Peter Lake, beloved husband, father, and World War II veteran, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully at the age of 104, in Victoria, surrounded by family. He is survived by his wife, Margaret, and two sons, William (Rosamund) and Geoffrey.
Peter was born in England and spent his early years in Jesselton, Borneo (now Kota Kinabalu), where his father worked as a paymaster for the British North Borneo Company. After returning to England in 1929, Peter’s family faced financial challenges, and at the age of 13, Peter had to leave boarding school and was sent to work on a poultry farm in the country.
At the onset of World War II Peter enlisted in the RAF. He was initially rejected due to high arches, but true to form he persisted and was enlisted in 1940. He served as a wireless operator and air gunner and faced numerous perilous missions in North Africa and India. His bravery saved him and his crew on multiple occasions. By the war’s end he had completed two tours, consisting of over 60 missions.
After the war, Peter moved to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to work as an agricultural district officer for the British Service teaching local communities farming techniques. There he met Margaret, a nurse, and they married in 1957. In 1959, they welcomed their first son, William.
In 1960, they returned to England, where Geoffrey was born in 1961. The family lived in the lovely town of Amersham, Buckinghamshire and Peter worked in his father-in-law’s clothing outfitters business.
In 1972, the family moved to Canada, where he purchased John MacMasters’ Fine Clothes in Victoria, BC, which he ran until 1994. After “retiring” he opened a small tailor shop at 819 Fort St.
Peter was a proud member of the Vancouver Island Aircrew Association and enjoyed gardening, traveling, and spending time with friends. He spent his final days at Broadmead Veterans’ Memorial Lodge, where he received exceptional care.
A Memorial Service and Reception will be held in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens, 4665 Falaise Drive, Victoria, BC, on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 2:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Broadmead Veterans Lodge or the charity of your choice.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Fritz Schulze
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Anne Smyth Peter was a dear friend of my late partner, Bernhard Schulze. I shall miss our phone conversations so very much—-
Vignettes of his life in his quiet kind voice. My very sincere condolences to Margaret, William and Geoffrey
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Bob Darnell Peter, you were a fine Gentleman of the “old School” and will be greatly missed. I have fond memories of dealing with you at MacMasters’ and then at your tailor shop and getting you to reminisce on your Air missions in WWII.
Rest in Pace old Soul.
Bob Darnell
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Debbie Tobin Our sincerest condolences to Margaret, William, Geoffrey and Rosmund for your loss of Dear Peter. I only had the opportunity to meet Peter a few times, at family functions in Ontario here, but spoke many times on the phone about searching out relatives, history ,his garden and climbing trees and getting in trouble for doing so. I will cherish those phone calls and his quiet demeanor and laugh and his talks about his family and how everyone was doing.
Peter, RIP as you are back to the skies watching down at us all!
My condolences to all! I met Peter through my father, Bernhard’s dinner club – the Victoria Society for the Preservation of Decadence. Peter always had excellent stories and jokes, and the dinners with his cohort of gentlemen often end up in fascinating and unconventional topics. Rest in peace, dear Peter!