1908 and onward in WWI while Fairbairn’s system was not fully developed and coined “Defendu†until 1926.īill Underwood changed the name of his system from “Combato†to “Defendo†in 1945 when he began to engage in his first civilian “post-war†trainings in New Jersey, U.S.A. In fact, Underwood was developing Combato as a unique system from approx. (Ahhh… Doing a little “Defendo†today, were ya boys?â€)įairbairn also did not “pre-date†Bill Underwood. If Fairbairn’s system was ever referred to as “Defendo†it was in the context of a slang, making reference to hand-to-hand combat techniques in general. At Allied Forces STS103 (Camp X) in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, Fairbairn taught a combat course called “Silent Killingâ€. When the Second World War broke out and Fairbairn was commissioned to instruct Allied Special Forces in 1940, he developed and taught “Close Quarter Combatâ€. At no point did Fairbairn ever change the name of his system from “Defendu†to “Defendo†as some would claim. William Fairbairn’s original system, which was developed in the 1920’s while he was employed by the Shanghai Municipal Police Department, was called “Defenduâ€. The record, however, needs to be set straight and it is time that Bill Underwood receives the credit that he deserves.īill Underwood was the original creator and has the legitimate right to the name “Defendoâ€. Many of these are wonderfully capable, masters of their craft and have made tremendous contributions to the Close Quarter Combat world in recent years. It is not remotely our desire to criticize any of the very credible and experienced individuals and schools who may hold to this line of thinking. It's the dot com oneWhy? Please elaborate!Ĭommon Point of Confusion: I thought “Defendo†was William Fairbairn’s system…â€Īt some point since Bill Underwood’s death in 1986, there are those who began to refer to modern day representations of William Fairbairn’s “Defendu†or “Close Quarter Combat†as “Defendoâ€.