Robert Lawrence "Peter" Spurdle (3 March 1918 – 5 March 1994) was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with the destruction of ten enemy aircraft.
Born in Wanganui, New Zealand, Spurdle joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in 1939. After completing flight training in 1940 he was sent to the United Kingdom and transferred to the RAF. He flew Supermarine Spitfires with No. 74 Squadron during the later stages of the Battle of Britain and later flew with No. 91 Squadron. From late 1942 and into the following year, he was temporarily attached to the RNZAF, firstly in a training capacity in New Zealand, and then in the Solomon Islands campaign with No. 16 Squadron. He returned to Europe in 1944, flying with No. 80 Squadron as its commander. After the end of the war in Europe, Spurdle returned to service with the RNZAF and was discharged in 1946. In civilian life he worked as an engineer before taking up yachting. He died in 1994 at the age of 76.
Early life
Robert Lawrence Spurdle, known to his family as Peter, was born in Wanganui on 3 March 1918. He was a son of F. M. Spurdle and his wife. Educated at Wanganui Collegiate School, he worked as a warehouseman after completing his schooling. He decided to pursue a career in military aviation and in early 1939, applied for a short-service commission in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). He was accepted and commenced his training in September.
Second World War
By the time Spurdle's training started, the Second World War had been underway for some weeks and his short service course was the last to be run by the RNZAF. He went to No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School at the RNZAF stations at Taieri and then No. 1 Flight Training School at Wigram Air Base in Christchurch. Sickness affected the progress of his training which, at this stage, was as a light bomber pilot. Instead of graduating with his group of trainees, he was held back and completed his course with another intake.
Along with 22 other RNZAF pilots, among them Edward Wells, who like Spurdle, would go on to lead a fighter squadron in the war, he travelled to the United Kingdom in early June 1940 to serve with the Royal Air Force (RAF). Officially transferred to the RAF in July, he went to Uxbridge and then onto No. 7 Operational Training Unit at Hawarden, where he learnt to fly the Supermarine Spitfire.
Battle of Britain
On 21 August, Spurdle was posted to No. 74 Squadron, which was commanded by Squadron Leader Sailor Malan. At the time he joined the squadron, it was at Kirton-in-Lindsey, reequipping with the Mk IIa Spitfire. Spurdle began operational flying on 28 August and two weeks later, was one of three pilots that damaged a Heinkel He 111 medium bomber. In mid-October, the squadron joined No. 11 Group, based at the RAF's station at Biggin Hill. Soon afterwards, he was involved in a dogfight which saw him having to bail out when his Spitfire broke up while in a high speed dive in pursuit of a Messerschmitt Bf 109. At the end of the month he claimed a Bf 109 as probably destroyed. A few days later, he had his first confirmed enemy aircraft destroyed, when No. 74 Squadron, patrolling with No. 92 Squadron, encountered a group of 60 Bf 109s over Maidstone. He engaged and shot down a Bf 109, which crashed near Ashford in Kent. He had just been promoted to flying officer.
Another significant encounter was on 14 November, when No. 74 Squadron intercepted a force of 50 Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers over Dover, accompanied by 25 Bf 109s. A total of 15 German aircraft was confirmed as destroyed with two probables and many others damaged. Spurdle claimed one of the probables, a Ju 87, and two others damaged. He then shot down a Bf 109 on 5 December.