Name
Peter Gerald Shillitoe
Conflict
Second World War
Date of Death / Age
30/07/1941
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Pilot Officer
65542
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
139 Sqdn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL
Panel 34.
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
NA
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, Hitchin Roll of Honour 1939 – 1945 (Book) St Mary’s Church, Hitchin, Letchworth Town Memorial
Biography
He arrived at Horsham St. Faith from 13 OCTU on 12th July 1941 to join 139 Squadron. His Service Number was 65542. His first operational flight was on the 23rd July when 6 Blenheims were detailed to attack an enemy convoy south-west of Ijmuiden, but the attack was a failure. The following day he was part of a more successful attack on the docks and railways at Cherbourg.
On his last operational flight a week later, he took off in Blenheim IV V6322 XD-? as the pilot from Oulton at 14.00hrs on the 30th July 1941 for a low level attack on the shipping off the Dutch and German coast towards Hamburg, with the secondary target being the naval base at Willhelmshaven. The cloud was thick and over the naval base Peter's aircraft was hit and is thought to have exploded 7 Blenheims were lost that day four of them from 139 Squadron. He had lasted just eighteen days, and his lack of experience was said to have been compensated by his courage.
His body was not found, and he has no known grave. He is remembered on Panel 34 of the Runnymede Memorial to the Missing at Egham in Surrey.
Acknowledgments
David C Baines – ‘Hitchin’s Century of Sacrifice’, Paul Johnson - local historian, ‘Bomber Command Losses’ by W.R. Chorley
