Although of partly French ancestry, Henri Leonard Thomas Peulevé was born to British parents on 29 January 1916, at Hastings on the Sussex coast. He and his older sister Annette spent their early years almost constantly on the move: in addition to several spells in England, they also lived in Algiers and at Dinard on the Brittany coast. Invited by a family friend to spend his summers on the Cote d'Azur, Harry soon developed a love for his adopted country and became a fluent French speaker.

After returning to England and qualifying as an electrical engineer, he worked for Pye before moving to Baird's televison company based at Crystal Palace. In 1936 he joined the BBC's new TV studios at Alexandra Palace, where he established himself as one of their first cameramen until the outbreak of war.

Harry at Bandol, summer 1931

(© Peulevé family collection)

At the BBC, 1937

(© Peulevé family collection)