Ernest Percy Henry Peek was born in 1920. He was the son
of Percy Thomas Peek and Bertha E. Peek, of
Walthamstow, Essex.
Not much is known about him. He was a pilot with
the Royal Air Force. In 1942, he was flying
Mosquito's light bombers with 540 Squadron (PRU),
operating out of Leuchars. PRU was a
Photographic Reconnaissance Unit. These often
umarmed planes were sent all over Europe to
photograph tactical and strategic targets.
On
23 January 1943, Sgt Peek and his navigator flew
a mission to Peenemunde, a German research and
test facility on the Baltic, where different
kind of new weapons were tested. The
photos that Sgt Peek brought back showed a pair
of low-loader vehicles holding a pair of
rockets. Later this turned out to be a V2 rocket.
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540 Squadron
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Royal Air Force
reconnaissance photograph of V-2 rockets at
Peenemünde Test Stand VII
* This photograph of Test Stand VII, taken on
June 23, 1943, was the first to reveal rockets.
Two A-4s (V-2's) at least thirty-eight feet long
are indicated lying horizontally at A. Buildings
where rockets were stored are indicated at B.
* German rockets (A) and Meillerwagen trailers
(B) were quickly spotted at Peenemünde in June
1943; but the long object pointing out to sea
from the airfield--seen on the same
photograph--was wrongly interpreted as 'a length
of pipe' connected with offshore dredging
operations. Only in December was it realised
that this structure (C) and the adjacent one (D)
were prototype flying-bomb catapults. All A 4
rockets were test-fired either from the
elliptical Test Stand VII (E) or from its
triangular foreshore.
* Test Stand VII as photographed by the United
States Air Force.[sic] A. A V-2 on its
Meillerwagen. B. A mobile test stand. C. The
assembly hall for mobile test stands, where
finished V-2s were stored.
* An RAF photograph taken on the 23rd of June,
1943, provides a view of two V-2 rockets lying
side by side (A) within the elliptical
earthworks at Peenemünde, where the missiles
were tested. Also visible are giant cranes (B)
and the missile storage building (C).
* An aerial photoreconnaissance plane was sent
on June 23, 1943 and obtained the first photo of
the V-2 rocket (Figure 18). This aerial photo
shows Test Stand VII at the German Testing
Center with a V2 rocket on its trailer inside of
the test firing area. It also shows possible
anti-aircraft gun positions on top of an
adjacent building.
On 24 September
1943 FS Peek and his navigator, PO James
Williams took off for a weatherflight. They were
to check the weather over or near a target area
for bombers that would visit that target that
night. Over Holland, they were engaged by Uffz.
Rudolf Rauhaus of 5./JG 1. At 18.12 Uffz.
Raughaus shot the mosquito down 5 miles east of
Zwolle. FS Peek and PO Williams both were killed
in the crash.
FS Ernest Peek
is buried at Voorst General Cemetery, Plot A.
Row 1. Grave 3.
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(picture by Wim Bastiaanse)
Voorst, The Netherlands
See Also:
PO James Williams
Other casualties of 540 Squadron buried in
The Netherlands
Sources:
Gerrit Zwanenburg, En Nooit Was Het Stil,
Vol.I, Royal Netherlands Air Force, ny
Acknowledgements:
RAF Squadron crest
and Peenemunde photo
© Crown Copyright is reproduced with the
permission of the Controller of Her
Majesty’s Stationery Office
Directions to
Voorst (Zwollerkerspel) General Cemetery
If you have any suggestions, comments or
additional information, please
contact me.
This website is
dedicated to the men and women who died
and/or are buried in The Netherlands during
World War II.
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