IN MEMORIAM

Arthur Peter Humpston

1924 to 2009

ATS Jersey Intake J38

ATS Arborfield Intake 39

Announcement as posted on the Arborfield Old Boys Association web site.

Peter Humpston Jersey 1938 - Arborfield 1939

by Trevor 52A » Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:12 pm

Sadly I pass on news received from Ian Rea (1939) of the passing of his friend Peter Humpston (Jersey 1938-Arborfield 1939) in hospital in Perth, Western Australia. Peter died of cancer against which he had fought a long battle.

Peter's son, Peter, has flown in from Singapore to make the necessary arrangements and there will be a cremation service on Friday 13th November in Perth. He is hampered by having no contacts there so I have passed on details of the WA Branch of the RAEME association to him. Peter was the Vice President of the branch and will no doubt be sorely missed by the many friends he had there.

Ian and Peter met when they joined the Army Technical School in Arborfield in 1939, Peter transferring from Jersey prior to the German invasion of the island. That they were still in regular contact recently says much for the friendships formed in their early days. With his passing we lose a link with the very start of our Arborfield history.

My condolences and commiserations to Peter's family and friends. Trevor 52A

Trevor Stubberfield (52A)

Information provided by Ian Rea (1939)

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Responses as posted on the September 49ers Forum

Subject: Re: Peter Humpston Jersey Army Apprentice 1938 Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:06 pm

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Very Very Sad

Sleep well my Friend. I never met you - but as an Arborfield Old Boy I feel a great loss ........

Tich Schofield (65A)

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Subject: Re: Peter Humpston Jersey Army Apprentice 1938 Today at 4:16 am

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Another page of living history lost to us, sleep well old soldier.

Greg Peck (53B)

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By E-Mail.

My name is John Curtis and I was the original editor of the RAEME Association of WA's "Horse's Mouth". My wife Clare and I were very close to Peter. His passing felt like we had lost a close family member. The way Clare and Peter reacted to one another you would think that they were father and daughter. They used to affectionately call each other the Aussie Spanner and the Pommy Spanner. Clare is a member of the Corps of RAEME in her own right.

He was one of the nicest persons we have ever met. Very staid in a British Army way and we were well on the way to converting him into the Australian Army ways. When ever we had a meeting or function at the nearest RAEME Workshop, we would take Peter. His interest in how we did things in Australia and the comparison of REME of old, knew no bounds. He was very popular with the still serving members of our workshop, particularly the young Craftsmen, and was always being carted off to see something new that he had previously not seen. He is very sorely missed here and it will be a very long time before we see another like him.

John Curtis.

Western Australia branch of the RAEME.

On the 5th of October 1938, at the age of 14 years and two months, Arthur Peter Humpston, known as Peter, took the King’s Shilling. He joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps with the rank of Apprentice Tradesman (A/T). He was to undergo a four year technical apprenticeship to be followed by eight years service with the colours and four years in the reserve. His first posting took him to the Army Technical School on the isle of Jersey in the Channel Islands where, he records, he was allocated to Intake J38(A)

With war imminent, before the German invasion of Jersey, the apprentices were transferred to the mainland and Peter was posted to the Arborfield Army Technical School, near Reading, Berkshire, which opened it’s gates in 1939. There he met Ian Rea who had signed on as an A/T with the RAOC on the 5th July 1938 and came to Arborfield from the Army Technical School at Bramley, near Basingstoke, Hampshire. They were both in D Company, Peter billeted in H Block and Ian in J Block. This friendship survived many years and they were in touch right up to the end of Peter’s life.

They both left Arborfield in 1942 and were posted together to 2nd. A.A. Workshop in Northampton. Their paths crossed several times in later years.

Peter married Maureen in Benghazi Cathedral, Cyrenaica, on 6th of January 1951, whilst Peter was on the staff of the Emir H.H. Said Idris Senoussi. Their travels took them to Malaya, Singapore, Bahrain, Oman and other locations.

Life was sometimes bitter sweet, particularly sad when two of their children passed away. Maureen returned to Australia to be near their son Peter whilst Peter senior fulfilled another overseas contract. They were devastated when Peter developed cancer and was refused a residence visa in Australia. It was to be five long years of treatment before Peter could join Maureen in 1998.

Peter held the position of Vice President of the Western Australia branch of the RAEME Association.

Trevor STUBBERFIELD (52A)

Sincere thanks go to Ian REA (1939) for the information he has supplied for this tribute

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A Prayer for a Veteran

We pray that nothing of this man's life will be lost,

but that it will be of benefit to the world;

that all that he held sacred may be respected

by those who follow him and that everything

in which he was great may continue to

mean as much to us now that he is dead.

We ask you that he may go on living in his children

in their hearts and minds, their courage

and their conscience.

We ask you that we who were associated with him

may now, because of his death,

be even more closely associated with each other -

and that we may, in this togetherness

and peace and friendship here on earth,

always be deeply conscious of your promise

to be faithful to us in death.

Amen

Peter recorded his memories of his time as an Army Apprentice on the island of Jersey in 1938 under the title of

‘Boy Service Nostalgia’

To read them, please click on the wreath below.