The Airmen's Stories - P/O P Litchfield

Peter Litchfield was born in Croydon on 30th April 1915, the son of Frederick George Litchfield and Mildred Mary Litchfield (nee Hicks).

His father was serving as a pilot in the RFC when he was killed on 24th September 1917. He was piloting DH4 A7551 from the Aircraft Acceptance Park at Lympne when it stalled while force landing in a field owing to engine failure at Darenth near Dartford, Kent.

2/Lt. Howard Nunn was injured. Litchfield lies in St. Margarets Churchyard at Darenth.

His mother married John WR Howard-Brown in Eastbourne in January 1919 and during WW2 is recorded as staying at the Hotel du Parque, Estoril, Portugal.

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Peter Litchfield was at Jesus College, Cambridge when he joined the RAFVR about December 1937 as an Airman u/t Pilot.

Called up on 1st September 1939, he completed his training at 11 FTS Shawbury on No. 14 Course, which ran from 27th September to 18th November 1939.

He joined 611 Squadron at Digby on 20th November. Litchfield was commissioned on 1st December and joined 610 Squadron at Wittering on 11th December.

On 27th May 1940 he destroyed a Me110 over Dunkirk and on the 31st he destroyed another E of Dover.

On 3rd July Litchfield probably destroyed a Do17 and on the 14th he destroyed a Me109 and severely damaged another in an action off Dover. From one of the aircraft, the pilot baled out and the aircraft crashed near Boulogne.

On 18th July Litchfield was leading Green Section when he was shot down over the Channel N of Calais by Hauptmann Tietzen of II/JG 51, in Spitfire P9452.

Litchfield had previously been seen chasing a Me109 into cloud.

He was reported ‘Missing’, aged 25.

He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Panel 9.

Above image courtesy of Dean Sumner.