Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

Lord David Douglas-Hamilton (8 November 1912 – 2 August 1944) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

nobleman, pilot, and amateur boxer. At the

1934 Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...

, he won the bronze medal in the heavyweight class of the boxing tournament.

Biography

Lord David was born at

Dungavel House Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is an immigration detention facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, near the town of Strathaven that is also known as Dungavel Castle or Dungavel House. It is operated by Mitie Care and Custody, under contrac ...

, Lanarkshire, the youngest son of Lt.

Alfred Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton Lieutenant Alfred Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton and 10th Duke of Brandon TD, DL (6 March 1862 – 16 March 1940) was a Scottish nobleman and sailor. Early life Hamilton was born at Shanklin, Isle of Wight, in 1862, the son ...

RN and his wife Nina, née Poore. He commanded

No. 603 Squadron RAF No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron is a squadron (aviation), squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. On reforming on 1 October 1999, the primary role of 603 Squadron was as a ''Survive to Operate'' squadron, a ...

from 18 December 1941 until 20 July 1942. He and his brothers – Air Commodore

Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton Air Commodore Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton and 11th Duke of Brandon, (3 February 1903 – 30 March 1973) was a Scottish aristocrat, politician, and aviator. He was the first man to fly over Mount Everest. When Rudolf Hess, t ...

, Group Captain

George Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk Group Captain George Nigel "Geordie" Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk, (4 January 1906 – 24 November 1994) was a British nobleman and Conservative politician. Early life Born at Merly, Wimborne, Dorset, he was the second son of Nina ...

, and Wing Commander

Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton Wing Commander Lord Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton, (12 November 1909 – 21 July 1964) was a Scottish aristocrat, aviator and politician. He also drove in the 1935 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving an Aston Martin Ulster owned by principal dri ...

– made history as the only four brothers simultaneously being at the rank of squadron leader or above at the outset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

He was educated at

Harrow Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England * Harrow, London, a town in London * Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) * ...

, St. Andrew's University and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

. At Oxford he was captain of the university boxing team, and learned to fly with the University Air Squadron. Douglas-Hamilton saw active service between 1939 and 1944, flying

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

over

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. On return to Britain, he was killed whilst carrying out reconnaissance over the French coast and crashed in southern England.

Marriage and issue

On 15 October 1938 he married Ann Prunella Stack, the leader of the Women's League for Health and Beauty. They had two sons: * Diarmaid Douglas-Hamilton (1940–2023), an astrophysicist at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Iain Douglas-Hamilton Iain Douglas-Hamilton (born 16 August 1942) is a Scottish zoologist from Oxford University and one of the world's foremost authorities on the African elephant. In 1993, he founded Save the Elephants, which is dedicated to securing a future fo ...

(born 1942),

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

, father of television presenter

Saba Douglas-Hamilton Saba Iassa Douglas-Hamilton (born 7 June 1970) is a Kenyan wildlife conservationist and television presenter. She has worked for a variety of conservation charities, and has appeared in wildlife documentaries produced by the BBC and other bro ...

References

External links

time.com October 1944
1912 births 1944 deaths Nobility from South Lanarkshire Scottish male boxers Heavyweight boxers Boxers at the 1934 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Scotland Commonwealth Games boxers for Scotland People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Scottish airmen Royal Air Force squadron leaders Younger sons of dukes Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Aviators killed by being shot down Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games 20th-century Scottish sportsmen Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in boxing {{Scotland-boxing-bio-stub

Biography

Marriage and issue

See also

References

External links