Peter Furniss
Royal Air Force air marshal
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Air Vice-Marshal Peter Furniss, DFC (16 July 1919 – 11 December 2005) was a British solicitor and senior Royal Air Force officer. He served as Director of Legal Services (RAF) and head of the RAF Legal Branch from 1978 to 1982.[1][2]
United Kingdom
British Army 
Royal Air ForcePeter Furniss | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 July 1919 West Kirby, Cheshire, England |
| Died | 11 December 2005 (aged 86) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army Royal Air Force |
| Service years | 1938 – 1946 1950 – 1982 |
| Rank | Air Vice-Marshal |
| Service number | 47829 |
| Conflicts | World War II *Battle of Tunisia *Allied invasion of Sicily *Allied invasion of Italy |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross (1944) |
Early life
Furniss was born on 16 July 1919 in West Kirby, Cheshire (now Merseyside), England.[1] He was the youngest of nine children born to a solicitor.[1][2] He was educated at Sedbergh School, a public boarding school in Cumbria.[2] At school, he excelled at sport,[1] and became a cadet corporal in the Junior Division of the Officers' Training Corps.[3]
Early career and war service
After leaving school, Furniss became an articled clerk at a solicitors firm in Liverpool.[2] In 1938, he joined the Liverpool Scottish, a Territorial Army regiment affiliated to the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, as a soldier.[1]
With World War II looking likely, he left the solicitors firm without completing his training contract to commence officer training.[1] He was commissioned into the British Army as a second lieutenant on 3 May 1939.[3] On 31 January 1942, he was granted the rank of pilot officer (temporary) while serving with the Royal Air Force.[4] He was promoted to flying officer (war substantive) on 1 October 1942.[5] Having transferred to the RAF, he underwent training as a tactical reconnaissance pilot.[1] In March 1943, he joined No. 241 Squadron RAF in Tunisia. With them he flew a Hurricane as part of reconnaissance support for the First Army during the Battle of Tunisia.[1]
After victory occurred in North Africa in May 1943, he transferred to No. 154 Squadron RAF based in Malta to fly Spitfires.[1] From the island, he undertook patrols during the Allied invasion of Sicily from July to August 1943.[1] He was wounded when his Spitfire was attacked by a German fighter plane during a landing onto an allied airstrip in Malta.[2] He flew patrols during the Allied invasion of Italy and on 9 September he shot down a German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 over Salerno.[1] He also shared in the destruction of a Dornier Do 217 bomber.[1] He was promoted to flight lieutenant (war substantive) on 31 January 1944.[6]
Honours and decorations
On 29 December 1944, Furniss was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).[7]