Desmond Lloyd George Douglas (1917 - 1980)

Born 5 May 1917 in Sandgate, Queensland, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Evelyn Joan (Hunter) Douglas — married 1940 in Blackpool,Lancashire, England

Died 5 Sep 1980 at age 63 in St Ives, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Jeanne Pepper [send private message] and Kerry Douglas [send private message]

Biography

""Desmond Lloyd George Douglas, Air Commodore,D.S.O., O.B.E. ., D.F.C, R.A.A.F"" In 1970 was the Chief of the Australian Joint Services Staff at the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C.

All news articles below were found at National Library of Australia, Trove ,Online digitized Newspapers. http://trove.nla.gov.au/

• GALLANT AIRMEN Award for Flying Officer C.B. Crombie D. L. G. Douglas Promoted to Wing Commander

Warwick Daily News (Qld. : 1919 -1954) Friday 12 February 1943 p 2 Article YOUTHFUL WING COMMANDER

Word has been received of the promotion to Wing Commander of Acting Wing Commander Desmond Lloyd George Douglas, experienced 25-year old Sydney pilot, whose D.F.C. is listed among latest awards. He is to take command of the second Australian Sunderland Squadron, after which the only two R.A.A.F. squadrons in the United Kingdom will still be commanded by non-Australians. Douglas, who was previously Flight Commander of Australia's No. 10 Sunderland squadron, succeeds Wing Commander R. C. O. Lovelock, of the R.A.F., who went to Australia with one of the Sunderlands during Sydney's 150th anniversary celebrations. A fine type of athlete, Douglas rowed for Sydney High School, fought successfully as an amateur heavyweight in New South Wales and Queensland, and was a member of the Manly Surf Club team in 1935-36. He joined the R.A.A.F. in January, 1937, and trained at Point Cook. He left Australia by plane the day war broke out. The citation.showed that as a Flight Commander Squadron Leader Douglas had displayed devotion to duty, energy and tact to a high degree. Combined with his intimate knowledge of training and operations in flying boats, these attributes had been largely responsible for recent successes obtained by No. 10 Squadron. Douglas is well known in the Warwick district, having spent most of his school vacations with his uncle, the late, Mr. T. S. Burgess, of Murray's Bridge. He is the eldest grandchild of Mr. and Mrs. S. E. Pullen, Wiyarra.

• FROM ENGLAND

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Wednesday 4 April 1945 p 6 Article Illustrated

WING-COMMANDER DESMOND DOUGLAS, D.S.O., O.B.E., R.A.A.F., photographed with his wife when she returned from England last week. Formerly Miss Joan Hunter, of Neutral Bay, she travelled to England to be married five years ago when her husband, who is a Sunderland pilot, was in command of Squadron 461. She was in Plymouth during the big blitz, and when her husband returned to Australia a year ago she moved to a village outside London.

• Note : The above comment accompanied a photo in the Newspaper but it was not able to be attached here.

• AUSTRALIANS IN WAR FILM "COASTAL COMMAND"

Tweed Daily (Murwillumbah, NSW : 1914 - 1949) Saturday 17 October 1942 p 3 Article

AUSTRALIANS IN WAR FILM "COASTAL COMMAND" LONDON, Thursday: Australia's veteran Sunderland squadron which has an unparalleled record for flying hours and maintenance, has been complimented in Britain's brilliant new war film, Coastal Command," with the inclusion of three members of the RAAF as actors. The lucky ones are: Squadron-Leader Desmond Lloyd George Douglas, who was born at Sandgate, Queensland, and whose home is now at Willoughby, North Sydney: Flying-Officer Henry Douglas White, born at Toowoomba, whose home is at Brooklyn Park, South Australia; and Pilot-Officer E. A. Cock, of Castlemaine, Victoria, a navigator who is understood to have returned to Australia. This is the second compliment paid to Australian members of the Coastal Command. Recently when the- British Press was first allowed to see the service at work the representatives were , taken to inspect the Australian squadron.

• Wedding in Washington

The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) Wednesday 19 August 1970 p 19 Article

Wedding in Washington MISS Sue Douglas,daughter of the Chief of the Australian Joint Services Staff at the Australian Embassy, Washington, DC, Air Vice Marshal Desmond Douglas, and Mrs Douglas, was married on Saturday to Mr George Thomas, of Kogarah, NSW, and Canberra. The ceremony in the Chapel of the Presidents,National Presbyterian Church, Washington, was the first non-American and the first non-military service wedding in the chapel. At a reception in the new Australian Embassy chancery, Air Vice Marshal and Mrs Douglas, the groom's parents, Mr and Mrs G. H. Thomas, who flew from Sydney for the wedding, and the bride and groom received guests, including the Australian Ambassador to the United States, Sir James Plimsoll. Mr George Thomas, who is an engineer, and Mrs Thomas will live in San Francisco for a year before they return to Canberra.

• The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) Tuesday 7 May 1974 p 9 Article

Retires

Air Vice-Marshal D. L. G. Douglas who for the past four years has been head of the Australian Defence Staff in Washington, retired on Friday from the RAAF after 37 years' service.

Desmond Lloyd George Douglas OBE DFC died on 5 September 1980 at St Ives, New South Wales, Australia.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Royal Australian Airforce, Air Power Development Centre, "Air Vice-Marshals" Department of Defence'

See also:

• National Library of Australia, TROVE, Digitized Online Newspapers. http://trove.nla.gov.au/

• BIRTH:

• National Achives of Australia, Australian Imperial Forces Registration, National Library of Australia.

R/359/H DOUGLAS Desmond Lloyd George : Service Number - O359 : Date of Birth - 05/05/1917 : Place of Birth - Sandgate, QLD : Conflict - WW2. Date of Discharge May 5 1974.

• DEATH: * http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/Pages/family-history/family-history.aspx, N.S.W. Births ,Deaths and Marriages. 20919/1980 DOUGLAS DESMOND LLOYD GEORGE (F)MARK PLUMB (M)FRANCIS MARY.

Note

Desmond's LNAB was Plumb (I think) but as his father died when he was about 3 yrs old and his mother remarried he was known by the surname of his stepfather (Douglas).At this point in time I have no access to his birth in QLD to establish proof of LNAB. The death index states his father was Mark Plumb.