Autographs of Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader (/ˈbɑːdər/; 21 February 1910 – 5 September 1982) was a Royal Air Force flying ace during the Second World War, who achieved great success despite loss of the lower part of both his legs after a 1931 air crash, one amputation above the knee and the other below the knee. Resuming flying in 1939 after being re-checked for his flying abilities, he became a front-line fighter leader. He was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.
Bader joined the RAF in 1928, and was commissioned in 1930. In December 1931, while attempting aerobatics at low level, he crashed and lost the lower part of both his legs. Having been on the brink of death, he recovered, retook flight training, passed his check flights and then requested reactivation as a pilot. Although there were no regulations applicable to his situation, he was retired against his will on medical grounds. After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, however, Bader returned to the RAF and was accepted as a pilot. He scored his first victories over Dunkirk during the Battle of France in 1940. He then took part in the Battle of Britain and became a friend and supporter of Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory and his "Big Wing" experiments.
In August 1941, Bader bailed out over German-occupied France and was captured. Soon afterwards, he met and was befriended by Adolf Galland, a prominent German fighter ace. Despite his disability, Bader made a number of escape attempts and was eventually sent to the prisoner-of-war camp at Colditz Castle. He remained there until April 1945 when the camp was liberated by the First United States Army.
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Current items with a signature of Douglas Bader
These are the most current items with a signature of Douglas Bader that were listed on eBay and on other online stores - click here for more items.
Traded items with a signature of Douglas Bader
The most expensive item with a signature of Douglas Bader (Double Signed Flying Colours Douglas Bader Biography by Laddie Lucas 1981) was sold in June 2026 for £571.12 while the cheapest item (original painting of Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader - signed) found a new owner for £0.99 in September 2018. The month with the most items sold (20) was May 2020 with an average selling price of £77.49 for an autographed item of Douglas Bader. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in July 2024 with £205.00 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £4.70 was August 2021. In average, an autographed item from Douglas Bader is worth £52.83.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Douglas Bader were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
Latest News about Douglas Bader
Douglas Bader's great escape from the Nazis to be made into a movie (06/04/2015): The daring prison break of 1942 involving fighter ace Douglas Bader has been long overshadowed by the famous attempt from Stalag Luft III two years later. 
Douglas Bader (07/10/2014): I remember the original Come Dancing as a Steradent-reeking joke. War hero Sir Douglas Bader's family reveal neglect his wife Joan has suffered in (29/01/2014): Joan, the widow of Britain's most famous wartime pilot, suffered a stroke at one care home who failed to seek medical treatment for her. RICHARD KAY: Widow of Battle of Britain air ace Sir Douglas Bader neglected by n (16/01/2014): The former air ace, whose story was immortalised in the film Reach For the Sky, would be horrified to learn of the less than heroic treatment his widow, Joan has received at the hands of care-home workers. Special Armistice Day ceremony at former RAF Coltishall for Douglas Bader School (11/11/2013): Armistice Day service at Badersfield war memorial. Douglas Bader School pupil Toby Howes, 5, lays a wreath which was made by the pupils. PHOTO: ANTONY KELLY
