When we moved to our present home in 2004, we got to know our new neighbours, one of whom was Peter Fletcher. A gentleman approaching his 80th birthday, living on his own, having lost his wife to whom he was married for over 50 years, some seven years earlier. They unfortunately were childless. But despite that, Peter was a most contented, happy and positive man that you could ever know. Soon we became not only good neighbours but also good friends. I have greatly enjoyed the many hours listening to Peter reminiscing about his life, his service in the RAF, the Police force and the courts. In his service in the RAF he was posted to many places in the Far East and the Middle East. I have noted that all throughout, Peter had enormous respect for people and other cultures. In the late 1940s, he was posted to the air base at Habanyiah, a short distance from my home town Baghdad in Iraq. While he was in there, he visited those great Biblical cities of Babylon, Ur of the Chaldies and Nineveh where he took some wonderful pictures, which he presented to me. Valuable pictures as they depict Iraq of a very different era.
Peter was an accomplished mechanic and great at DIY. He willingly and freely gave his time and skills to others. He helped me put more that the odd shelf, paint a door or erect a shed. But two jobs really stand out. The first was when our house was broken into late 2008. The thieves apparently got onto our back garden by jumping over the low barrier between us and our immediate neighbours. Peter insisted and proceeded to put a proper solid fence in some really cold weather, so as to deter would-be thieves and to ensure the safety of the family. The other job that stands out is the sundial. This was a project that my daughter Lena was required to do for her GCSE astronomy. She turned to me for help, I turned to Peter, who working from paper design, came up with an amazing piece of art entirely from scarp material in his garage. Of course, we still treasure that sundial.
Peter’s willingness to help knew no bound. One wonderful gesture was when he once helped to fully restore to pristine condition, working daily over a six-month period, a 1960s Triumph Herald car that belonged to a friend of his. The restoration was so perfect that not only it immensely cheered his friend to no end, but the friend was actually stopped more than once by people asking if they could hire the beautiful red and white car for such events as weddings.
Peter and I shared our love for classical music. This started a Friday evening tradition when Peter would come to our house and we would listen to beautiful classical music which reminded Peter of his youth. I was amazed at his sharp memory and learnt a great deal about classical music from him.
Peter was a generous man, whenever he came to our house, he would never come empty handed. He would always bring some chocolates for the kids and sometimes other items like a book, greeting cards, the odd toy or a torch or whatever. From his garden he would provide me with properly chopped logs to burn in my chiminea, or he would bring beautiful juicy tomatoes, rhubarb etc. And he would also always get us stuff from a farm near to where his wife was buried whenever he visited her.
Peter was easy going and would strike a chat with anybody. It was a real pleasure seeing him singing melodies from his childhood to my youngest two. As for me, whenever the pressures of modern life got on top of me, I would call on Peter, where his calmness, his clear thinking, his sure advice that is drawn from his long experience, would soon perk me up and lift my spirit. Peter Fletcher was the complete gentleman and the epitome of a positive mind.
Peter passed away in 2012, aged 86.