Douglas Blackwood
| George Douglas Morant Blackwood | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | George Douglas Morant Blackwood |
| Born | 11 October 1909 |
| Died | 2 March 1997 (aged 87) Edinburgh |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1939 — 1945 |
| Rank | Wing Commander |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
| Other work | Publishing |
George Douglas Morant Blackwood, (11 October 1909 – 2 March 1997) was a British publisher and a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II.
Douglas Blackwood was a great-great-grandson of William Blackwood who founded William Blackwood & Sons the publishers and Blackwood's Magazine. He was educated at St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne and Eton. On completing his education, he had little choice but to follow his father into the family firm. However he held a short service commission in the RAF from 1932 to 1938 and had it not been for the outbreak of World War II, he would have returned to Edinburgh to work for his father and uncle.
He rejoined the RAF in 1939 and, being a naturally gifted fighter pilot, commanded No. 310 Squadron RAF a Czech fighter squadron during the Battle of Britain. In August 1940 during the Battle of Britain, he was forced to bale out over Clacton. After a night of German bombing of the City of London, he was on dawn patrol and from his plane at 25,000 feet over the North Weald he could see the thick smoke from the fires which destroyed Blackwood's business premises in Paternoster Square. He ended the Second World War as Wing Commander commanding the Czech Fighter Wing in the RAF Second Tactical Air Force. He was decorated with the Czech War Cross and Czech Military Medal and was presented with the Czech Medal of George of Poděbrady in 1993.
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