Peter John Abbott

Peter Abbott received most of his training in the USA, gaining his wings and commission in August 1942. He remained in America as an instructor until June 1943 when he returned to the Uk for operational flying. Peter Abbott and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds from Heavy Conversion Unit 11 Base on the 2nd June 1944. This crew were lost on their 6th operation following29-Jun-44 - Domleger - Lancaster - LM538 - F/O PJ Abbott30-Jun-44 - Oisemont Neuville au Bois - Lancaster - PA999 - F/O PJ Abbott02-Jul-44 - Domleger - Lancaster - ND990 - F/O PJ Abbott 05-Ju l-44 - Dijon - Lancaster - ND990 - F/O PJ Abbott 07-Jul-44 - Caen - Lancaster - ND990 - F/O PJ Abbott 12th/13th July 1944 378 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitoes of 1,5 and 8 Groups attacked railway targets at Culmont, Revigny and Tours. Culmont and Tours were accurately bombed but cloud interfered with the all 1 Group attack at Revigny and only half the force bombed. 10 Lancasters were lost over Revigny and 2 on the Culmont raid. Peter Abbott was killed during the operation over Revigny. The six airmen in Peter Abbott's ND 993 Lancaster crew were also lost and buried with him in the same collective grave. They were RAFVR airmen Sergeant Victor Nevile Clayton, Pilot Officer Alfred George Gleeson, Sergeant Peter Robert Kewn, Sergeant Stephen Francis Labern, Sergeant Gordon Miller and Royal Canadian Airforce Flying Officer Alexander John Morrison. Abbott's crew were victims of 'friendly fire' from Lancaster LL896 of 166 Sqdn. They returned fire. Both aircraft crashed at Montiers-sur-Saux, France.

No. 103 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I, World War II and the Cold War, switching to helicopters in the late 1950s until it was disbanded for the last time in 1975.103 Sqdn joined 1 Group in July 1940 after returning from operations in France with the Advanced Air Striking Force. The unit served continuously with 1 Group until the end of the war carrying out intensive operations during that period and often suffering heavy casualties. They were based at Newton (near Nottingham) and Elsham Wolds. 103 Sqdn flew 5,840 sorties losing 179 aircraft (3.1%) with four types of aircraft - Fairey Battles 51 sorties, Wellingtons 1,116, Halifaxes 137 and Lancasters which flew 4,536 sorties losing 135 aircraft (3%) - the highest loss rate in 1 Group Lancaster Sqdns. (The Bomber Command War Diaries, An Operational Reference Book 1939-1945 by Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt)Nottingham Evening Post 13/11/1943, Forthcoming Marriages:'The engagement is announced between Flying Officer Peter John Abbott, elder son of Mr and Mrs JGS Abbott of 82, Burlington Road and Betty Jean Hannah of 45, Burlington Road.'The RAFVR The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. When the Second World War broke out, the RAFVR comprised 6,646 pilots, 1,625 observers and 1,946 wireless operators. During the war, the Air Ministry used the RAFVR as the principal means of entry for aircrew to serve with the RAF. All those called up for service with the RAF, both commissioned officers and other ranks, did so as members of the RAFVR under the National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.By the end of 1941, more than half of Bomber Command aircrew were members of the RAFVR. Most of the pre-war pilot and observer non-commissioned officers (NCO) aircrew had been commissioned and the surviving regular officers and members of the RAFO filled the posts of flight and squadron commanders. Eventually of the "RAF" aircrew in the command probably more than 95 percent were serving members of the RAFVR. (Wikipedia)Peter Abbott is buried in Montiers-Sur-Saux Communal Cemetery, Collective Grave 4-5Research by David Nunn