George Medal recipient does not come up in a lot of listings

Discussion in 'Postwar' started by Martin Pritchard, Feb 28, 2020.

  1. Capture.JPG
    Denis Oliver is the person who saved a colleague of mine from the crashed aircraft , sadly Dave died last month. There is no listings of Denis receiving the George Medal on a lot of web sites, but it appears in the London gazette. I was trying to find more about the accident but failed to come up with any information. Any opinions why he is not listed on many sites? Dave always warned me not to show the photos that he gave me of the crashed aircraft whilst he was alive as he said he was still under the official secrets act, would this be the case? Any suggestions would be appreciated
     
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  2. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    1. Any opinions why he is not listed on many sites?

    Perhaps it’s just a gap in the knowledge of the persons who’ve compiled the lists.

    The official LG record is the most important one.

    2. Dave always warned me not to show the photos that he gave me of the crashed aircraft whilst he was alive as he said he was still under the official secrets act, would this be the case?

    Without having sight of the photos it’s difficult to give an opinion. DON’T POST ANY HERE!

    If they are official RAF Images that were not published (newspaper etc) at the time of the crash then in addition to possible ongoing Official Secrets Act issues there are likely copyright implications if it they are shared without official approval.

    One might consider any OSA implications are no longer relevant some 60+ years after the event so if I was you I’d submit a FOI request to MID for details of the crash and see what disclosures that leads to.

    I’m assuming you’ve trawled local and national newspapers of the time - around the dates of the crash, GM LG announcement and probable later investiture date at Buckingham Palace.

    Good Luck

    Steve
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
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  3. Blutto

    Blutto Banned

    Denis Oliver.JPG
    As a civilian working at Llanbedr he would have been required to sign the OSA. As it doesn't expire as such, this is presumably what he meant.

    I see that later on he was appointed to a commission as a Flying Officer. In a book about Llanbedr written by Wendy Mills, there is mention of a 'Rocky' Oliver. Do you know if this is one and the same? Having worked there myself, I'm always interested to read about the place.

    EDIT: Just found a piece about the Firefly crash in the book, so it is one and the same.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2020
  4. Thanks guys
    They are not official RAF photos, i would classify them more of a snap shot photos, but it does show the aircraft still smoldering.
    I have traced the local press at the time and found some good description of the incident.I will carry on with contacting the MOD to see what i can find
     
  5. Peter Oliver

    Peter Oliver New Member

    Hi everyone. Denis (Rocky) Oliver was my late father and I have copies of the photos of the firefly after the crash. I also have all the papers, telegrams and other papers relating to the award of the GM.
    Sadly dad died in 2004.
    My mum kept very limited contact with Dave Armitage (Christmas cards). Sadly mum passed away in June and I sent death notifications to people in her address book. This included Dave Armitage. I had been wondering why I hadn't had any response. Sadly this thread confirms my worst fears the he'd also passed away.
    Mum and Dad both loved their time at Llanbedr and felt it was the happiest time of their lives.
    Dad's GM is now in my possession and will be retained as a treasured family heirloom.
    Pete
     
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  6. Peter Oliver

    Peter Oliver New Member

    Please see my addition to this thread. Denis (Rocky) Oliver was my father.
     
  7. Hi Peter
    Thanks for your reply. Im sorry to hear about your loss, Dave always spoke highly of him when the subject came up. I take it that tge photos that you have were the same as Dave had. I put the story in our local newspapers which created a bit of interest, the son of the reporter came back to me saying that his father was the reporter who put the story in the press at the time, he was a freelance. Daves family were also pleased with the story (I had their permission) I will inform Bet his wife that you posted a comment.Your father certainly deserved that medal
     

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