The story of Buckland‑in‑the‑Moor in the twentieth century cannot be told without the loss of two of William and Elizabeth Whitley’s sons in the Second World War. Their names, Peter Percy Whitley and Edward Neil Whitley, appear together on the family memorial, and their lives form part of the wider history of the village and the estate that shaped them. Both were raised at Buckland, both served their country, and both died far from home within two years of each other.
Peter Percy Whitley was born on 16 March 1910 at Barton Pines, Paignton, the second son of William Wallace Whitley and Elizabeth Frances Whitehead. He grew up among a large family of four brothers and three sisters, and was educated at Matfield Grange School, Tonbridge, and later at Bromsgrove School. When he left school in 1928 he returned to Buckland to help run the estate, taking on the responsibilities expected of a son who knew the land and the community well. In June 1938 he married Primrose Vinen Heron‑Varwell, and by 1939 the couple were living in Ilsington.
War changed the direction of his life. On 2 May 1942 Peter was commissioned into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and trained as an observer with Bomber Command. He joined 57 Squadron at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, the first squadron to be equipped with the new Lancaster heavy bomber. As a member of this unit he would have taken part in the first thousand‑bomber raid on Cologne on 30 May 1942, one of the most significant early operations of the air war. On the night of 15 October 1942, flying in Lancaster W4130 on another raid to Cologne, Peter and his crew took off from Scampton and were never heard from again. The aircraft was listed as missing, and Peter, aged thirty‑two, left behind his wife Primrose and their daughter Elizabeth Clare.
The youngest of the Whitley brothers, Edward Neil Whitley, was born on 19 July 1918. He studied medicine at Cambridge and the London Hospital, qualifying MRCS and LRCP in 1942. That same year he was granted an emergency commission into the Royal Army Medical Corps and posted to Aldershot. After serving with 16 Light Field Ambulance he volunteered for airborne forces and trained as a parachute medical officer, joining 224 Parachute Field Ambulance. In June 1944 he parachuted into Normandy with the 6th Airborne Division on D‑Day. Four days later, on 10 June, he was wounded by mortar fire while tending to a wounded enemy soldier. He was evacuated to England but died of his injuries at Stoke Mandeville Hospital on 29 August 1944, aged twenty‑six. He left a wife, Eileen, and an infant son, Michael Neil.
Their shared memorial at St Peter’s carries the following inscription:
"In proud and loving memory of Edward Neil Whitley MRCS; LRCP. Temporary Captain RAMC. Born July 19th 1918. Husband of Eileen. Father of Michael Neil. Youngest son of William and Elizabeth Whitley. Who landed in Normandy on D Day with the 6th Airborne Division, was wounded by mortar fire on June 10th while succouring a foeman. Passing to higher service and reward August 29th 1944 aged 26. We meet again."
"Also his brother Peter Percy Whitley. Pilot Officer RAF VR. Missing over Cologne Oct. 15/16 1942. Husband of Primrose and father of Elizabeth Clare. Aged 32."
