Peter William Olber "Boy" Mould, (14 December 1916? – 1 October 1941) was a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

fighter pilot and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Early life

The first son and third child of Charles and Ethel Mould, he grew up on the family estate at Great Easton, Leicestershire, and later at the Rectory at Stoke Dry in Rutland.

RAF career

Mould "joined the Royal Naval training ship HMS ''Conway'', but changed to the Air Force when he joined Halton Apprentice School." In 1937, Mould was one of four Halton students in his intake of 180 selected to transfer to RAF College, Cranwell, to train to become pilot officers. There, he excelled at athletics. After graduating in 1939, Pilot Officer Mould was assigned to

No. 1 Squadron RAF Number 1 Squadron, also known as No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was the first squadron to fly a VTOL aircraft. It currently operates Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth. The squadron motto, '' ...

at Tangmere. On the outbreak of the

in September 1939, the squadron was deployed to France as part of the

RAF Advanced Air Striking Force The RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF) comprised the light bombers of 1 Group RAF Bomber Command, which took part in the Battle of France during the Second World War. Before hostilities began, it had been agreed between the United Kingdom a ...

. On 30 October, he achieved the RAF's first victory of the war, downing a

Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke for the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed in the early 1930s as a '' Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") intended to be fast enough to outrun opposing a ...

P photo-reconnaissance aircraft west of

Toul Toul () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, and the river Moselle and Canal de la Marne au Rhin. Climate Toul ...

. He would go on to claim six more aircraft in the skies over France, making him an ace. He was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 16 July 1940. The squadron was withdrawn from France on 18 June. Though it fought in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

, Mould did not. He was posted to No. 5 Operational Training Unit as an instructor. Flight Lieutenant Mould was sent to Malta, helping to deliver

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

IIa fighters to the island from on 3 April 1941. There, he led a flight of No. 261 Squadron RAF until 12 May. When No. 185 Squadron RAF was formed, he was given command as a

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

. He shot down an Italian

Macchi C.200 The Macchi C.200 Saetta (Italian: "Lightning"), or MC.200, was a fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Aeronautica Macchi in Italy. Various versions were flown by the ''Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Air Force) who used the type throughou ...

on 11 July and, in "recognition of gallantry displayed in flying operations against the enemy" on Malta, was awarded a

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

to his DFC. The award was

gazetted A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

on 9 September 1941, reading: On 1 October 1941, he led eight Hurricanes to intercept an Italian raid north-east of the island. While chasing one group of enemy aircraft, he was ambushed by another group which included Macchi C.202 fighters, the first of their type to appear over Malta. None of his comrades witnessed him being shot down. According to the squadron diary: While on leave in January 1940, he had married Phyllis Hawkings in Leicestershire. His name is one of those inscribed on the

Malta Memorial The Malta Memorial is a war memorial monument to the 2,298 Commonwealth aircrew who lost their lives in the various Second World War air battles and engagements around the Mediterranean, whilst serving with the Commonwealth Air Forces flying fro ...

Victories

Mould's final tally was eight aircraft destroyed, along with two shared destroyed. He flew the

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ...

I until he was posted to Malta, at which point he piloted the Hurricane IIa.

References

External links

Photograph of Mould and other No. 1 Squadron pilots
in the possession of the Imperial War Museums {{DEFAULTSORT:Mould, Boy 1910s births 1941 deaths Royal Air Force squadron leaders British World War II flying aces Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Aviators killed by being shot down Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II People from Great Easton, Leicestershire Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Military personnel from Leicestershire