Family’s pain over 79-year mystery of missing boy

The family of a boy who went missing almost 80 years ago have issued a fresh appeal for information.

Peter Greenwood was three years old when he went missing while walking home with his brother and sister in Withernsea on 30 April 1946. He has not been seen since.

The BBC understands Humberside Police is reviewing what is known about the case and searching for any relevant documents.

After being contacted by police, Kizzie Elliott – who is leading the family’s campaign – said: “Just to have the fact he lived and went missing acknowledged, beyond one small photograph, means such a lot.”

On 30 April 1946, Peter, along with his elder siblings Bill and Shirley were walking along the promenade from the old Cosy Cinema site on Queen Street to their home in Princes Avenue.

According to the siblings’ recollections, they were playing a game of ‘follow the leader’. When Bill and Shirley turned around, Peter had gone. This was the last time he was seen.

Peter’s brother, Bill, died in 2023.

Ms Elliott said: “I owe it to my granddad [Bill] and family to pick this up, and find out what I can.”

She said the family never recovered from the loss, adding her grandfather “carried guilt his whole life”, said Ms Elliott.

The children’s mother, Marion, was not able to recover from the loss of Peter and died months later, aged 29.

Ms Elliott said there was a lack of information surrounding Peter’s disappearance, with the only remaining records being newspaper cuttings.

In the 1990s, the family were told all official records had been transferred to York and then reportedly destroyed.

For this reason, the BBC understands North Yorkshire Police is helping its Humberside colleagues with the review.

Some newspaper articles from the time suggest Peter had drowned, however this was never confirmed and no body was ever found.

“He [Bill] and his sister always felt Peter was taken, and I think they did hold some hope that he would be found,” said Ms Elliott.

The family want to hear from anyone with memories of Peter’s disappearance, including details of any search parties or investigations.

Ms Elliott said: “I’m aware that I’m picking this up quite late and that people who have recollections of this incident may not be with us for much longer, or may already have passed.”

She posted the family’s latest appeal on the Withernsea Memories Facebook group.

“I do feel that within my own community, if a child went missing, it’s not something we would ever stop talking about and it would be something that my children would hear, and their children would hear down the line. And that doesn’t seem to have been the case in this incident.

“It would just be nice to hear that somebody remembers something about him.”

Mr Greenwood never gave up hope of solving his brother’s mystery, his family said.

Often, he wrote to the local newspaper, Holderness Gazette, with the aim of refreshing the memories of locals.

In 2002, Bill received an anonymous response from someone who claimed to have seen the boy jumping from the seawall into the water.

“They went on to say they hoped their recollection would bring him comfort to stop him being concerned about the alternatives,” said Ms Elliott.

When Bill responded to the anonymous letter, he did not receive a reply.

Bill left Withernsea when he was called up for National Service, but would visit the town several times a year.

“He drove himself mad, always going back and retracing his steps to make sure he never missed anything,” said Ms Elliott.

Aiming to shed some light on the case, Ms Elliott added: “I’m in a really very fortunate position in that I have more information available at my fingertips than he [Bill] ever had.”