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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Eric G. Peter Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2010-10-18

Scope and Contents of Collection

The Eric G. Peter Collection consists of photographs and manuscripts related to the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) career of Eric Peter during and after World War I. The items in this collection primarily deal with Peter's time with the R.A.F. in England and France from 1918 to 1919, but there is also a small amount of personal materials included.

Box One contains photographs. Folder 1 contains portraits of Peter and his wife. The remainder of the photo collection was originally housed in two photo albums. One album is fully intact and the other was disassembled but is stored with the pages intact. There are some loose photos, most of which appear to have fallen out of the albums at some point during their history. The photographs illustrate R.A.F. activities and aircraft, and include aerial images, pilots at leisure, mechanic's stations and other facilities.

Numerous aircraft are pictured including Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8; Avro 504; Bristol Fighter F.2B (Brisfit); Bristol M.1C Monoplane Scout; Curtiss JN-4D Jenny; de Havilland (Airco) D.H.4, D.H.5, D.H.9, and D.H.9A; Fokker D.VIII (V.18); Fokker Dr.I Triplane (F.I); Gotha G.V; Halberstadt CL.II and CL.IV; Handley Page O/400 (H.P.12); Hannover CL.II; Junkers J 1; Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard; Pfalz C.I, D.VIII, AND D.XII; Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2, F.E.2b, R.E.8, S.E.5, and S.E.5a; Short S.106 Type (Admiralty Type 184; Short Two-Two-Five); Sopwith Camel family, Dolphin (5.F.1), Pup, and Snipe (7.F.1) airplanes.

Box Two contains manuscripts. In addition to Peter's collection of military personnel documents and wartime ephemera, there are several documents with information about the German Air Force. The manuscripts collection also includes several annotated maps used by Peter during the war.

Dates

  • Creation: circa 1912-1962
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1918-1919

Language of Materials

Box Two, Folders 5 and 6 contain materials in German. All other materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Biographical Note: Eric G. Peter

Eric Grant Peter was born January 18, 1900 in Vancouver, British Columbia. His parents were both from prominent Vancouver families. Eric Peter enlisted in the Royal Air Force in 1918 and spent parts of 1918 and 1919 in France and England, eventually rising to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. While flying in France, Peter experienced engine failure and was forced to crash land in a field. His aircraft flipped and caught fire, and Peter's flight suit caught on a lever. He narrowly escaped after pulling free from the plane and had to spend several months in England recovering from his burns. After the war, he returned to Vancouver and married Grace Helen Fee (1902-1995) on June 15, 1926. They had one child, Charles G. Peter, who was born in Oakland, California in 1929.



Source:

Biography derived from collection materials and donor information.

Extent

0.7 Cubic Feet (1 5-inch letter size document box, 1 2-inch legal size document box, and 1 oversize folder)

Additional Description

Abstract

The collection consists of photographs, military personnel documents, and wartime ephemera related to the Royal Air Force career of Eric G. Peter during and after World War I.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Existence and Location of Copies

Materials from this collection have been digitized and are available at The Museum of Flight Digital Collections.

Box One contains one (1) DVD-R with low resolution scans of some of the images in the collection.

Separated Materials

The following items have been separated from the archival component of this collection and are kept in Objects storage:

  • Swatch of World War I-era German camouflage material
  • R.A.F. wings
  • Two (2) identification plates taken from downed aircraft during the war
  • Green canvas map pouch

Related Names

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Eric G. Peter Collection
Status
Completed Level 4
Author
L. Zaborowski and A. Demeter
Date
2017
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
Processing, cataloging and digitization of this collection was made possible by a Council on Libraries and Information Resources (CLIR) "Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives" grant.
Edition statement
2nd Edition

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository

http://www.museumofflight.org
Contact:
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874


The Museum of Flight | 9404 E. Marginal Way South | Seattle WA 98108-4097 | 206-764-5874
Contact us with a research request
curator@museumofflight.org