Charles Frederick Whitaker was born on the 26 March 1921 in Scheveningen, The Netherlands. The son of Squadron Leader G.G. and Mrs Whitaker, Belgrade, Yugoslavia (Allied Liaison Officer)​, he moved to and lived in South Africa before the war. He attended a German School, and then Cranleigh School, Cranleigh, Surrey 1934-37. Then a French school in Switzerland January to December 1938. He then had Private Tuition January to June 1939.

He was commissioned in the General List with the Special Operations Executive on the 5 November 1940. He went on to serve in the Dutch Section of the S.O.E. on the 26 March 1941. In April 1942 he volunteered for Airborne Forces and did Parachute Course 12 at R.A.F. Ringway, 20 April to 1 May 1942 and qualified as an Army Parachutist by completing the two descents from a balloon and the five descents from a Whitley aircraft.

He attended a German Interrogation Course in June/July 1942, and was promoted to the rank of war Substantive Lieutenant on the 26 th September 1942. He then served as a replacement officer with the 3rd Parachute Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, where on the 29 January 1943 he was attached to the 1st Foreign Legion as Liaison Officer. On the 11 February 1943 he took up the post of Intelligence Officer. On the 28 February he attended a Course at the 1st
Army School. [1]

In May 1943 he was posted from the 3 rd Parachute Battalion to No 3 Bn, 1st Infantry Replacement Training Depot, attached to the Yugslav Military Mission.Lieutenant Whitaker was posted back to S.O.E., and was sent to the following locations:

10 October 1943 to December 1943 – North Africa.
December 1943 to 18 th May 1944 – Italy.
19 May 1944 to 5 August 1944 – Yugoslavia.
6 August 1944 to 10 th September 1944 – Italy.

His promotion to Acting Captain was on the 10 th October 1943. On the 4 September 1944 he was promoted to Acting Major in command of Force 139. On Monday, the 11 September 1944, at 1930 hours, he, along with Captain. Rudolf Hrubec and a Czech W/T Op, Corporal Bohuslav Nocar, took off in a British Halifax aircraft (BB412) of 148 Squadron, R.A.F. (Special Duty Operations) from Brindisi to take part in Operation ‘Silica II, North, Seed and Acre’. This was in the area of ​Cavalleria, Italy, where the aircraft crashed at 2345 hours.

All three, along with the eight man crew, and two Italian paratroopers (Sergeant. Rudolfo Marchiori and Sergeant Gudio Alessandro Voglino) were killed. [2]
Captain. Charles Frederick Whitaker was 23 years old when he was killed.

Charles now lies at rest in the Milan War Cemetery, Italy, Collective grave VI.C.5-6.

NOTES:
[1] 3rd Parachute Battalion. War Diary. January & February 1943.
[2] Information from the web-site:
http://www.wartimeheritage.com/storyarchive2/story_in_defence_of_freedom_HalifaxIIBB412.htm

Profile, written by Robert Hilton, based on records copied at the National Archives by John Howes