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Peter Olver
| Wing Commander Peter Olver DFC (deceased) Battle of Britain Spitfire pilot, 611 and 603 squadrons. Wing Commander Peter Olver served with 603 Squadron on the 24th of October and on the following day his Spitfire was shot down but he baled out with only light injuries. When returning to duty he was transferred to 66 Squadron based at Biggin Hill and promoted to Flight Commander. He was posted to North Africa commanding No.238 and No.213 Sqn flying the Hurricane, and destroyed three Italian fighters on the ground. Flying with No.1 Sqn South African Air Force he scored another two kills before being shot down and taken prisoner for the rest of the war. He died on 14h February 2013. |
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Clipped Signature - Peter Olver. Battle of Britain Spitfire pilot with No.603 and No.66 Squadrons, flying the Spitfire. He later flew the Hurricane in North Africa, commanding No.238 and No.213 Squadrons. He was shot down and taken prisoner while flying with No.1 Sqn SAAF, but had scored enough victories to become an Ace. He died in 2013. Please note that this particular signature has been written in pen - not in pencil like most of our signatures. |
Fight for the Sky by Robert Taylor. All through the long hot summer of 1940 they crossed the Channel from stolen bases in northern France, coming in mighty swarms to deliver their deadly cargo. Bombers and dive-bombers, single-seat fighters and fast twin-engined attack aircraft, their menacing shapes glinting with swastikas and black crosses, blackening the summer sky. Over 3000 aircraft were at the disposal of the boastful Luftwaffe supremo, Hermann Goering. Within just a matter of weeks, he promised Hitler, the RAF would be annihilated, allowing the invasion of Britain to proceed unhindered, and Britain would become the final piece of the jigsaw giving Nazi domination throughout Europe. Against the might of German airpower stood less than 600 Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, and as many young pilots determined to the man to defend their homeland. And so commenced the battle that was to develop into the greatest aerial conflict in history. Always outnumbered, often flying six sorties a day, the RAF's young fighter boys flew themselves to the point of exhaustion. Pilot losses forced desperate squadron commanders to take youngsters into combat, some with just a few hours on fighters. They flew and fought like tigers and they paid a heavy price, but never did they lose their spirit. Robert Taylor's wonderfully realistic painting captures the very essence of that epic battle. A Heinkel 111 has been brought down, one of many never to make it home on this bright and sunny day. As the Luftwaffe bomber's crew emerge from their broken aircraft, relieved to have survived the crash-landing, a Mk I Spitfire from No.66 Squadron roars low overhead to verify another victory. In the distance, Hurricanes from No 56 Squadron hurry back to North Weald to refuel and rearm. High above the battle rages, the vapour trails telling their own story. |
Spitfire Country by Nicolas Trudgian. A typical scene from a bright August morning in that momentous summer of 1940. Having climbed into the dawn sky at daybreak, the Spitfires of No 603 Squadron have already been in action, and with more heavy raids on the plotters table, they scurry back to Biggin Hill to re-arm and refuel. A Messerschmitt Me109, shot down during the previous days fighting, lies discarded in a hay field, its lucky pilot having escaped with his life. Meanwhile, the beautiful Kent countryside comes awake as it prepares for the toils of another glorious summers day. |
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