KUCK Peter Willibrord

The following information is courtesy and copyright of Trinity High School, Redditch and was taken from the Commemorative Memorial Book donated to the school by the RCHS Old Students Association:
Peter Kuck attended Redditch County High School from 1929 to 1933. He was stationed at R.A.F. Penrhos. Whilst on a training flight in a Whitley Bomber off the Welsh coast, the aircraft went down and all the crew were lost.

The following information has been researched by and is copyright of John Jervis:
Peter Kuck was of German descent. His grandfather, a needle expert from Aachen, came to Redditch to install new machinery at the firm of Millwards. He met his wife there and settled in Redditch. Their son, Otto, Peter’s father, married Elsie Lewis and the couple lived in Wellington Road. They ran a gilding business in neighbouring Queen Street, pioneering the process of gilding the eyes of needles. Later the family moved to 19 Ivor Road. Peter was the youngest of the three sons of Otto and Elsie, Jack being the eldest and George the middle son.

After leaving school, Peter worked at the Royal Enfield Company. He enjoyed music and played the drums in a small dance band in the late 1930’s. When war broke out he volunteered to join the RAF when he was asked if he wanted to change to change his name in case of problems in case he was shot down over Germany. Peter refused. On the 19th February 1941, whilst training as a wireless operator/air gunner, he was on a Whitley bomber which took off from Pembroke Dock and subsequently crashed into Cardigan Bay killing all crew members.