I first meet a fresh faced blonde haired boy named Peter Soper in our early teenage years, when we both attended the Icknield Secondary Modern School as it was known back then, we were class mates and sat next to each other sharing a desk, something I believe Peter instigated on the first day of a new term.

During our late school years we were to become good friends, not only in school but also undertaking after school activities together as well.

Probably again at Peters instigation (as he was always more confident in him self than I had been back then) on Saturday mornings during the fishing season we would often go off fishing together, this first involved catching the bus into Luton after school on a Friday afternoon, visiting a local fishing tackle shop to purchase fishing bait and other items required for our fishing trips. Then it was back on the bus again to Peters parents house in Priory Gardens where Peter would cook us tea, usually beans on toast with an egg from memory, all consumed at the kitchen table, it was delicious and a treat for me, it was so kind of not only him, but also his parents who had supplied the food. 

The next morning being the Saturday we would meet up in Luton town centre, catching another bus taking us out of town to either Leighton Buzzard or Pitstone, where we would spend the day fishing on the Grand Union Canal. I still have that same fishing rod I first used as a school boy back then, and still fish the same spots Peter and myself visited 60 year’s ago, occasionally still using that same school boy rod, well at least once a year, and remembering those school boy days with Peter, while boring others telling them I’ve sat here for 60 years fishing.

Bird watching was another interest brought out in me by Peter, he started a bird watching club at school, but I don’t think there were many members other than him and myself, I still have that membership card draw out by Peter, I was Nuthatch. Again bus trips took us to places like Sharpenhoe Clappers and Bramingham Wood bird watching during those school boy days, sometimes bird nesting and collecting eggs I’m ashamed to admit, using mirrors on long sticks that we had made up to view into nests high up in the trees.

Back then Bramingham Wood stood amongst agricultural land, unlike today being surrounded by vast housing estates. Often the farm hands would spots us in the wood and chase us out thus curtailing our woodland bird spotting trips, ironically I now live on one of these housing estates close to where Peter and myself would enter the wood, and again bore fellow Woodland Trust Volenteers about the length of time I’ve been visiting the wood thanks to Peters instigation, and i now get the benefit of the woodland birds visiting my garden.

When we weren’t fishing on a Saturday afternoon, probably it being out of season or during winter, we would visit The Drill Hall in the Old Bedford Road to watch the Wrestling, as the ITV had popularised this so call sport on Saturday afternoon World of Sport TV back then.

Other memories I have of this time with Peter were picking Walnuts from a tree situated on waste land on the corner of Priory Gardens, there were never many nuts to harvest, but Peter always shared what was available with me, picking these Walnuts would badly stain our hands brown, which would last for days as it proved difficult to wash off.

Peter and other school friend would visit the Earls Court Motor Show in London, but I was unable to go myself, the big ambition of any school boy at this show was to collect carrier bags full of car brochures, and Peter was alway caring enough to share his treasured brochures with me, as I had not been able to attend myself.

Then our school days came to an end, it was time to go out in the world and earn a living, this is where I lost touch with Peter as we took new paths.

But I’ve always remembered these times and occasionally hit the search button on the computer half heartedly wounding where the world had taken Peter Soper.

Happy days and a time fondly remembered, thank you Peter for so much you brought to my life, you will never know.


Sorry for your sad loss.
Tony Hickmott