Pete Tunstall
Encyclopedia
Peter Tunstall is a former flight Lieutenant
for the Royal Air Force
. During World War II
he was a POW.
As a POW, Tunstall escaped four times. His escape from Spangenberg
Castle has been recognised as one of the best ever. He was court martialed by the Germans five times and spent 415 days in solitary confinement
, in both cases more than any other British POW.
Tunstall also developed a method of getting information home inside a photograph. At the end of the war, he was recommended for an award by MI9
. However, the last senior British officer in Colditz
declined to support this award, a decision attributed to a severe clash of personalities. Thus Tunstall, who the Germans considered a master trouble maker whom they once tried to shoot, ended the war unrecognised by the RAF.
Tunstall disputes some of the stories about Colditz. He did work with Escape Officers to cause diversions when an escape was 'on'. He did pull stunts and spoil roll calls at other times, otherwise the Germans would have known an escape was being covered up. However, he disputes that POWs threw 'excrement' bombs or blew 'raspberries' at the Germans. Nor does he know of anyone who did such things.
After the war, Tunstall continued to serve in the RAF until 1958. Upon retirement, he moved with his family to Africa. There he did many things from bush pilot to professional actor. Tunstall is currently living in South Africa
and writing his autobiography.
Tunstall was born in Chadwell St Mary
, Essex
, in 1918 and moved to the nearby village of Orsett
at the age of three. He took his first flight from a local field. He joined the RAF before the war and eventually became a Hampden
pilot.
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was a POW.
As a POW, Tunstall escaped four times. His escape from Spangenberg
Spangenberg
- Geography :Spangenberg lies in the Schwalm-Eder district some 35 km southeast of Kassel, west of the Stölzinger Gebirge, a low mountain range. Spangenberg is the demographical centrepoint of Germany.- History :...
Castle has been recognised as one of the best ever. He was court martialed by the Germans five times and spent 415 days in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
, in both cases more than any other British POW.
Tunstall also developed a method of getting information home inside a photograph. At the end of the war, he was recommended for an award by MI9
MI9
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9, was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
. However, the last senior British officer in Colditz
Colditz
Colditz is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, near Leipzig, located on the banks of the river Mulde. The town has a population of 5,188 ....
declined to support this award, a decision attributed to a severe clash of personalities. Thus Tunstall, who the Germans considered a master trouble maker whom they once tried to shoot, ended the war unrecognised by the RAF.
Tunstall disputes some of the stories about Colditz. He did work with Escape Officers to cause diversions when an escape was 'on'. He did pull stunts and spoil roll calls at other times, otherwise the Germans would have known an escape was being covered up. However, he disputes that POWs threw 'excrement' bombs or blew 'raspberries' at the Germans. Nor does he know of anyone who did such things.
After the war, Tunstall continued to serve in the RAF until 1958. Upon retirement, he moved with his family to Africa. There he did many things from bush pilot to professional actor. Tunstall is currently living in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and writing his autobiography.
Tunstall was born in Chadwell St Mary
Chadwell St Mary
Chadwell-St-Mary is a dispersed settlement in the unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, England. It is one of the traditional parishes in Thurrock and former civil parish. It is a few miles east of the town of Grays and is located north of the modern town of Tilbury which was part of the parish...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, in 1918 and moved to the nearby village of Orsett
Orsett
Orsett is a village and ecclesiastical parish located within Thurrock unitary district in Essex, England, situated around 5 km north-east of Grays...
at the age of three. He took his first flight from a local field. He joined the RAF before the war and eventually became a Hampden
Handley Page Hampden
The Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane...
pilot.