Individual Details
Pilot Officer Anthony "Tony" Gordon-Peiniger
(2 Aug 1914 - 11 Aug 1940)
Anthony Gordon Peiniger became a Pilot Officer on 16th May 1939
Anthony changed his name to Anthony Gordon-Peiniger like his uncle Walter Gordon-Peiniger, when he enlisted because the German name caused abit of controversy.
Anthony and Margaret were only married for about a month when he was killed in action but she never remarried.
My dad tells me that the dog fight between the Avro Anson and the German plane would have been like a tank against a bicycle as the Ansons were only a wooden frame wrapped on a canvas cover.
The name Peiniger in German means one who gives pain or torturer. Apparently it's not a nice name
Find a Grave
Pilot Officer Anthony Gordon-Peiniger
BIRTH 2 Aug 1914 Madras Settlement, Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo, Trinidad And Tobago (Wrong)
DEATH 11 Aug 1940 (aged 26)
MEMORIAL Runnymede Memorial
SITE Englefield Green, Runnymede Borough, Surrey, England
Enlisted, January 4, 1937, in Troop K, 101st Cavalry ( Squadron A ), NYNG, at the Madison Avenue Armory. He was discharged sometime in 1937.
World War 2, he join the Royal Air Force, serving as a Pilot Officer, with the 217 Squadron. He was killed in action August 11, 1940, over Penha Garcia, Portugal (more likely over Lands End, Cornwall).
He was the son of LtCol Robert Francis Peiniger and Margret Isabel Cameron (nee Renwick) and husband of Margaret Elspeth ( nee Mackenzie ).P
Anthony changed his name to Anthony Gordon-Peiniger like his uncle Walter Gordon-Peiniger, when he enlisted because the German name caused abit of controversy.
Anthony and Margaret were only married for about a month when he was killed in action but she never remarried.
My dad tells me that the dog fight between the Avro Anson and the German plane would have been like a tank against a bicycle as the Ansons were only a wooden frame wrapped on a canvas cover.
The name Peiniger in German means one who gives pain or torturer. Apparently it's not a nice name
Find a Grave
Pilot Officer Anthony Gordon-Peiniger
BIRTH 2 Aug 1914 Madras Settlement, Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo, Trinidad And Tobago (Wrong)
DEATH 11 Aug 1940 (aged 26)
MEMORIAL Runnymede Memorial
SITE Englefield Green, Runnymede Borough, Surrey, England
Enlisted, January 4, 1937, in Troop K, 101st Cavalry ( Squadron A ), NYNG, at the Madison Avenue Armory. He was discharged sometime in 1937.
World War 2, he join the Royal Air Force, serving as a Pilot Officer, with the 217 Squadron. He was killed in action August 11, 1940, over Penha Garcia, Portugal (more likely over Lands End, Cornwall).
He was the son of LtCol Robert Francis Peiniger and Margret Isabel Cameron (nee Renwick) and husband of Margaret Elspeth ( nee Mackenzie ).P
Events
| Birth | 2 Aug 1914 | Madras, India | |||
| Christen | 2 Sep 1914 | St Mary, Madras, India | |||
| Military service | Bet 1939 and 1940 | WW2 | |||
| Marriage | Jul 1940 | Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom - Margaret Elspeth Mackenzie | |||
| Death | 11 Aug 1940 | WWII CWGC - St. Eval, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom |  | ||
| Burial | Runnymede Memorial, Englefield Green, Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
Families
| Spouse | Margaret Elspeth Mackenzie (1917 - 1981) |
| Father | Lt Col Robert Francis "Frank" Peiniger RA (1877 - 1952) |
| Mother | Margaret Isobel Cameron Renwick (1876 - 1961) |
Notes
Death
217 SquadronRank: Pilot Officer
Service No:40904
Date of Death: 11/08/1940
Age: 26
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force 217 Sqdn.
Panel Reference: Panel 8.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL
Additional Information: Son of Lt.-Col. Frank Peiniger, R.A., and of Margaret Peiniger (nee Renwick); husband of Margaret Elspeth Gordon-Peiniger (nee Mackenzie).
REASON FOR LOSS: Took off in an Avro Anson (serial No K8813, Code MW-V) from R.A.F. St. Eval, Cornwall for a patrol in the Catelo Branco, Portugal area; At 16.57 hrs a message received; believed to be under attack from enemy aircraft; Search initiated but sad sadly no trace of aircraft or crew were found.
An Avro Anson was considered to be a multi-role aircraft and was probably on a maritime reconnaissance operation. It was considered obsolete in a combat role and if attacked it would have been basically defenceless.
Note: Catelo Branco, Portugal is inland so it is very unlikely to be this area, however the coast of Portugal would make sense and be in easy reach of German planes, from the South of France.
In the book The other few (see Web link) there is a statement
An unknown Ju88 crew from Kustenflieger Gruppe 806 engages an aircraft identied as a 'Blenheim' some 80km northwest of Lands End and claimed it destroyed at 16.15 hours. It could have been nothing other than this Anson