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Samuel John Peake crossed the bar on 6th
June 2008 after a short illness. A committal service took place at St.
Mary the Virgin Church, Felpham in West Sussex on Wednesday 18th June.
The service was followed by cremation at Chichester Crematorium.
Sam was a long time member of the Fleet Air Arm Association, Ford
Branch, which he attended regularly right up to his death.
In 1942, then aged 18 years, Sam joined the Fleet Air Arm as an armourer
at HMS Daedalus, Lee-on-Solent and retired in 1946 as an Acting Chief
Petty Officer (Air). During his time in the Navy, he saw active service
in HMS’s Illustrious, Unicorn and Ocean and served with both 847 and 810
Squadrons.
He was born on 16th February 1924 and grew up in the Enfield area. He
left school aged 14 becoming a trainee toolmaker until enlisting in the
Navy returning to that trade after the war. At a New Years Eve party in
the late forties, he declared his intentions to a certain young lady
called Isabel. At the time, she was not overly convinced of his true
intentions, Sam “being a little bit tipsy”. However, by sheer
perseverance and his unwillingness to admit defeat they were eventually
married at St. John the Baptist Church, Isleworth in 1951…a union that
was to last for the next 57 years.
In 1957, the family emigrated to Canada but did not settle returning to
the UK in late 1959 to a very different sort of life. Sam, then aged of
40, began a new career as a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at
Isleworth Polytechnic. He quickly gained promotion and began to
seriously study in his own time finally achieving his MA at the age of
55 years. Not content with that achievement he then began home study for
a PhD, with one day a week at London University.
In 1987, he retired from Lecturing and he and Isabel went to live in
Middleton-on-Sea in West.
During the move to Middleton Sam wanted to “ditch” the work he had done
at University but at Isabel’s insistence and encouraged he decided to
complete his PhD and one the families proudest moments was to see him
receive his Doctorate in “Comparative Education” from London University
at the age of 67 – quite an achievement!
Retirement to Sussex did not mean inactivity for Sam and he soon became
involved with the local community. He was a deeply spiritual man and
through his involvement with his local church became a member of the
Guild of Servers and a Lay Minister of Communion. As a Server, he would
visit the elderly and housebound on Sunday mornings to share Communion
with them. His other interests involved being a Neighbourhood Watch
Co-ordinator and of course, his long time association with the FAAA
serving as the Ford Branch Secretary for many years.
Sam is survived by his wife Isabel and their four children.
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