Peter Searby passed away at the age of 93. He began his career as a teacher before later becoming a lecturer in history at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of Fitzwilliam College. There he authored A History of the University of Cambridge, Vol. III, 1750-1870, a comprehensive account of the university’s growth during a period of extraordinary development, which was published in 1997 after ten years of effort.
During the 1950s, Searby was head of history at Caludon Castle school, a new comprehensive located in Coventry. One of his students at Caludon Castle later taught at Liverpool Institute high school, where Searby had been a student himself during World War II, creating a shared bond between the two. The two men would meet again twenty years later, leading to many happy reunions.
Peter Searby was born in Liverpool, the son of Arthur, a shipping clerk, and Elsie. He taught in Liverpool after receiving his history degree from Liverpool University before moving to Coventry in 1959 to take up his position at Caludon Castle. A committed and compassionate teacher, he combined quiet authority with an evident concern for his students’ individual needs.
Searby moved to the City of Coventry teacher training college after leaving Caludon Castle and received his PhD under EP Thompson’s guidance at the Warwick University. Searby became interested in the Coventry Chartists and later chaired the local branch of the History Association where he pioneered an essential series of booklets.
After moving to Cambridge in 1968, Peter continued his research into Victorian Coventry and began researching the history of the university. Following his departure from Cambridge in 1994, he worked as a visiting professor at Greenwich University for two years. In his later years, he focused on life on the home front during World War II and edited two Mass Observation diaries with Robert Malcolmson.
Peter enjoyed cycling to work throughout his career, and his family often spent vacations camping. He is survived by his wife Norma, three children, Catherine, Shelagh, and Joe, and three grandsons, Ruaridh, Wilfred, and Arthur
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