Tribute to Felixstowe Ferry fisherman Pete Brookes

If you visited Felixstowe Ferry at any point over the last 50 years, the chances are that you will have come across Pete Brookes.  

“Dad was a staple down at Felixstowe Ferry,” said Pete’s daughter, Holly Brookes. “A lot of people wouldn’t know him by name, but if they were a Felixstowe dweller, they would have recognised him.” 

Peter Brookes would have been a familiar face to many people in Felixstowe. Image: Holly Brookes (Image: Holly Brookes)

Pete lived in Felixstowe for almost his entire life, apart from a stint in the merchant navy.

He spent the rest of his working life as a fisherman, and even lived on a houseboat moored at the ferry for many years. 

“Dad lived a very individual life,” explained Holly. “The houseboat had no electricity or running water. He opted out of the ‘rat race’, as he called it. 

“He used to have a radio which would pick up ships communications as they were coming into port. He would listen, and then get out his binoculars and go and watch the ships. 

“He used to say, I don’t need a TV. My TV is the view along the river Deben.” 

Pete was born on July 23, 1934. After a childhood spent during the Second World War, Pete started work as an engineer at the former Reavell company on Ransomes Europark, cycling to Ipswich and back each day. 

However, the lure of the sea soon led him to enlist with the merchant navy when he was in his 20s.

Pete spent the next decade having adventures all over Europe, including many parts of Scandinavia. These were stories that he would eventually tell his only child, Holly, when she visited him on his houseboat. 

Friends of Pete's agree that his daughter Holly was the true love of his life. Image: Holly Brookes (Image: Holly Brookes)

Holly said that, despite his Alzheimer's diagnosis, Pete remained his usual kind and lovely self, right up until the end of his life. Image: Holly Brookes (Image: Holly Brookes)

Holly Brookes with her father, Pete, and mother, Sally Murphy. Image: Holly Brookes (Image: Holly Brookes)

Peter was delighted to become a father aged 60.

By this time retired, Pete and Holly shared many happy times together, and he worked to make their visits special. 

“People used to say that me coming along softened him,” said Holly. “I would be dropped down at the ferry on Friday and come back on Sunday. It was a really unique way of growing up, reading by the light of a lamp rather than electricity."

Pete continued to live at Felixstowe Ferry until 2018, when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, at which point he moved into a nearby chalet.  

“He was such a kind man,” said Holly. “He was very easy-going and wasn’t driven by money at all. That made him really kind, and he would always help people out.  

“He was a chilled person, he never got angry. That stayed with him. A lot of people change when they get dementia, but he was lovely right up until the end, which I’m so grateful for.” 

Pete died on November 23, 2022. 

For Father’s Day this year, Holly is determined to raise as much money as she can for Dementia UK, and has set herself the ambitious target of walking 60 miles along the Suffolk Coast.

This walk, she said, pays tribute to her father’s love of the Suffolk coast, the place where he lived for almost all of his life. 

“I’ll be starting at the South Pier in Lowestoft and making my way towards Felixstowe,” said Holly. “I’m excited, but it is also a bit daunting!” 

Holly is hoping to raise £1,934, in honour of the year her father was born.  

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