Peter Townsend (RAF officer)
Group Captain Peter Wooldridge Townsend, CVO, DSO, DFC & Bar (22 November 1914 – 19 June 1995) was a British Royal Air Force officer, flying ace, courtier and author.Townsend says that Things hummed at Tangmere Cottage, just opposite the guard room, where [605's commanding officer John Willoughby de Broke and his wife Rachel] kept open house.[11]The first enemy aircraft to crash on English soil during the Second World War fell to fighters from RAF Acklington in Northumberland on 3 February 1940, when three Hurricanes of 'B' flight, No.On 11 July 1940, Acting Squadron Leader Townsend, flying Hurricane VY-K (P2716) intercepted a Dornier Do 17 of KG 2 and severely damaged the bomber, forcing it to crash land at Arras.Return fire from the Dornier hit the Hurricane coolant system and Townsend was forced to ditch 20 miles (32 km) from the English coast, being rescued by HM Trawler Cape Finisterre.[14] On 31 August, during combat with Messerschmitt Bf 110s over Tonbridge, Townsend was shot down and wounded in the left foot by a cannon shell which went through the glycol tank and exploded in the cockpit.He continued to lead the unit on the ground even after this wound resulted in his big toe being amputated, and he returned to operational flying on 21 September.In May 1941, by now an acting wing commander and credited with shooting down at least 11 enemy aircraft, Townsend was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).His citation credited Townsend as an officer who had "...displayed outstanding powers of leadership and organisation, combined with great determination and skill in air combat.His books include Earth My Friend (about driving/boating around the world alone in the mid-1950s), Duel of Eagles (about the Battle of Britain), The Odds Against Us (also known as Duel in the Dark, about fighting Luftwaffe night bombers in 1940–1941), The Last Emperor (a biography of King George VI), The Girl in the White Ship (about a young refugee from Vietnam in the late 1970s who was the sole survivor of her ship of refugees), The Postman of Nagasaki (about the atomic bombing of Nagasaki),[26] and Time and Chance (an autobiography).[33] When news of the relationship appeared in the press, the government posted Townsend to a position as air attaché at the British Embassy in Brussels.On 31 October 1955, Princess Margaret issued a public statement formally ending the relationship: "I have been aware that, subject to my renouncing my rights of succession, it might have been possible for me to contract a civil marriage.Their younger daughter, Isabelle Townsend, became a commercial model for the fashion designer Ralph Lauren in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Squadron Leader Townsend of
No. 85 Squadron RAF
exits his
Hawker Hurricane
at
RAF Castle Camps
, July 1940
RangoonBritish IndiaMyanmarSaint-Léger-en-YvelinesRoyal Air ForceGroup CaptainRAF West MallingNo. 605 Squadron RAFRAF DremNo. 85 Squadron RAFSecond World WarBattle of BritainCommander of the Royal Victorian OrderDistinguished Service OrderDistinguished Flying CrossMentioned in DespatchesRosemary Pawleflying acecourtierequerryKing George VIElizabeth IIPrincess MargaretIndian ArmyHaileybury and Imperial Service Collegeprivate schoolRAF Cranwellpilot officerNo. 1 Squadron RAFRAF TangmereHawker FuryNo. 36 Squadron RAFVickers Vildebeestflying officerNo. 43 Squadron RAFflight lieutenant [605's commanding officer John Willoughby de Broke and his wife Rachel]RAF AcklingtonLuftwaffeHeinkel He 1114./KG 26WhitbyScapa FlowHawker HurricaneRAF Castle Campssquadron leaderscommanding officerHawker HurricanesDornier Do 17Messerschmitt Bf 110sTonbridgeglycolRAF Hunsdonwing commanderNo. 611 Squadron RAFSpitfirenight fighterstaff collegeMaster of the HouseholdcomptrollerQueen MotherRoyal Householdair attachéBrusselsrefugeeVietnamatomic bombingNagasakiautobiographyGerald CarrollCarroll Group(Cecil) Rosemary PawleAdelaide CottagePrincess of LigneAntoine, 13th Prince of LigneAlix, Princess of LigneCharlotte, Grand Duchess of LuxembourgChurch of Englandsupreme governorRalph LaurenGif-sur-YvetteDuchess of Windsorstomach cancerThe IndependentMark PhillipsAntony Armstrong-JonesGuy PortelliKings HillBen MilesTimothy DaltonNetflixThe CrownThe London GazetteSunday BusinessThe TimesThe Landmark TrustOpen LibraryInternet Archive