Air Commodore Sir Peter Beckford Rutgers Vanneck (7 January 1922 – 2 August 1999) was a British Royal Navy officer, fighter pilot, engineer, stockbroker and politician.

Vanneck was born on 7 January 1922 in London,[2] the youngest son of Lord Huntingfield and American-born Margaret Eleanor Crosby.

[4] HMS Wren was part of the 2nd Escort Group under the command of Captain Johnnie Walker, the most successful anti-submarine unit of World War II.

601 (County of London) Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force in 1950[2] and was commissioned into the RAuxAF as a flying officer on 18 December 1950 with seniority from 9 October 1950.

3619 (County of Suffolk) Fighter Control Unit[2] based at RAF Nacton[8] He was promoted to squadron leader on 1 July 1958.

[13] Vanneck then went into business with the engineering company Ransome's in Ipswich, followed by Rowe and Pitman (stockbrokers) in the City of London.

[2] Vanneck became involved in Municipal affairs through the City of London Corporation (as Alderman for Cordwainer Ward and a member of many Livery Companies).

[2] He made an eloquent speech at the Guildhall in which he recalled the first time he had met The Queen, who accompanied her father during a visit to the Royal Naval College when Vanneck was a young cadet there.

A popular Lord Mayor, Vanneck declared that despite his interesting careers, he had missed out on the one he would most like, which was to be a tug-boat skipper on the Thames.

At the end of his Lord Mayoral term, Vanneck was adopted as Conservative candidate for the European Parliament for Cleveland.

[19] He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) as Lord Mayor of London elect.

He was appointed to the honorary position of Inspector-General of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force on 16 September 1974,[1] and held it until 1 January 1984.