Life Stories
Peter Diplock
Peter Diplock (1949 BA Philosophy) died on 10 December 2023 aged 98.
Born in Broadstairs, Kent, Peter was evacuated to Stafford as a child; he later joined the Home Guard and then the Royal Armoured Corps, “Tank camp” at Bovington to the young soldier’s regiment – the 58th – and completed officer training at Sandhurst. Later, he joined the Derbyshire Yeomanry, travelling to Italy and Egypt. In Cairo, Peter was promoted to Captain, second in command of a squadron responsible for wireless communications.
When he left the army, he graduated from Keble with a 2:1 and was prod to row for the College. He joined Bowater Paper Corporation which took him to Cape Town, South Africa where he both married and made friends for life. Peter went on to run a paper import and export business in London, travelling throughout Europe, USA and Canada. He then ran his own company for nearly 30 years from his office in Great Portland Street, until retiring at the age of 70.
Hobbies included trips to Corsica, golf, hunting and research into the Diplock family history back to 1788. He married Lindy Gerard. They enjoyed showing sheep in Peterborough, Malvern and Bucks, and Peter continued to care for many rescue animals long into his retirement and after the loss of his beloved Lindy.
During a trip with Lindy to Australia, he spotted the opportunity to import Australian and New Zealand wine into the UK from the now renowned vineyards: Cape Mentelle, Moss Wood, Pierro, Palliser and Vavasour. Peter became the sole agent for Cloudy Bay, New Zealand’s most famous wine on the world stage, developing close friendships with the vineyards and which remained a true passion to him.
Kindly provided by his wife, Karen