Peters, Sir Arthur Malcolm, Admiral, 1888-1979.

The collection covers the full span of Peters’ career, including for example examination papers from his training as a cadet on HMS BRITANNIA in 1903, and items relating to his role as Flag Officer Commanding West Africa, which ended in 1945. The papers include many notebooks and lecture notes from various naval courses. There are also journals, logbooks, letters, ephemera, printed books and a large amount of photographic material.

Administrative / biographical background
Peters was born in Kensington, London, in 1888, the son of Major-General William Henry Brooke Peters and his wife Hon. Rosalinda Catherine Sophia Peters née Clifford-Butler. He was educated at Stubbington House School, Fareham, and trained as a cadet on HMS BRITANNIA at Dartmouth. Between 1904 and 1906 he was a midshipman on the battleship HMS GLORY and then the cruiser HMS DIADEM on the China station. Peters was promoted to lieutenant in 1910 and during the First World War he served as flag lieutenant to Commodore William E. Goodenough in the North Sea, being present during the actions at Heligoland Bight, Dogger Bank and Jutland. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) in recognition of his effectiveness as signal officer of the cruiser HMS SOUTHAMPTON at the Battle of Jutland. After the war he was appointed fleet signal officer in the Atlantic Fleet, then first lieutenant of the Signal School at Portsmouth. From 1925 to 1927, he was second in command of the cruiser HMS DUNEDIN on loan to New Zealand. He was then appointed executive officer of HMS EREBUS, a training ship for direct entry cadets at Plymouth. Peters was promoted to captain in 1930 and then commanded the sloop HMS DELPHINIUM, also being senior naval officer, West Coast of Africa. Between 1936 and 1938 he was in command of the new cruiser HMS SOUTHAMPTON in the Home Fleet. His later appointments were as Commodore-in-Charge of Naval Establishments at Hong Kong, 1939-1940; Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty, 1941-1942; and Flag Officer Commanding West Africa, 1943-1945. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1940, vice-admiral in 1943 and admiral in 1946. He was made a Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the New Year honours in 1946 and retired in the same year. He died at Sidmouth in Devon in 1979.