Honouring a pilot lost locally

[BluBear]

Whilst out for a cycle ride this afternoon on one of my regular routes, something caught my eye on the corner of a T-junction about 2 miles from my house.
It looked like a granite memorial headed with the recognisable RAF crested motto, something I can't remember seeing before; I carried on but made a point of stopping off to take a look on my return an hour later.

It turned out to be a (relatively new) memorial to a 603 Squadron Spitfire pilot lost on Battle of Britain day: F/O Arthur Peter Pease

Here's the excerpt from the BBM website:

F/O A P Pease
Arthur Peter Pease, the son of Sir Richard and Lady Pease of Richmond, Yorkshire was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read History. He was a member of the University Air Squadron and was commissioned in the RAFVR in September 1938.
Called to full-time service in October 1939, Pease completed his flying training and was posted to No.1 School of Army Co-operation at Old Sarum in late May 1940.
He met Richard Hillary there and they became friends. They went to 5 OTU, Aston Down on 23rd June and after converting to Spitfires they joined 603 Squadron at Dyce on 6th July.

Pease shared in destroying a He111 on the 30th. He was hit by return fire but returned to Montrose, unhurt. On 3rd September he claimed a Me109 destroyed and on the 7th he made a belly-landing back at Hornchurch in Spitfire L1057, after being damaged in combat over London. On 15th September 1940 Pease was shot down and killed in combat. His Spitfire, X4324, crashed at Kingswood, near Chartway Street, Kent.

He was 22 and is buried in the churchyard of St.Michael and All Saints at Middleton Tyas, Yorkshire.

 

It's the closest Battle of Britain loss to where I live that I'm aware of and it kind of struck a chord with me today, especially as I hadn't previously been aware of it; I've lived in this area now for almost 12 years.

So, I've decided to honour F/O Pease, virtually. For the foreseeable future, I will be flying in the Spitfire he was lost in, X4324 on Thursday's CloD nights.

Further reading here, it seems a retired American academic paved the way for the above memorial:

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/13610056.An_American_academic_seeks_to_honour_a_Battle_of_Britain_hero_from_a_famous_family/

 

[DD_Fenrir]

Nice Post Chris. Some further elaboration here:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ly7BAgAAQBAJ&pg=PR255&lpg=PR255&dq=CESCOTTI+PEASE&source=bl&ots=zV2p4ZmIgK&sig=P-ntRnrfuAr24JZMSAwF_XonVdE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjh9LGK9J7ZAhUEasAKHX0lAZIQ6AEILzAB#v=onepage&q=CESCOTTI PEASE&f=false

[delta7]

Sorry I didnt see this before, Im not usually on this thread, but a bit of further info if you are interested.

603 is city of Edinburgh Squadron. AS my local squadron I have an interest and bought their official biography.

Peter Pease has many entries covering his joining the squadron ( from 5 OTU) on the 6th of July 1940 until his death.

He was a great friend of Richard Hillary who wrote " The Last Enemy"

He was killed by escort fighters when pressing home an attack on He 111 bombers of KG26.

here are excerpts from Leutnant Roderich Cescottis account who was in one of the He111s

" A few tommies suceeded in penetrating our fighter escort. I saw a Spitfire dive steeply through our escort, level out and close on our formation. It opened fire , from ahead and to the right, and its tracers streaked towards us. At that moment a Me109, which we had not seen before, appeared behind the spitfire and we saw rounds striking the spitfires tail. But the tommy continued his attack, coming straight for us, and his rounds slashed into our aircraft. At the last moment the spitfire pulled up and passed very close over the top of us. Then it rolled onto its back as though out of control, and went down steeply, trailing black smoke." 

Peter Pease was 22.

R.I. P

In 1990 the crash site was excavated and parts of his spitfire are displayed at Nutkins Shoreham Aviation Museum.