The Airmen's Stories - P/O A H Pettet

Alexander Henry Pettet was born in Wigan in 1912 to Alexander Charles and Ada Louise Pettet. He had an older sister Dorothy, born in 1902 and a brother Gilbert born in 1909.

His father was a bookbinder and had been born in Eastbourne and his mother had come from Brighton. The family subsequently moved to Hassocks.

In 1937 Pettet was ordained as a Deacon, the record held in the Durham Diocesan Records at Durham University. He joined the RAF in September 1939 as an Airman u/t Observer.

He completed his training, was commissioned and joined 248 Squadron on 29th September 1940.

On 13th December 1940 Pettet's Blenheim L9455 took off from Sumburgh to deploy to Wick for operations. Climbing out after takeoff it struck Blenheim R3625 and both aircraft fell into the sea.

Both aircraft were also carrying groundcrew and all ten men were lost. Those lost were:

L9455

P/O JD Dodd
P/O AH Pettet
Sgt. A Hook
LAC LSJ Bright
AC1 AEH Moore

R3625

Sgt. JS Hamilton
Sgt. HW Walmsley
Sgt. JH May
AC1 S Julian
AC1 GW Monks

Pettet was 28.

He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, panel 9.

Above image courtesy of Dean Sumner