PETER PERRETT – BUIlDERS’ RECEPTIONIST?

It was great to see Peter Perrett get such a wonderful write-up in last month’s Uncut magazine [August, 2017]. I have How The West Was Won on pre-order from Amazon and I really enjoyed listening to “An Epic Story”, which shows that Peter Perrett has lost none of his idiosyncratic brilliance. Back on June 2, 1978, my father, the late Leonard Elf, brought home The Only Ones’ debut album, inscribed by Peter to my brother Jonathan and myself.

In Nina Antonia’s updated biography, Homme Fatale, Peter states that his father and uncle both initiated a building contractors called Elf’s. As such a minor point in Peter’s life story, I feel almost guilty in gently reminding Peter that whilst his father Albert did indeed work for A Elf & Sons building contractors of 44 Balls Pond Road, Dalston, London, and he became a director over time, the company chairman was Alf Elf and it was managed by two of his sons, Leonard and Cyril.

In fact I have a vague recollection that my father told me Peter once worked for A Elf & Sons, presumably during some school holiday, and he was at one point given the job of answering the phones. I would love to hear Peter’s side of that story, if he even remembers it! Albert was proud of Peter, and I am sure that Peter will be glad to know that my dad, Alf and Cyril held Albert in great esteem. Lawrence Elf, via email