Adrian Peck was born in 1929 and educated at Clifton.
He decided early on in life that he wanted to join the Army, of course, to serve in the 3rd Hussars where his father had commanded ‘C’ Squadron in Crete and had been killed the following year at el Alamein while Second-in-Command.
While undergoing his recruit training at Catterick, he met Keith Hubbard who was also destined for 3H and with whom he formed a life-long friendship. His early Regimental life was as a Troop Leader in Munster and Bielefeld, but also included a period with the Berlin detachment.
In 1952 he was attached to the North Somerset Yeomanry where he met Shirley, with whom he was to share a long and happy marriage lasting over 50 years.
Following the amalgamation of 3H and 7H, he went to Aden as 2IC of ‘C’ Squadron on what was the new Regiment’s first operational tour.
In 1962 he joined the HQ of FARELF where he was also Secretary of the Singapore Polo club representing Singapore in the Malaysian Games and acting as the judge for the Singapore turf Club.
He returned to the Regiment in 1964 to command ‘B’ Squadron in Germany and the UK and it was at Catterick that the incident of the ‘dog photograph’ occurred. At the time the Army was running officer recruitment adverts which involved a group standing around a fire and listing the ways in which the various officers had come to be commissioned. The central figure was a small dog who was said to be enjoying regimental life.
Over lunch one day it was decided that we should try to replicate the advert with the roles reversed, having the dogs sitting on the fender with an officer in mess kit with a bottle of champagne lying in front. Adrian put on his mess kit and with a magnum of champagne assumed the prone position in front of the fire. Much to our surprise, all the dogs behaved themselves and the photo was a great success. It was, of course, intended only for publication in the Regimental Journal. Somehow or other it got into the hands of a London journalist who succeeded in having it published alongside the proper advert in the Sunday Times.
In 1967 Adrian joined the staff of HQ 39 Infantry Brigade in Northern Ireland. Towards the end of his time in this appointment, the whole operational aspect was changing in the Province and Adrian was heavily involved in the realignment of the Brigade to meet the new challenges.
For his efforts in this regard, he was appointed an MBE.
From Northern Ireland, Adrian went to the Joint Services Staff College. In 1972 he attended a Psy Warfare Course at Fort Bragg in America before taking up the appointment of GSO 1 Information Policy at HQ in Northern Ireland. This was followed by a period with UK Land Forces and time on the directing Staff at the NDC.
In 1980 he was appointed Defence Attache in Damascus at a time of considerable unrest and where his courage and determination were brought to the fore on his regular visits to Beirut where he also covered the Defence Attache responsibilities.
Many of those who served in the Embassies in either Beirut or Damascus will remember with great affection the hospitality they enjoyed from Shirley and Adrian. This appointment clearly brought out the very best in Adrian where he was able to combine determination with a sense of humour and for which on his return to the UK he was appointed an OBE.
For the last two years before his retirement, he served with the Defence Intelligence Service in the UK.
In his retirement, he was able to follow those country pursuits which he so much enjoyed and for which he exhibited considerable skills. He also joined the Management Committee of the QOH Regimental Museum and became increasingly involved as a valuable member of the Development Project Team.
