Peter Isaacson

Peter Stuart Isaacson
Born	(1920-07-31) 31 July 1920 London, England
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Years of service	1940 – 1946
Rank	Flight Lieutenant
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Member of the Order of Australia Distinguished Flying Cross Air Force Cross Distinguished Flying Medal

Peter Stuart Isaacson AM, DFC, AFC, DFM (31 July 1920 – ) was owner of Peter Isaacson Publications, the publisher of a variety of trade publications and suburban newspapers including the Southern Cross and the Sunday Observer in Melbourne. He was also a war-time pilot, during which time he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Force Cross and the Distinguished Flying Medal.

Early Years

Isaacson was born in Melbourne and educated at Brighton Grammar School. He started work at the age of sixteen as a messenger boy on The Age, a Melbourne newspaper.

World War II

Isaacson enlisted into the RAAF in December 1940 a the age of nineteen. After training in Australia and Canada he was posted to the United Kingdom as a Sergeant Pilot. His initial operational posting was to 460 Squadron RAAF at Breighton, where he was awarded the DFM. The 26 missions he flew with 460 Squadron included the first thousand-bomber raid on Cologne on the night of 31 May 1942. He was awarded the DFC while serving with 156 Squadron RAF of the Pathfinder Force.

In 1943 he captained a Lancaster bomber, Q for Queenie, to complete the first ever England to Australia flight from east to west. On 22 October 1943, Isaacson and crew flew Q-Queenie under the Sydney Harbour Bridge in defiance of a 1931 regulation banning such flights. Q-Queenie is the largest aircraft ever to have been flown under the bridge.

Honours and awards

• 30 March 1943 - Distinguished Flying Cross - Pilot Officer Peter Stuart Isaacson, DFM, RAAF, No 156 Squadron, One night in March 1943, this officer was detailed for an attack on Berlin. Following the attack and while still over the target area, his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and severely damaged. The mid-upper turret frame was twisted, the perspex and 2 engine cowlings blown off, the aileron controls damaged and the aircraft forced down to 4,000 feet. On the return journey the aircraft was driven off the route and held in a cone of searchlights for 15 minutes; during this time a further loss of height down to 900 feet occurred. In the face of this perilous situation Pilot Officer Issacson, showing coolness, resolution and skilful airmanship, succeeded in flying his aircraft back to base. This officer is an outstanding captain of aircraft who has a fine record of many successful operational sorties.

Post War

In June 1947 Isaacson purchased his first newspaper for four hundred Australian pounds. Peter Isaacson Pulications ultimately grew to become a company that would publish more than 60 titles in Australia and 40 abroad. In 1991 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the print media and the community.

In June 2012, he attended the dedication of the RAF Bomber Command memorial in London as part of the official Australian delegation.

Further reading

• Warner, Denis (2000) Pathfinder - The Peter Isaacson Story, Information Australia, ISBN 1-86350-301-3

External links

• Pathfinder book details
• About Peter Isaacson