‘Heart of Old Gold’ And A Legacy That’s Going Very Strong

John Richards, Mel Eves and former Wolves secretary Richard Skirrow were among those paying their respects today at the funeral of Peter Creed.

They were joined at St Michael and All Angels Church in Tettenhall by past and present representatives of the Express & Star and other institutions in the city, including a high-level delegation from Wolves Speedway.

The long-time driving force and secretary of the Wolves Former Players Association died on March 13, aged 90, and left behind countless memories among those who knew him.

“Peter was a people person, a natural communicator who loved to talk to anyone and everyone,” said the former head of the Star’s promotions department, Viv Birch.

“Although he retired from the Star in 1991, it wasn’t retirement as we know it. He became commercial manager of Wolves Speedway and worked for Precision Colour Printing (one of the E & S’s subsidiary companies), selling adverts for the brochure for Cosford Air Show among many other things.

“He was a regular at his local bookies, at his local local, The Swan at Compton, and had a zest for life and a heart of old gold.”

The congregation was also addressed by Richard Green – one of Peter’s successors in the Express & Star boardroom and the man who has taken on the running of the WFPA alongside the appointed committee in recent years.

Richard spoke of Peter’s huge work at Molineux, not only in joining forces with mid-1980s Wolverhampton Council leader John Bird and others to form an action group to help the club survive but then in assembling dozens of distinguished ex-players as an old boys’ association.

“Stan Cullis was the first president, Billy Wright the chairman and Malcolm Finlayson the treasurer….Peter was off on another mission,” said the FPA administration manager.

“For many years, the family have had their four season tickets near the half-way line and walk down Molineux Alley to matches. Peter had supported Wolves since 1939 and the association he did so much for is now 34 years old. His legacy is alive and kicking – and long may it continue.”

Minister Allen Roberts, a former teacher at Tettenhall College, where Peter was a governor for several decades, had kicked off the service by saying it was being relayed to many family members in Australia.

He also read a tribute from Pat in Melbourne, who spoke of the ‘charismatic, kind, caring and generous’ brother she knew for more than 80 years.

She recalled how he had sometimes defied calls to the air-raid shelter during the war and gone back to bed despite the sirens. Around the time of his three years in the RAF, she found him a protective presence if they found themselves on dance nights at the Civic at the same time.

There was laughter when both Richard Green and Allen Roberts reminisced about Peter’s habit of briefly cutting himself off from board meetings or speech days to check on events at the Test Match, the Derby or the Wimbledon’s men’s singles final.

Proceedings in Tettenhall lasted for more than an hour and were followed by a private cremation service at Bushbury.