Peter Rothwell
Encyclopedia
Squadron Leader Peter Rothwell (October 20, 1920 – December 20, 2010) was an English bomber pilot in World War II.
Rothwell was born in Bristol, the son of a vicar. He was the eldest of 7 children and was educated at St John’s,Leatherhead. His education was cut short by the early death of his father, resulting in him in taking a job with Imperial Tobacco
.
He joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1938 and joined 221 Squadron after pilot training. In early 1942 Rothwell transferred from Iceland to the Special Duties Wellington flight based on Malta
. The Special Duties group flew with the Royal Navy to locate enemy convoys, and bring in ships or aircraft, dropping flares, observing results and also bombing themselves. He arrived during one of the coldest winters on record and was billeted in a former leper colony. In an interview Rothwell said "It was freezing. The boys were all drinking gin with hot water and eating tiny pickled onions to help them forget the cold."
After the billets were destroyed by enemy action the squadron was moved to the seaplane base at Lalafrana. From Malta, Rothwell and his colleagues attacked Axis convoys and airfields. After their accommodation at Lalafrana was again destroyed, they were forced to live in nearby caves, were they had to endure vicious sand bugs.
Later in the war, Rothwell was brought back to the UK where he undertook instructing and then moved to a Halifax flying meteorological squadron. When he was demobbed, Rothwell had flown 158 operational sorties.
His first wife Eileen died in 1959 and he also lost his eldest son. He raised his remaining five children and set up and ran a boat-building business in Hampshire. He married a second time to Margaret who died in 2002.
In retirement he was an active member of the George Cross Island Association and undertook annual pilgrimages to Malta each April
Rothwell was born in Bristol, the son of a vicar. He was the eldest of 7 children and was educated at St John’s,Leatherhead. His education was cut short by the early death of his father, resulting in him in taking a job with Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...
.
He joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1938 and joined 221 Squadron after pilot training. In early 1942 Rothwell transferred from Iceland to the Special Duties Wellington flight based on Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. The Special Duties group flew with the Royal Navy to locate enemy convoys, and bring in ships or aircraft, dropping flares, observing results and also bombing themselves. He arrived during one of the coldest winters on record and was billeted in a former leper colony. In an interview Rothwell said "It was freezing. The boys were all drinking gin with hot water and eating tiny pickled onions to help them forget the cold."
After the billets were destroyed by enemy action the squadron was moved to the seaplane base at Lalafrana. From Malta, Rothwell and his colleagues attacked Axis convoys and airfields. After their accommodation at Lalafrana was again destroyed, they were forced to live in nearby caves, were they had to endure vicious sand bugs.
Later in the war, Rothwell was brought back to the UK where he undertook instructing and then moved to a Halifax flying meteorological squadron. When he was demobbed, Rothwell had flown 158 operational sorties.
His first wife Eileen died in 1959 and he also lost his eldest son. He raised his remaining five children and set up and ran a boat-building business in Hampshire. He married a second time to Margaret who died in 2002.
In retirement he was an active member of the George Cross Island Association and undertook annual pilgrimages to Malta each April