Peter Parrott (28 June 1920 – 27 August 2003) was a
World War II
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 opposin ...
era pilot who flew fighter aircraft during the
Battle of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
and 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 ...
. He later became a test pilot in the RAF, retiring in 1965. Despite being awarded the
DFC and
AFC, he was famous as being the face of a recruitment campaign to encourage people to join the Royal Air Force. When his medals were sold in 2022, the auction house was quoted as saying "..he did more in 1940, aged just 19, than most people experience in a lifetime."
Early life
Peter Laurence Parrott was born in
Haddenham,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...
in June 1920. He finished his education at
Lord William's Grammar School in
Thame
Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border wi ...
,
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
. Though many of his family were solicitors,
after leaving school he worked for
Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council was the upper-tier local authority for the administrative county and later the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom established in 1889 following the Local Government Act 1888 ...
.
Career
Parrott joined the
RAF
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) and ...
on a
Short Service Commission
The Officers Training Academy (OTA) is a training establishment of the Indian Army that trains officers for the Short Service Commission (SSC). The 49-week course at the OTA prepares graduates for all branches of the Army, except for the Army Me ...
in 1938, and was sent to No. 1 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School at Hatfield, then on to No. 11 Elementary Flying School at
RAF Shawbury
Royal Air Force Shawbury, otherwise known as RAF Shawbury, is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Shawbury in Shropshire in the West Midlands of England.
History The First World War
The station at Shawbury was first used for military ...
. After that, he was posted to
RAF Catfoss
Royal Air Force Catfoss or more simply RAF Catfoss is a former Royal Air Force station during the Second World War. It was located west of Hornsea, Yorkshire, England and north-east of Leconfield, Yorkshire, with the nearest village being Bra ...
in 1939, towing targets for the armament training school.
In January 1940, he was sent to join
No. 607 Sqn in France, initially flying
Gloster Gladiators
The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s.
Developed private ...
, but later converting to
Hurricanes
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 ...
in April 1940, with Parrott being the only experienced pilot on the Hurricane in the entire squadron.
The famous picture of Parrott on the recruiting poster, was taken whilst he was stationed in northern France, partaking in the Battle of France. He was giving a display for war correspondents when an RAF photographer asked him to turn around and look at the roof of the
Nissen Hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure for military use, especially as barracks, made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated iron. Designed during the First World War by the American-born, Canadian-British engineer and inventor Majo ...
he had just left. "I couldn't see anything of interest there, but as I did so, he dropped to one knee, took a photograph and said 'thank you'."
Parrott later stated that when he arrived back in England, the poster was everywhere. After many sorties over northern France against a variety of German aircraft, he received news in early May 1940, that his brother, a
Whitley pilot, was listed as missing. Parrott was allowed home on leave on 17 May 1940, and whilst there, he received a telegram telling him to report to
No. 145 Sqn at
RAF Tangmere
RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, and one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The famous Second World War aces Wing Commander Douglas Bader, a ...
. Whilst flying with No. 145 Squadron, Parrott was shot down, crash landing in a field near to the town of Deal in Kent. He was picked up by staff from RAF Manston.
In August 1940, Parrott shot down a
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Con ...
''Stuka'' bomber that had been attacking convoys off the coast of England. The Stuka, of
StG 77, crash landed on the Isle of Wight. He also shot down an ME 109 and a JU 88, before being posted to
No. 605 Sqn in September 1940.
In October 1940, Parrott was posted onto
No. 605 Sqn flying from Croydon. It was whilst he was here that he received notification of his DFC on account of him being on operational defence since January 1940. It was noted in his citation in the London Gazette that he was responsible for the shooting down of at least six aircraft.
In April 1941, Parrott was posted to the
Central Flying School
The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at R ...
, then
RAF Hullavington
RAF Hullavington was a Royal Air Force station located at Hullavington, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. The station opened in June 1937 and was predominantly used for various training purposes. It closed on 31 March 1992 when it was transfe ...
and
RAF Tern Hill, all on instructional duties. After this, he had a brief spell with No. 57 Operational Training Unit, and then a posting to
No. 501 Sqn at
Martlesham Heath
Martlesham Heath village is situated 6 miles (10 km) east of Ipswich, in Suffolk, England. This was an ancient area of heathland and latterly the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield. A "new village" was established there in the mid-1970s and th ...
. Not long after arriving at No. 501 Sqn, Parrott was posted to
No. 72 Sqn who were based in Malta.
In 1943, Parrott was posted to
No. 43 Sqn, who were operating from Capodichino, near
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
in Italy, and he was promoted to squadron leader a few days after his arrival. He briefly commanded
No. 111 Sqn,
before returning to No. 43 Sqn, of which Parrott became the commanding officer of in November 1943, retaining command until March 1944.
Parrott was awarded an Air Force Cross in 1952. Post World War II, Parrott was a test pilot for the RAF before retiring from the RAF in 1965 as a wing commander. After leaving the RAF, Parrott held a number of jobs, one of which was flying for the Libyan authorities. In 1973,
Colonel Gadaffi instructed Parrott to fly to Uganda and pick-up
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern w ...
, who was to be a mediator in the
Arab-Israeli War
The Arab citizens of Israel are the largest ethnic minority in the country. They comprise a hybrid community of Israeli citizens with a heritage of Palestinian citizenship, mixed religions (Muslim, Christian or Druze), bilingual in Arabic an ...
. On arrival at
Entebbe Airport
Entebbe International Airport is the only international airport in Uganda. It is located about southwest of the town of Entebbe, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria. This is approximately by road south-west of the central business distric ...
, Parrott and his colleagues were detained and interrogated, as the Ugandan authorities thought they were mercenaries.
Personal life
Parrott married Mary Dunning in 1948, who during the war was in the
WAAF WAAF may refer to:
* w3af, (short for web application attack and audit framework), an open-source web application security scanner
* Women's Auxiliary Air Force, a British military service in World War II
** Waaf, a member of the service
* WAAF (AM ...
and had been posted to the
''Y'' station at
RAF Chicksands
Ministry of Defence Chicksands or more simply MoD Chicksands is a UK Ministry of Defence station located 7.7 miles (12.4 km) south east of Bedford, Bedfordshire and 11.6 miles (18.7 km) north east of Luton, Bedfordshire. Now the location of ...
. Parrott and Dunning had two children. He died on 27 August 2003.
In January 2022, Parrott's medals were sold in an auction alongside those of his brother (Flying Officer Thomas Hayward Parrott, a Whitley pilot), who was killed in 1940. The collection sold for £200,000, and the auction house handling the sale of the medals described as Parrott as someone who "..did more in 1940, aged just 19, than most people experience in a lifetime."
References
Sources
*
*
External links
Parrott, Peter Lawrence (Oral history) via the Imperial War Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrott, Peter
1920 births
2003 deaths
British World War II flying aces
Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Few
Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
English aviators
Shot-down aviators
Military personnel from Buckinghamshire