Peter Kerr Aitchison was born in 1887 at the Hamilton Commonage about four miles from Newcastle City, New South Wales. He was the eighth of William Aitchison and Elizabeth Thompson’s twelve children:

William and Elizabeth and their first two children arrived in Australia in 1878 from the mining area of Warkworth, Northumberland, England to work at Wollongong, New South Wales. In 1885 they moved to Newcastle. William served as a Hamilton councillor and was active in civic life. Elizabeth, was a nurse and a respected figure in the community, especially during the war years when she volunteered with the Home Comforts Fund. It and the Red Cross were the among the largest volunteer organisations at the time. Source - https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/articles/10608.

Peter grew up in the Broadmeadow/Hamilton mining and railway community. He attended Hamilton Superior Public School and later worked as a miner, like many young men in Newcastle’s coal belt. In Peter’s early years, the Aitchisons lived at 126 Waratah Road, Broadmeadow. Peter’s closest friend was his next-door neighbour, Frederick Hillgrove Jackson, known as Fred, with whom he shared a special bond.

On 26 July 1915, Peter and Fred enlisted in Newcastle and were posted to the 30th Battalion, part of the newly formed 8th Brigade of the 5th Australian Division. Together, they represented the strong working-class spirit of Broadmeadow — young men from a proud mining and railway district who answered the call. Before departing Australia, the pair were honoured at a farewell gathering at Peter’s home in Young Street, Broadmeadow, attended by a large number of friends and relatives. As reported in the local paper:

The boys embarked from Sydney on 9 November 1915 aboard HMAT Beltana, headed to Egypt. Their trip was uneventful and they disembarked in Egypt on 11 December. Their first seven weeks were spent at Ferry Post guarding the Suez Canal from any potential threats posed by the Ottoman Army and continuing their training. February and March were spent at the 40,000 man camp at Tel-el-Kebir, 110 km northeast of Cairo. In mid-March 1916,

Peter was transferred from the 30th Battalion to the 5th Division Artillery, while Fred remained in the infantry. Though their roles had diverged, the friends remained part of the same Division. Artillery was becoming a defining weapon of trench warfare, and Peter, now a gunner, would be responsible for manning the heavy field guns used to bombard enemy positions and support infantry assaults.

In June 1916, Peter’s unit headed to France to join the British Expeditionary Force. After arriving at Marseilles, he had a three day train journey north toward Flanders and then was billeted near Erquinghem and then Fleurbaix. Trench rotations followed in the days ahead, and Peter got his first taste of artillery bombardment and life at the front. On 9 July 1916, just days before the attack at Fromelles,

Peter was assigned to the 25th Field Artillery Brigade. The 25th was a newly organised formation, made up of the 52nd, 56th, and 60th Field Artillery Batteries (equipped with 18-pounder guns) and the 115th (Howitzer) Battery (equipped with 4.5-inch howitzers). These guns delivered both direct and high-angle indirect fire. His role placed him in direct support of the 5th Division’s operations — including the artillery barrage that would precede Fred’s 30th Battalion infantry assault on 19 July.

The overall plan was to use brigades from the Australian Fifth Division to conduct a diversionary assault on the German trenches at Fromelles. Peter’s 25th’s task was to suppress key German strongholds like the ‘Sugar Loaf’ and Delngre Farm, heavily armed German defensive positions. If the Sugar Loaf could not be taken, the other battalions would be subjected to murderous enfilade fire from the machine-guns and counterattacks from those directions. On 19 July 1916, the 25th Brigade’s guns opened up their fierce bombardment ahead of Fred’s charge into No Man’s Land. From his gun position behind the lines, Peter would have witnessed a bombardment that lit up the sky.

The sounds were overwhelming. As Lieutenant Hugh Knyvett of the 59th Battalion recalled:

Following the early artillery bombardments from both sides, the Australian infantry attack began at 6.00 PM on 19 July 1916. Although Peter’s exact position during the battle is unknown, the men of the 25th were hard at work, ferrying ammunition, hauling gun limbers through the churned ground, and maintaining fire on enemy targets, all while being under bombardment themselves.

The battle raged into 20 July, with artillery units continuing their fire missions through the dark, attempting to stem German counterattacks and support the infantry trying to hold captured trenches. Despite the Australians’ efforts, the attack was unsuccessful, with thousands of casualties in just one night. The nature of this battle was summed up by Private Jim Cleworth (784) from the 29th:

Peter survived the battle, his mate Fred did not.

Peter continued to serve with the 25th Field Artillery Brigade after Fromelles, but the toll of war had a physical effect on him. He was repeatedly hospitalised throughout 1917 for illness, including multiple admissions to the 14th Australian Field Ambulance and General Hospitals. His record shows a recurring pattern of sickness, including a 53-day absence in mid-1917 and continued hospital admissions for unspecified conditions into 1918 and 1919. However, while still abroad, in 1917 Peter submitted a moving Roll of Honour tribute to his mate Fred, listing him as a “loving comrade”.

Despite his deteriorating health, Peter remained on duty until the end of the war. He finally returned to Australia aboard HMAT Orontes, disembarking on 1 July 1919, and was formally discharged the following month as medically unfit. Peter went back to his home in Broadmeadow. Peter and Fred, were honoured at the unveiling of the Rose of Hamilton Lodge Roll of Honour, Grand United Order of Oddfellows, in January 1917. The roll listed 50 local men who had enlisted and paid tribute in stirring terms:

He was awarded the 1914-15 Star Medal, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service.

Peter never fully recovered from the war and he died at Broadmeadow on 9 October 1926, aged just 38.

As his death notice later reported:

He is buried alongside his parents at Sandgate Cemetery.

His funeral, one of the largest seen in the district in years, was attended by fellow veterans, family, and members of the community. Today, Peter's name is listed on the Hamilton War Memorial, the Hamilton Superior Public School Roll of Honour, and at the Australian War Memorial — quietly reminding passersby of a young man who left home with a friend and came back alone.