St Edward's Rhubarb - 2018

8 ST EDWARD’S r h u b a r b

Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader (A, 1923-1928) By Simon Innes-Robbins (C, 1972-1977), Senior Archivist, Imperial War Museum

Eventually, in October 1941, Bader ended up at Oflag VIB, a camp for captured British officers. In early May 1942, most of the RAF prisoners of war at Oflag VIB were suddenly moved to a new camp at Sagan, Stalag Luft III, run by the Luftwaffe. For a brief time, Bader was held in the same compound as the NCOs. As Sergeant Leslie Frith later wrote in his unpublished memoirs, What a Way to Win a War (IWM, Private Papers of L Frith, 91/6/1) ‘apparently he had been virtually thrown out of his last camp as being too much of a disruptive influence and frog-marched to Stalag Luft 3 to start all over again.’ Very soon Bader began to urge the sergeants to take a more bold and rebellious attitude towards their guards. Sergeant William Stevens

F E AT U R E S

The archives at the Imperial War Museums (IWM) hold some 192 items relating to the career of Sir Douglas Bader. These include art, photographs, private papers and sound recordings which provide some very useful material for those researchers who are interested in his distinguished career with the Royal Air Force. His service during the Battle of Britain and the continuing controversy about the use of the ‘Big Wing’, a tactic which was fiercely opposed by senior commanders such as Air Chief Marshal Keith Park, has been well covered. Two of the most fascinating items (IWM, Special Miscellaneous N8 and P8) are the Central Flying School Report assessing Bader’s ability as a pilot as ‘exceptional’ despite the loss of both legs and recommending that he should fly fighters and the pass issued to Flight Lieutenant Bader granting him ‘permission to be absent from

his quarters after duty to 23:59 hours daily to proceed to Red Lion, Whittlesford’, while he was stationed with No 19 Squadron RAF at RAF Duxford in Cambridgeshire, which is now part of the IWM. Owing to limited space, I am going to focus on perhaps less well-known events after Bader was shot down over France while flying his Spitfire on 9th August 1941 and taken prisoner by the Germans. Refusing to be repatriated on medical grounds, Bader was restored to full mobility when the RAF dropped a spare tin leg during a bombing raid to replace the right leg which had been damaged when he bailed out of his Spitfire. Bader was soon trying to escape and, when he couldn’t, waging his own private war with

(IWM, W Stevens, Sound Archive 15608) recalled that he was ‘very bumptious, of course, throwing his weight about, “we must do this, we must do the

other”.’ Leslie Frith, although an admirer, admitted that ‘we were pleased to get rid of him’ when Bader joined his fellow officers.

the Germans, indulging his penchant for being difficult about anything and everything if it annoyed and aggravated his captors.