Flying Officer Peter Norham Birt
- Rank
- Flying Officer
- Appointment
- Royal Australian Air Force 1945 NW Europe
- Service number
- 427892
- Unit
- 460 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force
- Cause of death
- Killed in Action
- Place of death
- Germany
- Date of death
- 29 January 1945
- Age
- 20
- Plaque number
- L104A
- Co-located plaques
- L104 - FSGT George Rankin
- Dedicated by
- His parents on 9 November 1952
- More information
Flying Officer Peter Norham Birt 427892 (1924-1945, born Albany, Western Australia) enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at Perth, Western Australia, on 11 October 1942 and was trained as a Pilot at Cunderdin and Geraldton, Western Australia. He was sent to the United Kingdom under the Air Training Plan (ATP, known as the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) in Australia) and served with No. 460 Squadron RAAF (an ATP Article XV Squadron) in Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command. On 29 January 1945 during a raid on Stuttgart, Germany, Lancaster aircraft ND970 was hit by air-to-air gunfire and was forced down, killing three RAAF members, Flying Officer Birt, Flight Sergeant Douglas Glen O’Hara 433473 of Glen Innes, New South Wales, and Flight Sergeant Sidney Gordon Wilson 433749 of Nowra, New South Wales, while three RAAF members and one RAF member were taken Prisoners-of-War.
Flying Officer Birt’s Official Memorial is his grave in the Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany, where his headstone is inscribed with “Young in their glory, they saw the face of God”. His Roll of Honour is Tambellup, Western Australia.
His Honour Plaque in Kings Park was dedicated by parents on 11 November 1952. He is the son of Son of Lieutenant Colonel Charles William Howard Birt DSO and 2 bars (1881-1960) and Rosalind Lucy Birt (nee Blott) (1892-1984) of Tambellup.
Flying Officer Birt is remembered with honour.