Norman Peter George O'Neal was born on 23 April 1915, in Forres 20 miles northeast of Inverness, where his parents, Pat and Dot were living at the time. He was always known as Peter.

The first two years of his life were intricately described and captured by his Father, Pat, in a booklet called "The progress of the inimitable Peter".

Military service

On leaving Christ’s Hospital, Peter entered Royal Military College in September 1933. He then received his first commission on 31 January 1935 as 2nd Lieutenant on an unattached list to the Indian Army. He finally joined his Indian unit (2nd battalion, 20th Burma Rifles) on 10 March 1936. He was promoted to Lieutenant in April 1937. It is shortly after this, in June 1937, that Peter was finally transferred to the 2nd battalion, 1st King George V own Gurkha rifles. 

The service record provides some insight into his time - what happened when, but nothing further. The annual reports provide some further insight however - the word ‘average’ is used on more than one occasion, across several early  annual reports!

Peter was posted to Waziristan on the Northwest frontier between 1938-1939. In 1939-40 he was performing intelligence duties on the Afghanistan border. During this time he was mentioned in despatches. Unfortunately time has lost the reason behind this.

He was promoted to acting captain in July 1941, and it is at this rank that he entered perhaps the darkest period of his military service. After 2 months of campaigning war against the Japanese, he along with so many others was taken prisoner by the Japanese, who overran the island of Singapore.

So began three gruelling years as a Far East Prisoner of War.