Things at home were most probably hectic and Peggy did not adjust well to being a wife and mother and by 1951 she was more likely to be found out with friends hanging about the streets of central Bristol of an evening than at home with the family. Bristols centre was as buzzing then at it is now with the Hippodrome and Colston Hall theatres, restaurants, pubs and coffee shops and the post war city dwellers enjoyed the freedom to walk around without the fear of air raids.
One Denmark Street with its back entrance to the Hippodrome had at the time a reputation locally for prostitution and "women of low moral standing". It is not known if Peggy actually worked as a prostitute but she did like men and having a good time. It was the afternoon of 22nd of September when she met a 19 year old homeless drifter named Percy Harold Sanders originating from Southall in London in the centre of Bristol. They got talking and before long Peggy was smitten with the boy with the London accent which seemed so exotic to her. Sanders needed a place to stay as he had been thrown out of his lodgings for non payment and although he had found work as a baker he did not seem to keen to go to it.
Sanders at first was more than happy to impress the gullible Peggy with his stories of his life in London and probably gave the impression of being well heeled and well connected but still spent an uncomfortable night on a park bench on the centre when Peggy left to go home after arranging a rendezvous for the next day.
Peggy would walk the distance back to the centre of Bristol the next day bumping into friends on the way and telling them excitably all about her new beau from London who was going to whisk her away and give her a luxurious and exciting life. The reality of the situation was sadly much less happy. Peggy met her weary and dishevelled Percy, hungry and feeling rough on the afternoon of 23rd September and inexplicably they decided to walk to his place of work in Bishopston to tell his boss he was not coming into work that day. The reception was not good but despite Percy's darkening mood Peggy remained elated and excitable chatting away about the future . At some point a ring was produced stamped 18 carat gold and Percy declared they were now engaged though no one thought to mention Peggy's husband Ronald at her child Michael at home.
The couple strode through the town arm in arm stopping to chat to acquaintances they met on their way and Peggy flashing the "18 carat gold " engagement ring that was slowly beginning to turn her finger green!
Towards the evening Percy was tired from virtually no sleep in the past couple of days and Peggy suggested a place she knew about where he could go in Denmark Street. A new office block allowed access to the stairwell and they went there so Percy could lie down, However a security guard appeared and threw them out, so they started walking towards Bedminster where Peggy and her family lived. A couple of witnesses spotted the pair talking to two soldiers off duty and a drunken elderly man whom Peggy grabbed hold of and started to march him off with Percy standing nearby watching. Whether she was trying to raise a bit of cash or not is not known but the old man walked off after a brief argument and they were alone once more and heading for a derelict air raid wardens hut on some waste ground just off Marksbury Road.
The place where Peggy was murdered today
The next morning arrived and a 10 year old boy was picking up stones making his way through the waste ground when he spotted what he thought was a child lying motionless with blood on its face. He rushed back to tell his mum who sent up the alarm and neighbours rushed to see what had happened. Someone identified the body as Peggy Lye from Lynton Road and the police were called. No One knew what had happened to her.
The police began questioning locals and it was soon established that Peggy had been seen in the company of a young man, two soldiers and an elderly man. Percy Sanders must have had enough and he handed himself in admitting he while they were in the hut they had argued Peggy tried to knee him in the groin.Percy had lost his temper and struck Peggy causing her to fall to the ground and hit her head and he had then strangled her with her own headscarf before making his way back to Bristol town centre.
He was remanded in custody and brought before Bristol Assizes pleading guilty to manslaughter. He said that he had been extremely tired and hungry and Peggy had started a fight which was the last straw. Everything went black and she was dead. He was given a five year sentence for manslaughter and so ended the tragic tale of Peggy Lye.
I visitied the site of the murder, now a park and playground back in 2012 on a quiet, grey week day around mid morning and took a walk through to see if I could get any impressions. There is no sign of a shelter now but felt drawn to spot not far from the entrance gate where a bench sits now. No one was around and I was alone and I stopped to pay my respects to Peggy.
I immediately saw the scene inside the air raid hut: Peggy lying on the ground and being shaken over and over in a desperate attempt to get her to wake up. She didnt want to show me what happened on the night of her death as a dark curtain came down around it but it became clear that she did not hold any grudge or anger towards her killer and was more concerned about those who found her and their horror and grief.. I felt that she had some learning difficulties as we call it now, and was a lively girl who had just wanted her life to be different. Bless you Peggy, I hope you have found peace at last.:)
