Christopher Draper
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Squadron Commander Christoper Draper, DSC (15 April 1892 - 16 January 1979), was a British flying ace of World War I. His penchant for flying under bridges earned him the nickname "the Mad Major." After the war he became a film star through his work both as a stunt pilot and as an actor. During the 1930s he worked for a time as a British secret agent, serving as a double agent to Nazi Germany. He returned to the RAF in World War II as a squadron commander.
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[edit] Early life
Christopher Draper was born at Bebington, Merseyside, (then Cheshire) England in 1892. He became interested in flying in July 1909 when Louis Blériot flew across the English Channel. Unable to afford the GBP 75 fee for pilot training, Draper wrote to his local MP, Sir Joseph Hoult, who was an acquaintance of his father. Hoult provided Draper with GBP 210 after making him promise not to tell anyone about the gift. On 6 October 1913, with a total of 3 hours 15 minutes of flying experience, he obtaining Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate #646.
While trying to find a job flying, he learned from a cousin in the service that the Royal Navy was offering short service commissions to pilots with an Aviator's Certificate. After passing the medical Draper joined the Royal Naval Air Service in January 1914 and was commissioned as a probationary sub-lieutenant, RNR.
From January to April 1914 he attended the fifth course at the Central Flying School. Also on the course were Hugh Dowding and Wilfrid Freeman while the instructors included John Tremayne Babington and John Salmond - all of whom were later Air Marshals. After passing his course, Draper was assigned to the Royal Naval Air Station at Eastchurch under the command of Commander Charles Rumney Samson. On 20 July he flew in the Naval Review at Spithead. This was the first review to include aircraft.
Later while based at Dundee, Draper was ordered to land an aeroplane on the green at St. Andrews golf course. He stopped right in front of the clubhouse.
[edit] World War I
[edit] Royal Naval Air Service
In 1916 he was posted to 3 Naval Wing where, flying the Sopwith 1½ Strutter, he scored his first four victories. He later flew the Sopwith Camel, first with 6 Naval Squadron then with 8 Naval Squadron, in which he scored five more victories.
On July 7, 1917 he became the first person ever to engage an enemy aircraft over London when he was the first British pilot to enter what became an enormous 100 aircraft dogfight.
At the end of October 1917 Draper became commanding officer of 8 Naval Squadron.
[edit] Royal Air Force
On April 1, 1918, 8 Naval Squadron became No. 208 Squadron RAF when the RNAS and the Royal Flying Corps merged to become the Royal Air Force. Draper was notorious for refusing to wear the new, blue RAF uniforms, preferring his Naval blacks.
On October 13, 1918, he was wounded by anti-aircraft fire.
One morning while flying towards the front lines Draper accidentally flew under a bridge while in full view of a large body of troops. The troops cheered so heartily that Draper repeated the stunt wherever possible. This earned him his nickname The Mad Major. (In its early days the RAF used Army ranks.)
For his service in the war he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the French Croix de Guerre.
[edit] Interwar years
[edit] Stunt and film flying
After the war, Draper left the RAF but he continued to fly as a stunt pilot at air shows and in motion pictures. In April 1919 he was the pilot for the first flight of the British Aerial Transport Company's F.K.26. This was the first plane specifically designed to carry passengers.
In 1930, as a protest over the way the government had treated war veterans, he set out to fly under all 14 of London's bridges over the River Thames. Due to bad weather on the day he only managed to fly under two of the bridges. This was captured on film and brought "The Mad Major" a degree of fame.
Draper's work as a stunt pilot in films eventually led him into acting. He starred in many theatrical productions and several films. He played a pilot in 1935's King of the Damned.
[edit] Espionage work
In 1932 Draper was invited to participate in an "Aces of the Air Tour" of Germany. Aces from many nations participated. In addition to meeting various German aces, he was introduced to Chancellor Adolf Hitler.
As a result of this meeting and of Draper's longstanding criticism of the British Government's treatment of veterans, he was listed by the Nazi Party as a potential sympathizer. After his return to England he was contacted and asked to spy for the Germans. He agreed and then immediately contacted MI6. They decided to use him as a double agent to feed false information to the Nazis. This situation continued for about four years until the Germans stopped answering Draper's communications.
[edit] World War II and post-war years
In World War II Draper rejoined the RAF. He commanded squadrons in west Africa and the Far East. He flew the Hawker Hurricane, but saw relatively little action.
After the war Draper was once again upset at the government's treatment of veterans. In 1953 he again protested by flying under the Thames bridges. This time he flew under 15 of the 18 bridges but was arrested and charged with flying too low in an urban area. He was fined ten guineas.
His memoirs The Mad Major were published by Aero Publishers in 1962.
Draper died in Camden, London in 1979.
[edit] References
- Draper, Christopher (1962). The Mad Major. Aero Publishers.
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