Peter Furniss

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]

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]

On 29 December 1944, Furniss was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).[7]