Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Second War ‘Battle of Britain’ Hurricane Pilot’s campaign group of three awarded to Pilot Officer P. Kennett, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who flew operationally with 3 and 605 Squadrons during the Battle, and having volunteered for overseas service in March 1941, was shot down and killed in the process of claiming a shared probably destroyed Ju88 off Malta, on 11 April 1941

1939-45 Star, 1 clasp, Battle of Britain; Africa Star; War Medal 1939-45, with named Air Council enclosure, in card box of issue addressed to ‘T. Kennett, Esq., Braeside, Pear Tree Lane, Little Common, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex’; Memorial Scroll ‘Pilot Officer P. Kennett, Royal Air Force’, nearly extremely fine (4) £3,600-£4,400

Peter Kennett was born in Slough, Buckinghamshire, in May 1919, the son of Thomas Kennett, M.B.E., and was educated at Windsor House School, Slough and Cranbrook. At the latter he was a member of the Officer Training Corps, and he joined the Luton Squadron of the Voluntary Reserve as an Airman u/t Pilot in June 1939.

Kennett was mobilised with the outbreak of the Second War, and was commissioned Pilot Officer (on probation), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in July 1940. He was initially posted as a Pilot for operational service to 3 Squadron (Hurricanes), Turnhouse, Scotland, at the start of September 1940. He transferred to 605 Squadron (Hurricanes), Croydon, 30 September 1940, however, this posting was equally short-lived as he returned to 3 Squadron, now at Castletown, 17 October 1940. He flew in various scrambles with the squadron, before being posted to 46 Squadron, North Weald, in November 1940. Kennett moved with the Squadron to Digby in December, and flew in several patrols before being transferred to 17 Squadron, Martlesham, 21 December 1940.

Mainly tasked with fighter sweeps, Kennett continued to serve with 17 Squadron until he volunteered for an overseas posting in March 1941. He sailed in H.M.S. Ark Royal for Malta, flying his Hurricane off the carrier on 3 April 1941. Upon arrival Kennett joined 261 Squadron flying out of Ta Kali, and this time his posting was all too short for differing reasons:

‘A relatively strong force of fighters approached Malta on 11 April [1941], apparently as cover for a Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft. Twelve MC200s of the 17 Gruppo under the command of Magg. Bruno Brambilla, covered by six CR 42s from the 23 Gruppo led by Ten. Col. Falconi, swept over the island, while the Bf109Es of 7/JG 26 also made for the same location. Numbers of Hurricanes were scrambled at various times during the mid-morning. Sgt. Deacon made his first sortie in V3978, seeing five CR 42s, but being unable to engage these. A little later two of the new Hurricane IIs, flown by Plt. Off. Peter Kennett and Sgt. Waghorn, intercepted a Ju88 and were reported to have shot it down. At that moment both were bounced by Bf109s, and were shot down. Their aircraft, Z3036 and Z2904, both crashed into the sea; Kennett got out and was seen by Sqn. Ldr. Lambert swimming and waving vigorously. However there was a long delay in sending out a rescue launch as the raid was still on, and he was dead when eventually picked up; Waghorn was also killed. Recorded Westmacott that evening: “Plt. Off. Kennett and Sgt. Waghorn killed... It is the same old story - no one was looking behind. It is frightfully difficult to make inexperienced pilots realise the necessity of even so small a formation as two aircraft keeping one up above looking out while the other is attacking the Hun... Not very long ago he (Kennett) told me he was sure he was going to be killed.” ‘ (Hurricanes over Malta, refers)

Kennett and Waghorn were posthumously credited with a Ju88 shared probably destroyed. Both were buried next to each other in Capuccini Naval Cemetery, Malta.

Sold with the recipient’s original Commission Document, dated 27 July 1940; a Letter of Condolence to the recipient’s father from his son’s Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader R. Lambert, dated 12 April 1941; five original photographs of the recipient’s funeral in Malta; and a file of copied research.

For the M.B.E. pair awarded to the recipient’s father, see Lot 134.