Most people agree that history is made by individuals. After all, unusual ideas, unique thoughts and noble deeds, which were born in the minds of people, made up the whole history. An ordinary person can overturn all existing stereotypes or prove by his own example that everything is possible. The story of a London pilot represents such a case. After being seriously wounded, Douglas Robert Steuart Bader continued to carry out more than one sortie and played a major role in fighting the enemy during World War II. Learn more at london-yes.
Short temper that manifested itself in childhood
Douglas Robert Steuart Bader was born in London on February 21, 1910. The boy’s childhood wasn’t so happy. His father was a major and an engineer, therefore, he was constantly moving from one place to another. Since childhood, Douglas was used to long-term separation from his parents and often stayed with his grandparents. At the age of two, the boy went to India, where his father was working at the time. In 1913, the whole family returned to London. The next few years were perhaps the happiest for Douglas, as he spent a lot of time with his family members. During the First World War, his father took an active part in hostilities and was seriously wounded in 1917. In 1922, he died from complications caused by the wound. That tragic event greatly influenced Douglas’s future life. The boy’s mother soon remarried and rarely spent time with her children. Therefore, Douglas developed a hot-tempered and unruly character. Once, he even shot a woman with an air gun during a conflict. After that, he was sent to study at Temple Grove School. Then he received his secondary education at St. Edward’s School where he released all his accumulated energy. There, Douglas became interested in sports. In particular, he was good at rugby, and after finishing school, he became interested in hockey and boxing.
An injury that could destroy the rest of his life
One of the most important years in Douglas Bader’s life was 1928. In that year, he was enrolled as a cadet at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell. On September 13 of the same year, he made his first flight with an instructor. In 1929, he had already 11 hours and 15 minutes of flight practice. However, his inflammatory character manifested itself during his professional activities as well. Douglas always liked to experiment in the air. He did various stunts (very often at low altitudes) and took orders for unnecessary advice. That attitude played a low-down trick on him one day. In December 1931, a pilot attempted an aerobatic figure at a low altitude. The tip of the left wing of his plane touched the ground and the aircraft crashed. As a result, Douglas had to have two of his legs amputated.
Professionalism and mastery during combat missions
Douglas was in rehabilitation for quite a long period of time. However, in the end, he resumed training. He wanted to continue his career but was dismissed for health reasons. The Second World War changed many things. It became a turning point for Douglas Bader as well. In 1939, having demonstrated his skill, he was accepted into the Royal Air Force. Douglas Bader made many sorties during the Second World War, including 22 victories in the air. He went down in history as a fearless pilot. His life and professional career ended on August 9, 1941, when he was shot down over the French coast.