Francis Alfred Peet (1882-1960): Biographical Entry

551 PEET, Francis Alfred, ‘Recollections’, TS, pp.19 (c.10,000 words). Brunel University Library. 

Born 6 Aug 1882 at Birch Green, Hertford. Died 1960. Eldest of 4 children of a carpenter. Educated at Newman infants’ school (1886-91); Birch Green School (1891-4); scholarship to Hertford Grammar School (1895-6). Married, with 3 children. Lived in same house all his life. 

Apprentice carpenter (1897), working at this trade until his retirement (1948). 

Keen gardener, bird watcher and birds’ eggs collector. 

Written in 1954, Peet provides an account of his ancestry, schooling and wages and conditions of work as a carpenter, placed within a more general description of life in a rural community. 

Works Cited:

551 PEET, Francis Alfred, ‘Recollections’, TS, pp.19 (c.10,000 words). Brunel University Library. 

The Autobiography of the Working Class: An Annotated, Critical Biography, 3 vols (Brighton: Harvester, 1987) 2:657