MILES WELL TRAVELLED A tribute to Pete Miles
We were left shocked at the beginning of March at the sudden passing of our dear friend and long-time GT contributor Pete Miles. Having suffered a major stroke a few days earlier, tragically Pete passed away after his condition deteriorated further. Being in his mid-Fifties and in good health, Pete seemingly had many years ahead of him, so the shock at his sudden loss was palpable.
Pete was a GT subscriber from the very start and throughout the last 30 + years he has been a keen and regular contributor to the magazine, both with his photographs and by researching and writing a plethora of ground articles. He was one of our most trusted‘ go to’ people when we needed pictures, information or clarification for our material. He also played a key role in putting together our Cemetery End series of books and was the person who meticulously maintained the GT Index. Poignantly, as news was breaking about Pete’ s condition amongst his many friends over the weekend of the NWCL Hop, his latest GT contribution – an article on Fulwood Amateurs – appeared in the newly published issue 124.
As well as helping us, Pete was a published author in his own right. He wrote several books on his beloved Southend United, including A Century United – The Centenary History of Southend United, along with his friend Dave Goody. There were also the Homes of Non-League Football and a handful of publications under Mike Floate’ s Newlands Photographic label, including county guides on clubs in Essex and Hertfordshire. In his role as the official Southend United club historian, Pete was actually working on another Blues history book, so it is hoped that this work can be completed and published in his honour in due course.
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