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Derek Colin Fowler

1923-2008

Written by his friend David Brook (S36-40)

Derek Fowler died at his home in Switzerland on 17th October 2008. On leaving the College in 1940 at the age of 17, Derek added a year to his age in order to join the RAF. He was awarded the DFM for sinking an enemy tanker in the Mediterranean in 1942. He was flying a Wellington bomber which had a crude sighting device in order to launch a torpedo at a very low altitude. In spite of escorting destroyers putting up a thick smoke screen, Derek remained over the target area until the smoke momentarily cleared. He hit the tanker with a violent explosion and set it on fire. Later in the war Derek piloted Lancasters as a Pathfinder over Germany.

After the war Derek became a Captain in BOAC. One day while he was in a Parisian hotel, Aristotle Onassis, the Greek shipping magnate invited him to become his personal pilot, which he did. On Onassis’ death he became pilot for Stavros Niarchos. He flew the large 4-jet-engined converted airliners of the time and was, of course, privy to all the flying movements of those two extraordinary men. On flying to America with one of them to choose and buy a new aircraft, he met, and later married Peta. On retirement he lived in Silvaplana, Switzerland. Derek and Peta owned a Citation twin-jet aircraft and in 1994 they flew Wendy and me from Stansted to Silvaplana. This entailed losing several thousand feet down a gorge which to me was uncomfortably narrow, but was the only way to Silvaplana. The aircraft had no landing aids. But with Derek at the controls and his over 10,000 flying hours this was no problem.

Derek is survived by his wife Peta, two sons who are both professional pilots and a daughter from his first marriage.

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