Peter John SHEARD 1923 – 2002
Peter & Clarice had three children. As can be seen from his Merchant Navy records Peter never returned to overseas service after he returned on 25th March 1953, just before their second child was born but he did continue with summer work on the Medway Queen until either 1962 or 1963. The Medway Queen was decommissioned in 1963 but it is uncertain whether Peter worked her last season or not but what is certain is that he was actively involved in her farewell party. During these years he sometimes worked in the Acorn Ship Repair Yard on the River Medway or some years he worked on river/coastal barges with Clarice’s adopted brother/Uncle, Jack Herbert.
After the Medway Queen he then started work in Chatham Dockyard as a “Rigger” but eventually took a job as a Ship Keeper usually working a 24 hours on and 48 hours off shift pattern. Sometime in the 1960’s he joined the Royal Navel Reserve at HMS Wildfire in Gillingham and eventually transferred from ship keeping in the Dockyard to becoming the caretaker of HMS Wildfire and at the same time he became the steward of the mess and wardroom. This is where he remained until he started his own business in 1973 with Henry Pocock whom he met at HMS Wildfire when Henry was the liaison Petty Officer from the Royal Navy, the company they formed was called P&S Catering Co Ltd. In September 1973 they managed to get the catering contract for Cobham Hall girl’s school.
The company expanded pretty rapidly and Peter & Clarice bought out the other shareholders just as rapidly. At its height the company was easily the largest catering company in the Medway Towns and probably in Kent but unfortunately it was not to last, they both thought they had made enough and neither seemed interested in continuing to develop the business and even ignored overtures from the major national companies to sell the business, they just let the contracts they had expire and then they retired to Scotland in 1982.
They moved into a derelict farmhouse, Goodibank, just outside Thornhill near Stirling. Here they were to live rent free until they moved into council accommodation sometime in the 1990’s in the village of Thornhill.