BADER DOUGLAS: (1910-1982) British fighter pilot, a World War II Ace (22.5 victories), recognized for his important role during the Battle of Britain. Book signed and inscribed, being a hardback edition of Reach for the Sky - The Story of Douglas Bader by Paul Brickhill, published by Collins, London, fifth impression, July 1954. Signed by Bader in blue fountain pen ink to the front free endpaper, 'To Jim Cruttenden, incorrectly called 'Jack' in this book. A man of Sussex & not an ''Aussie'', from Douglas Bader', and dated 15th March 1954 in his hand. Accompanied by the dust jacket (price clipped). A remarkable association copy. Some age wear to the dust jacket and a band of light foxing to the left edge of the front free endpaper, only very slightly affecting the inscription, but not Bader's signature. G Bader joined the Royal Air Force in 1928 and was commissioned two year later. In December 1931, while attempting some aerobatics at Woodley Airfield during a visit to Reading Aero Club, Bader crashed his Bulldog aircraft and was rushed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital where, in the hands of a prominent surgeon, both his legs were amputated. Jim Cruttenden provided crucial support for Bader in the immediate aftermath of the crash and the important journey to hospital, as Brickhill recounts in Reach for the Sky, 'Jack Cruttenden….an Australian student pilot at the club, found he could not lift Bader out of the crushed cockpit. He started tearing at bits of the wreckage…..Someone brought a hacksaw and cut away a twisted centre-section strut. Bader partly came to and sensed more than knew that Cruttenden was gently lifting him out. Consciousness was lapping and receding in waves, He was lying on the grass. Someone was taking his shoes off. Cruttenden's hands were doing something to his right knee: they felt very strong and were covered in blood. He felt no pain. A little to one side two white doors with red crosses opened and the crosses went out of sight. He supposed it was an ambulance. Then he was lying in it on a stretcher….He tried to sit up but could not get very far…..The legs of his overalls and trousers had gone somewhere, and Cruttenden's fingers seemed to be in his right knee (holding the femoral artery)…..He could feel the ambulance was moving and wanted to see what was happening outside. He said to Cruttenden: ''Look, I think I'll get up now. I want to get out of here''. He started struggling up on his elbows and Cruttenden said: ''Take it easy. Won't be long now''. Bader said petulantly: ''Oh, to hell with this. I want to get out now. This is damn silly''. He tried to struggle up again, and Cruttenden took one hand from the knee and pressed it gently against his chest to hold him down. Being held down by a stranger was irritating. He twisted a shoulder off the stretcher, hooked his right fist up and hit Cruttenden on the chin. He felt he could not hit very hard lying down. Cruttenden, looking at him with a pacifying grin, said: ''Ease it up, mate''. Having hit him, Bader felt suddenly feeble and foolish. But honour was satisfied - he's made the gesture - and anyway he'd completely lost interest in getting up now. He lay back and did not remember any more'. Having been on the brink of death, Bader recovered, retook flight training, passed his check flights and then requested reactivation as a pilot, although was retired against his will on medical grounds. After the outbreak of World War II in 1939, however, Bader returned to the RAF and was accepted as a pilot. He scored his first victories over Dunkirk during the Battle of France in 1940 and then participated in the Battle of Britain.