All those who served with Peter Crichton in the 4th Hussars during the last war will have felt the deepest sense of loss at the news of his death a year ago. Tall, slim, dark — his nickname in the Regiment, Pedro — he was the very beau ideal of a cavalry soldier.
Fearless, yet gentle, a dashing horseman and a quiet connoisseur of the arts, a smile ever ready to see the lighter side of things, he was a man who never sought the limelight, indeed who perhaps, particularly during his last years, but this largely because of illness, withdrew too much into his private world of family and home.
He was a splendid squadron leader in the war, and many are the tales of his indifference to danger on the battlefield, sleeping on a Teller mine throughout one night in the desert and doing daring things with special forces in occupied Yugoslavia.
Out of the line, he enjoyed the society of his friends, music and sport to the full. He combined a simple heart and a subtle mind, courage and humility, deep love of country life with great regard for his fellow beings. He was in every way — admirable.
A TRIBUTE: PETER CRICHTON
Peter Crichton was a born Cavalry Officer. He showed this by his delight in country pursuits, his appreciation, in his own words, of the family atmosphere of a Cavalry Regiment and his love of everything to do with the horse.
It is ironic that it took a World War to make him so. He transferred from his Yeomanry Regiment to the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars when he learnt this Regiment was shortly to embark for Egypt and, as was thought at the time, the Western Desert. He served for over four years, by which time he was one of only three Officers remaining who had sailed with the Regiment from Merseyside in 1940.
When the Regiment was sent to Greece, he took part in the Battle of Ptolemais and the retreat to Athens and the Peloponnese. On his return to Athens, he was made Liaison Officer between Army HQ in Athens and RHQ in Corinth and beyond. Typically he took a room in the famous King George Hotel, rather than bear the discomforts of living at Army HQ.
His appointment proved both frustrating and dangerous, as there was the minimum of information and the Luftwaffe hunted anything that moved. Eventually, he was probably the last British Officer to leave Athens, as when Army HQ moved out, they failed to inform him of their intention.
After many encounters with the Messerschmitts, he was cut off from the Regiment’s line of retreat and was evacuated in the historic HMS Ajax.
Cairo at this time was still living in a dream. The inhabitants behaved as if the war was no business of theirs and had decided to ignore it. For a time Peter was able to take advantage of this sybaritic way of life, particularly on the Polo grounds at the Gezira Sporting Club. But also the Eastern Mediterranean had a constant fascination for him. The lesser-known, but still visible signs of its history; for instance, the cemetery near the Regiment’s one-time tented camp, wherein were buried the mummified remains of Mark Anthony’s Roman Legions.
Very few had returned from Greece, so the Regiment had to be reformed. This accomplished, it took part in the see-saw battles which ended in the retreat of the 8th Army, before Field Marshal Rommel’s Africa Korps, to inside the Egyptian frontier.
Peter felt strongly that a high price had been paid for the blindness of our politicians and the poor quality of our tank design between the wars. Our armour was no match for the German Mark IV tank and the 88mm gun.
Having suffered heavy casualties, the Regiment was temporarily withdrawn to Cairo but returned in time to take part in the victories of Alam Halfa and El Alamein and the pursuit of the Africa Korps to the West. Peter was present throughout all these battles.
In early 1943 the Regiment was re-armed with Sherman tanks, after a three-month respite in Cyprus, where Peter carried out much exploration of the island with the help of the native ponies.
It was now he was promoted to command ‘C’ Squadron and, of far greater importance, became engaged to Brita Danielsson, the daughter of the Swedish Minister to Egypt.
The next move was to Italy in the Spring of 1944. It is sad that now, after over four years, a clash of personalities persuaded him to accept the doubtful task of forming an Armoured Regiment for the Yugoslav National Army of Liberation. He soon realised this would take at least a year and said as much. Nevertheless, he found himself on an ancient cargo boat, together with twenty out of date Stuart tanks and their untrained crews, bound for Yugoslavia. Fortunately, the tanks were ‘lost’ soon after their arrival.
He was now an official member of the Military Mission that had been sent to co-operate with the partisan forces of Marshal Tito. Co-operation proved difficult owing to suspicion of the motives behind any foreign aid, the presence of political commissars down to platoon level and the age-old hatred between the Croats (Tito) and the Serbs, or Chetniks (Mihajlovic). At this time Tito’s forces were often more anxious to eliminate the Chetniks than the Germans.
After a period of comfortable house arrest, Peter managed to win the confidence of the local commander and became the self-appointed liaison officer, providing the link with all three British services. This resulted in successful attacks on German garrisons along the coast and on the offshore islands, a good example of the way in which, whatever the project in hand, either in war or in peace, he threw himself into it with the maximum of effort and enthusiasm.
Towards the end of April 1945, he had served for the necessary four and a half year period overseas, before repatriation.
Returning to Italy, he sailed for home, arriving in London on the 8th of May. By midnight that day, the war in Europe was over.
Peter and Brita were married in August the same year and he was demobilised some months later.
No regiment has ever had a more faithful servant. Its history, its reputation and its standards meant everything to him. It is good to know his son has followed him.
