RAF career

Donaldson joined two of his brothers in the RAF in 1931, granted a short service commission his first posting being to No. 3 Squadron flying Bristol Bulldogs.^[3]

In 1932 he was runner up in the R.A.F. Wakefield Boxing Championship, which he won the following year.^[1] In 1933 the crack-shot won the RAF's Gunnery Trophy One, known as the Brooke-Popham Air Firing Trophy, and won it again in 1934. In 1935 he became a stunt pilot as a member of the No. 3 Squadron aerobatic team of five Bulldogs,^[3] which he led in 1937 and 1938 at the International Zürich Rally.^[1]

When the Second World War broke out, Squadron Leader Donaldson was commanding No. 151 Squadron flying the Hawker Hurricane.^[4] In their first engagement over France, they destroyed six enemy aircraft, shooting down many more in the following months including at the Battle of Dunkirk.^[2] For his leadership of the squadron during the battle and his personal tally of eleven kills, plus ten probable destructions, Donaldson was awarded the DSO.^[3][5]

In desperate need for pilots, the RAF choose to transfer Donaldson to the gunnery instructor school. Posted to Canada, Donaldson self-penned an RAF training booklet titled Notes on Air Gunnery and Air Fighting, which after the United States entered the war, provided the basis for his instruction.^[1] As liaison to the US Army Air Force,^[3] his booklet was replicated over 7,500 times, and helped teach USAAF gunnery instructors.^[1]

On his return to England in 1944, he converted to jet aircraft and commanded the first operational Gloster Meteor squadron, at RAF Colerne.^[3]

Airspeed record

During the Second World War, most of the pre-war airspeed records had been broken. The RAF decided to recapture the flight airspeed record with its new generation of jet aircraft, and set up a new High Speed Flight squadron. Group Captain Donaldson was selected to command the Air Speed Flight, established at the start of 1946. On 7 September 1946, he established a new official world record of 615.78 mph (991.00 km/h; 535.10 kn) in a Gloster Meteor F.4 over Littlehampton,^[3] although some unofficial Me 262 and Me 163 flights in the Second World War achieved higher speeds. As a result, he was awarded a Bar to his Air Force Cross.^[6]

Later RAF career

During the early 1950s, Donaldson served in West Germany and commanded RAF Fassberg and RAF Wunstorf airfields, gaining appointment to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 1953, and advancement to air commodore in July 1955 after attending the Joint Services Staff College. From 1956 to 1958 he served as Deputy Commander of Air Forces in the Arabian Peninsula. On return to England, his final appointment was as Commandant of the RAF College, Manby.^[1]

Personal life

Donaldson married Winifred Constant in 1936, and the couple had two daughters. After they were divorced in 1944, in the same year he married Estellee Holland, an American nurse, and the couple had one son, David.^[7] After they divorced in 1954, he married Anne Sofie Stapleton in 1957, whom he divorced in 1982.^[8]

Donaldson retired as an air commodore in 1961, and became the Air Correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, until 1979.^[3] He was a keen yachtsman owning a yacht which he kept in Gosport Marina. He retired to his home in Selsey, and died at the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar on 6 June 1992. Donaldson is buried at St Andrew's Church, Tangmere.^[1]