Peter was the regular drummer with the New Riverside Jazz Band in Lancaster, when I joined as a complete novice some time in 1983. For many years, I played alongside Peter and the late Malcolm Hall in the rhythm section, and learned so much from them. Not only was Peter an excellent drummer, he was a 'consummate professional' - always very smart (waistcoat, cufflinks, bow tie....) and always very punctual. He always arrived early for gigs, so that he could 'suss out' the room, and so that he could find a parking spot as near to the door as possible to make it easier to carry in all the gear that drummers need. A member of the band, whose arrival was not always as punctual, and had to park some distance away, once said to Peter, 'You're very lucky - you always seem to get a good parking spot' - to which he replied 'The earlier I get here, the luckier I am!' Peter regularly featured on washboard - and the last gig we did together was at a benefit concert in Blackpool a couple of years ago when he played washboard and I played banjo doing a few George Formby numbers! He was also one of the few remaining exponents of 'the bones' - always a favourite for an audience. I depped a few times with Peter for The Lune Valley Vintage Jazz Band, and with Deco Delight amongst others - he played in the pit orchestra at The Grand Theatre, Lancaster many times, and in clubs around the district - he could adapt his style to suit any band and any occasion. We shared many good times and plenty of good music, and I'm really grateful for all I learned from him, and for the pleasure of his company on so many different occasions.

As a non-musician audience member who has enjoyed listening to very many jazz bands since the early 1980s I was sorry to hear of Peter’s recent passing. He was an excellent drummer whom I heard playing with Mike Lovell’s Six in a Bar at Fleetwood, deputising with the High Society Jazz Band at Morecambe’s Midland Hotel and especially playing with the Lune Valley Vintage Jazz Band and his own Deco Delight band, both of which I invited to appear at the Baildon Hall Club in Shipley, West Yorks. where I used to organise occasional Sunday evening jazz nights. As the official contact for both of these “foreign”( i.e. Lancastrian! ) bands I always found Peter to be business like but courteous in his approach and a very pleasant man generally.