Douglas was born in Whiston, near Rotherham, the second of six children. He attended Whiston Parish Church and was a choirboy from the age of seven.

He was educated at Rotherham Grammar School.

He remained a proud Yorkshireman who called a spade a spade, always said what he thought, and never used (or needed) a microphone in church. He was as comfortable in the mining communities as he was in the Dales.

In the depressed 1930s, while nursing his ambition to be ordained, Douglas joined the RAF. He was then 21. With the help of Wakefield diocese, he left the RAF and commenced his theological training at Knutsford Theological College and then King's College, London.

However, after the outbreak of war in 1939, King's College relocated to Bristol. Following the evacuation of Dunkirk, which he regarded as a miracle, Douglas volunteered and rejoined the RAF. He saw active service in military intelligence, based in India. The RAF decided that having studied classical languages, he would be able to learn Japanese.

Breaks from the war were permitted in Ceylon, especially when the danger of Japanese invasion had passed. On one such break, Douglas met Joyce Langdon, a Guildford girl 10 years his junior who was with the WRENs based on the island. After a brief courtship and engagement, they were married in Colombo in November 1945.

On returning to England, Douglas completed his theological studies at King's College. He always intended to return to Yorkshire, and to the Wakefield diocese who had supported him. He was ordained in 1948 and served in the Wakefield diocese for 11 years; at Todmorden from 1948 to 1952, Lundwood, near Barnsley, from 1952 to 1955 and at Gawber, near Barnsley, from 1955 to 1959.

In 1959, he moved to the Bradford diocese as Vicar of Baildon where he was to remain for 12 years. In 1972, he became Rector of Burnsall (with Appletreewick) until retiring to Thirkleby, near Thirsk, in 1978. He received permission to officiate in the York diocese, and assisted at Thirkleby and elsewhere. However, the lure of parish life remained strong and Douglas came out of retirement when he was 68 to take charge of the parish of Birdsall and Langton, near Malton.

On final retirement in 1986, Douglas and Joyce moved to Rufforth, near York. Douglas continued to officiate locally until well into his 80s, notably at Askham Bryan Church, where his ashes will be interred

Douglas was a supporter of Scouting, being chaplain whilst in the Barnsley area and forming a troop at Gawber (other chaplaincies included chaplain to the West Riding wing of the Air Training Corps). He promoted ecumenicalism in its early days, notably at Baildon, where the Anglican, Catholic, Methodist and Moravian clergy began to meet weekly, and there were regular united services.

He encouraged lay preachers and ran courses for them in the Bradford diocese. One lay preacher was ordained, and worked with Douglas in Baildon. His ministry in Baildon coincided with a period of rapid growth there. The parish church of St John's had a daughter church at Charlestown, St James. A further daughter church, St Hugh's, was built to serve the needs of lower Baildon.

Douglas was a family man first and foremost. He and Joyce had six children, of whom five survive him, and there are 14 grandchildren. Joyce actively supported his ministry as a full-time vicar's wife and mother.

Douglas was a keen follower of many sports. He was a life-long supporter of Rotherham United, Sheffield Wednesday and Yorkshire CCC. In later life, he enjoyed watching rugby union increasingly. In the RAF and at college, he ran, boxed, and played cricket and rugby before taking up golf in his late 40s. He was blessed with good health and was delighted to hear, shortly before he died, that Sheffield Wednesday had avoided relegation.

He died peacefully in hospital having enjoyed a family party for his 95th birthday two months earlier.