Peter Denis Lee

Peter joined the RAF in August 1941 as an airman and later trained as a navigator in Canada before joining Coastal Command. During a night navigation training flight on May 12 1944 his Catalina flying boat crashed in the Western Isles and three of the 10-man crew were killed. After a period recovering in hospital, Lee joined No 490 (NZ) Squadron, equipped with the Sunderland flying boats. In July that year, he was the navigator on a flight from Oban in Scotland to Jui, 15 miles upriver from Freetown in Sierra Leone. “It was a delightful summer evening as we taxied up the Sound of Kerrara,” he recalled. After refuelling in Gibraltar, the aircraft headed down the coasts of French and Spanish Morocco. Seven hours into the flight an engine failed and the pilot landed on the sea to allow repairs, which involved clearing out the oil filter. Shortly after taking off, the other three engines were similarly affected and the pilot was forced to alight again. It was thought that the aircraft might have been sabotaged in Gibraltar. One engine became unusable, preventing the aircraft from taking off. Throughout the night the aircraft was taxied towards the coast and at dawn they were informed that a second Sunderland had suffered the same fate and had been forced to alight on the sea some 30 miles away. The two aircraft rendezvoused and at dusk a Free French gunboat intercepted the drifting Sunderlands. A tow was established but the rope broke and the aircrews were forced to spend a second night on the sea. A larger American gunboat re-established a tow but, after 150 miles, with the sea becoming increasingly rough, one of the floats on Lee’s aircraft was damaged. Despite a valiant attempt by the flight engineer to make repairs whilst balanced precariously on the wing tip, the situation worsened – he was awarded the BEM for gallantry. The flying boat was in danger of sinking and the crew had to take to the dinghy and were picked up by the French boat, which then sank the Sunderland by gunfire. “After some confusion and several misses the Sunderland was finally hit, caught fire and gracefully sank beneath the waves,” recalled Lee. Lee’s crew spent another night at sea before reaching Agadir from where they continued to Gibraltar. They finally reached Jui, after a seven-week journey, where they rejoined No 490 Squadron to carry out anti-U-boat patrols off the West African coast. After completing his flying tour, Lee remained on the staff of Air HQ West Africa. He left the RAF with the rank of flying officer in November 1946.

Known Service Details :

Squadron

Rank

Start of Service

End of Service

Known Dates

Aircraft

Airframes

Notes

No.490 Sqn RNZAF

unknown

unknown

Sunderland

In July that year, he was the navigator on a flight from Oban in Scotland to Jui, 15 miles upriver from Freetown in Sierra Leone. “It was a delightful summer evening as we taxied up the Sound of Kerrara,” he recalled. After refuelling in Gibraltar, the aircraft headed down the coasts of French and Spanish Morocco. Seven hours into the flight an engine failed and the pilot landed on the sea to allow repairs, which involved clearing out the oil filter. Shortly after taking off, the other three engines were similarly affected and the pilot was forced to alight again. It was thought that the aircraft might have been sabotaged in Gibraltar. One engine became unusable, preventing the aircraft from taking off. Throughout the night the aircraft was taxied towards the coast and at dawn they were informed that a second Sunderland had suffered the same fate and had been forced to alight on the sea some 30 miles away. The two aircraft rendezvoused and at dusk a Free French gunboat intercepted the drifting Sunderlands. A tow was established but the rope broke and the aircrews were forced to spend a second night on the sea. A larger American gunboat re-established a tow but, after 150 miles, with the sea becoming increasingly rough, one of the floats on Lee’s aircraft was damaged. Despite a valiant attempt by the flight engineer to make repairs whilst balanced precariously on the wing tip, the situation worsened – he was awarded the BEM for gallantry. The flying boat was in danger of sinking and the crew had to take to the dinghy and were picked up by the French boat, which then sank the Sunderland by gunfire. “After some confusion and several misses the Sunderland was finally hit, caught fire and gracefully sank beneath the waves,” recalled Lee. Lee’s crew spent another night at sea before reaching Agadir from where they continued to Gibraltar. They finally reached Jui, after a seven-week journey, where they rejoined No 490 Squadron to carry out anti-U-boat patrols off the West African coast.