Huge response to funeral appeal for WW2 veteran Flt Sgt Peter Brown

An appeal to find mourners for a World War Two RAF veteran's funeral has been so successful the local council does not think everyone can attend.

The community had appealed to give 96-year-old retired Flt Sgt Peter Brown, who lived in Maida Vale, west London, a send-off "that befitted him".

The call was picked up by newspapers and shared by MPs on social media.

Westminster City Council expects the number of people will far exceed the 120-person capacity of the chapel.

However, a spokesperson said the council was still seeking to speak to anyone who is related to or knew Flt Sgt Brown.

Funeral directors W Sherry and Sons say they have been overwhelmed by the number of people wanting to attend the service at Mortlake Crematorium, in south-west London, on 29 March, and have urged people not to do so unless they knew him.

It is thought Flt Sgt Brown had few friends when he was alive despite being well-known in the community.

He was a keen sportsman and was a member of Marylebone Cricket Club from 1986 until 2016.

The RAF said its records showed Flt Sgt Brown enlisted in 1943 and trained as a wireless operator and air gunner before serving during World War Two on Lancaster bombers.

Peter Devitt, curator at the Royal Air Force Museum, said Flt Sgt Brown "may be the last of the 450 young black volunteers from the West Indies, Caribbean, Africa and parts of the UK who joined the RAF and flew iconic aircraft like the Lancaster and Spitfire".

Mr Devitt said Flt Sgt Brown did not finish training in the UK and Canada until five days after VE Day, but flew five operations with his squadron as a Wireless Operator and would have been among the "best and brightest" of all those serving.

In addition to being the "ears and voice" of the aircraft responsible for communications, Mr Devitt said Flt Sgt Brown would have had to deal with emergencies on board and step in as a gunner from time to time.

"If the aircraft had to ditch in the sea he would have to stay at his post as long as possible to give the last position of where they were," he said.

"He was a brave, proficient, selfless man who chose to put himself in danger so we might be free."

Neighbour Julian Futter, who knew Flt Sgt Brown for more than 40 years, said he understood the veteran lied about his age to "serve his country".

Mr Futter is among a group of residents who were trying to "raise his profile, his history and who he was and that he deserved the honours that befitted him".

He said he did not want Flt Sgt Brown to be "forgotten about and buried with nobody present and no-one around".

He described Flt Sgt Brown, who he lived opposite, as "fiercely independent, stubborn as hell, but a wonderful guy", adding he was "always smiling, he was never miserable".

Asked about whether Flt Sgt Brown had relatives, Mr Futter said: "I remember him talking to me once about having some family overseas, maybe America but, as far as I'm aware, nobody came to visit him and I wasn't aware of any relatives he was in contact with.

"He was very proud that he served at the same airfield as the Dambusters, although he was in a different squadron," Mr Futter added.

"When you hear about the casualty rate from the RAF bomber crews, that took some courage."

Local newsagent Jasmin Deilor said Flt Sgt Brown was a customer for more than 40 years and used to come in every morning for a newspaper and bar of chocolate, adding he was "a good guy".

"I don't think he had any friends or anything but we always had a chat about sports like cricket," he said.

"He was independent and didn't want any help from anyone. One day he came out the house and just round the corner he fell over, and somebody came in the shop and told me so I went over, took him home," he continued.

"After maybe a month, I heard from the neighbours he'd passed away. It's very sad, we've known him a long time."

An RAF spokesperson said: "Flt Sgt Brown is an example of the selfless contribution of all Commonwealth personnel who have served throughout the RAF's history.

"We should never forget their sacrifices, which have defended our freedom and kept us safe."

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