Last glider hero

Farewell to final Arnhem pilot at 103

- BY GILES SHELDRICK

PETER Colthup, the last surviving glider pilot to serve at the Battle of Arnhem, has died aged 103.

The hero took part in the ill-fated airborne assault Operation Market Garden in September 1944, which aimed to capture key bridges in the Netherlands and create a fast route to Germany.

During the battle, some 35,000 Allies valiantly fought the Germans for nine days but were defeated and suffered heavy losses.

It resulted in the award of five Victoria Crosses, four of them posthumous, and is immortalised in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, which was directed by Richard Attenborough.

The film depicts the doomed mission in which the Allies failed to secure a key bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem and has an all-star cast.

Ramon de Heer, who runs a group dedicated to the memory of those who fought during the Battle of Arnhem, said: "After days of fighting, Peter was one of the lucky ones who returned over the river. He will be missed. May he rest in peace."