Group Capt Sir Douglas Bader Statue Unveiled at Goodwood
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Group Capt Sir Douglas Bader Statue Unveiled at Goodwood
From today's Telegraph:
Tribute to a very British hero
By Neil Tweedie
(Filed: 10/08/2001)
HE stands, pipe in hand, flying gear at the ready, eyes scanning the horizon, still reaching for the sky.
When the pilots at Goodwood Flying Club take off, they will do so under the gaze of Group Capt Sir Douglas Bader whose statue was unveiled there yesterday.
As the Union flag was taken off the bronze sculpture, a light aircraft droned overhead.
It might have been Aug 9 1941 - 60 years ago to the day when Bader took off from the same Sussex airfield, then called RAF Westhampnett, on his last operational mission of the war.
An hour or so later, he was plummeting earthward, the tail of his Spitfire shot away in a swirling air battle over northern France. Finally he managed to bale out but only after leaving behind one of his artificial legs. Four years of galling captivity, much of it in Colditz, were to follow.
The statue, the only one of Bader, was commissioned by the Earl of March, who runs
the Goodwood estate on behalf of his father, the Duke of Richmond. Yesterday, Lady Bader unveiled the work with the Duke in front of some of Bader's fellow pilots.
"Douglas Bader was a very British hero," said the Duke. "He was defiant, single-minded and fought for the things in which he believed. This is, I believe, the only statue of Douglas Bader in existence and we are very proud to have it here."
The 60th anniversary of Bader's narrow escape is being used to highlight the work of the charitable foundation in his name which he founded in 1982 to help disabled people.
The sculpture is by Kenneth Potts, from Bromyard, Worcs. He used photos and interviews to gauge the character of his subject. "He had this tremendous charisma, this powerful determination and I tried to capture that," said Mr Potts. "He's looking at the sky, watching for the weather and, maybe, returning pilots."
Lady Bader said: "It's very good. It captures the spirit of Douglas. He never wanted a statue. He preferred the foundation but now they've done it, I think he would be quite pleased."
Tribute to a very British hero
By Neil Tweedie
(Filed: 10/08/2001)
HE stands, pipe in hand, flying gear at the ready, eyes scanning the horizon, still reaching for the sky.
When the pilots at Goodwood Flying Club take off, they will do so under the gaze of Group Capt Sir Douglas Bader whose statue was unveiled there yesterday.
As the Union flag was taken off the bronze sculpture, a light aircraft droned overhead.
It might have been Aug 9 1941 - 60 years ago to the day when Bader took off from the same Sussex airfield, then called RAF Westhampnett, on his last operational mission of the war.
An hour or so later, he was plummeting earthward, the tail of his Spitfire shot away in a swirling air battle over northern France. Finally he managed to bale out but only after leaving behind one of his artificial legs. Four years of galling captivity, much of it in Colditz, were to follow.
The statue, the only one of Bader, was commissioned by the Earl of March, who runs
the Goodwood estate on behalf of his father, the Duke of Richmond. Yesterday, Lady Bader unveiled the work with the Duke in front of some of Bader's fellow pilots.
"Douglas Bader was a very British hero," said the Duke. "He was defiant, single-minded and fought for the things in which he believed. This is, I believe, the only statue of Douglas Bader in existence and we are very proud to have it here."
The 60th anniversary of Bader's narrow escape is being used to highlight the work of the charitable foundation in his name which he founded in 1982 to help disabled people.
The sculpture is by Kenneth Potts, from Bromyard, Worcs. He used photos and interviews to gauge the character of his subject. "He had this tremendous charisma, this powerful determination and I tried to capture that," said Mr Potts. "He's looking at the sky, watching for the weather and, maybe, returning pilots."
Lady Bader said: "It's very good. It captures the spirit of Douglas. He never wanted a statue. He preferred the foundation but now they've done it, I think he would be quite pleased."
