S.B. Peck of Surrey

[ShaunJ]

Mabel died on 16 November 1930. Beloved wife of Sydney Britton Peek and youngest daughter of Mr & Mrs F H Stephens of Guernsey. (Surrey Mirror 21 November 1930)

[ChrisWd]

So, I'm guessing he must have married Mabel sometime late 1926/early 1927 in Guernsey.

He certainly didn't hang around marrying Helen Hulme following Mabel's death as his second marriage was held in the first quarter 1931.

Chris

[ceford]

Hello! I searched for info on Helen Peek years ago, without success. I don't know what prompted me to search again this evening. Helen Peek was my aunt - my mother being her younger sister Agnes Hulme. Many of the details mentioned in this thread I remember being mentioned by mother and other aunts Ada and (Ma)Ria. About the sister who married a millionaire and then died, about her daughter - the cousin I have never met, Sid Peek living in Deal at the time my aunt Ada kept a hotel there.

I have a picture of Helen Peek in an oval frame on my wall. And I have a number of family photographs: Helen and Sid (I presume) standing beside a classy car, my mother holding baby Gwen outside Fraser Heath (Boxhill), the four sisters outside Fraser Heath (for the funeral?) and several others. I will try uploading one!

[ChrisWd]

Excellent photos, especially the one of the couple next to the car.  PL817 is a 6.5 litre Speed Six Bentley which was delivered to Sidney in June 1930.  A lovely car, fitted with a Weymann saloon body.

In April 1931 he took delivery of another Bentley, reg no. PL7419, which was an 8 litre model finished with a black Vanden Plas saloon body.  I'm guessing he may have traded in PL817 when he bought this.  Given Sidney and Helen were married sometime during the first quarter of 1931 this photo may have been taken just before PL7419 was delivered in April. Sidney is wearing a black armband in the photo.  Do you know the significance of this?  It may help us date the photo more precisely.

In December the same year (1931) he bought a very special Bentley, reg. no.GK8443, which was one of the 50 limited edition supercharged 'Blower' Bentleys.  It was fitted with a beautiful boat-tail body produced by Gurney Nutting coachworks and closely resembled the car specially built for the Bentley Motor Company chairman and owner, Woolf Barnato.  Sidney apparently only used the Blower sparingly and factory records show it had only covered 5,600 miles by January 1934.  In mid-1934 Sidney sold both the 8 litre and the Blower Bentley and moved on to Lagonda cars.  He raced a Lagonda Rapide in 1935.  His old Blower Bentley survives today and is a very famous car, worth many millions.  It was given the nickname 'The Green Hornet' by one of it's later owners.

Thank you for sharing the photos.....very much a bonus!

Regards,
Chris

[ceford]

I did not notice that the other car picture I have has a different number: PL7412 (attached). You mentioned PL7419 - is that a typo?

Cliff

[ChrisWd]

Hi Cliff,

No, it's not a typo.   PL7412 looks like a Morris Oxford 6 saloon car to me.  It probably predates his Bentleys by a year or two.

There's a very good website called www.vintagebentleys.org which allows you to search for specific vintage Bentley registration numbers.  I haven't done an exhaustive search but Sidney Peek owned at least three Bentleys.

Regards,
Chris

[Fanny159]

Hi, I have just read the posts naming Helen Peek.  Would love to connect with Clifford Ford.   Helen Peek was my grandmother.  Baby Gwen was my mother....
Fanny Snaith.

[Fanny159]

Hi - all these posts are fascinating as they are mentioning my grandfather and grandmother who I never knew - Sydney Britton Peek and Helen Peek  (Ellen Hulme).  My mother was Gwendonline Helen Freda Peek - known as Wendy.  She was born 26th November 1931 and died 9th November 2005.  She had 3 children from 2 husbands. She was married and divorced 3 times - similar to her father, Sydney Britton Peek who was actually married 4 times. His fourth wife was called Margaret, whom I believe was his nurse.  they married shortly before he died.  I am looking to connect with Clifford Ford as he is a relative.... so ...

Master Peek was called Alan

[ChrisWd]

Hi Fanny,

I'm pleased I opened up a thread that's attracted some interest from the family.  I hope you can make some good contacts here.

If you have any photos of Sydney's cars I would love to see them.

Best regards,
Chris