Sir Hugh Spencer Lisle Dundas, (22 July 1920 – 10 July 1995), nicknamed "Cocky", was a fighter pilot in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and later a senior broadcasting executive. He was promoted to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...

and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross at the age of 21, advanced to

wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

at 22 and, at 23, was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

and became one of the youngest

group captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

s in the RAF. Dundas retired from the RAF in 1949, and was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1987 for his services to business and the media.

Early life

Born in

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, on 2 July 1920, Dundas was a scion of a noble family. He was the grandson of the Scottish Liberal politician John Dundas and a great-great-grandson of

Lawrence Dundas, 1st Earl of Zetland Lawrence Dundas, 1st Earl of Zetland (10 April 1766 – 19 February 1839) was a Scottish MP who sat in the House of Commons from 1790 to 1820 when he was raised to the peerage. Early life Dundas was the son of Thomas Dundas, 1st Baron Dunda ...

.Bishop 2004, p. 76. Dundas was also related to the

Earl of Halifax Earl of Halifax is a title that has been created four times in British history—once in the Peerage of England, twice in the Peerage of Great Britain, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The name of the peerage refers to Halifax, We ...

.Franks 1980, p. 178. Like his elder brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, he became fascinated by the idea of flying from childhood, and he joined the

Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...

(AuxAF) straight after leaving

Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster ...

in 1938. On 23 July 1939, the day after his 19th birthday, he was commissioned an acting pilot officer in the AuxAF. He was confirmed in the rank of pilot officer on 2 October, with the service number 91001.

Second World War

Dundas was called up early in the

, serving with No. 616 Squadron flying Spitfires. He was shot down on 22 August 1940 and wounded during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

, but returned to his squadron in September. His brother John, a 12-kill ace with No. 609 Squadron, was killed in action in November 1940 after shooting down

Helmut Wick Helmut Paul Emil Wick (5 August 1915 – 28 November 1940) was a German flying ace of World War II. He was a wing commander in the Luftwaffe (air force) of Nazi Germany, and the fourth recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak L ...

, the top–scoring German ace at the time. Dundas was promoted to flying officer (

war substantive Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

) on 2 October. In early 1941, No. 616 Squadron was a part of the

RAF Tangmere RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, and one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The famous Second World War aces Wing Commander Douglas Bader, a ...

Wing, under the command of Wing Commander

Douglas Bader Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, (; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared ...

. Through the summer of 1941 Dundas frequently flew with Bader's section, gradually building his reputation as a competent fighter pilot and tactician. By now an acting flight lieutenant, he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross on 5 August 1941. The citation read: In September 1941, Dundas was posted as an instructor to No. 59 Operational Training Unit, but his scruffiness and unruly pet dog did not endear him to the commanding officer, Group Captain

Stanley Vincent Air Vice Marshal Stanley Flamank Vincent, (7 April 1897 – 13 March 1976) was a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and later a senior commander in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was the only RFC/RAF pilot to shoot down enemy aircraft in bot ...

, and he was transferred promptly as a flight commander with No. 610 Squadron. Promoted to flight lieutenant (war substantive) on 2 October, he was subsequently promoted to acting squadron leader and posted as commanding officer of

No. 56 Squadron RAF Number 56 Squadron, nicknamed ''the Firebirds'' for their ability to always reappear intact regardless of the odds, is one of the oldest and most successful Squadron (aviation), squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of ...

in December, the first to be equipped with the

Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon is a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems were encountered and i ...

. He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

on 1 January 1943, and was promoted to squadron leader (war substantive) on 11 February. Posted to the Mediterranean in 1943, he led No. 324 (Spitfire) Wing from

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

and through Italy. He was awarded his first

(DSO) on 3 March 1944. In June, Dundas was promoted to the acting rank of group captain at the age of only 23. He led No. 244 Wing from June 1944, and was promoted to wing commander (war substantive) on 11 May 1945. His war time score was 4 enemy aircraft destroyed, 6 shared destroyed, 2 shared probables, and 2 and 1 shared damaged.

Post-war career and later life

On 1 September 1945, Dundas was granted a permanent commission in the RAF, in the rank of flight lieutenant. He was promoted to the temporary rank of squadron leader on 3 December 1946 (seniority from 1 July 1945). On 25 January 1947, however, he retired from the RAF, retaining the rank of group captain. Dundas continued to serve in the reconstituted AuxAF following his retirement from active service. He was commissioned as a flying officer in the AuxAF on 8 August 1947 (seniority from 23 April). On the following 1 June, he received a double promotion to squadron leader in the AuxAF, and was given command of

No. 601 (County of London) Squadron Number 601 (County of London) Squadron is a squadron of the RAF Reserves, based in London. The squadron took part in the Battle of Britain, during which the first Americans to fly in World War II were members of the squadron. Reactivated in 2017 ...

, but resigned his commission on 6 October 1949. He was also the air correspondent for the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' newspaper. Dundas joined

Rediffusion Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV (commercia ...

Limited in 1961, becoming a director in 1966, and served as Chairman of

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...

until 1987. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant on 7 October 1968. As managing director of

British Electric Traction British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Rent ...

, he was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

1977 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1977 are appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1977. The awards were announced on 30 December 1976 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: Australia,Australia: Ne ...

. As the firm's subsequent chairman, Dundas was

in the 1987 Birthday Honours. He served as

High Sheriff of Surrey The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex (1229–1231, 1232–1240, 1242–1567, 1571–1635). 1066–1228 (High Sheriffs of Surrey only) 1229– ...

for 1989.

References

External links

Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dundas, Hugh 1920 births 1995 deaths Royal Air Force officers British World War II pilots People educated at Stowe School The Few English aviators Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Bachelor Companions of the Distinguished Service Order High Sheriffs of Surrey

Early life

Second World War

Post-war career and later life

References

Further reading

External links