World War II and Post-war Years
In 1939, Draper joined the Royal Naval Reserve and was posted to Ford as assistant armament officer before going to Trinidad. In World War II, although 47 years of age, he became a Lieutenant Commander with postings in Scotland and the Gold Coast in 1943, before commanding No. 777 Squadron at Freetown, flying anti-submarine duties in Supermarine Walrus, Boulton Paul Defiant and Fairey Swordfish aircraft.
After the war Draper once more drifted into a variety of activities including acting and store-keeping. By the fifties he was once again upset at the government's treatment of veterans. On 5 May 1953, he again repeated his earlier protest by flying under the Thames bridges. This time he flew a rented, 100 h.p. Auster monoplane under 15 of the 18 bridges. It was a spectacular stunt; the bridge arches were only 40 to 50 feet high; Draper was flying 90 mph and dodged around a ship. According to news accounts, he pulled off his stunt as a means of seeking attention and soliciting job offers. He was arrested, charged with flying too low in an urban area, and assessed a nominal ten guineas court costs.
"I did it for the publicity," Draper told the press; "For 14 months I have been out of a job, and I'm broke. I wanted to prove that I am still fit, useful and worth employing......They tell me I can be jailed, possibly for six months.....It was my last-ever flight- I meant it as a spectacular swansong."
However, he retained his pilot's license for another eleven years; it was revoked in 1964.
His memoirs The Mad Major were published by Aero Publishers in 1962.
Draper died in Camden, London in 1979.
Read more about this topic: Christopher Draper
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