Peter MacDougall


Lieutenant Peter Aitken MacDougall was a Scottish World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.

Biography

MacDougall was born in Lerwick, the son of Major Peter MacDougall, a schoolmaster at the Central Public School, and his wife Florence. After leaving school he worked for the Union Bank of Scotland, before joining the Royal Flying Corps as a cadet in 1917, and being commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant on 21 June. He was confirmed in his rank and appointed a flying officer on 23 August.
MacDougall was posted to No. 24 Squadron RFC. He was reported as being wounded in action in early November 1917, but gained his first aerial victory on the 15th of that month, flying an Airco DH.5 single-seat fighter, driving down out of control an Albatros D.III over Diksmuide.
No. 24 Squadron was then re-equipped with S.E.5 fighters, and on 19 February 1918, MacDougall and Lieutenants Andrew Cowper, Ronald T. Mark, and Reuben Hammersley shared in the downing of a Rumpler C over Servais and a DFW C over Bernot. Two days later, on 21 February, he drove down an Albatros D.V south of Honnecourt, and on the 26th he destroyed a Fokker Dr.I east of Laon. On 6 March he drove down another D.V east of St. Quentin, and destroyed a Type C reconnaissance aircraft south-east of St. Quentin on the 12th. He was reported wounded in action for a second time at the end of March.
MacDougall was awarded the Military Cross, which was gazetted on 10 May 1918. His citation read:
MacDougall was eventually transferred to the RAF's unemployed list on 29 April 1919. He then returned to his career in banking, working for the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank in London, China, Thailand, the Malay States, and Ceylon. He retired in 1951, and settled in Cape Town, South Africa, where he died four years later in 1955.