William Robert Bernard Pugh (known as Peter) was born on 1st July 1907 at Talgarth in South Wales and educated at Malvern School. In 1925 he emigrated to Kenya and took up farming in the Eldoret-Kitale area. Four years later he joined the police and served in Nairobi in the traffic and crime branches and then as officer in charge of Kilimani and subsequently Eastleigh. In 1932 he took over at Nanyuki and the following year was promoted to Assistant Superintendent, in which capacity he returned to Nairobi.

From 1934 to 1935 Pugh served in the Northern Frontier District in charge of detachments at Moyale and Mandera and then as officer in charge at Kitale and Lumbwa, until 1941 when he took over the Railways and Harbours Police. In 1944 he was awarded the Service Medal of the order of St John. After serving as officer in charge at Eldoret and the Coast Pugh returned to Nairobi in 1947. In that year he was awarded the King’s Police Medal in the New Year’s honours list. He was promoted to the rank of Superintendent in 1948 and served for a short time in Nyanza before returning to Nairobi in 1949 as officer-in-charge with the rank of Senior Superintendent. In late 1949 Pugh was promoted to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Gold Coast Police, taking up his position in early 1950. In 1952 he assisted in preparing for the modernisation of the Gold Coast Police.

Pugh retired to the UK and in the summer of 1953 began work in London as security officer with Fitzpatrick Civil Engineers overseeing road building projects. In 1956 he moved to Northern Ireland to work as security officer with Short Brothers and Harland, aircraft manufacturers. He retired in 1972 and moved to Sheffield in 1974 where he died on 17th April 1987.