Oliver Churchill

William Oliver Churchill, DSO, MC (1914–1997) was a Special Operations Executive (SOE) officer during the Second World War.

Churchill was born in Stockholm in 1914 the son of William Algernon Churchill (1865–1947), a British Consul who served in Mozambique, Amsterdam, Pará in Brazil, Stockholm, Milan, Palermo, and Algiers, who was also an art connoisseur, and author of what is still the standard reference work on early European paper and papermaking, Watermarks in Paper.

[2] Operation Acheron In early September 1943 the Italian Armed Forces surrendered and transferred their allegiance from the Axis Powers to the Allies.

General Eisenhower considered Corfu of importance to the Allies in the Balkan campaign and decided to immediately send a small force to reinforce the Italian troops against German invasion.

On 25 September, after discussions with Colonel Lusignani, who informed him the Germans had broken through their defences and were advancing on the town and that the Italian forces would have to surrender, Churchill decided to exfiltrate himself and the radio operator from the island.

With the Germans approaching, they spent several days dressed in peasant clothing evading capture before he could arrange their escape by sea.

With a crew of three who Churchill described as "one dotard, one drunkard and the father of a thief"[6] and 11 Italian soldier and sailor escapees who joined the boat, he and Harrison were taken by night to the islands of Mathraki, Ereikoussa and Fanos, before making an overnight crossing of the Adriatic towards the heel of Italy.

They then walked carrying their parachutes to the Brigate Fiamme Verdi headquarters in Cividate Camuno, which proved to be an eight-hour march away.

Churchill remained with the Fiamme Verdi for about four weeks as it was considered unsafe for him to go too, but became convinced that nothing would be achieved unless he also went to Milan, and wrote to see whether this could be arranged.

[11] Accompanied by Pierluigi Tumiati, head of the Milan Franchi organisation, he took the train to Como on 2 December using the alias of Giulio Kravic, an Italian Slovene, as a convenient method of explaining his foreign accent,.

Captain Churchill is head of our most important mission.In 1946 he married Ruth Briggs, who was a key member of the British intelligence code-breaking team[14][15] at Bletchley Park during the war.

His eldest son, Toby, is a leading disabled entrepreneur in the UK who founded a company manufacturing communication aids for people who cannot speak.

Oliver's brother, Walter, relocated his engineering business, JJ Churchill, from Coventry to Market Bosworth during the war.

After the Market Bosworth Historical Society became aware of the wartime gallantry of not just Walter, but also of his brothers Peter and Oliver, it decided to fund a memorial Cairn.