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Douglas Robert Steuart Bader

Early Years

Douglas Bader was born on February 21, 1910 in St.John's Wood, London.  He was the second son of Major Frederick Roberts Bader of the Royal Engineers and his wife Jessie.





















Douglas Robert Steuart Bader with his mother, Jessie, and his father, Major Frederick Roberts Bader.


Douglas Bader's first two years were spent with relatives who lived on the Isle of Man, as his father,who was accompanied by Douglas's mother and older brother Frederick (Derick),  returned to his posting in India after the birth of his son.

At the age of two, Douglas joined his parents in India for a year before the family moved back to London.

His father, Frederick Bader, saw action in the First World War. He was a Sapper in the Royal Engineers. He was wounded in combat in 1917.   Frederick Bader died in 1922 of complications from those wounds' in a hospital in Saint-Omer.













Saint-Omer, France - Ancien hôpital généralr.


Douglas Bader's mother re-married shortly thereafter, to Reverend Ernest William Hobbs. Douglas was brought up in the rectory of the village of  Sprotborough, near Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire which is now South Yorkshire.

The mild-mannered stepfather, Ernest Hobbs, did not become the father-figure that Douglas needed.  His mother showed little interest in him and sent him off to his grandparents on many occasions.  Without the needed guidance,  Douglas became unruly.



















Douglas Bader's Childhood Home.


Douglas Bader spent his teenage years in the rambling rectory in the south Yorkshire village of Sprotbrough, near Doncaster.

The house, which was partly Elizabethan. It was huge, with 24 rooms, including eight bedrooms, separate servants' quarters and was on three acres of wooded grounds.

It had been bought by the church in the 1850s and was significantly remodelled in the fashionable Gothic style, which is how it appears today.  Stone mullions frame the long arching windows, grey-wash stucco covers the brickwork and castellated chimneys crown the stone-flagged roof.

Despite their early misgivings, the Bader brothers came to relish holidaysat Sprotbrough, away from boarding school.  Douglas Bader's biographer, Paul Brickhill, recalls many boyhood incidents in his book "Reach For The Sky". He tells how Reverend Ernest Hobbs had trouble controlling the boys.

They refused to mow the grass, and the time for family prayers after breakfast was often foundered amid the boys' giggles.






































Douglas Baderwith his older brother, Derick.


In mid-1923, Douglas Bader, at the age of 13, was introduced to the Avro 504 during a school holiday trip to visit his aunt Hazel, who was going to marry RAF Flight Lieutenant Cyril Burge, who was an adjutant at RAF Cranwell.  Although Douglas enjoyed the visit, and took an interest in aviation, he showed no signs of  wanting to become a  pilot.  He was still very sports minded, an interest which would dominate Douglas Bader's formative years. More and more. he took less of an interest in his studies.

In 1924, the Bader brothers were given airguns and a "reign of terror" began.  On one occasion, Douglas Bader's competitive nature was displayed when he shot his brother with an air gun at close range.

The "reign of terror" ended only after Douglas, who was then 14, took a shot at a pink form behind a neighbour's bathroom window.  The sound of splintering glass was swiftly followed by the squeal of an outraged woman.

His mother confiscated the guns, but they were returned the next summer and were pressed into use for poaching. The boys were never caught poaching, but Scott, the local gamekeeper, and the village constable were frequent callers at their home.  Their mother Jessie impounded the weapons again, accusing them of undermining her position as the rector's wife.

Douglas Bader's early days were just as rumbustious as would be his time as  a prisoner of war in the notorious Colditz Castle.

"If he had been around today, he'd probably have been the subject of an anti-social behaviour order," said the rectory's current owner, Trevor Miller. "He was always in scrapes, taking pot-shots with his airgun, going poaching and later driving his little red MG like a maniac."

The dining-room window still bears the cracked glass where one shot hit home. Today it is displayed as a trophy.

During his time at St Edward's School, Douglas Bader thrived at sports. He played rugby and often enjoyed the physical battles with bigger and older opponents.
























Douglas Bader in School.


The then  Headmaster, the Reverend Henry E. Kendall, tolerated Bader's aggressive and competitive nature. Some faculty saw a strong streak of conceit in Douglas Bader.

He received guidance and encouragement from Henry Kendall.  Douglas excelled at his studies and was later accepted as a Cadet at RAF Cranwell.  He left St Edward's in early 1928, at the age of 18.






















Guy Gibson, taken in 1943.


Guy Gibson and Adrian Warburton also attended the St Edward's School.




















Adrian Warburton.


Soon afterwards Douglas Bader was offered a place at Oxford University, but he turned it down because he wanted to go to Cambridge University.


























Douglas Bader as a young man..


In December 1927, Douglas Bader's mother Jesse refused to allow him to attend Cambridge. She claimed that she could not afford the fees. A Master at St. Edwards, a Mr Dingwall, helped pay part of these fees. Due to his recent connection with Cyril Burge, Douglas Bader learned of the six annual prize cadetships offered by RAF Cranwell each year. Out of hundreds of applicants, Douglas Bader finished fifth.

Norman Dent was the verger's son at Sprotbrough, recalls the young Douglas Bader with affection. "He was a terrific character, there was no side to him," he says, "Douglas Bader left school to join the RAF in 1928, but still visited Sprotbrough, once by air when Mr Dent was in the rectory garden. This biplane flew over and swooped so low we had to duck. The pilot threw out a parcel wrapped in brown paper and string. Mrs Hobbs came out and picked it up off the lawn. She said: 'It's only Douglas delivering my birthday present.'"

Mr Miller bought the Old Rectory in 1983.  "I was born just down the lane from here and played in the grounds as a boy," he says. "I always wanted to live here, so when it came up for sale I moved heaven and earth to get it."

"I knew about the Bader connection - there had been a public outcry in the 1970s when the Church wanted to demolish it and build flats - but it wasn't really until 1995 that I looked at it closely. Out of the blue I was contacted by an ex-RAF type from Bournemouth, Milton Boothroyd. He demanded to know if I had a plaque commemorating the link. When I said 'No', he ordered me to get on and sort it and he'd pay all the bills."

"He was true to his word. The bills came to £10,000. His only condition was that once all the cheques were cashed, they should go on permanent display in the hall."

When Douglas Bader reached the end of his two-year course, he found himself in a two-way race for the "Sword of Honour" with Patric Coote but Douglas lost. He was commissioned into No. 23 Squadron RAF on July 26, 1930.





































Douglas Bader .


Douglas Bader was an above-average pilot and an outstanding sportsman; he played rugby union for Harlequins at fly-half, coming close to a national team selection.He played one first-class cricket match playing for the RAF cricket team against the Army cricket team at The Oval in July 1931; his batting scores were 65 and 1. Douglas was Commissioned as a pilot officer in 1930.
















Gloster Gamecock.


Douglas Bader was posted to Kenley, Surrey, flying Gloster Gamecocks and soon after, he was flying the Bristol Bulldogs.
















Bristol Bulldog.


A year after he graduated from Cranwell as a pilot officer, Douglas Bader was selected to fly with the elite Royal Air Force aerobatic team.




















Hendon display team.


Its precision stunts and choreographed displays provided one of the greatest spectacles of the age, and in June 1931 at the Hendon air show, Douglas Bader’s performance was described in the press as ‘the day’s best event’.

On December 14, 1931, while he was visiting the "Reading Aero Club", Douglas Bader attempted some low-flying aerobatics at Woodley airfield in a Bulldog Mk. IIA, K1676, of 23 Squadron. This was apparently done on a dare.



































Eye-witnesses state that the aeroplane, which belonged to the 23rd Fighter Squadron at Kenley, was doing a "slow--roll" at a low altitude when it nose-dived to the ground. Regulations forbid slow rolls below 1,000 feet (305 metres);  Douglas Bader attempted it below 30ft (9m).  That Douglas Bader escaped alive was regarded as remarkable.





















Pilot G.J.W. [sic] Cruttenden, who pulled Bader out of his machine, said he was badly injured but conscious. "I was standing on the aerodrome," he said "and saw Douglas Bader attempt a 'slow-roll' at an impossible height - as low as 120 feet. I dashed towards the circling machine, for I knew he must crash. His machine nose-dived to the ground, which it struck with terrific force."











































The crash in 1931. Douglas Bader's shoes can be seen in the right foreground of the picture.


Douglas Bader was rushed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, where, in the hands of the prominent surgeon J. Leonard Joyce (1882-1939),  both of Douglas Bader's legs were amputated – one above his knee and one below the knee.

















Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.



Douglas Bader made the following laconic entry in his logbook after the crash:  “Crashed slow-rolling near ground. Bad show.”

In 1932, after a long convalescence period, throughout which Douglas needed morphine for pain relief, he was transferred to the hospital at RAF Uxbridge. Douglas Bader fought hard to regain his former abilities now that he had a new pair of artificial legs.

Douglas tried hard to work with the nurses at both the Royal Berkshire Hospital and the RAF Hospital.


















The above photo shows Douglas Bader at the nurses' prize-giving at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in 1957.



Eventually,  his painful,  but determined efforts paid off.   He was able to drive a specially modified car.




















Douglas Bader learned to play golf and even to dance. 












































During his convalescence RAF hospital, Douglas Bader met and fell in love with Thelma Edwards who was working as a waitress at a pub called the Pantiles.



















The Pantiles.


Douglas Bader got his chance to prove that he could still fly when, in June 1932, Air Under-Secretary Philip Sassoon arranged for him to take up an Avro 504 which he piloted competently.

























Douglas Bader was determined to prove that he could still fly and rejoin the RAF. after losing his legs.

























A subsequent medical examination proved that Douglas Bader was fit for active service.

However, in April of the following year, he received notification that the RAF had decided to reverse the decision on the grounds that this situation was not covered by the King's Regulations. In May, Douglas Bader was invalided out of the RAF, took an office job with the Asiatic Petroleum Company (now Shell)


On October 5, 1933, Douglas Bader made a happy marriage with Thelma Edwards, who he will be entirely devoted for over 37 years.

















Douglas and Thelma Bader.


The Second World War

When war broke out in 1939, Douglas Bader used his RAF Cranwell connections to rejoin the RAF as a Flying Officer,  the rank he had held on his May 1933 retirement.  Despite reluctance on the part of the establishment to allow him to apply for an A.1.B. (full flying category status),  his persistent efforts paid off.  He regained a medical categorization for operational flying at the end of November 1939 and was posted to the "Central Flying School", Upavon , for a refresher course on modern types of aircraft.




















Avro Tutor.


On November 27, eight years after his accident, Douglas Bader flew solo again in an Avro Tutor; however, once airborne Douglas could not resist the temptation to turn the biplane upside down at 600 feet inside the circuit area.  Douglas Bader subsequently progressed through the "Fairey Battle" and "Miles Master" (the last training stage before experiencing Spitfires and Hurricanes).



















 Gloster Gamecock.


 In February 1940, Douglas Bader was posted to No. 19 Squadron based at RAF Duxford near Cambridge, where, at 29, he was considerably older than his fellow pilots. Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson, a close friend from his Cranwell days, was the Commanding Officer, and it was here that Douglas got his first chance to fly a Spitfire.



Spifire Mk VA 



It was thought by some, that Douglas Bader's success as a fighter pilot was partly due to having no legs. Pilots pulling high "G" in combat turns often "blacked out" as the flow of blood from the brain drained to other parts of the body; usually the legs. Since Douglas Bader had no legs, he could remain conscious that much longer and thus he had an advantage over more able-bodied opponents.


The Battle Of Britain

























The following April, Douglas Bader left the 19 Squadron to become a Flight Commander with the No. 222 Squadron, which also based at Duxford, and was commanded by another old friend of his,  Squadron Leader "Tubby" Mermagen,  and it was during this phase of Bader's flying career that he had his first real taste of combat.





















While patrolling the coast near Dunkirk in his Spitfire at around 3,000 ft (910 m), Douglas Bader came across a German Bf 109 in front of him. It was flying in the same direction and at approximately the same speed. Douglas Bader believed that the German must have been a novice. He took no evasive action even though it took Douglas more than one burst of gunfire to shoot him down.
















Dornier Do 17


Douglas Bader's second encounter was with a Dornier Do 17, a day or two later, in which he narrowly avoided a collision while silencing the aircraft's rear gunner during a high-speed pass., Shortly after Douglas Bader had joined the 222 Squadron, it was relocated to RAF Kirton in Lindsey,, just south of the Humber.


















Melee over Dunkirk.


After flying operations over Dunkirk, Douglas Bader was posted to command the No. 242 squadron as Squadron Leader at the end of June 1940.



















It was a Hurricane unit based at Coltishall, and was mainly made up of Canadians, who had suffered high losses in the Battle of France and were of  low morale  Despite the initial resistance to their new commanding officer,  the pilots were soon won over by Douglas Bader's strong personality and perseverance, especially his cutting through red tape to make the squadron operational again.

Upon the formation of No. 12 Group RAF, No. 242 squadron was assigned to the Group while based at RAF Duxford.














Squadron Leader Douglas Bader (fourth from the right) quickly showed his men that he wasn't going to lead his men from behind a desk.




















On July 11, 1940, Douglas Bader scored his first kill with his new squadron. The weather was bad, the cloud base was down to just 600 feet and drizzle and mist covered most of the sky. Forward visibility was down to just 2,000 yards. He  was alone on patrol, and was soon directed toward an enemy aircraft flying north up the Nolfolk coast.



















Douglas Bader  Spotted the aircraft at 600 yards through the mist. He recognised it as a Dornier Do 17. As he closed on the Dornier its rear-gunner opened fire at 250 yards. continued his attack and fired a three-second burst into the bomber which then made a steeply banked 180-degree turn to the left. He followed the bomber round until it straightened up and started a shallow climb, at which point Douglas fired a second burst before it vanished into cloud. The Dornier, which crashed into the sea off Cromer, was later confirmed by a coastal observer.




















On August 21,  a similar engagement took place.  This time a Dornier went into the sea off Great Yarmouth and the Royal Observer Corps confirmed the kill again.  There were no survivors.

















Messerschmitt BF 110.


Later in the month, 21 Group scored a further two victories over Messerschmitt Bf 110s. On September 7, Douglas Bader claimed two Messerschmitt Bf 109s shot down followed by a Junkers Ju 88 and a Dornier Do 17 on September 18.


























Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park [right] with Douglas Bader [left] and W.G. Glouston.



As a friend and supporter of his 12 Group commander Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Douglas Bader joined him as an active exponent of the controversial "Big Wing" theory.  Douglas Bader was an outspoken critic of the careful "husbanding" tactics being used by Air Vice-Marshall Keith Park, the commander of 11 Group.  Kieth Park was supported by Fighter Command Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, the overall commander.

























Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory.


Douglas Bader vociferously campaigned for an aggressive policy of assembling large formations of defensive fighters north of London ready to inflict maximum damage on the massed German bomber formations as they flew over southeast England. As the Battle progressed, Douglas Bader often found himself at the head of a composite wing of fighters consisting of up to five squadrons.

Achievements of the Big Wing were hard to quantify, since the large formations often took too long to form up. They over claimed kills, and too often did not provide timely support of the overworked 11 Group. The episode probably contributed to the departure of both Sir Hugh Dowding, and with Kieth Park who was replaced with Trafford Leigh-Mallory in November 1940.
 
















Hawker Hurricane.


During the Battle of Britain Douglas Bader used only three Hawker Hurricanes.  The first was P3061,  in which he scored six kills. The second aircraft was unknown, but Douglas Bader did score one kill and two damaged. in it on September 9.  The third one was V7467, in which he destroyed four more and added one probable and two damaged by the end of September. The plane was lost on September 1, 1941 while on a training exercise.


Wing Leader

























In 1941, Douglas Bader was promoted to Wing Commander and became one of the first "Wing Leaders." Stationed at Tangmere with 616 squadron,



















Douglas Bader led his wing of Spitfires on sweeps and "circus operations" (medium bomber escort) over northwestern Europe throughout the summer campaign. These were missions combining bombers and fighters designed to lure out and tie down German Luftwaffe fighter units that might otherwise serve on the Russian front.

One of the Wing Leader's "perks" was permission to have his initials marked on his aircraft as personal identification, and so "D-B" was painted on the side of Douglas Bader's Spitfire. These letters gave rise to his radio call sign "Dogsbody".















During 1941, Douglas Bader's wing was re-equipped with Spitfire VBs, which had two Hispano 20 mm cannon and four .303 machine guns. However, Douglas Bader flew a Mk. VA equipped with eight .303 machine guns, as he insisted that these guns were more effective against fighter opposition. His tactics required a close-in approach in which he felt the lower calibre weapons had a more devastating effect. At that time, RAF trials with wing-mounted cannons had also revealed a number of shortcomings nd there wasn't a widespread acceptance of the cannon armament.

























By August 1941, Douglas Bader had claimed 22-and-a-half German aircraft shot down (the half being from a kill that he agreed to split with a friend). This was the fifth highest total of kills in the RAF.


Prisoner Of War
























On August 9, 1941,  Douglas Bader was flying a Spifire Mk VA serial W3185 "D-B" on an offensive patrol over the French coast, looking for Messerschmitt Bf 109s from Abbeville or Wissant. This turned out to be the last time he flew in combat.

Just after Douglas Bader's section of four aircraft crossed the coast, 12 Bf 109s were spotted flying in formation approximately 2–3,000 feet below them traveling in the same direction. 




















Douglas Bader dived on them too fast and too steeply to be able to aim and fire his guns, and he barely avoided colliding with one of them while continuing his dive.  He leveled out at 24,000 feet,  pulled himself together, and on taking a look around discovered that he was now alone in the sky.

















Separated from his section, he was considering whether to return home when he noticed three pairs of Bf 109s a couple of miles in front of him.  Douglas Bader dropped down below them and closed up before dispatching one of them with a short burst of fire from close range.  He was just opening fire on a second Bf 109 when he noticed the two on his left turning towards him.

At that point Douglas Bader decided it would be better to return home and made the fatal mistake of banking away from the plane on the left, and towards the two on his right that were continuing straight ahead.

In the following moments Douglas Bader lost the tail of his Spitfire,  and was forced to bail out over Le Touquet in German-occupied France.

















As Bader descended under his parachute, he noticed "My right leg was no longer with me... the leather belt which attached it to my body had broken under the strain, and the leg, the Spitfire, and I had all parted company." He was knocked unconscious on landing and woke to find two German soldiers removing his parachute harness.




















German forces treated Douglas Bader with great respect. When he bailed out Bader's right prosthetic leg became trapped in the aircraft, and he escaped only when the leg's retaining straps snapped after he pulled the ripcord on his parachute.

General Adolf Galland, a German flying ace, notified the British of his damaged leg and offered them safe passage to drop off a replacement.






















Douglas Bader was taken to the hospital in St Omer. His missing right prosthetic leg was recovered from a field, and and it was soon repaired.





















Douglas Bader  made his first attempt to escape from the hospital where he was recovering. A French maid at the St. Omer hospital attempted to get in touch with British agents to enable Douglas to escape back to Britain.  She later brought a letter from a peasant couple (Mr. and Mrs. Hiecques) who lived  outside of St. Omer. They promised to shelter him until he could be passed further down the line of the French underground.  Until his escape, their son would wait outside the hospital every night until there was a chance of escape. Eventually Douglas was able to escape out of a window. A rope made of bed sheets enabled him to climb down from a window 

The plan worked initially: Douglas Bader completed the long walk to the Hiecques's house despite that he was wearing a British uniform. Unfortunately, the escape plan was betrayed by another woman who worked at the hospital. Douglas Bader was hiding in the garden when a German staff car arrived at the house, and he was discovered a short time later. Douglas denied that the couple had known he was there. The French couple, along with the French woman at the hospital, were sent to Germany for forced labor. The couple survived the war.  After the war's end, the French authorities tried and sentenced the woman who informed on  Bader, to 20 years in prison.

The Germans had offered to guarantee safe passage to an aircraft carrying a spare leg.  The offer,which would have given the Germans welcome publicity, was turned down, and the leg was dropped by a Blenheim Bomber which was taking part in a bombing raid.



















Douglas Bader's Leg after it had been dropped.




















Douglas Bader and his German Captors.


On August 19, 1941 with the "Leg Operation", an RAF Blenheim bomber was allowed to drop a new prosthetic leg by parachute to St Omer, a Luftwaffe base in occupied France, as part of Circus 81 involving six Blenheim bombers and a sizeable fighter escort.  The Germans were less impressed when, after the drop, the bombers proceeded on to their bombing mission to Gosnay power station near Bethune. Bad weather prevented the power station being attacked.



















The Bristol Blenheim is a twin-engined three-seat light bomber aircraft,

Douglas Bader made so many attempts at escape that the Germans threatened to take away his artificial  legs.  In August 1942,  Douglas Bader escaped with Johnny Palmer and three others from the camp at  Stalag Luft III  in Sagan.


























Luftwaffe Officer.


Unfortunately a Luftwaffe officer of Jagdgeschwader 26 was in the area. He was eager to meet Douglas Bader,  the Tangmere wing leader, so he dropped by to see Douglas Bader. When the officer knocked on Bader's door, there was no answer. The alarm was raised, and a few days later Douglas Bader was  once again recaptured.

During the search the Germans produced a poster of Douglas Bader and Johnny Palmer asking for information. It described Douglas Bader's disability, but said "walks well without stick". Twenty years later Douglas Bader was sent a copy of it by a Belgian civilian prisoner, who worked in a Gestapo office in Leipzig. Douglas Bader found this amusing, as he had never used a stick.


















Colditz Castle when used for holding POWs.


Douglas Bader  was finally dispatched to the "escape-proof" Colditz Castle Oflag IV-C on August 18, 1942, where he remained until the April 15, 1945 when it was liberated by the 1st United States Army.  When Douglas Bader arrived in Paris, he requested a Spitfire so that he could rejoin the fighting before the war was over,  His request was refused.

*****





















Although Douglas Bader believed for years that he had collided in midair with a Bf 109, two other possibilities have later been put forward: (1) that he was shot down by a German Bf 109, or (2) alternatively that Douglas Bader may have been a victim of friendly fire.

Recent research shows no Bf 109 was lost to a collision that day. Feldwebel Max Meyer flying a Bf 109 had claimed him shot down that morning; and according to Luftwaffe records a Leutnant Kosse of 5./JG 26 and Meyer, of 6./JG 26 were the only German pilots to claim a victory that day.  Furthermore Meyer mentioned that he had followed the downed Spitfire and watched the pilot bail out, something which matches this passage in Douglas Bader's memoirs: "I was floating in the sunshine above broken, white cloud.... I heard an aeroplane just after I passed through. A Bf 109 flew past".

Douglas Bader and Max Meyer met in Sydney in 1981 during the Schofield Air Show.

More recently, in 2003 air historian Andy Saunders wrote a book "Bader's Last Flight", following up with a Channel 4 documentary "Who Downed Douglas Bader?",  which first aired on August 28 2006. Andy Saunders' research suggests that Douglas Bader may have been a victim of friendly fire, shot down by one of his fellow RAF pilots after becoming detached from his own squadron. The RAF combat records indicate Douglas Bader may have been shot down by F/L "Buck" Casson of No. 616 Squadron RAF,  who claimed a "Bf 109 whose tail came off and the pilot bailed out."  Douglas Bader was flying at the rear of the German fighter formation. He was alone, and his squadron were at the opposite side of the Germans.  "Buck" had only a few seconds in which he saw Douglas Bader and mistook his Spitfire for a Bf 109.  Ironically, "Buck"  Casson was also shot down and made a prisoner that same day.

Whether Douglas Bader may have devised the collision story to cover for a fellow pilot is left unresolved.

*****















After his return to England, Douglas Bader was given the honor of leading a victory flypast of 300 aircraft over London in June 1945. Douglas begs\an was looking for a post in the RAF. Air Marshal Richard Atcherely, a former "Schneider Trophy" pilot, was commanding the Central Fighter Establishment at Tangmere.  He and Douglas Bader had been junior officers at Kenley in 1930, while serving in No. 23 Squadron of the RAF. Douglas Bader was given the post of the Fighter Leader's School commanding officer and was promoted to Group Captain.

Unfortunately for Douglas Bader, the fighter aircraft's roles had increased significantly and so he had to spend most of his time instructing on ground attack and co-operation with ground forces. Douglas  Bader also had a problem getting along with the newer generations of Squadron Leaders. Most of them considered him to be "out of date".  In the end, Air Marshal James Robb offered Douglas Bader a role commanding the North Weald sector of No. 11 Group RAF, an organization that was steeped in "Fighter Command" and "Battle of Britain" history.

Air Vice Marshal Leigh-Mallory was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Air Forces in South-East Asia in November 1944.  Trafford Leigh-Mallory never took command of his new post, for on November 18, 1944, his transport plane crashed in the French Alps killing he and his wife and all on board.

























Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory.


It is likely Douglas Bader would have stayed in the RAF for a longer period, if  his mentor Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory not been killed in an air crash. Trafford Leigh-Mallory had that much respect and influence over Douglas Bader.  Bader's enthusiasm for continued service in the RAF quickly waned and eventually he left the RAF in July 1946, and took a job at Royal Dutch (Shell).
























Douglas Bader's Personality























When the film "Reach For The Sky" was released, many people associated Douglas Bader with the quiet, and amiable personality of actor Kenneth More, who played the part of Douglas Bader in the film.

Douglas Bader recognized that the producers had deleted all those habits that he displayed when he was on operations, particularly his prolific use of bad and vulgar language.  Douglas Bader once said, "[they] still think [I'm] the dashing chap Kenneth More was".

Some of Douglas Bader's more controversial traits were touched upon in the book, "Reach for the Sky". In spite of the many things that have been said and writtin, Douglas Bader was still received as a legendary figure by the majority of the public.  To them, Douglas Bader wasthe hero that was portrayed in the movie. He was  a "Leader of  The Few" in the "Battle of Britain".

Douglas Bader was never a person to hide his opinions.  He was outspoken and controversial because of some of his political activities. Douglas was a staunch conservative, and he held most of the  traditional Victorian values.  He publicly expressed his views on such subjects as juvenile delinquency, apartheid and Rhodesia's defiance of the Commonwealth (he was a staunch supporter of Ian Smith's white minority regime) attracted much criticism.


























Ian Smith, the defiant leader of Rhodesia


When some of the more recent African Commonwealth countries had been critical of British military intervention, he replied that they could, "bloody well climb back up their trees". During a trip to South Africa in November 1965, He said that if he had been in Rhodesia when it made its declaration of independence he "would have had serious thoughts about changing my citizenship".

Douglas Bader also wrote the foreword to Hans-Ulrich Rudel's biography, "Stuka Pilot". Even when it emerged that Rudel had been a staunch supporter of the Nazi Party,  Douglas Bader refused to admit that any prior knowledge would have changed his mind about his writing the "forward" for the book.

























Hans-Ulrich Rudel


Douglas Bader was interviewed on television, in the late 1960s,  and some of his comments provoked a great  deal of controversy.  During the interview, he expressed a desire to be Prime Minister,  and listed some controversial proposals should the opportunity ever arise:

    * Withdraw sanctions from Rhodesia so that negotiations could take place without pressure.
    * Stop immigration into Britain immediately until the "situation had been examined".
    * Reintroduce the death penalty for murder.
    * Ban betting shops, "They breed protection rackets. That's why we're getting like Chicago in the '20s".

Douglas Bader with an official party during his visit to New Zealand..

Douglas Bader was known, at times, to be head-strong, blunt, and unsophisticated, when he made known his opinion. A fellow RAF hero, John Freeborn often denigrated him. He described Douglas Bader as a "self- opinionated fool".

During one of Douglas Bader's visits to Munich, Germany, as a guest of  the German ace Adolf Galland, he walked into a room full of ex-Luftwaffe pilots and said, "My God, I had no idea we left so many of you bastards alive". 

























Adolf  Joseph Ferdinand Galland.



Douglas Bader also used the phrase to describe the "Trades Union Congress" during economic and social unrest in the 1970s.  Later on, Douglas suggested that any Britons who were in support of the  "Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament" were a "rabble" and should be deported.





















Douglas Bader and his 242 Squadron wingman Willie McKnight..


And then there were more people whose opinions and feelings about Douglas Bader were similar to the following:  "You knew you were flying with an ace in every sense of the word, a bloke who knew exactly what he was doing, who was on the ball, was afraid of nothing, and a great leader." - Flight lieutenant Sir Alan Smith CBE DFC,


 Douglas Bader's Personal Life


















Douglas Bader's wife Thelma was diagnosed as having throat cancer in 1967.



























Douglas Bader with his wife Thelma at a New Year's dance.


They were both aware that Thelma's survival from the disease was unlikely.  Because of this and because they were devoted to each other,  the couple spent as much time with each other as was possible.


























Although Thelma had stopped smoking, it did not save her life.  After a long battle with the disease, Thelma Bader died on January 24, 1971.

















































Douglas Bader campaigned vigorously for people with disabilities and set an example of how to overcome a disability.
























Douglas Bader married Joan Murray on January 3, 1973.  They spent the remainder of their lives in the village of Marlston, Berkshire.  Joan was the daughter of a steel tycoon.  She had an interest in riding and was a member of the British Limbless Ex-Serviceman's Association.  They first met at one of the association's events in 1960.  She also helped associations involved in riding for the disabled.


























Prime Minister James Callaghan.


In June 1976, Prime Minister James Callaghan presented Douglas Bader with his award. Douglas had been knighted for his services to disabled people.


























Douglas Bader picked up a Knighthood with wife Joan in 1976.



Actor John Mills and Air Vice-Marshal Neil Cameron attended the ceremony.

Douglas Bader maintained his interest in aviation despite his charity work and in 1977,  he was made a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.  He also received a Doctorate of Science from Queen's University Belfast.

Douglas Bader was also busy acting as a consultant to Aircraft Equipment International at Ascot, Berkshire.

His health began to decline  in the 1970s and Douglas soon gave up flying altogether . On June 4, 1979, he flew his Beechcraft Bonanza [N 1] for the last time. Douglas Bader had recorded 5,744 hours and 25 minutes flying time.





1979 Beechcraft Bonanza [N 1].


























His friend Adolf Galland followed Bader into retirement soon afterwards for the same reasons.


Douglas Bader's workload was exhausting for a legless man with a worsening heart condition. On September 5, 1982,  Douglas Bader attended a dinner honouring the 90th birthday  of the  Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris at the Guildhall.  On his way home, Douglas Bader suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 72..

Douglas Bader had previously suffered a "minor heart attack" three weeks earlier after a golf tournament in Ayrshire.
























Among the many dignitaries and personalities at his funeral was Adolf Galland.  Galland and Douglas Bader had shared a friendship that spanned more than 42 years since their first meeting in France. 
























 Adolf  Joseph Ferdinand Galland


Although A. J. Galland was on a business trip to California, he made sure that he personally attend the memorial service held for Douglas Bader at the St Clement Danes church in the Strand.

Peter Tory wrote in his London Diary newspaper column: "Certainly Bader, had he been present, would have instantly recognized the stranger in the dark raincoat. Stomping over to his side, he would have banged him on the back and bellowed: "Bloody good show, glad you could come!"






















Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader

February 21. 1910 – September 5, 1982 (aged 72)

Place of birth St John's Wood, London, England

Service in Royal Air Force - Years of service 1928–1933, 1939–1946

Rose to the rank of Group Captain - He fought in the Second World War Battles of Battle of France, Battle of Britain, and Channel Front.

Nickname of Dogsbody














Awards: Knight Bachelor, Commander of the Order of the British Empire.  Distinguished Service Order and Bar,  Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar,  Mention in Despatches.


Douglas Bader's body was cremated and his ashes were given to his family.

















There is a Douglas Bader Memorial Garden in Duffus Park, Cupar, Fife, Scotland. It was opened by him just before he died.

Douglas Bader's artificial legs are kept by the RAF Museum at their store at Stafford and are not on public display.











Douglas Bader's prosthetic leg up for auction.


In January 2008 it was announced that one of Bader's prosthetic legs was to be sold at auction, along with several other items belonging to the RAF ace.

An anecdote about these was provided by Peter Townsend in his book "Duel in the Dark". He related that on a visit by the King and Queen to review the troops, Douglas Bader was called over with his 242 Canadian squadron for the occasion. "With one leg amputated above the knee, the other just below, he was yet one of the greatest of our fighter pilots... Just before the arrival of their Majesties, Douglas Bader (whom I had first known during the day-fighting) confided to me, "Look, old boy (his standard opening gambit), the one thing I can't do is stand properly to attention. So if I overbalance, please come to the rescue." As the royal inspection proceeded I waited nervously for Douglas, tin legs and all, to crash to the ground. Luckily, by parting his feet slightly, he remained upright."

















Sir Douglas Bader notebooks found in Eastbourne flat.


A Collection of notebooks that were discovered in a fla, is expected to reveal details of the last years of legendary Second World War flying ace Sir Douglas Bader.

The shorthand notebooks, are believed to have been written by Sir Douglas's secretary, were found in Eastbourne, East Sussex, when the owners were clearing the flat.








Douglas Bader's widow, Lady Bader, who lives at Marlston, Hermitage, described on Tuesday how a chance encounter led to the notebooks being handed to her. She said: “I was at Eastbourne Air Show last Saturday and the owner of the flat, Jenny Horridge, came up to me and gave them to me.”

It is not known how the notebooks, which date from 1979 to his death, came to be in Eastbourne.
Ms Horridge told Lady Bader that her first impulse had been to throw them away until she saw Sir Douglas’ name repeatedly cropping up. The rest of the writing is in shorthand.

The notebooks are believed to have been dictated by Sir Douglas to his last secretary and Lady Bader said: “My daughter is arranging to have them translated from the shorthand".

“If they are worth anything we may sell them and give the money to the Douglas Bader Foundation.”
The foundation aims to advance and promote the physical, mental and spiritual welfare of persons who are without one or more limbs, or otherwise physically disabled.


Douglas Baser Tributes


















This pencil drawing entitled "Bader Tribute", was done by artist Vladimir Urbanek. It shows Douglas Bader in his famous MG sportscar.


























A biography about Douglas Bader by Paul Brickhill, "Reach for the Sky", was published in 1954 and became a best seller.  A feature film with the same title was released in 1956.  It stared Kenneth More as Douglas Bader.




















Kenneth More as Douglas Bader























On the 60th anniversary of Douglas Bader's last combat mission, his widow Joan Bader unveiled a statue at Goodwood, formerly RAF Westhampnett, the aerodrome from which he took off.

























 The 6 ft (1.8 m) bronze sculpture, the first such tribute, was created by Kenneth Potts from Worcestershire, and was commissioned by the Earl of March, who runs the Goodwood estate on behalf of his father, the Duke of Richmond.










































The Berkshire Museum of Aviation - located in Bader Way, on what used to be Woodley Aerodrome.


On many RAF Stations, including RAF Coltishall and RAF Coningsby there is a junior ranks' barrack block named after Douglas Bader.






















A number of roads are named after Douglas Bader, including: Bader Way in Mungo Park, Essex a few minutes walk away from the old RAF base in Hornchurch,  Bader Road in Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset,  Bader Close in Kenley, Surrey near the former RAF Kenley,   Bader Walk near the Sentinel statue in Castle Vale, Birmingham,  Bader Crescent in Saskatoon,  and Bader Way in the town of Kirton in Lindsey.

The Bader Way in Woodley, Reading is on the site of the airfield where he had his famous crash and lost his legs.

Bader Primary School is situated on Bader Avenue in Thornaby-On-Tees, UK, and was opened by Sir Douglas Bader in November 1971.

A school, now owned and run by Norfolk County Council, called the Douglas Bader Centre on the former Coltishall RAF base. The area of former RAF housing on the site of Coltishall air base, and now privately owned, is to be called Badersfield.

Northbrook College Sussex at Shoreham-by-Sea Airport has a building named after him in which aeronautical engineering and automotive engineering are taught.




















In New Zealand Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate School is located on Bader Drive, near Auckland International Airport, in South Auckland and Bader is a suburb of Hamilton.

In Canada there is a Sir Douglas Bader Seniors' Apartment building in Edmonton, Alberta.












Two pubs have been named in Bader's honor. The first, the Douglas Bader, is located in the village of Martlesham Heath on the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield where Douglas Bader was briefly stationed in 1940.








































The second, the Bader Arms, is situated in the village of Tangmere, West Sussex near RAF Tangmere, where Douglas Bader was stationed in 1941.
























The Bader Arms sign.






































Legendary wartime airman Douglas Bader also opened the pub which is now called The Pilot on March 12, 1970.  It was previously called The Fighter Pilot.

Most of the other roads in South Canford Heath are named after Battle of Britain or Second World War pilots and airfields.

An animated version of Douglas Bader appeared in the Gargoyles television series, voiced by Charles Shaughnessy, in the episode "M.I.A.". As a boy, series creator Greg Weisman met Sir Douglas Bader - and even went to Disneyland with him. Sir Douglas was a personal hero of Greg's father Wally Weisman. These personal associations inspired Sir Douglas Bader's inclusion in "M.I.A.".

The Douglas Bader Foundation was formed in honour of Douglas Bader in 1982, by family and friends. Many were former RAF pilots who had flown with Douglas Bader during the Second World War.

Doncaster College immortalized Douglas Bader on a mural based on the famous people of Doncaster produced by the 2007–2008 "First Diploma Art & Design" students.  The mural has been placed in the Doncaster Interchange (bus station).

The Air Training Corps now uses an electronic office system to undertake many administrative duties named Project Bader. It is said that the name came about when the Army and Sea Cadet Corps, who had a rival system named Westminster, had claimed that "that Air Cadet system doesn't have a leg to stand on".

The Scotland & Northern Ireland Region of the Air Training Corps hold a yearly competition for the Douglas Bader Trophy at RAF Kinloss, where the six wings in the Region compete against each other to become the Best Wing.

*****




















Combat Credos

Douglas Bader attributed his success to the belief in the three basic rules, shared by the German ace Erich Hartmann:

(1) If you had the height, you controlled the battle.

(2) If you came out of the sun, the enemy could not see you.

(3) If you held your fire until you were very close, you seldom missed.

*****

























Some Quotes of Douglas Bader

“Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. That's nonsense. Make up your mind, you'll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”

"Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools."

"I am not one of those who see war as a cricket match where you first give anything to defeat the opponent and then shake hands."






















Douglas Bader with the Czech pilot Alexander Hess.


























Sir Douglas on his 70th birthday with his grandson, Charley Douglas Bickers.