[BITList] Obit - Stunning Black

[John Feltham]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4560925/Wg-Co-Peter-Dunning-White.html





Wg Co Peter Dunning-White
Wing Commander Peter Dunning-White, who has died aged 93, was a  
dashing fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain; nicknamed  
"Stunning Black", he was a member of the "Millionaires' Squadron"  
formed in Whites Club, London.

Last Updated: 6:24PM GMT 08 Feb 2009

He joined No 145 Squadron at Westhampnett near Chichester in early  
July 1940 and was soon in action protecting the convoys sailing along  
the south coast, the first targets of the Luftwaffe. It was in this  
role that he was involved, on August 8, in some of the most intense  
fighting of the Battle of Britain, during what military historians  
call the Battle of Convoy CW 9. The convoy was off Brighton when a  
force of 57 German dive-bombers, and their fighter escort, was  
detected in mid-Channel.
No 145 was scrambled. A fierce dogfight ensued and though Dunning- 
White damaged one enemy fighter, the dive-bombers caused havoc among  
the convoy, which scattered.
Later in the day, the Luftwaffe made two further large-scale attacks  
against the ships. As hundreds of warplanes engaged each other,  
Dunning-White scrambled again at lunchtime and accounted for a  
Messerschmitt fighter. During the afternoon the remnants of the convoy  
had reassembled and a top cover of fighters was established to protect  
it. But at 4pm an even bigger German raid was detected. No 145 was  
well placed to attack and engaged the Stukas before their fighter  
escort could react – Dunning-White claiming one.
At the end of the day No 145, whose pilots had claimed 21 enemy  
aircraft, was singled out for special praise. Success came at high  
cost, however, with five of Dunning-White's close friends killed. A  
few days later the depleted squadron moved north to recuperate.
The son of a wealthy industrialist, Peter William Dunning-White was  
born at Hadley Wood, near Barnet, on April 16, 1915 and educated at  
Harrow. He gained a place at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he spent  
most of his time playing golf and billiards. He also learned to fly,  
gaining his pilot's licence and flying his own aircraft.
On leaving Cambridge in the summer of 1938 he joined No 601 (County of  
London) Auxiliary Squadron, known throughout the RAF as "The  
Millionaires' Squadron" created in 1924 in Whites when Lord Grosvenor,  
who considered the aeroplane a military development of the horse,  
selected members of the club to serve under him. On joining the  
squadron, the billiard-playing Dunning-White attracted the nickname  
"Stunning Black".
Early in 1941, Dunning-White became a flight commander with No 615  
Squadron and he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 in April. His own  
Hurricane was badly damaged and he was forced to ditch in the sea,  
getting picked up by an air-sea rescue launch. In June he was awarded  
the DFC.
After a rest, he joined No 255 Squadron in July 1942 flying  
Beaufighters. The squadron moved to North Africa in November when  
Dunning-White was made a flight commander. He returned to the United  
Kingdom in September 1943 to serve at Headquarters Fighter Command  
before moving to HQ 100 Group where he was responsible for training  
night fighter crews. He was released from the RAF in October 1945 but  
rejoined the "Millionaires' Squadron" in May 1947 as a weekend flyer.
Dunning-White was a gentleman landowner in Scotland who enjoyed  
country pursuits. He was a keen shot and fisherman and for 15 years  
was the field master of the Dumfriesshire Foxhounds. But he found it  
difficult to settle after his wartime service. The Battle of Britain,  
and in particular the loss of his five colleagues, shot down in flames  
that August day in 1940, were to have a lasting and profound effect on  
his life. In today's parlance, he suffered from post-traumatic stress  
disorder but, in keeping with many of his generation, he endeavoured  
to hide his illness.
Peter Dunning-White died on December 27. He married his wife Mary in  
1949 and she died in 1969. Their son survives him.
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