A native of Reading, Peter trained as a reserve with the R.A.F. at Woodley Aerodrome in 1938 and 1939 before serving in Canada and America as instructor to the Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. In 1942, he returned to England where he served in the forces until the end of hostilities after which he joined Barclay’s Bank.
Peter and Joan (b. 1923) née Barnett married in 1949 and moved to Priest Avenue. They had two children, David (b. 1951) and Sally Meredith (b. 1954). In 1965, after he retired as a bank official at Barclay’s branches in Wokingham, Camberley, Reading and Yately, the Johnson family moved to Wokingham.
Soon after he was elected Mayor he climbed the tower of All Saints Church to look down upon the town to see what he had taken on. When he performed his last duty as Mayor, by attending the town carnival at Cantley, Peter again looked down on Wokingham, but this time from a balloon.He was described once as the man who was Mayor but who never lost touch with ordinary people, and always happy to help anyone.
His term as Mayor was the longest in the history of Wokingham as he relinquished his position three weeks later than scheduled because of postponed parish council elections. Because of this he found himself officiating at two Wokingham Carnivals together with a number of extra engagements.
Always active, Peter spent much of his time assisting local charities and organisations, and spent many years as a volunteer driver taking people to and from Wokingham Community Hospital. He was also a first aider in the Wokingham branch of the British Red Cross; a member of the Wokingham branch of the Royal British Legion for seventeen years; a member of the committee of the British Heart Foundation and the Children’s Society, and warden and treasurer of All Saints Church.
Peter was admitted to Battle Hospital in Reading on the 10th of September 2004 after having had problems with breathing. Congestive heart failure was suspected and he died five days later from a blood clot on the lung. He was buried in All Saints Churchyard on Wednesday, 29th September 2004.
Wokingham Town Museum Unique Identifier: WTH0128