Douglas Bader lost both legs in a 1931 aerobatic crash that should have ended his RAF career permanently. Medically discharged, he fought the bureaucracy for nearly a decade before being reinstated in 1939, going on to command No. 242 Squadron during the Battle of Britain and later advocate aggressively — and controversially — for the "Big Wing" tactical formation that put him at odds with Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park.
The Isle of Man has long used its crown series to commemorate British figures with limited connection to the island itself. Bader was captured in 1941 after a mid-air collision over France; the Germans famously allowed the RAF to drop him a replacement prosthetic leg.
Douglas Bader lost both legs in a 1931 aerobatic crash that should have ended his RAF career permanently. Medically discharged, he fought the bureaucracy for nearly a decade before being reinstated in 1939, going on to command No. 242 Squadron during the Battle of Britain and later advocate aggressively — and controversially — for the "Big Wing" tactical formation that put him at odds with Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park.
The Isle of Man has long used its crown series to commemorate British figures with limited connection to the island itself. Bader was captured in 1941 after a mid-air collision over France; the Germans famously allowed the RAF to drop him a replacement prosthetic leg.