Peter Perdue – LaB 44-53

Submitted by Anita Mason (Daughter)

Orphaned as a child, Peter was fortunate to be educated at Christ’s Hospital, the original bluecoat school gaining top grades at A level in Greek, Latin and Ancient History. He took a gap year before starting university, working as a steward in the Merchant Navy on the Orient Line. Whilst an undergraduate reading History at Selwyn College, Cambridge during summer breaks he returned to sea as a first class waiter, bedroom steward or officer’s steward on the Cunard, Union Castle and Orient Lines. In winter breaks he organised his own student skiing groups to Norway and Austria; and in spring and early summer he ran a concession to supply a team of students as ice cream vendors at the Ideal Home Exhibition, Olympia and Wimbledon.

After graduating and whilst teaching history in London, Peter studied for a Masters winning 1st prize for his dissertation on “The Seafarers Education Service and College of the Sea”. Although the pull of the sea was strong, he chose to be a teacher. After Wolverhampton he went to Fort Portal, Uganda as a loan teacher becoming Head of History. Five years later he left with his young family driving south to Cape Town. Back in the UK Peter first taught in Carlisle before becoming Headteacher of Maghull High School for twenty seven years, gaining a second Masters from Lancaster University – this time in Educational Research Methods. He retired from teaching in August 1999.