Pete Knight who died on 21st May 2004 was one of the prime movers in the foundation of Winscombe &
Sandford Millennium Green Trust.
Born in 1935 in Hendon in North London, Pete moved with his family to Weston-super-Mare where he attended Bournville Junior and Weston Grammar schools. He was of high intelligence, a point made on many occasions when 'executive decisions' had to be made. His mechanical side he inherited from his father, his English from his mother. On the sporting front he was keen on cross country, rugby squash and table tennis.
Army saw Pete in the Fourth Royal Regiment as a Corporal Gunnery Instructor and he very much enjoyed his three years stationed in both the United Kingdom and Germany. His Army report stated that Pete showed "considerable mechanical aptitude" and worked well without supervision. A few years were then spent at Westland Helicopters as a Time Keeper before moving on to Rolls Royce in 1963 to work in the Computer Department.
Pete also lived in Cornwall for a time before moving to Winscombe. He wrote the book A Parish and the Railway which looks at how the railway affected the lives of the Cheddar Valley and its people. It describes in great detail the work
which went into the creation of the Millennium Green with particular reference to the historical discoveries made on the site.
Pete also worked for many years as a volunteer on the West Somerset Railway where he was head of Signal & Telegraph.
Pete was married to Valerie for over 40 years. They had two daughters and three grandchildren.
Pete was an important member of Winscombe Historical Society and also continued his interest in table tennis, playing for Winscombe Club in the Weston-super-Mare League. He became Club Chairman and was for a time Secretary, later becoming Chairman of the Weston-super-Mare League itself. Pete was also involved for many years in the running of Winscombe Community
Association and did a great deal of work helping with the annual Michaelmas Fair.
On 19th February 2006 some of Pete's friends and family held a small ceremony to unveil a commemorative plaque fixed to the buffer board of the loading dock. Click on the smaller images below to see the larger pictures.
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