Salute to One of 'The Few'

A poignant biography of a pilot who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War II.   In a quiet churchyard is the grave of an airman who lost his life fighting in the skies over southern England in October 1940. The author happened to come across this grave, and after some initial inquiries discovered that nobody in the town was aware that this Battle of Britain pilot lay at rest in their parish.   Determined to discover more about the short life of this hero, he undertook several years of research to craft this biography. Peter Cape Beauchamp St. John joined the RAF in November 1937 on a four-year short service commission at the age of twenty. In July 1938 he was posted to No. 87 Squadron, being equipped with the then-new Hawker Hurricane fighter. After war had been declared, the Squadron was posted to France in support of the British Expeditionary Force, becoming operational on September 10, 1939. In March 1940 he was transferred to 501 Squadron in Tangmere, and then again in April to 74 Squadron as an operational pilot at Hornchurch, equipped with Spitfires. It was from here that he fought his part in the Battle of Britain.   For those who may have forgotten “The Few,” this stirring story tells of the all-too-short life of one of the 544 young men who gave everything to defend Great Britain from Nazi aggression.