A talented sportsman who struggled with academic work, young Peter Weaver was a rogue, skirting the law. When World War II broke out he was determined to play his part in full. Volunteering for the Stay Behinds, he was recruited into the SAS, parachuting into France, and later fighting in Germany.
Major Peter Weaver's military career is remarkable for its breadth, from the Royal Tank Corps, to the infantry, but also as an engineer and on colonial and special operations. The story is told using his own words, supported by extensive research to confirm what at times seem unbelievable tales. Having lost his father in 1916, school proved a challenge academically, but he excelled at sports, as he would throughout his life. Thwarted in his attempts to become an officer, he was involved in a series of increasingly dubious business ventures.Hearing his mother and sister’s first-hand accounts of the rise of Hitler and Nazism, he joined the Territorials. The outbreak of war saw him rapidly promoted, volunteering for the Auxiliary Units, the secret stay behind force created in case of German invasion. His section of Dorset Regiment men set high standards in training, attracting the attention of Lord Lovat. Considered too important for his commando, they were instead later recruited into the SAS. Paddy Mayne, SAS commander, was impressed by Weaver’s leadership during a near disaster. Weaver parachuted into France on Operation Bulbasket, one of the few to escape a deadly ambush there. After specialist ski training, he fought in Germany on Operation Archway and was present for the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Following VE Day he landed in Norway, nominally disarming the German garrison, but finding time for sports, drink and the hospitality of local women. Part of a little known SAS deployment in Crete, he later had spells with the Sudan Defence Force and training the Greek Army. More conventional soldiering with the Berkshire Regiment still saw him in combat in the Canal Zone.Weaver lived his life to the full, enjoying the Army, fast cars and beautiful women, though struggling to treat those he loved as he should. Drama followed him but he always managed to get away somehow.
