The
incident, however, did not affect the post-match activities. Indeed, the players
became perhaps a little too exhuberant because the Police were summoned to the
team’s hotel the morning after. Players were interviewed, with the first
being asked ‘What’s your name?’ The reply was given ‘Otto
Hallamandres’, the next ‘Oscar van Statler’, and so on. The
policeman did not know they were South Africans and warned them to stop larking
around. Everyone was apologetic, but whilst the questioning was going on someone
had taken the opportunity to fill the officer’s helmet up with liquid –
further elaboration is neither necessary nor recommended! Peter played for
Penzance when able and also gained his first Cornish ‘cap’ in 1938.
During the 1939-45 war, he served in the Royal Navy as a Surgeon-Lieutenant, returning
afterwards to his practice in Morrab Road. Just prior to his return, Rex
Carr wrote to him in the Navy asking if he could persuade Guy’s to come and
play the Pirates in our opening match. Peter’s charming and smooth-talking
approach not surprisingly worked and he captained us in our first-ever game which
was played against Guy’s Hospital on the 22nd. September, 1945. He
then had the honour of again playing for Cornwall, but he broke his leg in a match
played against Devon at Plymouth. To complicate matters he caught tetanus, nearly
died, and his rugby career was sadly ended. Peter Gartrell was one of life’s
gentleman characters who exuded a very real ‘joie de vivre’. He died
at his home near St, Buryan in 1988, aged 80. | 
