Peter Vaughan-Fowler, (18 January 1923 – 24 April 1994) was an officer who served in the
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) and ...
. He is best known for his work as a "special duties" pilot, supporting the
SOE and the
SIS, carrying agents to and from occupied France.
Early life
Vaughan-Fowler was born in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
, in what was then
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
on 18 January 1923. He came from a family of aviators.
His father, Guy Vaughan-Fowler, had been a naval aviator during
The Great War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, attaining the rank of Group Captain. He had taken Peter up in an
Avro 504 biplane for his first flight when he was still a young boy.
Peter's older brother had also been a pilot.
On the outbreak 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 opposin ...
he was a 17 year old still at school at the
Imperial Service College
The Imperial Service College (ISC) was an English independent school based in Windsor, originally known as St. Mark's School when it was founded in 1845.
In 1906, St Mark’s School absorbed boys from the former United Services College, which had ...
.
A year later he enlisted in the
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF ...
at
Cranwell
Cranwell is a village in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Cranwell and Byard's Leap and is situated approximately north-west from Sleaford and south-east from the city and county town o ...
, where he earned the rating of
Leading Aircraftman
Leading aircraftman (LAC) or leading aircraftwoman (LACW) is a junior rank in some air forces. It sits between aircraftman and senior aircraftman, and has a NATO rank code of OR-2. The rank badge is a horizontal two-bladed propeller. The ra ...
. While there he volunteered for pilot training.
The youngest pilot in his squadron, he was regarded by his fellow pilots as having exceptional aircraft handling skills. On 15 November 1941 he was made Pilot Officer.
161 Squadron
![Lysander](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Lysander.2.jpg)
After completing pilot training Vaughan-Fowler was assigned to
161 (Special Duties) Squadron. The posting was quite unusual, for the squadron was a secret unit that flew insertion missions at night into occupied France. The pilots were required to be experienced and have logged at least 250 hours of night flying. Vaughan-Fowler was a new pilot, whose total flying experience was only 250 hours, none of which had been completed at night.
Apparently the flying discipline and control he demonstrated in flying school earned him the recommendation to 161 Squadron, who elected to try to train him to be a pick-up pilot. At the time he was only 19 years old.
161 Squadron had formed just two months earlier by hiving off the Lysander flight from the original
Royal Air Force Special Duties Service
The Royal Air Force Special Duties (SD) Service was a secret air service created to provide air transport to support the resistance movement in Axis controlled territories. The service helped develop and support the resistance by bringing in agen ...
unit,
138 Squadron. The clandestine squadron had the role of delivering
SOE and
SIS agents, wireless operators, wireless equipment and weapons to assist the resistance. The squadron was commanded by
Edward Fielden, an experienced pilot who had been the CO of the King's Flight. 161 Squadron's 'A Flight' was made up of 6 Lysanders, with Guy Lockhart as its commanding officer. 'A Flight' undertook the pick-up operations. At the time Vaughan-Fowler joined the squadron in April 1942 the squadron had just moved to the secret airfield at
Tempsford
Tempsford is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about east north-east of the county town of Bedford.
The village is split by the A1 Great North Road and is located just befo ...
, located in the
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
countryside. The squadron was building up its capability, training new pilots and new agents to manage the fields in France. These special agents were known as
'operators'.
![RAF Tempsford](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/RAF_Tempsford.1943.jpg)
The primary aircraft used in these operations was the
Lysander
Lysander (; grc-gre, Λύσανδρος ; died 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC, forcing Athens to capitulate and bringing the Peloponnesian War to an en ...
. The aircraft's exceptional
short-field performance made it the ideal aircraft for landing on small, unimproved airstrips behind enemy lines to perform pick-up operations.
This flying of aircraft at night to small fields in France with no navigational aid was a new undertaking, fraught with danger. They had to fly to a small field in the middle of a darkened countryside. If they found the field, then the field's operator would exchange an agreed to code letter in
Morse
Morse may refer to:
People
* Morse (surname)
* Morse Goodman (1917-1993), Anglican Bishop of Calgary, Canada
* Morse Robb (1902–1992), Canadian inventor and entrepreneur
Geography Antarctica
* Cape Morse, Wilkes Land
* Mount Morse, Churchi ...
. If correct the operator would direct his team to light three small flashlights. These did not illuminate the ground, but gave the pilot an idea where he was to put the aircraft down. As the pilot got close to the ground he would illuminate his landing light. There was always the fear of the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...
arriving and capturing the pilot and operator's crew while the aircraft was on the ground, or worse, landing and finding the Gestapo waiting rather than the
Resistance
Resistance may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm:
** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title
** ''T ...
.
Vaughan-Fowler practiced navigational flying over England without radio assistance or navigational aid, initially by day and then by night. He also trained in night landings, using the tiny indicator lights. Pilots and operators were trained at the false airfield at "RAF Somersham". There they would practice signaling to each other in Morse code. The operators would lay out a flare path and the pilots would bring their Lysander down to land, change passengers and take off in the dark. The last step in his training was to complete a cross-country trip over France without passengers. He was told the location of the target he was to reach but not that it was a POW camp. Fowler flew towards his target over a blacked out France, and to his astonishment found the target was a rectangular compound, with a wired periphery that was extremely brightly lit. Returning to base, he met the scowling Guy Lockhart to debrief him on the flight. As he gave his description of the target he noted the trace of a smile break into the corners of Lockhart's mouth. He had made the grade and was now an operational pilot.
The Lysander flight put on their pick-up operations for two weeks each month, during the moon period. For this time period the A Flight of 161 Squadron (Lysanders) would move forward to
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 ...
. Tangmere is on the coast, 100 miles south of Tempsford. The move extended the reach of the Lysander into Europe.
[Orchard, Adrian ''Group Captain Percy Charles “Pick” Pickard DSO**, DFC 1915 - 1944'' February 2006] Vaughan-Fowler's first successful operation was on the night of 26/27 October during the October moon period, when he brought out two agents to a field near
Mâcon
Mâcon (), historically anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the prefecture of the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home to near 34,000 residents, who are referred to in French as M ...
, bringing two others back with him to RAF Tangmere.
![Pickard and pilots of 161 Squadron](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Pickard_and_pilots_of_161_Squadron.jpg)
The squadron received new flight leader
Hugh Verity
Hugh Verity, (6 April 1918 – 14 November 2001) was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot and later a "special duties" squadron pilot working with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II. He landed many times at clandestine airfiel ...
on 15 November 1942. Once he was trained he would take over for Guy Lockhart. On meeting Vaughan-Fowler, Verity observed: "He was only 19 years old, 6' 2" tall, and remarkably good looking. His father had been one of the first naval aviators before the
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. I wondered if his good hands with an aeroplane had been inherited. He was a laconic young man. His main leisure pursuit was listening to the
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
of the day, for which he had a deep interest."
The hardest part of the job was navigating to the target field. This was accomplished by flying a route of a series of known features, called pinpoints, which enabled the pilot to know where he was. Routes to and from the target field was by navigating off a map held on the pilot's knees. No electronic navigational aids were used in the Lysanders.
The flights were always flown during the two week period each month when the moon was full enough to give off a bit of light. The target field was a known distance and direction from the final pinpoint. Weather, particularly cloud or fog, hid the navigational pinpoints and was the largest difficulty to overcome. Among Vaughan-Fowler's passengers on these flights included
Jean Moulin
Jean Pierre Moulin (; 20 June 1899 – 8 July 1943) was a French civil servant and resistant who served as the first President of the National Council of the Resistance during World War II from 27 May 1943 until his death less than two months l ...
and the general
Charles Delestraint
Charles Delestraint (12 March 1879 – 19 April 1945) was a French Army lieutenant general and member of the French Resistance during World War II. He also befriended Charles de Gaulle. Delestraint was killed by the Gestapo in 1945.
Early life
H ...
, head of the
Armée Secrète
The armée secrète was a French military organization active during World War II. The collective grouped the paramilitary formations of the three most important Gaullist resistance movements in the southern zone.
History
In mid-1942, in t ...
.
Once the airplane touched down in France the pilot was in a vulnerable position. Time on the ground was kept to a minimum, as it exposed the pilot to the risk of being captured and questioned by the Gestapo.
One limitation of the Lysander was that there was only room in the back for two passengers. If more people were needed to be picked up they would have to use more than one aircraft. This was a problem, as each aircraft flew in radio silence, and once up in the night sky they were almost impossible to see from another aircraft. To use two aircraft would mean they would both have to navigate to the target independently and arrive at about the same time. Delays between the two aircraft would pose a risk to the second. The landing of the first aircraft would alert the defenses to their activity. Getting both aircraft down and back up airborne again had to be completed as quickly as possible. The second aircraft was always at higher risk.
On 17 November Vaughan-Fowler took part in the squadron's first attempt at a double Lysander pick up, when CO Guy Lockhart and Vaughan-Fowler attempted to reach a field at Les Lagnys south of
Vatan
''Vatan'' ("Homeland" or "Motherland") is a Turkish daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers ...
in central France. Poor weather made it impossible to locate the field. Two nights later a second attempt by the two pilots was successful.
While with 161 Squadron Vaughan-Fowler became friends with another young pilot,
Jimmy McCairns. McCairns had been a Spitfire pilot and flew out of Tangmere with Douglas Bader. He was shot down over northern France in a
circus op, made it back to England and took up with 161 Squadron to do pick-up flights. A bit nervous about making the grade, he had committed himself to the "Bridger method" of night navigational flying when a young pilot joined their small team. Said McCairns: "I found myself becoming firm friends with another pilot, a young, impetuous flyer named Peter Vaughan-Fowler. Peter was born to fly. His father was a RAF officer and flew in the last war. His brother, after becoming a Cranwell overall sports champion, had been killed in an aircraft in 1932. One could see that Peter took to the air like a duck to water. His first ops were rather erratic. He missed the first trip, won on the next, lost on the third and was lucky on the following. Then he settled down and produced the most brilliant flying and the best results that we could wish for. No field was too difficult, no target too far, and weather never defeated him."
On the night of 13/14 February 1943 Vaughan-Fowler made a successful pick-up of
Charles Delestraint
Charles Delestraint (12 March 1879 – 19 April 1945) was a French Army lieutenant general and member of the French Resistance during World War II. He also befriended Charles de Gaulle. Delestraint was killed by the Gestapo in 1945.
Early life
H ...
. He had been an officer in the French army, and in England met secretly with Charles de Gaulle in London, where he was asked to lead the
Armée Secrète
The armée secrète was a French military organization active during World War II. The collective grouped the paramilitary formations of the three most important Gaullist resistance movements in the southern zone.
History
In mid-1942, in t ...
. He returned to France, but was captured by the Gestapo a few months later, questioned and killed. On the night of 17/18 March 1943 Vaughan-Fowler completed a successful double operation near
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
with Bunny Rymills. In April he completed another double with McCairns on the night of 15/16. Vaughan-Fowler became noted for pulling off successful doubles. James 'Mac' McCairns was his most frequent pairing for these sorties.
Vaughan-Fowler's trips were largely uneventful, due to his careful preparation and nighttime navigational skills. On one insertion op he returned with two American aviators in back. They had left their base in east Anglia on a bombing mission three days earlier and had been shot down. It was the quickest recovery time for evading aircrew. Vaughan-Fowler did have a few unexpected moments. Once when flying a double Lysander operation with 'Bunny' Rymills on 17 March 1943, Vaughan-Fowler landed at the target field and was alarmed to see flames belching out of his engine's exhaust. He switched everything off but the flames persisted. He managed to put out the flames by ramming his 'Mae West' into the exhaust pipe. On departure, the engine started up but then cut out. One of the great fears of a pick up pilot was to be stuck in France. If your aircraft became bogged in mud or had a mechanical problem, it meant a long walk back at night, and staying low in a safe house to avoid the Gestapo during the day. Vaughan-Fowler started the engine again, got it airborne and returned safely to Tangmere. On another operation Vaughan-Fowler had checked out a new Lysander with a test flight during the day and had discovered no problems, but over France that night found six foot flames were belching out from the exhaust pipes. In an aircraft where they were only allowed a tiny penlight to read their maps, this felt rather like flying a signal torch. Nevertheless, he completed his mission. The next day his mechanic discovered the engine's timing had been off by 10 degrees.
Vaughan-Fowler completed a triple Lysander operation on September 12/13 when he teamed with Verity and 'Mac' to take eight 'Joes' out and eight more back. Time on the ground for the three aircraft from start to finish was only nine minutes.
[ Vaughan-Fowler's last Lysander operation from Tangmere was a double operation with McCairns on the night of 18/19 September 1943. They flew to a field near ]Ambérac
Ambérac () is a commune in the Charente département, region in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Ambéracois'' or ''Ambéracoises''
Geography
Ambérac is in the north-west par ...
to pick up a number of agents. Vaughan-Fowler carried British SOE agent 'Tommy' Yeo-Thomas, known under the alias of the 'White Rabbit', as an outgoing passenger back to France on this operation.
Flying out of RAF Tangmere between October 1942 and the end of his tour in September 1943, Vaughan-Fowler completed twenty-one successful operations out of twenty-seven attempts. He was twice awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross during his time with 161 Squadron. He proved himself exceptionally skilled at this job and carried out more successful 'pick-up' operations in France than any other pilot.
Flying combat
At the end of Vaughan-Fowler's tour with 161 Squadron he requested a transfer to another operational squadron, preferably one under command of Group Captain Pickard
Pickard is a surname, an Anglicised version of Picard, originally meaning a person from Picardy, a historical region and cultural area of France.
Notable people with the surname include:
*Al Pickard (1895–1975), Canadian ice hockey administra ...
, whom he had flown under while at 161 Squadron. He was assigned to 21 Squadron, which was part of Pickard's 140 Wing. At the time Vaughan-Fowler's transfer 21 Squadron had converted to the de Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...
and was flying intruder missions. These missions were put on to suppress German night fighter activities against Bomber Command. The Mosquitos would fly out at night to locate and orbit an airfield known to be in use by German night fighters. Vaughan-Fowler's night flying and navigational skills were useful in this endeavor. Just having the Mosquito in the air was a strong deterrent to German operations. As his plane neared the field the airfield lights would suddenly be turned off, and they would not launch as long as he was overhead. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in November 1943.
The usual practice was for pilots to rotate from an operational squadron to a training or administrative duty before they were rotated back to operations. After 60 operational flights the pilot's obligation to fly was fulfilled. However, Vaughan-Fowler loved to fly. After each of his tours he scrambled to get assigned to another squadron in a flying role. He was able to continue to fly operationally until the end of the war.
In January the group began training for a daylight raid against a French prison.
Return to Special Duties
In February 1944 he was called back to Special Operations Executive work, to the Mediterranean theatre. Vaughan-Fowler arrived at Maison Blanche airfield near Algiers to set up a Lysander pick up flight for operations at bases in the Mediterranean area. They had been attached as a third flight to 148 Squadron at Brindisi
Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.
Histo ...
. The squadron was largely equipped with Halifaxes, and prior to Vaughan-Fowler's arrival had been primarily responsible for parachuting men and supplies to partisans in Yugoslavia and Greece. A third flight was formed for 148 with Lysanders to operate as a pick-up flight, with Vaughan-Fowler as commanding officer. Vaughan-Fowler was sent to southern Italy with 4 Lysanders. He had three pilots that were in the process of training as pick up pilots. Jimmy McCairns was soon sent to join Vaughan-Fowler at Brindisi
Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.
Histo ...
in the heel of Italy as Air Ministry representative and training instructor. Both he and Vaughan-Fowler expected to be flying to southern France, but were tasked with carrying out operations in Greece and Yugoslavia. In August 148 Squadron Halifaxes suffered heavy losses trying to supply the Poles during the Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...
.
Following the Normandy landings
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
the Lysanders were moved forward to Borgo Bastia and switched to operations in southern France. They soon were moved up to Calvi on Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
, from which they continued to fly missions to France. On 4 June Vaughan-Fowler and Attenborough flew a double pick-up from Calvi to a field near Lyons
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...
, where they picked up 7, including Michel Pichard. The week before the invasion of southern France they were overloaded with requests. 148 Squadron completed another six Lysander flights from Corsica. Vaughan-Fowler flew four of these operations.
The last Lysander mission was put on during the night of 10/11 August 1944. The agent was an important leader of the resistance, who awaited pick up at a field in Pont de Vaux on the river Saône
The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île.
The name deri ...
. Unlike a typical pick-up flight, this operation had to be flown on a moonless night. The mission was flown and successfully completed by Vaughan-Fowler. The Allied invasion of southern France followed four days later.
In December 1944 Vaughan-Fowler was made commanding officer of 213 Squadron, operating the P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
fighter in a ground-attack role. At the conclusion of the war in Europe he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in recognition of his contributions and leadership. Vaughan-Fowler remained in command of 213 Squadron until January 1946.
After the war
At the end of the war the French government awarded Vaughan-Fowler the Croix de Guerre with Palm and appointed him a Chevalier de l' Ordre National de la Légion d'honneur for his contributions to the liberation of France. Vaughan-Fowler decided to remain in the Royal Air Force, and was awarded a permanent commission in September 1945. His temporary rank of Flight Lieutenant was made permanent in June 1946. Vaughan-Fowler was promoted to Squadron Leader in 1951. In the post-war RAF he was assigned a string of flying appointments, including the command of 247 Fighter Squadron and work with the Central Fighter Establishment
The Central Fighter Establishment was a Royal Air Force formation that dealt with the development of fighter aircraft tactics which was formed on 4 September 1944 at RAF Wittering. It also tested new fighter aircraft and equipment, and with the ...
. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1954.
Vaughan-Fowler was promoted to Wing Commander on 1 July 1957, and was posted to command RAF Wildenrath
Royal Air Force Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that operated from 1952 to 1992. Wildenrath was the first of four 'clutch' stations ...
in Germany. He was then promoted to Group Captain and posted to Deputy Captain and Extra Equerry
An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...
of the Queen's Flight
Air transport of the British royal family and government is provided, depending on the circumstances and availability, by a variety of military and civilian operators. This includes an Airbus Voyager of the Royal Air Force, No. 10 Squadron an ...
. He next worked a staff job at Air Support Command, where he served as Senior Personnel Staff Officer. His final appointment was with the Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
, working in the Public Relations Branch. He retired from the RAF in 1975.
Personal life
After the war Vaughan-Fowler married the artist Hilary Quinn. He had met a friend of Quinn's during the war when he flew out an English painter who had become trapped in Paris at the time of the German occupation. After the war the woman he had evacuated introduced Vaughan-Fowler and Quinn, and the two ended up marrying. The couple had eight children, four sons and four daughters. They resided near Oxford. During summers they would visit France, and had a holiday home in the Vendée
Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442. . Vaughan-Fowler maintained friendships with many of the former operators and resistance fighters, and visited them while in France. He also took a great interest in the 161 Squadron Association, and attended many of their veterans gatherings.
After he retired from the RAF in 1975 Vaughan-Fowler took up charitable work, fund-raising for medical research and hospitals. Vaughan-Fowler died in Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
on 24 April 1994.
Awards
* : Distinguished Flying Cross 16 April 1943
* : Distinguished Flying Cross 10 September 1943
* : Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
31 July 1945
* : Chevalier de l' Ordre National de la Légion d'honneur 15 July 1941
* : Croix de Guerre with Palm
* : Air Force Cross
* : Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, Mon ...
References
; Notes
;Citations
;Bibliography
*
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*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughan-Fowler, Peter
1923 births
1994 deaths
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II
Royal Air Force group captains
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished
The ruling made by the judge or panel of judges must be based on the evidence at hand and the standard binding precedents covering the subject-matter (they must be ''followed'').
Definition
In law, to distinguish a case means a court decides th ...
British Special Operations Executive personnel
Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
British people in colonial India