Peter Fickling was born in Bournemouth in Hampshire on 13 July 1923, the son of Angus Fickling and Eva Mary Fickling (née Turley.  

He was appointed to HMS DOLPHIN ‘for Submarine Training’ and was promoted to Sub Lieutenant on 1 July 1942.  This was followed by an appointment to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS CYCLOPS (7th Submarine Flotilla) at Rothesay ‘for Submarine P556 as Navigating Officer’ to date 30 December 1942.  

Peter Fickling was ‘loaned’ to the Royal Australian Navy for a ‘period of two years or until relief’ on 17 March 1943 when he was appointed to the London Depot.  He took passage to Australia in RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH as far as Halifax, Nova Scotia and then travelled from Nova Scotia to Port Newark in New Jersey.  The next part of the journey was by train to San Francisco in California where he embarked in the Liberty Ship SS EWING YOUNG for Cairns in QUEENSLAND.  The final part of the journey was from Cairns to Sydney in New South Wales where he was appointed to HMAS PENGUIN ‘for Submarine KIX as Navigating Officer’ on 22 June 1943 and then across Australia to Garden Island (south of Fremantle) to join HMAS RUSHCUTTER ‘for Submarine KIX as Navigating Officer’ on 29 July 1943.  

After a battery explosion HMAS K9 was paid off in 1944 and he took passage to Colombo in SS RANDFONTEIN on 16 May 1944 where he reverted to Royal Navy service and was appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS MAIDSTONE (8th Submarine Flotilla) at Trincomalee ‘for Submarine HMS STOIC as Navigating Officer’ to date 23 May 1944.  He returned home on 31 Mar 1945 with an appointment to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS CYCLOPS (7th Submarine Flotilla) at Rothesay ‘for Submarine HMS SERAPH as the First Lieutenant’.  Peter Fickling was transferred from the RNR to the Royal Navy and, on 18 Apr 1947 he was appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS WOLFE (1st Submarine Flotilla) at Malta ‘for Submarines’.  

Peter Fickling was next appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS FORTH (1st Submarine Flotilla) at Malta ‘for Submarine HMS TEMPLAR as the First Lieutenant’ on 15 November 1947 returning to HMS FORTH ‘as First Lieutenant’ on 23 February 1949.  Promotion to Lieutenant Commander followed on 16 September 1952 and he was further promoted to Commander on 30 June 1960.  Peter Fickling was appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS MAIDSTONE as ‘Commander, 3rd Submarine Squadron’ based at Faslane in the Gareloch.  

He is reported to have died in mysterious circumstances on 10 February 1965.  He had disappeared from the Depot Ship at Faslane.  His car was later found abandoned at Rhu on the South end of the Gareloch and his naval cap was found on the banks of the Gareloch.  Peter Fickling was never found and he was presumed to have drowned.  

He was the husband of Isobel Mary Fickling (née Layfield).