Eric Carter (pilot) explained
Eric Carter (12 February 1920 – 26 July 2021) was a British Royal Air Force pilot.
Early life
Eric Carter was born on 12 February 1920 near Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, England.[1]
World War II
Carter joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1939. He said he joined "because the Germans were committing such horrible atrocities".[2] Carter was posted to No. 615 Squadron.[3]
Carter left the RAF in 1946.
Carter was one of only four non-Russians to receive the Order of Lenin, the Soviet Union's highest military honour.[4] In March 2013, Carter was awarded the Arctic Star for his efforts during the war.[5] In September 2014, he was awarded the Medal of Ushakov by the Russian government.[6]
Post-War
In 2012, Carter launched a fundraising campaign to finance the restoration of a Supermarine Spitfire donated to Stoke-on-Trent in 1969.[7]
Carter died at a retirement home in Birmingham, West Midlands, on 26 July 2021.[8]
Personal life
Eric married Phyllis Carter in 1943.[9]
Notes and References
- News: 3 August 2021. Eric Carter obituary. The Times. subscription. 3 August 2021. 3 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803054632/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eric-carter-obituary-ghdqjchq7. live.
- News: 3 August 2021. World War II pilot from Halesowen, 101, dies. BBC News. 3 August 2021. 3 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803224907/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-58076016. live.
- News: Carter. Eric. 20 August 2010. A Worcestershire veteran's Battle of Britain memories. BBC News. 3 August 2021. 3 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803224928/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/herefordandworcester/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8931000/8931601.stm. live.
- News: 24 June 2009. Stalin's forgotten British lifesavers. Birmingham Mail. 3 August 2021. 3 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803224915/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/stalins-forgotten-british-lifesavers-96438. live.
- News: 18 March 2013. Medal honour for hero RAF pilot after secret World War II mission to protect Russian port. Birmingham Mail. 3 August 2021. 3 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803224926/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/medal-honour-last-hero-raf-1756467. live.
- News: 5 September 2014. Russian bravery medal for Eric - after 73 years. Kidderminster Shuttle. 3 August 2021. 3 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803224907/https://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/11449897.russian-bravery-medal-for-eric-after-73-years/. live.
- News: 19 February 2012. Worcestershire Spitfire pilot launches fighter fund. BBC News. 3 August 2021. 4 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130204210810/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17079248. live.
- News: Bannerman. Lucy. 29 July 2021. Eric Carter, last veteran of secret RAF mission to save Stalin, dies at 101. The Times. subscription. 3 August 2021. 29 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210729204053/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eric-carter-the-last-veteran-of-secret-raf-mission-to-save-stalin-dies-aged-101-wns5v82r8. live.
- News: 2 August 2021. Warrant Officer Eric Carter, Hurricane pilot decorated for his role in helping to defend Murmansk – obituary. The Daily Telegraph. subscription. 3 August 2021. 2 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802203213/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2021/08/02/warrant-officer-eric-carter-hurricane-pilot-decorated-role-helping/. live.
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