LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Peter Thomas Leeds HALLETT DFC
Service No: 400276
Born: Inglewood VIC, 20 April 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 13 August 1940
Unit: No. 1655 Mosquito Conversion Unit (RAF)
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), 22 September 1942
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 1655 Mosquito Conversion Unit Mosquito aircraft DK285), off the Isle of Man, 5 November 1943, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Ernest and Winifred Hallett; husband of Isobel Joan Hallett, of Horsmonden, Kent
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 188, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 123, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
DFC Citation: Pilot Officer Hallet of No. 460 Squadron has displayed a fine fighting spirit and determination to complete his allotted task. Since joining this Squadron in March 1942, he has carried out attacks on many important targets including Emden, Essen, Hamburg, Rostock and Warnemunde.
At 2205 hours on 5 November 1943 Mosquito DK 285 took off on a cross country night flying exercise. The crew were briefed to fly at 25,000 feet the target being the Isle of Man. The aircraft was due back at 0100 hours, but did not return to base. An aircraft was seen to dive into the sea about one mile out between Port Greenock and Derby Head, Isle of Man, and it was considered that this may have been DK285. Surface craft searched during the night, and air sea rescue aircraft took off shortly after daylight and thoroughly searched the area during the day with no results. In 1949 it was recorded that the crew members were lost at sea.
The crew members of DK285 were:
Flying Officer Peter Thomas Leeds Hallett DFC (400276) (Pilot)
Flying Officer Arthur William Frederick Quick (401567) (Navigator)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/17/362