Peter Wykeham-Barnes joined the RAF as an Apprentice in 1932. On completion of his course, he was awarded a cadetship to the RAF College at Cranwell. Graduating in 1937, he was posted to the Middle East to fly Gladiators with No. 80 Sq. At that time, one of his fellow pilots was South African Pat Pattle, who would become the Allies highest-scoring fighter pilot before his death in 1941.

Gloster Gladiator Mk I

Designed as an improvement over the Gauntlet, the Gladiator was first flown on September 12th, 1934. The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter, used by the Royal Air Force and Navy and exported to a number of other air forces. Though often pitted against more advanced modern aircraft, it achieved wartime fame in the hands of skilled pilots, fighting some of the most dramatic battles of the early war years. Sea Gladiators were successful as carrier-based aircraft because their slower speed made them suitable for carrier operations, and because they were less likely to be facing modern fighter opposition.