Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, born February 21, 1910 and a native of England, died peacefully on September 5, 1982 at Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, England, at the age of 72. Bader was an RAF aviator and the holder of the Distinguished Service Order, Distinguished Flying Cross, and bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross. Before his military service, Bader had achieved a degree in jurisprudence from Oriel College, Oxford, England from 1929-1932. Bader became a Squadron leader in 1935 and during World War II, achieved the rank of Wing Commander in 1940. In December of 1931, he suffered the loss of both legs in an air crash, but through sheer determination went on to fly again. In 1941, he was shot down and taken prisoner. He became the subject of special attention from his captors, for his skill in escape attempts and general rebelliousness. After repatriation and rehabilitation in 1946 after the end of the war, he took up corporate and public life, working for Shell Oil and undertaking lecture tours around the world, including a tour of duty in the United States. Bader was a symbol of British wartime tenacity and mentioned in Prime Minister Winston Churchill's speeches of the time as an exemplar of bravery and spirit. Bader will be remembered by family and friends as an exemplary figure of strength and determination to overcome adversity.