He attended Stubbington House School, Fareham,[1] and graduated from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1906, being commissioned into the Duke of Wellington's Regiment.

In September 1920 Peake, then a captain, left the Imperial Camel Corps to report on the security situation in Transjordan.

Security was found to be inadequate, and in October the same year Peake, by then promoted to lieutenant colonel, was ordered by the High Commissioner of Palestine to form two small police forces: During the summers of 1921 and 1923, Peake organised the 150-man Reserve Mobile Force, which formed the nucleus of the Arab Legion.

This force was made up of Arabs, Kurds, Turks, Chechens and Circassians, armed with German rifles.

In retirement, Peake settled at Hawkslee, St Boswells, Roxburghshire, his wife's home village.