William Kirby and Brenda McMahon have submitted the following:-
Peter was born on July 29th 1922 at Newcastle upon Tyne. He was the son of William Hubert Leete and Mary Constance (nee Marshall) who married at Tynemouth in 1920. Peter had a brother, Gordon, born in 1926. The family lived at Jesmond.
Peter joined the Merchant Navy and served on the ill-fated SS White Crest (Newcastle).
At 08.35 hours on 24th Feb 1942 the unescorted White Crest (Master Gordon Joures), a straggler from convoyONS_67 due to a heavy gale on 19 February, was hit by two torpedoes from U-162 and sank capsizing after eight minutes southeast of St. John’s Newfoundland. The ship had been spotted at 02.30 hours and was hit by two torpedoes at 04.45 hours. The master, 40 crew members and six gunners were lost.
The White Crest was en route to Buenos Aires (via Cardiff 12 Feb then Belfast Lough 15 Feb) with a cargo of coal and coke. The U162’s commander was Justin Wattenberg who was a particularly successful naval officer. It was on his first patrol that he met and sank the White Crest. Later in the war Wattenberg and his U boat was in turn sunk and he became a prisoner of war in the United States.
His father served as Lt.-Col. William Hubert Leete O.B.E., D.F.C., T.D., Royal Artillery who died on active service on 29/11/1944. He also served with the Northumberland Fusiliers.
Peter Hubert Leete is remembered at Jesmond on J1.04 and J1.18 and at Newcastle on NUT231
