RIP Peter Whalley

[viscount]

Peter Whalley, R.I.P.

It is with great sadness that I hear via George Jones as he has passed on to me a message from the wife of C.P. Whalley that Peter suffered a stroke on 21st November and he was admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary. Sadly Peter passed away on 10th December, aged 83. His wife and family were in attendance.


Peter Whalley was a founder member of the Merseyside Group of Aviation Enthusiasts (MGAE Formed February 1956) and the first editor of 'Merseyside Aeronews', later becoming 'Northern Aeronews' from the initial issue in November 1956 until December 1959. In many ways the format of coverage of this Forum can be linked directly back to the formation of the MGAE and those pioneering ink-duplicated paper magazines. He is fondly remembered by many of the enthusiasts around at the time for his role as driver on their long distance mini-bus trips. These included the 1960 8-day 'purge' of Southern England and another in 1961 which took members to places they certainly would otherwise never have visited and saw aircraft that they otherwise would have missed. In 1964, on the 'Great Continental Purge' he drove his car with passengers to accompany the mini-bus with all their camping gear and further passengers.

While I am of the generation that came after Peter, it is very likely our paths unknowingly crossed in the clubroom during the mid '60s. I am certainly well aware of his name and reputation, both through my researches back in the MGAE/MSAE Magazines, and the lasting impression he left on his contemporaries.




On this photo provided by George Jones, Pete is second in from the left. The photo taken on one of the mini-bus trips, at RAF Hornchurch in 1959. Don Stephens (tall figure behind the tail), another who is no longer with us, would often regale me with the exploits of Pete (and others) on their long trips around Britain searching out aircraft at a time when 'spotting' as a hobby was very much in its infancy.

George identifies those in the photo as, from the left: 'Fred', Peter Whalley, John Coghill?, Don Stephens, Peter Schofield, George Jones, 'Gus', Tony Fairclough, Ian Keast, Les Brighton, Barry?Hughes, Peter Quaille. Of those, Fred, Gus (sorry their full names have faded) and John Coghill were Mancunian MGAE members and Peter Schofield hailed from Urmston.




On this photo by John Wiseman taken outside No.50 hangar and the MSAE clubroom at Speke Airport on 25th July 1964 Peter is across on the far right, just before the 11 (camera on a tripod and timer) set off in the nearly concealed minibus and Austin Mini for a major expedition around the airfields of Europe.

[Samba]

RIP and condolences to Petes family.

[johnw]

It is always sad when a good person that you have known dies.

I was on the 1961 week long trip and the 1964 two week trip to France and Spain. My thanks go to those who organised it and those older members who ,like Peter, drove the vehicles. The 1964 trip was my first trip abroad if you exclude the Isle of Man. I saw many aircraft types that I had never seen before and still have memories of the trips.

I took the photograph above and the adding of names was for the first page of an article for the archives about that trip. It will take me quite a while depending on how scanning negatives goes - So watch this space or wherever "Viscount" decided to put it.

John. W

[viscount]

I'm going to allow myself some thread drift here. Having posted George's photo, a thought drifted through my head, "I wonder where that Spitfire is now?" Looked 6640M up, and it was previously RM694 with the Royal Air Force. Now that sent up a tingle in the back of brain as knew that registration, and its allocated civilian registration G-DBKL, as I had extensively researched the airframe history fairly recently for NWAN! The aircraft became one of those acquired by Hoylake Garage owner Bunny Brookes in the mid 60s. In 2021 after very many years hidden in storage it was moved to Biggin Hill to commence restoration to flight. More on this aircraft on thread: derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/37592/hoylake-spitfires-good-memory
Returning to topic on this thread now.

[ronturner]

Sad news but thanks for posting this thread.
I can recognise everybody in the photo of the 1964 purge and almost everybody in the Hornchurch photo.
John Oakes regaled endlessly about the 1964 trip to France and Spain, and I think this was where his love of those two countries was initiated.

For my part, I was lucky enough to be part of the 1965 trip to Italy via Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, returning via France, with several of the same people. Never to be forgotten memories. So grateful to this Forum for reconnecting us, albeit at a distance. RIP Pete.

[gerrymanning]

Always sad to hear of the deaths of people you know. I visited him in Leicester when I was doing my "Airliners of the 1960s" book and he kindly supplied some pictures to use in it.

[Deleted]

I remember Pete well, particularly as mentioned, our driving exploits around the UK and the Continent. Sad to learn of his passing. RIP.