Duke of Edinburgh | Dennis 'Captain Mac' McCaig

Dennis McCaig - 'Captain Mac' - 90th Birthday Celebration

Today, Monday 10th October 2011, the Duke was proud to stage the 90th birthday celebration party of Dennis 'Captain Mac' McCaig.

Dennis is a regular customer of the Duke and on Monday 10th October 2011 he enjoyed the company of numerous friends and family for a celebratory lunch at the Duke.

Annie with Dennis McCaig - 'Captain Mac'

Dennis McCaig was 249 Squadron leader in the R.A.F. He valiantly fought in the Battle of Britain during World War 2 and has received an M.B.E and an A.F.C for his services. He is a real living war hero - he got shot down, captured, then he escaped - and then within 3 months he was at them again!! A True Legend !!

Captain Mac belongs to three exclusive flying organisations. What makes Captain Mac that bit special is he managed to join all three in one involuntary attempt!

On hat fateful day, the guys all received their briefing for the operation and took off into a crystal clear day breaking sky - layered stratus cloud delicately tinged with the colour from the rising sun. It was wonderful. Very peaceful, too, until...

1. He qualified for the Caterpillar Club, when he baled out after being hit by intensive, light and accurate flak. The steep dive he took for a closer look at the harbour and to straf the E boats he had seen secured to the jetty was probably a great mistake, looking back.

2. He then qualified for the Goldfish Club, by parachuting into a freezing Adriatic Sea and being envloped by the canopy, struggling to save his own life by inflating the pilot dinghy, which was starpped to his bottom.

3. He then qualified for membership to the RAF Prisoner of War Association, courtesy of the German SS - betrayed by the Italians who had been forced into working for them - after being pulled out of the water half frozen, sodden and a demoralised mess. He was soaked in sea water and covered, head to foot, in vivid green dye from the dinghy rescue kit. He was betrayed because he failed to meet the Italians' plea to take all of them back to the Italian mainland as his very own POWs.