Peter George Moyer 12.10.1924 – 12.11.2015
Peter was born at home in Thornton Heath, Surrey, in October 1924 the second son of George Frederick Moyer and Harriett Lillian Moyer. His father was a Policeman in South London who was moved frequently with his job in CID resulting in his family living in West Dulwich and Herne Hill areas of London. Peter went to school at Dulwich Hamlet Infants and Junior School but failed the grammar school exam so went to Technical College in Kennington by tram. He played football and cricket at Raynes Park (3 pence return on the train!).
In September 1939 aged 14 he was evacuated along with thousands of other children out of London and was sent to live with an elderly couple in Budleigh Salterton in East Devon. However, by the end of 1939 it was decided as there was no action in France most of the children returned home again to London. As school had finished Peter started looking for work and in January 1940 he started working in London at an office near Holborn Viaduct. However, within a few months the whole area had been destroyed in the bombing raids.
By 1942, due to the intense bombing raids, (one night their house had all the roof tiles blown off), they were spending a lot of time in the air raid shelter, so the family decided to move further out of London to Tolworth. His father was now retired from the Police and Peter was offered a job by a neighbour who had a soft furnishings business fitting blackout curtains in schools and Peter did this until he was called up for National Service aged 18.
In April 1943 he was called up to the Army and was posted to the Royal Artillery training barracks in Shoeburyness and soon boarded the Duchess of Bedford liner in Liverpool, which joined a convoy off Scotland eventually reaching Phillipville in Tunisia.
After some narrow escapes from bombing raids in North Africa, Peter and his colleagues sailed to Naples to join the 57 Anti-Tank: Regiment. He was involved in supporting infantry at two river crossings and slept in the trucks on ammunition boxes full of live ammunition under tarpaulins – but at least it was dry! Peter was moved around all over Italy and was in Treviso when the war ended. He came home on leave in 1946 after nearly 3 years away and saw his elder brother Ralph (who had been a prisoner of war) for the first time in 5 years. Peter eventually was demobbed in mid-1947 and went back to curtain fitting for a while. He then worked for 4 years in Kennington for a printing company in their office before applying for a job with Eagle Star Insurance at Cobham Park in 1952.
In 1953 Cynthia also started working for Eagle Star Insurance as a shorthand typist at Cobham Park and their first date was at a Bonfire Party at the Old Common, Cobham in November 1955. They were fortunate to celebrate 60 years together the week before Peter died. In 1957, Peter applied for a trainee Inspectors job with Eagle Star at Redhill and became an Inspector covering a lot of South West London, which he knew well as a boy. In October 1959, Peter was transferred to Eagle Star’s Kingston office where he remained until his retirement in 1989.
Peter and Cynthia married at St Andrews Church, Cobham in August 1959 and set up home in Thornhill Road, Surbiton where they lived for 8 years before returning to live in Cobham in 1967. Their son John was born in March 1966 followed by Sue in April 1969.
In retirement Peter enjoyed working on his allotment and was a Trustee of Pyports and Loriners allotments until recently. Peter for many years was an active member of Cobham Residents Association. He campaigned to have two street crossings installed in central Cobham. In the 1970s, Peter was the first parent governor of Cobham First School and for many years was a member of the school PTAs.
2009 was a special year for Peter and Cynthia as they celebrated 50 years of marriage. Also the same year they became grandparents with Sue and Kevin having William and John’s wife, Vanya, giving birth to Hannah. Their third grandchild, Adam, was born to Sue and Kevin in 2013. The grandchildren brought great joy to him in the final years of his life.