Date of birth:

January 30th, 1915

Date of death:

June 2009

Service number:

212165

Nationality:

British

At the outbreak of war Pete Lake worked as a banker in Ghana. He then was called up and served with the Intelligence Corps after which he was recruited by SOE and as such carried out disruptive actions against German interests in the Gulf of Guinea.
Mid 1943 he travelled back to the UK though and after refresher courses was posted to "F" Section. On 9 April 1944 he was dropped in the Dordogne Valley accompanied by Ralph Beauclerk the W/T operator.
He was given the task to start a new circuit called "Digger" after "Author" had been compromised and dismantled by the Germans when Harry Peulevé was arrested.
Lake's work involved covering wide stretches of the Correze, Lot and Dordogne.
See below the citation of the Military Cross for further details of his work in France.
On August 15th 1944 Lake played a notable part in negotiating the surrender of the German garrison of Brive-la-Gaillarde and it was the first city in occupied France to be liberated solely by the Resistance.
At the end of his mission in France, Lake moved to the Italian section of SOE. After the war, he joined the Foreign Office and served as consul in, among other postings, Mozambique, France, Iceland, Syria, Indonesia, Italy, Belgium and Brazil.
After retiring in 1975, he worked for the Cambridge Wildlife Trust.

? Lance-Corporal
1 October 1941: 2nd Lieutenant
? Temporary Captain

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Temporary Captain

Unit:

F Section, Special Operations Executive (SOE), British Government

Awarded on:

June 21st, 1945

Citation:
"This officer was dropped by parachute into the DORDOGNE area of France in April 1944 to instruct and prepare local resistance groups, compesed largely of Spanish veterans of the civil war.
LAKE had only two months in which to prepare his command for their main attacks. The countryside was already in a ferment and the enemy were using informers among his many recruits in an attempt to eliminate such officers as LAKE. In consequence LAKE had to keep constandly on the move to avoid betrayal and capture. Despite these difficulties, his command was ready in time and from early June until the area was cleared of the enemy his groups excelled in sabotage and guerilla warfare. The railway line from PERIGEUX to COUTRAS was kept constandly under attack. The enemy equally frequently repaired his line until LAKE himself led a party of seven picked men at NEUVIC, and, by destroying some 500 yards of track and leaving delayed action chrages, finally put this important line out of use.
For his excellent service in preparing and directing the local resistance activities in support of the Allied invasion, and for his courage in leading repeated attacks on enemy targets, it is recommended that this officer be awarded the Military Cross."

Signed Colin Gubbins
Major General
3.3.45.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

With Silver Star.

• - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35360/supplement/6829
  - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37138/supplement/3241
  - Nigel Perrin - Special Operations Executive (SOE) Agents in France
  - Harrington Aviation Museum | CarpetBagger | Aviation Museum Harrington
  - The Times & The Sunday Times