Boy Mould

Peter William Olber "Boy" Mould, (14 December 1916? – 1 October 1941) was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War.

Early life The first son and third child of Charles and Ethel Mould, he grew up on the family estate at Great Easton, Leicestershire, and later at the Rectory at Stoke Dry in Rutland.

After graduating in 1939, Pilot Officer Mould was assigned to No. 1 Squadron RAF at Tangmere. He would go on to claim six more aircraft in the skies over France, making him an ace.

The squadron was withdrawn from France on 18 June. Though it fought in the Battle of Britain, Mould did not. He was posted to No. 5 Operational Training Unit as an instructor. There, he led a flight of No. 261 Squadron RAF until 12 May.

On 1 October 1941, he led eight Hurricanes to intercept an Italian raid north-east of the island. While chasing one group of enemy aircraft, he was ambushed by another group which included Macchi C.202 fighters, the first of their type to appear over Malta. None of his comrades witnessed him being shot down. According to the squadron diary:

While on leave in January 1940, he had married Phyllis Hawkings in Leicestershire. His name is one of those inscribed on the Malta Memorial.

Victories Mould's final tally was eight aircraft destroyed, along with two shared destroyed. He flew the Hawker Hurricane I until he was posted to Malta, at which point he piloted the Hurricane IIa.

Date Aircraft Location Notes 30 October 1939 Dornier Do 17 West of Toul 1 April 1940 Messerschmitt Bf 110 Near Longuyon 20 April Heinkel He 112 West of Saarlautern Unconfirmed 10 May Heinkel He 111 Vassincourt – Berry-au-Bac 11 May Messerschmitt Bf 110 West of Chémery 1/3 shared credit 13 May Heinkel He 111Messerschmitt Bf 110 East of Vouziers 14 May Messerschmitt Bf 110 15 May Messerschmitt Bf 110 9 July 1941 Six "flying boats" On the water at Syracuse, Sicily 1/4 shared credit 11 July Macchi C.200 Malta