Peter Charles Hull

Peter Charles Hull
18th September 1949 - 22nd August 2022

Peter Hull – Eulogy

James and I would like to thank you all for coming today, to join us in paying respects to our father and celebrating the wonderful life he led.
Peter Hull was a father, brother, son and great friend. Dad took on many roles, he loved to compete and second place wasn’t an option, especially when it came to things where he could use his tactical brain. Lots of you know him to be an avid cyclist, lover of all sports and a fisherman. He was also a keen investor, a wine expert and a great mentor.
Peter was born to Dorothy and Edward Hull on the 18th September 1949, his brother Roy being born a few years before him. Dad lived in Cople and he was known by the nickname ‘Buzz’, but nobody seems to know where this name originated from. In Cople, his parents’ house had Peter’s gran living next door. With these two houses side by side, he had an extensive area that allowed Peter to grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables.
Gardening was a hobby he was fond of throughout his life. One of dad’s first jobs was to help the local farmer deliver potatoes, which was no doubt linked with his love for the outdoors and gardening. When we were small children, I can remember dad harvesting his potatoes by turning up the soil. James and I would enjoy getting our hands dirty picking all the potatoes up for him after he had done all of the hard work.
Dad always spoke fondly of his childhood and enjoyed his days at Cople Primary School, passing his 11+, which allowed him to attend Stratton Grammar School in Biggleswade. During dad’s younger years he was a part of both rugby and cricket teams. Dad had many happy years playing for Cople Cricket team and notably had success playing for the county Cricket team as well. One of Bedford’s great claims to fame was when they won the Regional Cricket Competition in 1980. Dad scored 50 not out, took 2 wickets and was man of the match. He almost won it single-handedly. An achievement he was proud of, and we were also very proud of him for.
During Peter’s childhood he also found he had a passion for fishing. Dad enjoyed taking part in fishing competitions and his team were even sponsored by Green King! Dad wasn’t one to look back on the past or keep many treasures and photos. Nevertheless, one of his most prized possessions was a photo album, which he made when he was 16, detailing the variety and sizes of the fish he caught with his friends.
Lots of you are here today who knew dad from his career, working in HM Revenue and Customs. Dad worked there for over 40 years, starting as a Tax Officer and then moving up to a higher-grade officer. This was quickly followed with a promotion to an Inspector of taxes. He ended his career as the Finance Officer for the region. Dad had an office during his career that looked over the Bedford Rugby ground. Whose idea was that? Did he actually get any work done? Well, it was something dad raved about at home how he watched matches while he was supposed to be working. I was never fully sure of what dad did during this job. However, he spoke fondly of his time spent there. Dad was a fair man and knew how to help his clients as well as be a friend to all his colleagues. I’m sure some of you here will have plenty more stories to tell of my dad, so I look forward greatly to hearing them.
When we were growing up, dad was a great father to James and I, being there for us in every part of our childhood. Together with our Mum, Anne, dad took us on lots of holidays to France and Spain, and we all enjoyed diving in the waves and who could tan the most – of course dad always won. Dad enjoyed cooking and made dinner for us every day. From roast chicken to ham and broccoli pasta! Dad was a man that liked routine, preferring to eat certain meals on certain days and did not like to stray from tradition. He was fond of fish on Fridays, until James and I grew up and changed this to pizza. Dad was the only person who insisted on using a knife and fork to eat his pizza.


Every Saturday James and I would cycle to Tesco with him to do the food shop. We often visited Tesco’s café for breakfast. Dad did enjoy the time when I had a fried egg sandwich and the yolk exploded all down my clothes. Dad laughed as he told every Tesco staff member and member of the public why I was covered in egg as we walked round the aisles.
A good glass of red wine was something that dad cherished, something that I feel should be mentioned. Whether that was going to the pub every Friday, drinking his red wine, or having an occasional glass of port. Now if you were to ask my dad to recommend a red wine – it had to be something that was either 14 or 14.5% - everything else was maid’s water according to him. Dad enjoyed attending curry nights with his friends and going to the Bedford beer festival. Although in more recent years dad could not quite tolerate the amount of alcohol he consumed during his youth, he still enjoyed reminiscing about stories he had lived.
Music was something that he also appreciated to pass the time. Dad regularly listened to his favourite songs on YouTube and watched Top of the Pops from the 70s and 80s. For our 7th birthday, I had a bowling party in Bedford. Dad danced and sang his way to every song that played. At the time it was the most mortifying event of my life, but now I look back and laugh at what an embarrassingly funny dad he was.
Dad retired from work in 2012. His retirement party, which James and I attended, was a great send off, with a touching speech written by his colleagues which dad kept with all of his important things. His fellow colleagues assured me that dad was a great boss and I can imagine he loved telling everyone what to do. At first Dad wasn’t too sure of retirement. For a while Dad had needed an operation to help him with his legs as he had struggled to walk for long distances. Now that he was retired, he could no longer put this off. Dad took a long time to recover but kept cycling to keep up his fitness.
After retiring and finding himself with lots of time available, dad enjoyed visiting his brother’s allotment, comparing prices at all the supermarkets to get the best deal and completing online surveys for rewards. Dad also enjoyed visiting his friend Christina and helping lots of people with their investments. Dad was always so generous to anyone he met.
Dad and Mum were so proud of James and I when we graduated and it was a time, we were so grateful to have him there. As his children we wanted to spend as much time as we could with him and we often met up for family dinners. Our most recent birthday we spent all together with Mum, Dad and our partners, Rob and Charlie. Something we hadn’t done since we all moved out of Marigold Way and something which I am so grateful for now.
When Covid hit, Dad was devastated that he had to shield and could no longer be his independent self. My brother James, would do his food shop and dad would often be annoyed when James came back with 36 turkey slices instead of his usual 8. When James did the food shops for him, dad would tell him to buy himself something as well. Again, annoyed at James when he chose to buy a salsa dip instead of something more sensible as his gift of choice from dad.
After dad’s recent diagnosis he spent several months at Manton Heights Care home and some time in Bedford Hospital. James and I are so grateful for the carers and nurses who helped us look after our dad. Peter was stubbornly independent and didn’t like to ask for help. However, as he became more ill, he would accept our help, allowing us to help him shave and cut his hair. Dad still liked to keep up appearances no matter how he was feeling.
Dad you will be missed greatly. James and I will always have his presence with us and all the lessons he taught. Thank you for being an incredible role model and for loving us unconditionally. We hope that we made you proud.
Well, what a legacy, what a life, as described in his retirement speech as a “Bedford Icon.” I invite each of you to keep our dad alive in your hearts. Thank you for being here and for making my dad’s life so meaningful. Thank you.