Peter Denning (OB1941-1948)

Peter Herbert Denning was born in 1930 died in 2024, shortly after his 94th Birthday.

Peter was born and brought up in Upminster and Romford, Essex. He attended Brentwood School between 1941 and 1948. He enjoyed literature, foreign languages and history. He was also a keen athlete and excelled at sprinting.

He joined the Middlesex Regiment to do his National Service and was posted to Hong Kong. On his return from Military Service in 1950, he was hoping to go to Oxford to study foreign languages. However, there was a waiting list for the Oxford College he hoped to attend.
He thus, joined the Standard Bank of South Africa working in London. A year later he was apprehensive about giving up a salary to go to university. He had also met Joan, his future wife working in the bank.

In 1954 he was transferred to Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia. There, he married Joan. With no home leave for 6 years, they set about growing tropical and temperate fruit and vegetables, enjoying the warmth and sunshine like their plants. They travelled extensively to Northern Rhodesia, Nyasaland, Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland. Falling in love with the African continent, its people and wildlife.

In 1962, Anne their daughter was born. Their first home leave in 1963, they were able to introduce their daughter to their parents in Frinton and Whetstone. She was christened in the chapel at Brentwood.

Peter was transferred to Paris in 1965, where the bank was opening a new office. There, Peter’s French became fluent. In 1970 he was an ideal candidate to go to Zaire and, transferred to Kinshasa after the Standard Bank acquired a share in the Banque Belge d’Afrique.

Their son Christopher was born in 1970 and in 1973, the family returned to England, this time to Manchester. Peter was asked to lead the
Manchester Chamber of Commerce Mission to Zimbabwe in 1980.

In 1983, he took early retirement, he enjoyed further travel with Joan, genealogy and his lifelong passion of philately.