Peter was born in Great Crosby, Lancashire in 1931 and attended Merchant Taylors' School before joining the British Army, serving with the 1st. Royal Tank Regiment in the Korean War and later, in the UK, with the 13th. Parachute Regiment. Back in civilian life he worked for the A C Nielson Company in Oxford before emigrating to Canada. Settling in Toronto he was employed in turn by the Cunard Steamship Company, the [then] Dominion Bureau of Statistics, and, in Cincinnati, Ohio, by the Proctor and Gamble Company. A graduate of [the then] Toronto Teachers' College, York University (BA) and the University of Toronto (BEd) he taught elementary school, junior high school, and high school with the [then] North York Board of Education (1965-1989), ending his career as Co-ordinator of Co-operative Education.

He served with the Governor General's Horse Guards and retired as a Captain in 1969 (CD). He is a Life Member of the Royal Canadian Military Institute in Toronto and, in London, UK, a Member of the Cavalry and Guards Club, the Guards Polo Club, the Honourable Artillery Company, and is a Liveryman of the Merchant Taylors' Company. He volunteered for twelve years with the St John Ambulance Brigade and retired as Ontario Provincial Commissioner (CStJ). He was elected 14th. president of the [then] Heraldry Society of Canada (1988-1990) after which he established the Toronto Branch of the Society and served as its first President (FRHSC). Granted Arms by the Canadian Heraldic Authority July 19, 1995.

Switching from racing and rallying cars, after winning four Canadian International Winter Rally awards, he joined the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in 1962 and established their archival program serving as Honorary Archivist for ten years; he received the Commodore's Award (1992), the Ferguson Award (2005), and the Hodder Award for cruising (2006), he is a Life Member of the club. He is also a Member of the Whitby Yacht Club and was formerly Port Captain (Toronto) for the Great Lakes Cruising Club. Interested in vexillology he specializes in the flags of recreational boating. He is a Member of the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) and a winner of their Driver Award (1993) and, through his organization the Burgee Data Archive, is a Member (No. 47) of the Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques (FIAV). He is a Fellow and a Special Collections Mentor at the Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum.

Peter lives in Toronto with his wife Patricia and two cats, Edward and Sophie.

Honours and awards

• 1995 Grant of Arms, Canadian Heraldic Authority, Ottawa
• 1989 Fellow of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada