Peter Drummond (RAF officer)

At 5 ft 7in (171 cm) in height, Drummond was judged too slight of build for the

Drummond was awarded the Military Cross for "conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty" on 20 April 1917, when he and Lieutenant Adrian Cole engaged and drove off six enemy aircraft that were attempting to bomb Allied cavalry; the award was promulgated in The London Gazette on 16 August.^[7][8] Drummond was promoted to temporary lieutenant on 1 May 1917.^[9] Later that month he was appointed a flight commander in No. 1 Squadron, with the temporary rank of captain.^[10][11] He joined No. 111 Squadron RFC as a flight commander and temporary captain in October.^[1][12] On 12 December, he and his observer were escorting two Australian aircraft in a Bristol Fighter near Tul Karem, Palestine, when they were spotted by three German Albatros scouts. Drummond attacked and destroyed all three of the enemy aircraft.^[12] This achievement earned him the Distinguished Service Order for his "great skill and daring";^[1][13] the award was promulgated on 26 March 1918.^[14]

On 27 March 1918, again near Tul Karem, Drummond and another pilot scrambled to attack a German scout. As his wingman dealt with the intruder, Drummond, flying a Nieuport, single-handedly engaged six other German aircraft that had suddenly appeared. According to his own account, after he had destroyed one and "sent another down in a spin", Drummond developed engine trouble and had to land behind enemy lines. Finding his engine firing again, he took off before he could be captured by Turkish troops and gained a start over the four still-circling German scouts, "who had also concluded that the fight was over". He was forced to land three more times in enemy territory—once in a cavalry camp where he "carried away a line full of washing" with his undercarriage in his escape—before he shook off all but one of the pursuing fighters and landed safely behind Allied lines.^[12] He was awarded a Bar to his DSO on 26 July for his "gallant and successful" actions.^[1][15]

The RFC merged with the

Drummond remained in the RAF following World War I, holding command of No. 111 Squadron in 1919,[10] and receiving his permanent commission as an acting captain on 1 August that year.^[25] He was based in the Sudan from January to July 1920,^[26] as part of Britain's system of "control without occupation", using aircraft instead of armies to put down local rebellions. As acting squadron leader, Drummond commanded "H" Unit, the entire complement of which consisted of two aircraft.^[27] Returning to Britain, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 22 July 1921 in recognition of his "excellent work" in the face of "adverse conditions", conducting a successful reconnaissance and bombing campaign against Garjak Nuer tribesmen.^[1][28] He entered RAF Staff College, Andover, in 1922.^[10]

On 1 January 1923, Drummond was promoted to squadron leader; he graduated from Andover the same year.

Drummond considered the Middle East a "Battle for Airfields", as whichever side held the Mediterranean landing grounds could protect its shipping at the expense of the enemy's.^[48] Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham found Drummond "a thorough non-cooperator" but Drummond's assistant, Arthur Lee, described him as "a refreshing man to work with ... without pose or frills, serious, but with a sense of humour nearly as irreverent and sarcastic as Tedder's".^[49] Drummond was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 24 September 1941 "in recognition of distinguished services rendered in operational commands of the Royal Air Force" from 1 October 1940 to 31 March 1941.^[50] His temporary rank of air vice-marshal was made substantive on 14 April 1942.^[51]

In early 1942 the Australian government sought Drummond for the position of

Burnett had recommended his deputy, Air Vice-Marshal William Bostock, for CAS but in May 1942 the position went to acting Air Commodore George Jones. Bostock in turn became Air Officer Commanding RAAF Command, Australia's main operational organisation under SWPA. An ongoing conflict between Jones (now promoted air vice-marshal) and Bostock led to moves in April 1943 to bring in an officer senior to both men to head the RAAF in a unified command structure, and Drummond was once more approached by the Australian government. Drummond had indicated that he was happy to serve in Australia but the Air Ministry again refused to release him, having selected him for a seat on the Air Council as Air Member for Training.^[56][57]

Final posting and loss at sea

Drummond succeeded Air Marshal

On 27 March 1945, Drummond was en route to Canada with other dignitaries to attend a ceremony marking the closure of the Empire Air Training Scheme. His plane, a B-24 Liberator nicknamed Commando that was formerly the personal transport of Winston Churchill, disappeared near the Azores and all aboard were presumed killed.^[1][62] Frank McNamara, now an RAAF air vice-marshal based in England and a close friend, broke the news to Drummond's widow.^[63] Air Marshal Sir Roderic Hill succeeded Drummond as Air Member for Training.^[64]

Drummond was survived by his wife and three children.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peter Roy Maxwell Drummond.

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• Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1997). McNamara VC: A Hero's Dilemma (PDF). Canberra: Air Power Studies Centre.
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• Cutlack, F.M. (1941) [1923]. The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 (11th edition): Volume VIII – The Australian Flying Corps in the Western and Eastern Theatres of War, 1914–1918. Sydney:
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• Gillison, Douglas (1962). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume I – Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942. Canberra:
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• Guttman, Jon (2007). Bristol F.2 Fighter Aces of World War I. Oxford:
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• Herington, John (1954). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume III – Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939–1943. Canberra: Australian War Memorial.
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• McCarthy, John (1996). "Drummond, Sir Peter Roy Maxwell (1894–1945)". Australian Dictionary of Biography: Volume 14. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.
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• Newton, Dennis (1996). Australian Air Aces. Fyshwick, Australian Capital Territory: Aerospace Publications.
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• Orange, Vincent (2004). Tedder: Quietly in Command. London:
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• Osborn, Patrick (2000). Operation Pike: Britain Versus the Soviet Union, 1939–1941. Westport, Connecticut:
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• Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: Oxford University Press.
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• Wilson, David (2005). The Brotherhood of Airmen. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin.
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Military offices
Preceded by Sir Guy Garrod	Air Member for Training 1943–1945	Succeeded by Sir Roderic Hill