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Peter Isaacson

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Peter Stuart Isaacson
Born (1920-07-31) 31 July 1920 (age 104)
London, England
AllegianceAustralia Australia
Service / branchRoyal Australian Air Force
Years of service1940 – 1946 (War Service), 1946 – 1969 (Citizens Air Force)
RankWing Commander
UnitBomber Command
Battles / warsSecond World War
AwardsMember of the Order of Australia
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Force Cross
Distinguished Flying Medal

Peter Stuart Isaacson AM, DFC, AFC, DFM (born 31 July 1920) is an Australian businessman and decorated war veteran. He 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 a war-time pilot with RAF Bomber Command, during which time he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Force Cross and the Distinguished Flying Medal.

He was famous in Australia for a time during World War II for flying his Lancaster bomber, the largest aircraft ever to have been so flown, under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Flight Lieutenant Isaacson in front of Lancaster Q-Queenie, 1943

Early Years

Isaacson was born in England to an Australian father and an Austrian mother, and his parents moved to Australia with him when he was six years old.[1] He was educated at Brighton Grammar School, and started work at the age of sixteen as a messenger boy on The Age, a Melbourne newspaper.[2]

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.[3] His initial operational posting was to 460 Squadron RAAF at Breighton as a Lancaster pilot, 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.[4]

He was awarded the DFC while serving with 156 Squadron RAF of the Pathfinder Force. The citation posted in the London Gazette reads:

  • 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.[5]
Lancaster Q for Queenie flies under Sydney Harbour Bridge, 22 October 1943

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.[6] When asked why he did this, Isaacson has replied "Because it was there",[7] although it was reported at the time that he undertook the stunt to support the War Loan Appeal then underway, for which he and his crew had been actively fundraising.[8] In any event, Isaacson was not penalised for the widely reported action.

Post War

In June 1947 Isaacson purchased his first newspaper for four hundred Australian pounds. Peter Isaacson Publications ultimately grew to become a company that would publish more than 60 titles in Australia and 40 abroad.[9] In 1991 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the print media and the community.

From 1963 to 1965 he was an honorary aide-de-camp to Queeen Elizabeth II. During the 1960's he also served for a period as Regional Commandant of Victorian Squadron of the Air Training Corps and Commnding Officer of No. 21 (City of Melbourne) Squadron, Citizen Air Force, finally retiring in 1969 with the rank of Wing Commander.[10] He has been a Trustee and Chairman of the Victorian Shrine_of_Remembrance and is currently a Life Governor.[11]

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

Notes

  1. ^ Georgia Wilkins (9 December 2010). "Newspaper man". The Weekly Review. Retrieved 27 June 2012. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  2. ^ "About Peter Isaacson". Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Veteran biography Bomber Command Mission – London, June 2012 Peter Stuart Isaacson, AM, DFC, AFC, DFM, Toorak, Victoria" (PDF). Australian Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 27 June 2012. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 61 (help)
  4. ^ "ART26988 - Thousand Bomber Strike". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  5. ^ "No. 35958". The London Gazette (invalid |supp= (help)). 30 March 1943.
  6. ^ "Lancaster bomber made illegal pass under Sydney Harbour Bridge". Royal Australian Air Force Air Power Development Centre. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  7. ^ "A collection of fond farewells". The Age. Fairfax Media. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Bomber Flew Under Harbour Bridge". The Canberra Times. 23 October 1942. p. 2. Retrieved 27 June 2012. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  9. ^ "Peter Isaacson (OB37)". Old Brighton Grammarians Society. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  10. ^ "Veteran biography Bomber Command Mission – London, June 2012 Peter Stuart Isaacson, AM, DFC, AFC, DFM, Toorak, Victoria" (PDF). Australian Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 27 June 2012. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 61 (help)
  11. ^ "Life Governors". Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne. Retrieved 27 June 2012.

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