AA36205 Gloster Gladiator MK. I,L8009, No. 80 Squadron, Sidi Barrani, Egypt, August 1940 

                       

                             

Peter Wykeham-Barnes joined the RAF as an Apprentice in 1939. Om completion of his course, he was awarded a cadetship to the RAF College at Cranwell. Graduating in 1937, he was posted to the Middle East to fly Gladiators with No. 80 Squadron. At the time one of his fellow pilots was the South African Pat Pattle, who would, before his death in 1941, become the Allies highest scoring fighter pilot. When the first Hurricane arrived in Egypt it was decided to restrict it to being flown by the most experienced pilots, one of whom was Peter Wykeham-Barnes. On 4th August 1940, he and Pat Pattle were shot down behind enemy lines in the desert and although they landed some distance from each other, they both managed to get picked up the following day by an armoured patrol. Having spent most of his career flying single seat fighters be moved into a new field in 1942, when he took over command of No. 23 Squadron flying Mosquitos on Interdiction missions over occupied Europe, until the end of 1942 when he took the squadron to Malta to undertake similar missions over Sicily and Italy.