Douglas Blackwood George Douglas Morant Blackwood , ( 11 October 1909 — 2 March 1997 ) was a British publisher and a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II . Early life . Douglas Blackwood was a great - great - grandson of William Blackwood who founded William Blackwood & Sons the publishers and Blackwood ' s Magazine . He was educated at St Cyprian ' s School , Eastbourne and Eton . On completing his education , he had little choice but to follow his father into the family firm . However he held a short service commission in the RAF from 1932 to 1938 and had it not been for the outbreak of World War II , he would have returned to Edinburgh to work for his father and uncle . RAF service . He rejoined the RAF in 1939 and , being a naturally gifted fighter pilot , commanded No . 310 Squadron RAF a Czech fighter squadron during the Battle of Britain . In August 1940 during the Battle of Britain , he was forced to bale out over Clacton . After a night of German bombing of the City of London , he was on dawn patrol and from his plane at 25 , 000 feet over the North Weald he could see the thick smoke from the fires which destroyed Blackwood ' s business premises in Paternoster Square . He ended the Second World War as Wing Commander commanding the Czech Fighter Wing in the RAF Second Tactical Air Force . He was decorated with the Czech War Cross and Czech Military Medal and was presented with the Czech Medal of George of Poděbrady in 1993 . Publishing . Blackwood left the RAF in 1945 and found the publishing business to be in a shocking state . The Blitz had destroyed millions of books as well as Blackwood ' s base in London and heralded a decline in the firm ' s fortunes . Before the war William Blackwood & Sons had been one of Britain ' s leading literary publishers , but in the post - war world its name and literary reputation counted for little . Blackwood was managing director of the firm and editor of Blackwoods Magazine from 1948 to 1976 . Blackwoods had to deal with an increasing number of mass - production rivals and with a decline in interest in monthly literary magazines . By the 1970s Blackwoods and its magazine appeared out - of - date and failed to attract a younger generation of writers and readers . It was an achievement that the magazine survived until 1980 . Blackwood retired from the editorship in 1976 , being the last member of his family to edit the magazine which bore his name . He remained chairman of the publishing house until 1983 . His biographer , Trevor Royle noted that Blackwood , being shy , could appear remote or aloof , although he was considered " a kindly man who wore his learning lightly " . He was most comfortable in military company and never courted literary or political society . He had little literary pretension - when a reviewer asked if he had known George Orwell at Eton - he was six years his junior there and at St Cyprian ' s - Blackwood replied , " Oh , Blair , yes I remember him , he had a motor - bicycle . " However Blackwood ' s dismissive comment may have a different interpretation as he published an article in his magazine that vigorously refuted Orwell ' s criticisms of their prep school . In retirement Blackwood lived in the Scottish Borders , where he enjoyed field sports and country pursuits . He died in Edinburgh . Family . Blackwood married Phyllis Caulcutt , an equestrian rider and an expert exponent of dressage , in 1936 and they had a son and daughter . His son Michael , a former naval pilot , succeeded him in the business but by then the firm had amalgamated to concentrate on printing .