| Douglas Douglas-hamilton, 14th Duke Of Hamilton |
Article Index for Douglas |
Website Links For Douglas |
Information AboutDouglas Douglas-hamilton, 14th Duke Of Hamilton |
|
Educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford , he became interested in flying at an early age and served in the Auxiliary Air Force as a Squadron Commander from 1927 to 1936 . He piloted the first flight over Mount Everest in 1932 and was instrumental in the birth of Scottish Aviation Ltd (now part of BAE Systems ). He met and became friendly with several members of the Nazi leadership during the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin . In 1937 , Lord Douglas and Clydesdale (as he was known before succeeding to his father's title) married Elizabeth Percy, the daughter of the Duke Of Northumberland . Later, during World War II he was responsible for air defense in Scotland and took command of the Air Training Corps . In May 1941 , when Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland , the reason for his doing so was ostensibly to meet with the Duke and plot a secret peace treaty that would lead to the overthrow of hardliners such as Winston Churchill . It was, in reality, a trap; Hess was captured and the Duke was not implicated in any treasonous behaviour. British authorities who captured Hess even allowed him to meet the Duke some time later. |
|
|