Singer and actor Will Young has paid tribute to his late grandfather with a new tattoo after discovering his remarkable wartime story during an emotional episode of the BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?
The former Pop Idol winner appeared on the programme’s latest episode, aired Tuesday, June 3, where he explored the paternal side of his family tree. Through archival records and historical accounts, Young learned that his grandfather, Digby Young, had served as a Royal Air Force bomber pilot during the Second World War—and had endured harrowing experiences that were previously unknown to the family.
Digby Young, who died at the age of 50, rarely spoke of his wartime service. But RAF records shown during the programme revealed he had taken part in key missions, including attacks on Berlin’s primary airfield. During one such mission, his aircraft sustained engine failure after coming under fire. Digby survived the crash and was captured by enemy forces, becoming a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft III, a Luftwaffe-run POW camp in German-occupied Poland.
While interned, Digby reportedly performed an emergency amputation on a Nazi guard using alcohol and kitchen knives when the man developed frostbite. Toward the war’s end, he successfully escaped captivity by bribing the camp commander and eventually reached American troops. After the war, he returned to the RAF and served as a Squadron Leader flying jets.
Reacting to the discoveries, Young expressed deep emotion and said the experience transformed his understanding of his grandfather.
“I feel quite emotional. Now I feel like I’ve got another grandfather,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I had a right to claim him because I didn’t know him. All he was to me was a picture and an early death under sad circumstances. Now the picture and the death are not even part of his story.”
As a tribute, Young revealed a new tattoo he had inked on his arm featuring his grandfather’s aircraft and squadron number. The tattoo sits beside his first-ever ink, which reads “Sans Peur” (“Without Fear”)—the Young family motto.
“Digby certainly showed no fear,” he said. “It meant so much to me. I have tattoos over my body, many for family members, and I wanted to honour Digby in that way.”
Young described the journey as a “real gift,” adding: “Digby’s history for me was steeped in disappointment and sadness, and I’ve found out that it was anything but. Now, when I look at his portrait in my study, I’ll think, ‘That’s my grandfather. He was such a dude.’”
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