Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton
Encyclopedia
Wing Commander
Lord Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton OBE
, DFC
(12 November 1909 – 21 July 1964) was a Scottish nobleman and politician.
The third son of the 13th Duke of Hamilton and 10th Duke of Brandon
, he was educated at Eton College
and at the RAF College Cranwell.
He served with the Royal Air Force
from 1929 to 1932, then worked in civil aviation until the outbreak of the Second World War
, during which he again served with the RAF. He was Air Training Corps
Commandant for Scotland from 1945 to 1946. He was appointed OBE in 1943 and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944. His elder brother, the Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale
, later 14th Duke of Hamilton and 11th Duke of Brandon, had also been active in the RAF and ATC.
He married twice: firstly in 1931 to the Hon. Pamela Bowes-Lyon (a granddaughter of the 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
) and cousin to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; secondly he wed in 1953 to Natalie Winslow.
Following his second marriage, he emigrated to the United States, where he became extremely active in fostering relations between Scotland and Americans of Scottish descent. He considered the United States to be his adopted country. He founded, along with his wife, the American Scottish Foundation, which after the Saint Andrews Society is the oldest American organization devoted to US/Scottish relations in existence. The organization was responsible for establishment of Scotland House, and the Scottish Ball, an annual charitable dinner devoted to raising money to support the American Scottish cause.
He continued his love of flying, starting his own charter flying company in the early 1960s, and with his son Niall traversed remote parts of the globe. It was on one such trip through Cameroon
in 1964 that Lord Malcolm went missing with his son Niall and a passenger, in the heavy equatorial mountainous jungle of Cameroon. Following an exhaustive manhunt by Lord Malcolm's family, including assistance from the Rockefeller company United Fruit, his remains were located in the jungle. Neither Niall Douglas-Hamilton nor the passenger were ever located.
Recently disclosed documents from MI5
show, that, on August 1, 1936, Lord Malcolm flew a de Havilland
plane to Spain, that he delivered to pro-Franco
nationalists. Another plane was flown the next day by Dick Seaman.http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/document/document.shtml. Only two weeks earlier, General Franco was flown in a de Havilland from the Canary Islands
to Morocco
and onwards to Spain
, helped by two other Britons, Hugh Pollard
and Cecil Bebb
.
Member of Parliament for Inverness
from 1950 to 1954.
He hed a number of appointments, including as a Governor of Gordonstoun School and as a member of the Royal Company of Archers
.
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Lord Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
(12 November 1909 – 21 July 1964) was a Scottish nobleman and politician.
The third son of the 13th Duke of Hamilton and 10th Duke of Brandon
Alfred Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton
Lieutenant Alfred Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton and 10th Duke of Brandon TD, DL was a Scottish nobleman and sailor.-Life and Succession:...
, he was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and at the RAF College Cranwell.
He served with the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
from 1929 to 1932, then worked in civil aviation until the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, during which he again served with the RAF. He was Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
Commandant for Scotland from 1945 to 1946. He was appointed OBE in 1943 and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944. His elder brother, the Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale
Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton
Air Commodore Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton and 11th Duke of Brandon, KT, GCVO, AFC, PC, DL, FRCSE, FRGS, was a Scottish nobleman and pioneering aviator....
, later 14th Duke of Hamilton and 11th Duke of Brandon, had also been active in the RAF and ATC.
He married twice: firstly in 1931 to the Hon. Pamela Bowes-Lyon (a granddaughter of the 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Claude Bowes-Lyon, 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Claude Bowes-Lyon, 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne , styled The Honourable from 1847 to 1865, was a British peer. He was the 13th holder of the Earldom of Strathmore and Kinghorne....
) and cousin to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; secondly he wed in 1953 to Natalie Winslow.
Following his second marriage, he emigrated to the United States, where he became extremely active in fostering relations between Scotland and Americans of Scottish descent. He considered the United States to be his adopted country. He founded, along with his wife, the American Scottish Foundation, which after the Saint Andrews Society is the oldest American organization devoted to US/Scottish relations in existence. The organization was responsible for establishment of Scotland House, and the Scottish Ball, an annual charitable dinner devoted to raising money to support the American Scottish cause.
He continued his love of flying, starting his own charter flying company in the early 1960s, and with his son Niall traversed remote parts of the globe. It was on one such trip through Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
in 1964 that Lord Malcolm went missing with his son Niall and a passenger, in the heavy equatorial mountainous jungle of Cameroon. Following an exhaustive manhunt by Lord Malcolm's family, including assistance from the Rockefeller company United Fruit, his remains were located in the jungle. Neither Niall Douglas-Hamilton nor the passenger were ever located.
Recently disclosed documents from MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
show, that, on August 1, 1936, Lord Malcolm flew a de Havilland
De Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
plane to Spain, that he delivered to pro-Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
nationalists. Another plane was flown the next day by Dick Seaman.http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/document/document.shtml. Only two weeks earlier, General Franco was flown in a de Havilland from the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and onwards to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, helped by two other Britons, Hugh Pollard
Hugh Pollard (Major)
Major Hugh Bertie Campbell Pollard was an author, firearms expert, and a British SOE officer. He is chiefly known for his intelligence work during the Irish War of Independence and for the events of July 1936, when he and his SOE colleague Cecil Bebb flew General Francisco Franco from the Canary...
and Cecil Bebb
Cecil Bebb
Captain Cecil Bebb was a British MI6 officer and freelance pilot who flew General Francisco Franco from the Canary Islands to Spanish Morocco in 1936, a journey which was to trigger the onset of the Spanish Civil War.-Events of July 1936:...
.
Positions held
He was the UnionistScottish Conservative and Unionist Party
The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is the part of the British Conservative Party that operates in Scotland. Like the UK party, it has a centre-right political philosophy which promotes conservatism and strong British Unionism...
Member of Parliament for Inverness
Inverness (UK Parliament constituency)
Inverness was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
from 1950 to 1954.
He hed a number of appointments, including as a Governor of Gordonstoun School and as a member of the Royal Company of Archers
Royal Company of Archers
The Royal Company of Archers is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, a role it has performed since 1822 and the reign of King George IV, when the company provided a personal bodyguard to the King on his visit to Scotland. It is currently known as the Queen's...
.
See also
- George Nigel Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk
- Lord David Douglas-HamiltonLord David Douglas-HamiltonSquadron Leader Lord David Douglas-Hamilton was a Scottish nobleman, pilot, and boxer.The youngest son of Lt...
- Duke of HamiltonDuke of HamiltonDuke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
Sources
- Charles MosleyCharles Mosley-External links:...
, ed., Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 vols. (Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 1999), volume 1, page 1286