving. The couple stayed on in
Lisbon even after Peter’s retirement in 1988. By that time they had seen their
adopted country undergo profound political changes which had taken it from
a backwards military dictatorship to a modern democracy. Peter learned
Portuguese close to perfection and acquired an intimate knowledge of the
country’s customs and culture.
Peter also retained a strong affection for his English roots throughout his life.
This attachment manifested itself not only in sentimental bonds but also in his
work for the British community in Lisbon that he served by way of various
charities and committees. His engagement with the British Legion was the
one that lay closest to his heart. Peter even represented Britain at the
Portuguese Remembrance Day celebration for several years. He would surprise
everyone at such events by the number of decorations that he had from his
time in the RAF, as his modest demeanour made it difficult for anyone
to guess.
The last period of Peter’s life was marred by Alzheimer’s, but he passed away
peacefully in his sleep the day before the death of his best friend from Harrow
and King’s, Robin Farquharson. Peter is survived by his wife, their two
children William and Emma and two granddaughters.