George Abecassis

George Edgar Abecassis was a British pilot who served in the Second World War as a bomber pilot for No. 51 Squadron and No. 161 Squadron. He was known to have piloted Armstrong Whitworth Whitley's and Short Stirling's during his war-time service.

On the 7th October 1944, Abecassis was shot down by a Junkers Ju 88 whilst conducting a mission over Denmark. His Australian co-pilot was killed, however he and the other six members of the crew survived the crash.

Whilst four members of the crash escaped back into allied territory, Abecassis and one other member of his crew were captured by the Axis forces. Abecassis spent the next seven months under German captivity before he finally managed to escape the Stalag IIIA prison camp in January 1945 where he cycled on a bike towards the town of Hildesheim where he was met and liberated by American forces.

Before the war, Abecassis was one of Britain's leading Grand Prix racing drivers where he was one of the few British drivers to compete against the dominant machinery that were operated by manufacturers that were heavily funded by the fascist powers of Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy.

After the war, he returned to motor racing and became one of the first racing drivers to compete in Formula One. He also set up a car manufacturer, Hersham & Walton Motors which competed in Formula One as well as operating road cars. Abecassis is credited for talent spotting one of Britain's best racing drivers, Sir Stirling Moss.

Abecassis then later married the daughter of Sir David Brown, the Chairman of Aston Martin.