Peter Vigne Ayerst, DFC (4 November 1920 – 15 May 2014) was a

Royal Air force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

officer and

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was the last surviving No. 73 Squadron pilot and test pilot from

Castle Bromwich Aerodrome Castle Bromwich Aerodrome was an early airfield, situated to the north of Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands of England. The site now falls within the City of Birmingham. History The early years; 1909 to 1937 A large piece of Warwickshire ...

Early life

Ayerst was born on 4 November 1920 in

Westcliff-on-Sea Westcliff-on-Sea (previously known as Milton, often abbreviated to Westcliff, and in the past spelt as Westcliffe-on-Sea) is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, located within the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north sh ...

, Essex, England. He was educated at

Westcliff High School for Boys Westcliff High School for Boys (WHSB) is an 11–18 selective boys Academy (English school), academy grammar school in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England. In September 2001 the school was awarded ‘Beacon’ status for its breadth of achievements ...

, a state

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

in his home town.

Military career

Ayerst was commissioned into the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

on 14 December 1938 as an acting pilot officer on probation. In August 1939, he was posted to No. 73 Squadron to fly

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

. He was regraded to

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off or P/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Pilot officer is the lowest ran ...

on probation on 3 September 1939 and his commission was confirmed on 6 October 1939. He was sent to France with the squadron and scored his first victory in April 1940. After a spell instructing, when he shared in the destruction of a

Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to restrictions placed on Germany a ...

medium bomber with two other pilots, he had postings with both Nos. 145 and 243 Squadrons. In July 1942 he went to North Africa with No. 33 Squadron, before being promoted to flight commander with No. 238 Squadron, both postings with further combat success. After a period in South Africa, he returned to the UK, joining No. 124 Squadron flying Spitfire Mk VIIs in defence of the invasion ports, where he scored his final victory; then flew Spitfire Mk IXs on bomber escorts to Germany. He later became a Spitfire test pilot at Castle Bromwich with the instruction of

Alex Henshaw Alexander Adolphus Dumphries Henshaw, (7 November 1912 – 24 February 2007) was a British air racer in the 1930s and a test pilot for Vickers-Armstrongs during the Second World War. Early life Henshaw was born in Peterborough, the eldest son ...

. After the war, he became one of the most highly regarded wartime instructors in the RAF. His final victory tally stood at five aircraft destroyed, two of which were shared with other pilots, one aircraft probably destroyed, three damaged and two further destroyed on the ground. In September 1944, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Later life

Ayerst was involved in a biography about his military experience tilted ''Spirit of the Blue: A Fighter Pilot's Story''. It was published 2004. He died on 15 May 2014 at the age of 93, and is buried in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

, Kent.AYERST
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References

External links

2010 interview with BBC News
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayerst, Peter V. 1920 births 2014 deaths British World War II fighter pilots People educated at Westcliff High School for Boys Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force wing commanders Royal Air Force pilots of World War II