RAF poster boy's medals sell for £200,000
They were awarded to Hurricane and Spitfire pilot Peter Lawrence Parrott.
Eight medals awarded to the ace fighter pilot from Aylesbury, who became the poster boy for the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, have been sold at auction.
A fine Battle of France and Battle of Britain Fighter Ace’s 1940 D.F.C. and 1945 ‘Test Pilot’s’ A.F. C. group of eight awarded to Hurricane and Spitfire pilot, Wing Commander P. L. Parrott, were sold by his family for £200,000 - the second highest price of the day.
Wing Commander Peter Lawrence Parrott, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who nearly achieved ‘Ace’ in a day status during his first aerial combats on May 10, 1940, was born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in June 1920, and educated at Lord Williams’s Grammar School.
After school, he worked in the Bucks County Council offices at the County Hall in Aylesbury. Aged just 19, Parrott went on to fly with 607 (County of Durham) Squadron during the Battle of France, and with 145 Squadron over the beaches of Dunkirk.
He was shot up whilst in combat over Dunkirk on May 26 1940 managing to limp home across the Channel and crash land in a field on the south coast.
Parrott went on to distinguish himself during the Battle of Britain whilst operating out of the Tangmere Sector, the high point of which being when he shot down 2 enemy aircraft on 8 August 1940.
‘Our first view of the convoy near St. Catherine’s Point was of Ju 87’s in their bombing dives. Above the Ju. 87’s were the escorting Bf 109’s and farther to the south-east were two more large formations of enemy aircraft approaching the convoy - a formidable sight. I had already taken part in the Battle for France, and patrolled over Dunkirk during the evacuation, but I had never before seen so many aircraft in the sky at once.’
A remarkable year continued when Parrott’s photograph, taken during the Battle of France, was used for a recruiting poster - providing one of the iconic Royal Air Force images of the Second World War, and literally making him the poster boy of the R.A.F.
The group was bought by a private collector and after the sale Mark Quayle, a specialist at Dix Noonan Webb, noted, “Naturally we are delighted by the result, but not particularly surprised given Peter Parrott’s remarkable bravery and determination in the face of real adversity. The strong public interest and awe felt with regard to ‘The Few’ is alive and well.”
The sale also included an extremely rare, if not unique George Cross that was presented in 1940 for bomb disposal during the London Blitz which sold for a hammer price of £110,000. Estimated to fetch £30,000-50,000, it was being sold by the recipient’s family.