From Malaya to Cycling Across Europe – The Story of Peter Franklin

Peter Franklin has lived his entire life in County Durham, shaped by both the coalfield traditions of his family and a proud record of service. His father served with the Territorial Force before 1914 and went on to be wounded in the Great War, while his brother suffered a broken back as a miner underground. Against that backdrop, Peter began his own path, serving his national service with the Hussars during the Malayan Emergency, before continuing in uniform with the Territorial Army through to the 1980s. But Peter’s story is about more than soldiering. A lifelong passion for cycling has taken him far beyond the roads of County Durham, across Ireland, through Austria and into the mountains of Europe. It was through cycling that he met his wife, Frances, with whom he shared 63 years of marriage. In this episode, Peter reflects on family, service, and the freedom of life on two wheels.