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 als ...

Lord David Douglas-Hamilton (8 November 1912 – 2 August 1944) was a Scottish nobleman, pilot, and boxer. He was 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. Douglas-Hamilton was one of four brothers who made history by 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, 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 opposing ...

, he himself commanding No. 603 Squadron RAF from 18 December 1941 till 20 July 1942. Educated at Harrow, and Balliol College, Oxford. Douglas-Hamilton saw active service between 1939 and 1944, flying Spitfires in Operation Torch over

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 ...

. On return to Britain, he was killed whilst carrying out reconnaissance over the French coast, and crashed in southern England. At the 1934 Empire Games he won the bronze medal in the heavyweight class of the boxing tournament.

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 (b. 1940), an astrophysicist at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

Iain Douglas-Hamilton Iain Douglas-Hamilton (born 16 August 1942) is a British zoologist known for his study of elephants. He earned both a BSc in biology and a D.Phil. in zoology from Oriel College, Oxford, and he is the recipient of the 2010 Indianapolis Prize f ...

(b. 1942),

Zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

, also 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 br ...

External links

time.com October 1944
1912 births 1944 deaths Scottish male boxers Heavyweight boxers Boxers at the 1934 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Scotland People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Scottish aviators 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 Commonwealth Games medallists in boxing {{Scotland-boxing-bio-stub

Marriage and issue

See also

External links