For most people, May 8, 1945, was a day to remember, with crowds filling London’s streets as the nation celebrated the end of the Second World War in Europe.
But for Peter Lake, it was more than just Victory in Europe Day – it was the day his life changed forever.
Because amid the thousands of revellers packed into Trafalgar Square, the 19-year-old RAF engineer met the woman who would become his wife.
Now living in Tenterden and celebrating his 100th birthday today, Peter looks back on that extraordinary moment as the beginning of a love story that would last more than seven decades.
“We were probably the only people who met each other in Trafalgar Square on VE Day and got married,” he told KentOnline.
At the time, Peter was working as a mechanical engineer for the RAF and living in London.
Among the crowds that day was 18-year-old shop worker Sheila Corr, who had travelled down from Yorkshire for the celebrations.
“My pal and I were on leave for a few days, so I said, ‘Let’s go up to town’,” Peter recalled.
“And as everybody did in those days, we started to feed the pigeons.
“Then I noticed a couple of young ladies quite near doing the same thing.
“I said, ‘Let’s go over and talk to them’. We had a nice day with them. And we spent the rest of our leave showing them around London.”
It was a chance meeting that led to a lifelong partnership.
“As soon as I started talking to Sheila, I recognised that she was a very nice, easy-going person,” Peter said.
“She’d talk to everybody and anybody. And she had a lovely, nice, warm personality, which I soon came to recognise.”
Five years later, in 1950, the couple married in Sheila’s home town of Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire.
They went on to have four children and were married for 68 years before Sheila’s death in 2018, aged 89.
After the war, Peter embarked on a varied career, selling everything from insurance to ice cream, before becoming national sales manager for Scot Meat Products Ltd in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire.
To support his family, he often juggled two jobs, including stints as a bingo caller.
His daughter Karen Stuart described her father as adventurous and devoted to family life.
She told KentOnline: “Although dad has never been a sporty person, he’s always been ready to give something a go. For example, motor racing, cycling, paragliding, skiing, and even going up in a Goodyear blimp.
“Dad has always been a family man who liked nothing better in his younger years than to drive off at the weekends with his family to picnic near a river, sit on a beach or play cricket in a park.
“Very few weekends were spent at home. Holidays were usually spent abroad and, when we kids had left the nest, he enjoyed cruises with Mum.”
Now at 100, Peter still lives independently, travelling into Tenterden town centre each day on his mobility scooter to shop and attend local coffee mornings.
He keeps up with computer skills, manages his own tasks, and sends birthday cards to every member of his growing family.
Asked about the secret to his longevity, Peter credits a combination of good genes, moderation, and luck.
“I think it’s good genes. My mother lived to be 92.
“I have done nothing special except try to live a decent life, be good to everybody, and here I am.
“I never smoked, but my father did: Woodbines, which were in those days the working man’s cigarettes. Eventually, he died from emphysema as a result.
“Thankfully, I have a good set of lungs. My heart is quite reasonable; I take care of it. But it’s just the luck of the draw.”
Peter was born in Kensal Rise, north-west London, on August 27, 1925. He grew up in difficult times as his parents worked multiple jobs to get through the Depression.
When the Blitz began, his family moved to nearby East Acton, and like many youngsters, he remembers chasing pieces of shrapnel after air raids.
“As soon as the air raid all-clear went, us lads used to dash into the street to try and find pieces of shrapnel,” he said.
“We didn’t really grasp how serious it was, although a house nearby was bombed and people killed.”
After a century filled with love, family and adventure, Peter remains modest about his achievements and grateful for the life he has lived.
“I have done nothing special except try to live a decent life, be good to everybody, and here I am.”
