A retired Wing Commander who served in major conflicts and introduced pioneering changes to the RAF during his 40-year career has died.

Peter Baker MBE served in the Cold War, the Falklands War and the First Gulf War, starting in vulcan bombers to then being involved with the introduction of tornados to the air force. The Hunts Post: The Late Peter Baker MBE served with the RAF during the Cold War, the Falklands War and the First Gulf War.The Late Peter Baker MBE served with the RAF during the Cold War, the Falklands War and the First Gulf War. (Image: Supplied by the family of Peter Baker MBE)

Speaking of Mr Baker’s long, and distinguished career, his widow Lorna said: “We are very proud of Peter.

“My late husband’s proudest achievement, by far, was introducing the first female operational navigators into fast jets.

“This was while he was at RAF Brampton in 1986 and Command Navigator in charge of reconstructing the aircrew navigator training.

“The move was very, very forward thinking at the time – and also very controversial.

“Some of the officers were very against it, but Peter was a pioneer at changing attitudes. He always looked forwards, and never looked back."

She added: “He applied that same outlook to all areas of his life.

"As an example, he never used his rank after he left the RAF because he felt those years were over and he wanted to move on.”

The Hunts Post: Peter Baker MBE served with the RAF during the Cold War, the Falklands and the First Gulf War.Peter Baker MBE served with the RAF during the Cold War, the Falklands and the First Gulf War. (Image: Supplied by the family of Peter Baker MBE)

Retired and serving RAF leaders were among those who attended his funeral service at All Saints Parish Church, St Ives, including Wing Commander Katie Farley-West of RAF Wyton and Air Commodore Simon Baldwin.

He was the architect of Operation Black Buck which, at the time of the Falklands War in 1982, became the longest bombing mission in history.

Mr Baker himself was born in Hampton, London, into a family with military heritage in 1943.

He obtained his private pilot’s licence at the age of 16 and also held a Joint Service Cadet Badge, a scheme for young people aimed at developing the qualities needed for service life.

Mr Baker gained a flying scholarship to RAF Cranwell, in Lincolnshire, between 1962 and 1965.

Upon his graduation as a navigator, he went on to vulcan bomber training at Lindholme, in South Yorkshire.

The Hunts Post: Stock photograph of an Avro Vulcan as it takes to the skies.Stock photograph of an Avro Vulcan as it takes to the skies. (Image: Archant)

In 1966, Mr and Mrs Baker were married in Yorkshire at Felkirk Parish Church.

They went on to have a daughter, Helen Cooper, and a son Jonty. Mr Baker also leaves three grandchildren: Matthew, Tommy and Lexie.

Mr Baker was posted to RAF Cottesmore, in Rutland, on 9 Squadron as part of the UN Nuclear Deterrence Force In 1967 and then relocated to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus between 1969 and 1972.

The following year he was promoted to Squadron leader and took up post at the Ministry of Defence where he was responsible for vulcan bomber operations.

He was then posted to 27 Squadron, RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, as head of Maritime Reconnaissance Operations.

At the time, Cold War tensions were still high and his personnel were responsible for monitoring Russian ships and Chinese nuclear activity around Midway Island, in the North Pacific Ocean.

Although Mr Baker was never officially informed, his family understand he was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1980 for this work.

In 1982, during the Falklands War, he went to Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean to support special service operations and Operation Black Buck. These vulcan attacks were coordinated to support UK forces on the ground at Port Stanley.

As tornados were being rolled out across the RAF during the 1980s, Mr Baker was posted to RAF Laarbruch in Germany to prepare the station for the new aircraft.

The Hunts Post: Stock photograph of a tornado jet. The late Peter Baker MBE was posted to RAF Laarbruch, Germany, in 1982 to prepare the station for the new aircraft.Stock photograph of a tornado jet. The late Peter Baker MBE was posted to RAF Laarbruch, Germany, in 1982 to prepare the station for the new aircraft. (Image: Archant 2006)

In 1985, he was then promoted to Wing Commander which led to him overseeing the introduction of female operational navigators and to a posting at the RAF Strike Command Headquarters, housed in a newly built specialist bunker at RAF High Wycombe, in Buckinghamshire.

Mr Baker’s expertise was then called upon during the First Gulf War in 1990 where he was seconded to British Aerospace and based Saudi Arabia for the best part of a decade.

When he left, Mr Baker was Head of HR for British Aerospace and responsible for 26,000 global employees.

The Hunts Post: Peter Baker MBE pictured when he attended an armed forces day in June.Peter Baker MBE pictured when he attended an armed forces day in June. (Image: Supplied by the family of Peter Baker MBE)

Mrs Baker said: “Peter got along very well with the Saudis.

"So much so our very good friend called Peter ‘his Saudi brother’. His son plans on flying over soon to collect some of his ashes to take back and scatter over there.

“We have very fond memories from those years and the country means a great deal to us.”

Mr Baker returned to the UK in 1999 and retired from the RAF to St Ives where he became a Career Consultant for the recruitment company Penna, in Fulbourn.

He approached retirement with the same attitude as his professional life, immersing himself in many of the social activities and organisations in St Ives.

His many community roles include serving as a president of St Ives Royal British Legion, councillor on St Ives Town Council, chair and member of St Ives Norris Museum, member of Action Corn Exchange and founder of St Ives U3A and its art appreciation group.

Mr Baker was also an independent prison visitor at Littlehey Prison and Chair of Governors of Wyton-On-The-Hill Primary School.

He was even handling matters two days before his death as chair of the St Ives Cromwell Probus (Luncheon) Club.

His friend, and the club’s administrator, David McCandless, said: “Peter and I founded this new Probus club when the first wave of covid restrictions were being lifted.

“We knew the club needed to be more forward thinking in its approach compared with others.

"So we invited ladies to join us and said it was a lunch for business people rather than just businessmen - and the move has been a huge success."

The Hunts Post: The late Peter Baker became a popular community stalwart when he retired to St Ives.The late Peter Baker became a popular community stalwart when he retired to St Ives. (Image: Supplied by the family of Peter Baker MBE)

He added: “Peter brought outstanding leadership qualities to every area of his life. It was an honour to work alongside him.

"If he wanted something done, Peter made sure it would happen and was held in very high regard in this respect."

Mr Baker died at home on September 15, 2022 with his wife and family by his side. He was aged 78 and had been battling lung cancer.

His funeral service was held on Friday, September 30.

  • Donations in Mr Baker’s memory will support armed forces veterans in St Ives and are being accepted until October 31. Email Admin@CromwellProbusClub.org.uk for more information on how to contribute.