Previous Lot Next Lot

Auction: 21001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals (conducted behind closed doors)
Lot: 260

(x) Naval General Service 1915-62, 1 clasp, Arabian Peninsula (Lieut. N. C. Atkinson. R.N.), edge bruising, nearly very fine

Neville Clive Atkinson was born on 7 July 1933 at Beverley, Yorkshire. Having joined the Fleet Air Arm, he flew Sea Vixens off the decks of Centaur. In 1972 Atkinson left the Navy to take up the position as personal pilot to Muammar Gaddafi. For the next ten years his role was to fly Gaddafi, government ministers and various world dignitaries around the Middle East and Africa.

Perhaps the most infamous moment of his career came in December 1975, when he was given the task of flying Carlos the Jackal and a number of other terrorists. He extracted Carlos and his fellow terrorists from Algeria, saving the lives of sixty people who had been taken hostage in the raid on OPEC headquarters in Vienna. It is reputed that Neville asked Carlos to sign a copy of Frederick Forsyth's novel Day of the Jackal during the flight.

In 2006 Atkinson published Death on Small Wings: Memoirs of a Presidential Pilot which detailed his experiences and provides plenty of anecdotes and scrapes along the way. He died on 13 January 2007 at Fochabers, Moray; sold together with a copy of his book.

He died on 13 January 2007, aged 73

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium. For more information please view Terms and Conditions for Buyers.

Sold for
£1,000

Starting price
£400