Alec Walter Peake

Alec Walter Peake (23 November, 1896 – ) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Peake was born in Deptford, London. He bore a floral tattoo on his left forearm when he left work as a leather sorter to join the navy.

He was appointed to Lancaster on 16 September, 1913 and stayed in her until 29 July, 1915, becoming an Able Bodied Seaman on 15 April, 1915.

Peake was appointed to the depot ship Hecla for work aboard Lookout on 16 April, 1917. That same day, he was commended for "courageous behaviour" when picking up a swamped lifeboat of S.S. Copenhagen. He left Lookout on 22 July, 1918

He served in Tilbury from 17 September, 1918 until the end of June 1920, when Tilbury returned from Constantinople to be paid off at Chatham. A diary in the editor's personal possession records his time in Tilbury in a logbook-like fashion. The back of the book shows he was intensively trained in gunnery during his service.

Peake spent a short time at Pembroke I before being sent to Hecla to join Springbok on 18 September, 1920.

On 14 July, 1921, he was sent to Columbine to join Mackay, remaining in her until 4 February, 1922. He was sent to Pembroke I but was invalided out to Chatham's Royal Marine hospital with pleurisy on 22 March, 1922.

See Also

• Service Records

Bibliography

• Service Record at The National Archives. 188/687/20431. TNA
• Personal diary of A. W. Peake (1918-1920). Original article kindly donated to Dreadnought Project by Alan Beckett of Southend on Sea, Essex.