Peter was born in 1949, a couple of years after his mother and father had married. Tragically, age the age of 5 Peter’s younger sister died, aged 2 so he spent some time living with his grandmother while his parents moved house. His grandmother was a very religious lady and living with her left Peter with an enduring love for traditional hymns.

Peter went to two boarding schools and looked back with great fondness on his time at Trent College. He credited his Wortley Housemaster and teacher of Latin, John Sayers, with sparking his interest in Imperial Rome. The study of the Roman Empire subsequently became his lifelong passion.

Peter entered the family business, becoming, along with his brother Paul, the third generation of Smiths to run BMTR. Peter developed Biketyrestore, a flagship motorcycle tyre wholesaler, which was the first in the UK to sell the now famous Bridgestone brand. He also followed his father in taking an official role with the National Tyre Distributors Association.

He was a keen motorcyclist. He also loved horses; an interest he developed at his first school. He rode for many years with great enthusiasm, refusing to be deterred by regularly being dumped overboard by both Toby and Cassius, his two favourite horses. He always insisted that a serious rider never fell off, but rather was thrown!

Peter was also enthusiastic about playing the organ. He was a keen Friend of Birmingham Symphony Hall for some years and, after his parents died, he supported a scholarship in their name to help budding professional organists. He played the organ at Birmingham Symphony Hall himself on occasion and also at several churches around Birmingham. His repertoire was mainly famous hymns and always ones he said had “some welly”. The hymns for the service are ones he played regularly.

On his visits to Trent College, he would always spend time in the Chapel, in the company of the Chapel Organ.

Peter and his sister Vicky spent Christmas in Rome twice and he was deeply moved by the Masses at St Mary Major. He also went to morning prayer at St Philips in Birmingham on occasion.

Peter always threw himself into the things that interested him, but his overwhelming passion was Ancient Rome. After retiring from the business, he was able to devote his time and resources to not only visiting Rome, but also supporting research on Roman life and culture. He was a significant donor to the British School at Rome and supported their archaeological work at Portus and St John Lateran, amongst others. He helped with the purchase of equipment for the archaeology department and had recently funded a scholarship to support post-doctoral researchers. He also funded a significant project at Herculaneum.

In 2023, Peter generously shared his passion for Ancient Rome and the archaeological project taking place at Herculaneum with pupils at Trent College as they prepared to visit Naples on a Classics Educational trip.  They were particularly grateful for the private visit to The Room of the Custodian, a site at Herculaneum closed to the general public due to its protected position.

Peter often stated that he wanted above all to leave some kind of legacy in the study of Rome. He clearly achieved that. He was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the British School in the summer of 2023. Among many generous tributes to him, the Director of Archaeology at the BSR said the following : He was hugely influential in our work….His legacy is the support of some brilliant young colleagues developing their careers. I always think this is the greatest contribution we can make.

An Italian archaeologist at Herculaneum commented : In this project, he invested his passion and his thirst for discovery…..I will do my best to honour his memory.

Peter will be missed enormously by his family; brother Paul, his sister Vicky who will miss travelling with him to enjoy and learn about the city of Rome, which he loved so much, and Robert.

Peter will also be deeply missed by his best friend Madeleine and her husband and family. He loved spending time with them and was exceptionally close to Maddie’s children and he was their extra family member.

Peter suffered a stroke in April 2023 and had a setback in October. He was, however, getting stronger and looking forward to visiting Rome again in June 2024 and was hoping to visit Trent College later in the year.  Tragically, an accident took his life; his sister Vicky reflect: If the measure of a life is that you make a difference, he clearly did, both to those close to him and to many others in Rome and elsewhere.

Eulogy by Vicky Smith.