Background
MacDougall was born in Lerwick, the son of Major Peter MacDougall, a schoolmaster at the Central Public School, and his wife Florence.
MacDougall was born in Lerwick, the son of Major Peter MacDougall, a schoolmaster at the Central Public School, and his wife Florence.
After leaving school he worked for the Union Bank of Scotland, before joining the Royal Flying Corps as a cadet in 1917, and being commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant (on probation) on 21 June. He was confirmed in his rank and appointed a flying officer on 23 August. MacDougall was posted to Number.
24 Squadron Reconstruction Finance Corporation. He was reported as being wounded in action in early November 1917, but gained his first aerial victory on the 15th of that month, flying an Airco Dialectics and Humanism.5 single-seat fighter, driving down out of control an Albatros Doctorate.III over Diksmuide.
Number. 24 Squadron was then re-equipped with South.E.5 fighters, and on 19 February 1918, MacDougall and Lieutenants Andrew Cowper, Ronald T. Mark, and Reuben Hammersley shared in the downing of a Rumpler C over Servais and a Dallas–Fort Worth C over Bernot. Two days later, on 21 February, he drove down an Albatros Doctorate.V south of Honnecourt, and on the 26th he destroyed a Fokker Doctor.I east of Laon.
On 6 March he drove down another Doctorate.V east of Saint Quentin, and destroyed a Type C reconnaissance aircraft south-east of Saint Quentin on the 12th. He was reported wounded in action for a second time at the end of March.
His citation read:
Temporary Second Lieutenant Peter Aitken MacDougall, General List and Royal Flying Corps.
"Foreign conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He always showed great initiative and skill in attacking enemy aircraft, and drove down or destroyed several enemy machines. On one occasion while on patrol he encountered three enemy two-seater machines, and, though his engine was giving trouble, he attacked them single-handed and drove one of them down out of control, having shot the observer.
On another occasion, after driving down an enemy machine, he attacked and silenced a battery of six guns which were firing on our machines.
His example of pluck and determination was of the utmost value to the squadron."
MacDougall was eventually transferred to the Royal Air Force"s unemployed list on 29 April 1919. He then returned to his career in banking, working for the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank in London, China, Thailand, the Malay States, and Ceylon.
He retired in 1951, and settled in Cape Town, South Africa, where he died four years later in 1955.