Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Waite, Peter Wilfrid, 1922-1944
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Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1922-1944
History
Waite, Peter Wilfrid, son of Wilfrid Fabian Waite, barrister-at-law, and Dorothy, d. of Edward James Ebden ICS; b. 18 June 1922; adm. Jan. 1936 (H); left. Apr. 1941; Lance-Cpl The Queen's Regt; killed in action (ltaly) 9 Sept. 1944.
Peter Wilfrid Waite was born at Chelsea, London on the 18th of June 1922 the only child of Wifrid Fabian Waite, a barrister at law and Counsel to the Board of Trade, and Dorothy (nee Ebden) Waite of 201, Hood House, Dolphin Square, Westminster in London. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from January 1936 to April 1941. On leaving school he enlisted as a Private in The Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey) on the 5th of May 1941 and was later promoted to Corporal.
On the afternoon of the 8th of September 1944, the 2/6th Battalion, The Queen’s Royal Regiment was detailed to make an attack on the left of their Brigade to clear the village of Poggio of its German defenders and to capture a hill, codenamed “Soldier” to the west of Gemmano. At the same time, the 2/7th Battalion was to make an attack on the right to capture the village of Gemmano and the adjoining hamlet of Borgo. The 2/7th Battalion moved into the attack at 2.30pm with the 2/6th Battalion following a short time later.
As the 2/6th Battalion climbed the first hill towards their objective they came under very heavy enemy fire from the wooded slopes rising up to Gemmano village. In spite of this C Company captured Poggio, losing their company commander and two other officers in the process. As night fell the Battalion waited in the area around Poggio for news of progress of the 2/7th Battalion. The area was lit up by the light from burning haystacks which enabled enemy snipers to bring them under fire.
After nightfall D Company advanced and captured “Soldier” hill but they too lost their company commander in the attack. The Germans immediately counterattacked with A and B Companies being ordered forward to reinforce the defenders. As they moved up the hill they came under intense enemy fire and were forced to go to ground. D Company held onto its gains throughout the following day and during the fighting they captured forty enemy prisoners and badly mauled a party of enemy troops who were bringing up supplies using mules and wheelbarrows. By the afternoon of the 9th of September, D Company was almost completely surrounded and was ordered to fight its way out and back to the lower slopes. By the end of the night the survivors had rejoined their comrades on the slopes below to the south and east of their objective.
Peter Waite was killed during the fighting: -“The only remaining member of his section, he died attacking a German position, alone in a vital and successful action in which he played an important part.”
He is buried at Coriano Ridge Cemetery Plot XX, Row E, Grave 6.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Corporal 6104564; 2/6th Battalion, The Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Access points area
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Occupations
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
GB 2014
Rules and/or conventions used
International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition
Status
Final
Level of detail
Full
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Prepared for import into AtoM by Westminster School Archive staff, 2019-2020. Updated by Bethany Duck, Archives Assistant, September 2022.
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
The Record of Old Westminsters: A biographical list of all those who are known to have been educated at Westminster School from Play 1919 to Election 1989, Volume 4, compiled by F.E. Pagan and H.E. Pagan, Padstow, 1992.
Westminster School Second World War Memorial by John C. Hamblin, 2022.