Perrin, Arthur Richard

Date of birth:: July 23rd, 1910 (Stoke Newington/London, United Kingdom)
Date of death:: March 22nd, 1965
Service number:: 1379748/1815881
Nationality:: British

Biography

Having at least one brother serving in the Army, Arthur Perrin decided there was more opportunity in the colours.
This presented one major problem - he was underage. This was easily overcome: there were very few checks when people joined the Army, just in case they changed their minds, so he gave his birth date as 1908.

Thus he enlisted into a full time unit of the Territorial Army of the 9th Battalion (Queen Victoria's Rifles) "The London Regiment", on Monday the 6th September 1926. His Army number was "6607630". On Monday the 14th February 1927, he signed up as a medical orderly with the Royal Fusiliers. Serving in Germany from the 21st June 1927 to the 15th January 1929, and India from the 9th March 1929 to the 29th March 1935.
Whilst in India his regiment was based at the Red Fort in Agra and in the area of the Khyber Pass.

He was demobbed on the 13th February 1939. On leaving the Army he worked initially as a chemical warehouse man and later as a postal sorter at Mount Pleasant sorting office in London.
His training was once at R.A.F. St. Athens. On the 16th of September 1942 he qualified as a Flight Engineer and started flying duties with No 218 Gold Coast Squadron on Stirling heavy bombers at R.A.F. Waterbeach near Cambridge. His first operation was on the night of the 12th February 1943; it entailed laying mines off the Frisian Islands.

Arthur Perrin passed away with pneumonia in 1965 after being hospitalized following a motorcycle accident with an army vehicle.

Promotions:
?: Flight Sergeant;
June 19th, 1944: Pilot Officer on probation (emergency);
December 19th, 1944: Pilot Officer;
December 19th, 1944: Flying Officer (war subs.);
?: Flying Officer.

Career:
?: No. 7 Squadron