A different view of the matter was held by Alexander James Morton Peace, whose death at the age of 101 was recently reported.
Peace was known to friends as “Alex” or “Charlie”. The latter nickname came from the surname he shared with Charles Frederick “Charlie” Peace, a notorious Victorian criminal.
Pilot Officer Peace joined No 74 Squadron, operating in Spitfires from Coltishall, in late September 1940. When Ken Wynn carried out his research for Men of the Battle of Britain he found evidence that “Charlie” Peace flew operational sorties with the squadron on 7, 11, 12 and 13 October.
The group of researchers who put together the list of names for the Battle of Britain London Monument was also satisfied by the evidence and the list which was produced, including Peace’s name, formed the basis for the names on the Christopher Foxley-Norris Memorial Wall at Capel-le-Ferne.
However, “Charlie” Peace, when approached on the matter, would often strongly deny that he had qualified for the Clasp, was one of “the Few” or deserved any special treatment. He was not a member of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association.
Peace moved to No 616 Squadron before the end of the Battle but did not add to his operational tally up to 31 October. Later in the war he flew on air sea rescue missions and served in the Middle East.
So there is our quandary. We celebrate Charlie Peace as one of the Few. However, we do so in defiance of his wishes. He was proud enough of his RAF service to write down some memories, so perhaps he would have accepted our thanks for that service.
Geoff Simpson FRHistS
