Page 5 - Peter Brown

Conversion successfully completed the crew were then posted to RAF Hemswell and
No. 1 Lancaster Finishing School, 8 miles east of Gainsbourgh, Lincolnshire. Here
the crew would convert to the Avro Lancaster which equipped No. 1 Groups Main
Force operational squadrons based in North Lincolnshire. Conversion completed the
crew were then posted onto RAF Fiskerton, home to 576 squadron and the
beginning of the crews 30 sortie tour of operations. Their first Main Force operation
being to the German city of Essen (known to the crews in a part of Germany as
th
Happy Valley) on the 12 December 1944.
st
The crew completed their 30 operations on the 1 May 1945 when they took part in
Operation ‘Manna’, dropping food supplies to the starving Dutch population. This
final humanitarian operation was to Rotterdam, the crew then being screened from
further air duties.

When Peter left the RAF at the end of the war he returned to the forestry again
working in the west coast of Scotland and in Perthshire.

In 1953 Peter moved to Yorkshire to manage a saw mill and continued this until he
retired at the age of 65. He passed away at the young age of 69.

Peter was always interested in tinkering with things and completed an International
Correspondence Schools course in electronics and had a hobby mended clocks and
watches, he also built radios. He also liked to play the organ and harmonica as well
as singing. Peter also yodelled on the radio, as well has talking to others
on his CB radio.