PETER TURNBULL'S keen interest in sailing and his extensive experience in communications and navigation served him well in his volunteer work for Leith Sea Cadets.
He was born in July 1941 in the Elsie Inglis Memorial Hospital to Peter, who worke
d for Morrison & Gibb printers and bookbinders, and his Orkney-born wife Catherine.
During the Second World War, his father took part in campaigns in Egypt and Burma, so Peter and his elder sister Louise were brought up by their mother in the family home in Granton Place.
When their father returned, Peter was already attending Granton Primary School, while his sister was preparing to attend Leith Academy, where Peter would follow.
Louise said: "It was a bit of a surprise when our father came home because he was practically a stranger to us, but Peter and I bonded with him straightaway and we became a very close family.
"Following high school, Peter went on to study electronic engineering at Heriot-Watt College, before going on to work for Ferranti Engineering at Crewe Toll.
"Some of the work he was involved in was highly specialised and secretive, as it involved electronics for military planes – so he never talked about his work."
He became involved with his employer's football team Ferranti Thistle, and was one of the first shareholders when the team became Meadowbank Thistle in 1974. The team relocated in 1995 to Livingston and became Livingston FC.
Peter went on to work for undersea maintenance firm Vickers Oceanics – a job that took him all over the world fixing pipelines for the oil industry.
In 1976 he began a 25-year career as an officer in the Leith Sea Cadets rising to the rank of first lieutenant (second in command).
Current commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Tom Howe, said: "Peter stood down as second in command of Leith Sea Cadets due to work commitments, just as I was taking over in 2001.
"He specialised in communications and navigation, teaching the cadets about Morse code and electronic communication.
"He was always keen to impart information to the cadets and was a valued member of the team."
Peter took early retirement in 2003 following a hip replacement, and devoted his time to the Forth Corinthian and Royal Forth Yacht Clubs, where he was a long-serving member holding an ocean waters yachtmaster ticket. In his spare time he enjoyed photography and radio communications. He also enjoyed taking long walks along the Lothian and Fife coasts, and was a keen supporter of the revitalisation of Edinburgh's canals.
Peter, who never married, died peacefully at St Columba's Hospice on March 19, following a short illness.
The full article contains 464 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
