On leaving school he joined the Royal Marines for National Service and served on Dartmoor, in Malta and the Canal Zone. He was proud to wear his commando “green beret”. In October 1953 he went to St John’s College, Oxford where he read mathematics and enjoyed playing rugby, rowing and playing timpani in the opera orchestra.

He graduated in 1956 and worked for Nelson Research, part of English Electric, where he worked as a programmer and then a systems analyst in the early days of the computer industry. He then became a company representative to universities and scientific establishments who were wanting to buy one of these new machines. He then went on to management which became more challenging as the industry expanded, and English Electric Computers merged with several others and became ICL. The industry grew and so did the responsibilities and he was sent to China in 1965 to potential customers.

He continued in management with occasional trips abroad until 1983 when he was offered a job with a user, Metal Box to oversee I.T. worldwide. It was a big upheaval for the family as we moved from Potters Bar to Reading but it meant no more commuting and Peter could walk to work. He set about getting to know his teams around the world from Australia to Europe. After a merger with the French company Carnaud, there were changes and Peter decided to take early retirement in 1994 and became treasurer for several charities.