Noel Stephen Paynter
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore
Noel Stephen "Peter" Paynter, CB
, former chief intelligence officer of Bomber Command, (26 December 1898 - 16 March 1998). Paynter was a senior member of the team which ran RAF Bomber Command
under its formidable C-in-C, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, throughout the last three years of the Second World War. His reports, as head of intelligence, lay behind many of the raids on German cities, which remain the subject of controversy. Paynter insisted to the end that reliable sources had led them to believe that the Nazis had hidden large munitions stores in such historic towns as Dresden; Hitler thought that the Allies would not attack them.
where his father, Canon F S Paynter, was rector of Springfield
. But the family has a long history in West Cornwall, with a coat of arms dating from the 16th century and a place in Burke's Landed Gentry. He married Barbara Grace, daughter of artist Fredereick Hans Haagensen of London. They had two children, Francis and Rosemary. His brother Charles Theodore Paynter (Lieutenant
, R.N.)was killed on HMS North Star
when she was sunk in 1918 by coastal artillery
near Zeebrugge
.
in the Middle East - for which he had been mentioned in dispatches. He was to establish a close working relationship with his new chief, reflected in a painting by Herbert Arnould Olivier, now hanging in the office of the C-in-C RAF Strike Command, which shows Harris sitting at his desk with Paynter leaning across it at a briefing session. His loyalty to Bomber Harris, however, was evidenced more dramatically after the war, when Paynter was director of intelligence at the Air Ministry. Incensed by the Attlee Government's refusal to give Harris a place in the victory celebrations, he resigned his commission in protest. His decision meant losing £100 from his annual pension - a more significant sacrifice then than it sounds today. He was soon found a new job, however, as a director of MI5
, and remained a senior officer with the Security Service until retiring at the age of 62 in the early 1960s.
He acquired the nickname 'Peter' while at Haileybury
- and was never known by any other name thereafter. He went from school to the Royal Military College Sandhurst, from where he was commissioned briefly into the Essex Regiment
before being transferred to the Royal Flying Corps
.
He served as a young pilot on the Western front in the later stages of the First World War, then took part in the expedition to Russia in the turmoil following the Bolshevik Revolution. He never forgot the atrocities which were being committed by both the Red and White Russian
armies on hapless civilians. But he brought back a White Russian decoration: the Order of St Anne
, awarded following a plane crash in which he dragged his co-pilot to safety. The First World War also left him with the legacy of two chunks of shrapnel, which remained in his body until he died.
Paynter spent much of the 1920s as a pilot on the NorthWest Frontier of India. Then after four years at RAF Halton
, he switched to air intelligence, a transfer of interest which was to shape the rest of his career. He went to Malta in 1934, returned to the Directorate of Intelligence at the Air Ministry, then left for Cairo
in 1939. He was appointed CB after the war.
On retiring from MI5 to his home in rural Buckinghamshire
, Peter Paynter entered the public life of his adopted county. He became at various times chairman
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Noel Stephen "Peter" Paynter, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, former chief intelligence officer of Bomber Command, (26 December 1898 - 16 March 1998). Paynter was a senior member of the team which ran RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
under its formidable C-in-C, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris, throughout the last three years of the Second World War. His reports, as head of intelligence, lay behind many of the raids on German cities, which remain the subject of controversy. Paynter insisted to the end that reliable sources had led them to believe that the Nazis had hidden large munitions stores in such historic towns as Dresden; Hitler thought that the Allies would not attack them.
Family
Noel Stephen Paynter had been born in EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
where his father, Canon F S Paynter, was rector of Springfield
Springfield, Essex
Springfield has been a civil parish of the Borough of Chelmsford, Essex, England since 1907. The parish takes in the portion of the town north of river Chelmer and west of the A12 bypass and originally comprised the manors of Springfield Hall, Springfield Barnes, Cuton Hall, and in part New Hall...
. But the family has a long history in West Cornwall, with a coat of arms dating from the 16th century and a place in Burke's Landed Gentry. He married Barbara Grace, daughter of artist Fredereick Hans Haagensen of London. They had two children, Francis and Rosemary. His brother Charles Theodore Paynter (Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, R.N.)was killed on HMS North Star
HMS North Star
Three ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS North Star, named after the pole star:*HMS North Star was a 20-gun sixth-rate launched in 1810. She was broken up in 1817....
when she was sunk in 1918 by coastal artillery
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications....
near Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.-Location:...
.
Military career
Paynter had been carefully chosen for the post in 1942 after spending the previous three years as head of RAF IntelligenceRAF Intelligence
Intelligence services in the Royal Air Force is delivered by Officers of the Royal Air Force Operations Support Intelligence Branch and Airmen from the Intelligence Analyst Trade and Intelligence Analyst Trade...
in the Middle East - for which he had been mentioned in dispatches. He was to establish a close working relationship with his new chief, reflected in a painting by Herbert Arnould Olivier, now hanging in the office of the C-in-C RAF Strike Command, which shows Harris sitting at his desk with Paynter leaning across it at a briefing session. His loyalty to Bomber Harris, however, was evidenced more dramatically after the war, when Paynter was director of intelligence at the Air Ministry. Incensed by the Attlee Government's refusal to give Harris a place in the victory celebrations, he resigned his commission in protest. His decision meant losing £100 from his annual pension - a more significant sacrifice then than it sounds today. He was soon found a new job, however, as a director of MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
, and remained a senior officer with the Security Service until retiring at the age of 62 in the early 1960s.
He acquired the nickname 'Peter' while at Haileybury
Haileybury and Imperial Service College
Haileybury and Imperial Service College, , is a prestigious British independent school founded in 1862. The school is located at Hertford Heath, near Hertford, from central London, on of parkland occupied until 1858 by the East India College...
- and was never known by any other name thereafter. He went from school to the Royal Military College Sandhurst, from where he was commissioned briefly into the Essex Regiment
Essex Regiment
The Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.-Origins:...
before being transferred to the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
.
He served as a young pilot on the Western front in the later stages of the First World War, then took part in the expedition to Russia in the turmoil following the Bolshevik Revolution. He never forgot the atrocities which were being committed by both the Red and White Russian
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
armies on hapless civilians. But he brought back a White Russian decoration: the Order of St Anne
Order of St. Anna
The Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
, awarded following a plane crash in which he dragged his co-pilot to safety. The First World War also left him with the legacy of two chunks of shrapnel, which remained in his body until he died.
Paynter spent much of the 1920s as a pilot on the NorthWest Frontier of India. Then after four years at RAF Halton
RAF Halton
RAF Halton is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom, located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton.-History:...
, he switched to air intelligence, a transfer of interest which was to shape the rest of his career. He went to Malta in 1934, returned to the Directorate of Intelligence at the Air Ministry, then left for Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in 1939. He was appointed CB after the war.
On retiring from MI5 to his home in rural Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, Peter Paynter entered the public life of his adopted county. He became at various times chairman