Sir, Professor Chris Stephens in ‘From the archive' published in the 22 March issue, highlighted the work of Lt Colonel George Arthur Peake in raising men for four companies of railway engineers during the First World War.1 I thought it might be of interest to share some more information about him. This Bristolian alumnus was dually qualified (MRCS Eng, LRCP Lond 1892; LDS RCS Eng 1894) and as such, unusually, a member of both the BDA and BMA, serving as President of the Gloucestershire Branch of the BMA in 1911-12.

He was 45 at the outbreak of war and by then author of a handy student revision guide, Notes on dental anatomy.2 Despite accusations of plagiarism and the use of quotes from unacknowledged sources for the book3 (the author does use and paraphrase a number of passages from Charles Tomes' textbook4), this small work is extremely well thought out, concise and clear, showing some understanding of how little an undergraduate might know at the beginning of their studies. Peake even leaves space in the margins specifically for readers to add their own notes and diagrams. Indeed, one of the copies in the BDA Library is embellished with a number of pencil sketches!

The book was popular enough for a third edition to be published which contained the following alarming preface dated April 1915:

‘The final “proofs” of this Third Edition have had to be corrected close to the “trenches” of Ypres in circumstances not conducive to quiet thought or writing. If mistakes have crept in the Author offers his apologies…'5

Dr Peake passed away towards the end of a second world conflict requesting that he be carried to his grave by ‘some of the 1,663 men who served in the units I personally raised in Gloucester for the RE'.6