He lived with his family in Wollaston, Northamptonshire and attended Wellingborough School from 1928 to 1933 before joining Nicholson Sons and Daniel Ltd., a local tannery based in Little Irchester, in late 1933.

78 Squadron, an operational unit, flying the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, based at RAF Dishforth, Yorkshire.

These included trips to Hamm and Duisburg in the Ruhr, the ports of Lorient and Wilhelmshaven, and the city of Bremen, when, on the return leg, after 11 hours flying and with the loop aerial and port exactor unserviceable, James ordered his crew to bail out – all landing safely in South Molton, Devon.

An additional raid to Italy on 8/9 November 1940 was aborted when a Junkers Ju 88 of the Luftwaffe dropped a stick of bombs along the length of the flare path as four Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys, including James's aircraft, were waiting to take off at RAF Honington, Suffolk.

78 Squadron James flew with Wing Commander (later Air Commodore) John Nicholas Haworth Whitworth, CB, DSO, DFC and Bar, who was to become the station commander at RAF Scampton during Operation Chastise, 617 Squadron's raid on the Edersee, Möhne and Sorpe dams.

35 Squadron, based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire and began immediate conversion onto the Handley Page Halifax, flying circuits and landings in the prototype aircraft, serial number L7244.

35 Squadron, James took part in 16 operations over occupied territory, including the first three Handley Page Halifax operations of the war, the bombing of the Leuna oil plant south of Merseburg and a daylight raid on the German battleship Scharnhorst in port at La Rochelle.

On 27 April 1942, whilst flying Halifax W1048 TL-S, McIntyre and his crew took part on a raid against the German battleship Tirpitz.

W1048 was salvaged on 30 June 1973 by an RAF sub aqua team and members of the Draugen Diving Club and is on permanent display in the Bomber Hall of the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon.After a brief spell as Officer Commanding of No.

35 Conversion Flight, James was promoted to Squadron Leader and in April 1942 moved to become Office Commanding No.

2 Officers Advanced Training school in Malta, flying the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, Vickers Wellington and Avro Anson.

In August 1945, James joined number 148 squadron at Foggia, Italy, as Officer Commanding ‘B’ flight flying the Consolidated B-24 Liberator where he took part in Air Trooping sorties, and Bulls eye exercises, analysing the effectiveness of radar vectored fighter intercepts onto large bomber formations.

On 24 July 1941, James took part in a daylight raid on the German battleship the Scharnhorst, in dock at La Rochelle.

This aircraft kept in close formation throughout with Halifax L9501-Y, Captained by F/O Owen, and returned safely to England landing at Weston Zoyland at time stated.After the operation against the Scharnhorst, James was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in recognition not just of the raid, but for his professionalism and example set during other operations.

[2] His citation reads: Acting Flying Officer Peter Stanley James (83276), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No.

As captain of aircraft, his work has been of the highest standard, whilst he always remains cheerful and confident however severe the opposition.

[citation needed]Extracts taken from the book The Thousand Plan: The Story of the First Thousand Bomber Raid on Cologne by Ralph Barker[3] Almost every pilot at Croft had converted on to Halifaxes under a Squadron Leader named Peter James, the man who was working overtime to get everyone fit for the raid.

His dark hair, close-cropped at the temples, clung easily to his scalp, he had a frank open face and an engaging smile, and he was one of those fortunate men who could maintain the aura of seniority and command and at the same time pass as one of the boys.

Conversion flying was hard work, involving continual circuits and landings, four hours at a time, with four different pilots taking their turn.

In the middle of his take-off run, when he was trundling along the runway at 90 miles an hour, the blackout curtain above him had started to flutter and the hatch over the cockpit had begun to lift.

They were briefed to fly at 15,000 feet, and the cold was so intense when they climbed up through the icing that James had to hold the control column with his elbows, his hands were so numb.

In common with many other pilots in the last wave, he mistook the burning city 150 miles ahead for the rising moon and altered course accordingly, unable to believe it could be Cologne.