Philip Ascot Tivey, also known as "Phil", was born on 26 February 1915 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. He grew up in Russell Road with his parents, six siblings and paternal grandmother.
Phil, an engineer with British Airways, was in India at the start of WWII. There he met and married Betty Blanchette, who had both English and Indian heritage. They had a daughter Gillian, born on 10 December 1941. Deciding to escape the increasingly war-torn area, they booked a ship returning to England. However, a new opportunity surfaced and they boarded a flying-boat. Tragically, this was bombed and 22-year-old Betty and 21-day-old Gillian perished; Phil survived. The ship they had booked returned to England safely.
Phil settled in New Forest, Hampshire where he married Kathleen Curtis in 1946. They had one daughter before divorcing.
Phil then lived in Richmond, whilst working with the British Airways at Harrow Airport. He met co-worker Rosemary Dyer, whom he married on 27 January 1971 in Twickenham. After Rosemary was diagnosed with cancer, they moved to Wimborne, Dorset to establish an Evangelical Chapel. Phil is remembered as a caring, genial man who was very fond of his garden. He died suddenly in 1991 aged 76; Rosemary still runs the chapel.