On this page a list of pilots that served in 40 squadron while pilot Capt. Michael was with them from October 1941 to February 1943. The photographs originates from the private photo album of Michael.
If you are a visitor and can maybe help with further information on these pilots please contact me, Tinus le Roux, much appreciated.
Dennis F D Acutt
28/01/42 joined 40 sqdn
14/05/42 Force landed but OK.
emails received November 2016:
Barry R W B Acutt
28/01/42 joined 40 sqdn
09/06/42 A/C damaged by AA fire.
22/07/42 Promoted to Captain
09/02/43 RTU
emails received November 2016:
Good Morning Tinus
My son, Marc James in New Zealand, came across your website with info on the pilots of 40 squadron with Capt Michael.
Are you related to Michael?
My father was Barry Acutt, my uncle Dennis Acutt and a very close family friend was Chick Foulds – godfather to my brother I think.
As a child I used to love paging through my fathers album especially the Gremlin pages – my father’s was ‘Goggles Gus’.
I am not sure where the photo album is now, but I have copied my brother and sister hoping one of them has it.
Kind Regards
Sue
Drummond, KZN, RSA
Hi Tinus
Michael must be a very good age!! My father would have been 104 now... The other 2 connections that I had -
Dr John Booth practised in Durban with Dr Raymond Mundy for many many years. Dr Mundy was our family doctor, but we often consulted with Dr John Booth too. He had had a lung removed, which did not hinder him at all.
In 1965 when I was at Durban Girls’ College we had a new girl in our class, Jennifer Welchman – I remember my Father asking me if she was related to Michael Welchman from 40 squadron. Jennifers family had moved to Durban from a different country, which country I cannot remember.
My father died in April 1987 age 74 of lung cancer – he had worked until the day before he went into hospital. Dennis died in June 1988 – he had severe diabetes most of his life. Indeed my Father was Chair of Acutts Estate Agents, Dennis ran the Durban North Agency.
Kind regards
Sue
Peter Andrew
Seconded to RAAF 451 squadron Oct1941- Jan 1942.
19/11/41 Crash landed and walk back 2 and 1/2 days to get to LG128 where 80 sqdn gave him 2 quarts of beer.
15/04/42 AC hit by AA, landed safely
13/05/42 Promoted to A Capt, flight commander
06/07/42 RTU
POW
Chris Beath
25/05/42 Joined 40 sqdn
10/11/42 Shot down and taken POW in Sollum area.
KIA
Ed Biden
Very popular member of the squadron.
He was the OC of 40 sqdn for the first battle period Jan 1942 until September 1942
10/04/42 promoted to Lt Col.
23/05/42 Claimed MC-202 probable
03/09/42 Finished his tour as OC
On a follow-up tour Ed was KIA.
Jannie P Blaauw
Very popular member of the squadron.
09/04/42 Force landed near El Adem due to engine trouble, AC retrieved
06/05/42 Force landed and walked to Sidi Azeiz LG next day
01/06/42 Left the sqdn
17/07/42 Returned from East Africa
26/09/42 Promoted to Major and transferred to 7 sqdn as OC
26/09/42 DFC awarded
13/04/43 Returned to 40 sqdn as OC
Aug 1943 OC of 74 OTU (tac/r)
Jan 44- March 45 OC of RAF 208 sqdn (tac/r)
Participated in the Berlin Airlift
1951 OC of SAAF 2 sqdn in Korea
Retired as Brigadier
F E Black
19/07/42 Reported for duty
18/11/42 A/C's pitched over due to soft spots on the taxi path at Martuba
19/01/43 Shot down, force landed, returned to squadron 22/01/42
KIA John H Booth 19/03/42 joined 40 sqdn 26/04/42 Shot down (Tomahawk) by 109's and crashed, died on way to hospital, buried by Free French at Bir Hacheim. |
John Borain
Joined 40 sqdn 8/01/42
01/06/42 Left 40 sqdn for ? fighter squadron because he is "temperamentally not suited for tac/r duty"
KIA
A E "Brokie" Brokensha
14/10/42 joined 40 sqdn
19/01/43 Shot down KIA
Peter "Pete" Campbell
Seconded to RAAF 451 squadron Oct1941- Jan 1942
25/11/41 Force landed (while evacuating their LG) without fuel in mids of a tank battle. Got help from SA armoured cars to refuel with tank petrol and arrived at newly located squadron base.
26/11/41 Again ran out of fuel, force landed in desert, spent night in the desert. 27/11/41 found 1SA div headquarters and refueled AC with vehicle fuel, returned to base.
22/01/42 RTU
01/10/42 Returned to the squadron
09/11/42 Claimed damage to a Ju-87
18/11/42 A/C's pitched over due to soft spots on the taxi path at Martuba
25/11/42 Shot down by AA Mersa Brega - Agheila area
After the war stayed good friends with Michael
Chris Kavanagh
13/06/42 Joined the sqdn
11/07/42 Force landed due to engine trouble.
Hi Tinus,
Chris Kavanagh was the first husband of my mother (Olive = ‘Mysti’, deceased 2002). He had been a journalist with the Natal Mercury and continued to write pieces for various newspapers while ‘up north’. He also wrote frequently to my mother and their infant daughter Patricia (my half-sister, later a literary agent in London, deceased 2008).
The letters are summarized as a chapter in A Country at War 1939-1945: The Mood of a Nation (South Africans at War) Hardcover – December 31, 1992
by Jennifer Crwys-Williams (Author).
I have seen a photograph of him climbing into a Spitfire (9?) somewhere in Tunisia. Chris later served in the Italian campaign but I think he was operating more as a war correspondent for the UDF, rather than a pilot. Chris Kavanagh was awarded the DFC and survived the war but had a close call when he was crew of a Sunderland flying boat that crash landed at sea and sank. Consequently he was a member of the ‘Goldfish Club’.
After 1945, he was a parliamentary reporter in Cape Town. He divorced my mother, remarried, had another daughter (Julie Kavanagh, subsequently an author and balletomane) and moved to the UK to continue his journalistic career.
Chris Kavanagh died in 1968.
All the best,
Mike F O'Brien
2018
I subsequently found out that Chris Kavanagh wrote a novel ‘Timid Eagle’ that was based on his wartime flying experiences. It was published by Howard Timmins in the early 1960s but was not a big seller. I do not have a copy and I haven’t read it, but it might be interesting to get hold of it to gain some further insight into the saga of 40 Sdn.
KIA
Dudley "Cobbles" Cobbledick
23/04/42 Promoted to act Capt., Flight commander.
10/05/42 Shot down and killed
Stanley Cohen
15/06/42 crashed aircraft while evacuating from Sidi Azeiz due to U/S aircraft
Was transferred after a short term of service at 40 sqdn.
Trevor Cook
04/05/42 Joined 40 sqdn
09/02/43 promoted to Captain
R R "Dick" de Gale
27/04/42 Joined 40 sqdn
28/05/42 Swung on landing but OK
12/06/42 Belly landed at Tobruk LG, unhurt, A/C written off
POW
POW
Natie "the Moose" Flekser
Dec-Jan 1942: was on the trip to Takoradi, Gold Coast West Africa, to do ferry flight of Hurricane aircraft back to the WD but returned without doing a ferry flight.
28/03/42 Force landed near Tobruk
10/05/42 Shot down, POW
Natie Flexser's personal war diary has been donated to the IWM
C L "Chick" Foulds
20/01/42 joined 40 sqdn
08/05/42 A/C badly damaged by AA but returned safely
06/07/42 Promoted to acting Capt. as Flight commander
09/02/43 Transferred to 74 OTU
Charles (Chick) Foulds and his family became good family friends. His wife was my godmother. After the war my father, Barry, persuaded him to join the family property firm in Durban where he remained.
Info from Correen Gorton, many thanks!
J E Freemantle
15/05/42 Joined 40 sqdn
06/06/42 Crashed a Tomahawk when one wheel came off on landing, unhurt.
05/10/42 Accident with A/C while taxi; cat 2 damage
26/11/42 Shot down near Agheila by Bf-109's, belly landed, walked 12 miles, picked up by own forces and returned to base.
John Freemantle worked at stockbrokers Max Freemantle and Pollock with branches in Johannesburg and Durban.
Info from Correen Gorton, many thanks!
Murray Gardner
Seconded to RAAF 451 squadron Oct1941- Jan 1942
Obtain DFC on 4/11/1941
12/12/41 Shot down a Ju-87 15 miles from Timini
22/01/42 RTU
28/08/42 Returned as new OC
08/09/42 Collided with his first flight in a Tomahawk to an Egyptian truck on landing, driver killed.
Email received 1 Jan 2017 from Nicholas Cowell:
Hello Tinus,
I found your site while searching for info on Charles Murray Shand (Murray) Gardner - your Murray Gardner
I am an Australian, researching Australian cricket during the war, but also at times touching on Kiwis, Saffers, Poms etc who also played cricket during wartime, especially servicemen.
Gardner was not only a 40 Sqn pilot and CO, but he rose to become a Lieutenant-Colonel in the SAAF, was awarded the OBE in 1944, became a senior RAF officer after the war (Wing Commander, temporary Group Captain in 1946)
He was also a good cricketer pre-war, when he played ten first-class cricket matches for Eastern Province (1931/32-1934/35) and for Border (1936/37) as a rich-hand batsman. After the war, he also played two matches for Sussex Second XI in Minor Counties cricket in 1948.
He was originally a lawyer from Grahamstown from Rhodes University.
I hope this is of interest, and thanks for the site and the info on Gardner
Cheers
Nic
Nicholas Cowell
Sydney, Australia
POW
J "Gamat" "Gouwsy" Gouws
Dec-Jan 1942: was on the trip to Takoradi, Gold Coast West Africa, to do ferry flight of Hurricane aircraft back to the WD but returned without doing a ferry flight.
09/04/42 Shot down and became POW
?/?/44 Murdered as part of the 50 Stalag Luft III Great Escape escapees that were caught and executed.
Enail received from Warwick Hojem:
Also, in terms of J "Gamat" "Gouwsy" Gouws who is showing on the Welchman site, Gouw’s death was 29/3/44 (as per CWGC site) … extract below:
Unit: 40 (Tomohawk) Squadron, (SAAF)
GOUWS, Johannes S
Rank: Lieutenant
Trade: Pilot
Service No: 103275
Date of Death: 29/03/1944
Age: 24 - Born: 13th August 1919
Regiment/Service: South African Air Force - 40 Sqdn.
Awards: Mentioned in Despatches
Grave Reference Coll. grave 9. A.
Cemetery POZNAN OLD GARRISON CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Gouws, of Bultfontein, Orange Free State.
Also see http://www.trasksdad.com/PopsProgress/The50.htm for another photo of Gouws and description below.
POW No.: 118
Digger.
Recaptured: Lindau
Killed: 29th March 1944 at Munich.
Cheers
Warwick
Gouws and Cobbledick, 1941, found on internet
Gouws as POW in Germany
J G "Joe" Grimes
27/04/42 Joined 40 sqdn
27/05/42 Hit by AA over Sidi Rezegh and force landed at Gambut.
Temple-Haddon
Seconded to RAAF 451 squadron Oct 1941- Jan 1942
22/01/42 RTU
KIFA
Jack H Heald
10/01/42 Joined 40 sqdn
04/05/42 Force landed at Gumbut, U/C collapsed
15/05/42 A/C hit and damaged by AA
29/06/42 Struck an aircraft that exploded while taking off in misty conditions and Jack was killed. Happened at LG 104 when the squadron was withdrawn.
POW
Cecil D Jackson
14/06/42 Lt Jackson crash landed a Tomahawk, unhurt
06/07/42 Lt Jackson hit by AA fire, force landed, POW
Kleynhans
Kruger |
C W "Bill" Lambon
02/07/42 Joined the sqdn
10/07/42 A/C hit by shell in cockpit, force landed, uninjured
Piet A Lategan
Was named "Likewaan"
B S "Gort" Lazarus
The name "Gort" was given to him by
04/02/42 Joined 40 sqdn
17/04/42 Overboost a Tomahawk, A/C became U/S.
15/06/42 crashed aircraft while evacuating from Sidi Azeiz due to U/S aircraft
10/07/42 Transferred to the Union for compassionate reasons
C "Clive" le Roux
13/06/42 Joined the sqdn
06/03/43 Shot down by AA, returned next day to sqdn
G Lloyd
22/07/42 Joined the sqdn
26/11/42 Had a fight with Bf-109's in the Agheila area protecting his shot down mate Lt Freemantle. A/C damaged but returned safely with completed tac/r info.
J R "Ross" Macdonald
19/03/42 joined 40 sqdn
He was the joker of the squadron and stayed good friends with Michael after the war.
MacDowall
25/05/42 Joined 40 sqdn
10/07/42 Transferred to SAAF base on medical grounds
POW
Douglas R "Doug" "Duggy" Mellor
21/03/42 Shot down, aircraft beleive to be seen landed okay, POW
Jimmy H P Miles
14/10/42 joined 40 sqdn
Ronnie G Mitchell
Dec-Jan 1942: was on the trip to Takoradi, Gold Coast West Africa, to do ferry flight of Hurricane aircraft back to the WD but returned without doing a ferry flight.
28/05/42 Force landed at Gambut
11/06/42 Fainted in his A/C at high altitude but recovered at 500 feet
Ronnie was transferred after an incident at a hospital where he was believed also to have a "blackout".
W A "Tiny" Nel
28/03/42 Promotion to acting Captain, flight commander
26/09/42 DFC awarded
12/10/42 Returned and promoted to sqdn 2 IC
Hello again Tinus
Thank you for the page of the SAAF 40 squadron pilots.
There were a number of people that I was acquainted with. When we returned to
South Africa in 1962,( I was ten years old) after my father retired from the
RAF, we moved to Wartburg and my father went into partnership with Peter
Campbell, in a sugar cane farm. The farm was called Nelscamp.(Nel and
Campbell) Peter Campbell was farming sugar at that time in Compensation on the
North Coast of KZN. Jimmy Egner and his wife Wendy were in Schroeders
near Wartburg they had two children Jenny and Johnathan whom I was friends
with. Johnathan became a pediatrician and I don't know what happened to
Jenny. Murray Shand Gardner was my boss. He was running the Natal
Law Society and I was his secretary for some years. He was delighted to know
who my father was. I left to have my son, and Murray retired shortly
after I left. That was 45 years ago.
My father spoke very little of the war days, and most of the
information I have is what I have researched myself. I have in my
possession an old photo album of the time in the desert mostly photos of the
fellows in the squadron and then those great ones of him with Churchill and
Montgomery and the King. I photographed them from the album for my
facebook page. If you would like copies of anything them I can send them
to you without any comments on them.
Due to a very unfortunate incident his medals and original
log book were stolen, I discovered through investigation that they were sold to
someone via Sotherbys but I could not find out who bought them. I have
his miniatures and a copy of his log book, which luckily I had copied some time
before the theft. I also have a letter entitled "Dropping the
Message" with two photos of an oil painting by Kenneth Grant, which was
commissioned by Big. Peter Curtis 47 years after the event. I will try to
photograph it and send it to you. I also have the flag with the Cat looking
through the magnifying glass.
If you could obtain a copy of his service records I would be
very grateful for that. I did contact the Forces War Records in England
to try to obtain some information but they want me to pay in pounds for any
information and the amount required and the exchange rate prohibits me from
doing so.
Thank you so much for replying to my correspondence with
you. It fills in some of the history of my father which I am trying to
obtain for my children and grandchildren to keep his memory alive. I have
attached two photos for you.
Kind regards
Helen Redelinghuys
R T Nicholson
02/07/42 Joined the sqdn
KIA
B H Nicol
Dec-Jan 1942: was on the trip to Takoradi, Gold Coast West Africa, to do ferry flight of Hurricane aircraft back to the WD but returned without doing a ferry flight.
21/04/42 Had engine failure, belly landed
25/05/42 Shot down and killed
Jack J Orpen
13/06/42 Joined the sqdn
Artist for the 40 sqdn "gremlins"
CLICK TO SEE HIS TRIBUTE PAGE HERE
J Orr 20/08/42 Transferred to squadron |
Sonny Rothman
Bob Rogers
Joined the squadron in February 1943 just as Michael was leaving. Bob and Michael stayed friends after the war and stayed in contact.
Wounded
C Rose
13/06/42 Joined the sqdn
21/07/42 Force landed, engine trouble.
KIA
Norman Ross
16/04/42 Shot down on tac/r sortie and killed. He was killed on his second sortie.
Wounded
M C S "Mel" Shepherd
14/10/42 joined 40 sqdn
13/12/42 Shot down and wounded in the foot. Crash landed and walked a far way, picked up by friendly forces and sent to hospital.
Thanks to David Shepherd, Mel's son, for sending me photographs and also the paper cutting (2018)
KIA
Willie "Smitty" Smith
Seconded to RAAF 451 sqdn Oct 41 - Jan 1942, KIA while serving with them.
Killed on returning from tack/r mission, hit by AA fire over Sidi Omar, crashed in flames 3 miles from their LG.
Southey 19/03/42 joined 40 sqdn
|
R D Steinbach
22/07/42 Joined the sqdn
10/11/42 Claimed a probable shot down EA
Denis N "Sven" Stott
28/12/42 RTU
Denis ready to mount his Hurricane. THANKS TO BARRY STOTT FOR THIS PHOTOGRAPH!
Wounded
Ian E I H "Virg" Sturgeon
07/05/42 Shot down a MC-202
13/06/42 A Flight (Capt Andrew) took over from ? Flight at Tobruk detachment.
13/06/42 A/C was hit in the fuel tank by a Breda shell, A/C returned
CLICK TO SEE HIS TRIBUTE PAGE HERE
KIA
"Tommy" Thomas
Seconded to RAAF 451 sqdn Oct 41 - Jan 1942, KIA while serving with them.
Got lost and force landed on 23/10/41; taken back by KDG armoured car.
5/11/41 Force land U/C up due to engine cut-out.
12/11/41 Shot down over the sea, ground forces saw parachutes but Thomas was killed.
R H van der Poel
02/07/42 Joined the sqdn
09/11/42 Engaged Bf-109's for 25 minutes as his no.1 could do the tac.r; DFC recommended
12/01/43 Aircraft slightly damaged by AA fire
26/01/43 Shot down, returned to sqdn on 30/01/42
email from Clive v d Poel 2018
Morning Tinus,
Found your site and the photo album.
My father was R.H van der Poel lately of Knysna . In fact Bob Rogers said a few words at my father’s funeral service.
What was also interesting was the picture of Clive le Roux . I have a similar photo , a few of which my dad still kept. Clive le Roux was a friend of my father’s and , according to my father , was after whom I was named.
As regards logbooks and other documents , I have very few because all my Dads medals including his DFC and log books were destroyed at my grand fathers house in Betty’s Bay during that very destructive fire in 60’s . I do have two photographs , the newspaper cutting of the DFC award together with the letter from the Airforce referring to the award. I had seen the various medals as my grand father kept them in a glass display cabinet but do not know the reason for the various citations/awards. . When the matter of trying to replace them was discussed with my father he never followed up with the SAAF.
I will however assemble what I have and forward it on to you . I appreciate all your efforts in managing this site . What is however difficult to address with grand children are the stories of North Africa and that is why Iam so appreciative of John Orpen’s writtings.
Thank you again.
Clive van der Poel
Wounded T B van der Riet 04/05/42 Joined 40 sqdn 05/06/42 Attacked by a Bf-109 while on Photo/r. Got wounded and nursed the damaged A/C home. The 109 followed and shot him down in flames at 50 feet near the drome. He crashed but escaped with severe burn wounds. Evacuated to Tobruk hospital. |
KIA
J W "Van" van Niekerk
Dec-Jan 1942: was on the trip to Takoradi, Gold Coast West Africa, to do ferry flight of Hurricane aircraft back to the WD but returned without doing a ferry flight.
10/04/42 Shot down and killed
Michael told that the day before van Niekerk was killed he had a conversation with him. van Niekerk said that he had a feeling that he will be killed the next day. He also told Michael that his family rejected him for joining the war effort and this was very hard for him.
KIFA
Visscher
13/01/43 joined squadron
25/01/43 Killed in flying accident near Buerat, buried next to his burnt out plane
Wounded, KIA
Dennis S Waugh
Dec-Jan 1942: was on the trip to Takoradi, Gold Coast West Africa, to do ferry flight of Hurricane aircraft back to the WD but returned without doing a ferry flight.
15/06/42 Lt Waugh wounded in legs by AA shell hit in the cockpit in Tobruk vicinity. He brought the A/C back, was taken to Tobruk hospital.
Dennis was RTU and he recovered from his injuries. Dennis was killed in action with a follow-up tour.
KIA
W J A S "Jack" Webb
20/01/42 joined 40 sqdn.
01/04/42 Hit by AA and force landed, walked and found 1 SA div, AC destroyed, lift back to base
07/05/42 Shot down a MC-202
09/05/42 Force landed in Enemy area, walked and picked up by friendly armoured car.
10/05/42 Walked into camp, 3d time
28/05/42 Claim Bf-109 shot down probable.
19/07/42 Recommended for immediate DFC award
21/10/42 Promoted to Captain
04/11/42 Shot down by AA near Tel-El-Eisa. He force landed in a mine field setting off a mine. His body was found by the Durham Light Infantry regt and he was buried in close vicinity to his aircraft..
Email received 2013:
Jack Webb was my cousin and I have been trying to find information about his death in Egypt for years. From your vidio I find that he was with SAAF 40 Squadron and was with John Sturgeon. You even have a picture of Jack in a dingy/sailboat on the Nile and one photo of Jack next to a plane. How can I get these photos? I was told by my family that Jack was forced to land by the Germans onto a mine field and was blown up. I would love to hear the real facts of his demise. His father Oscar Walter Webb was my father's brother.
I would be so grateful to you for these photos and info
--
Kindest
regards,
Kenn Webb
Yes I noted his flying school pic, but could not copy it. You are right as
my mother always told me what a wonderful human he was and loved for it.
As a complete disbeliever in war I must say how terribly sad I find all these
pictures. What hell they all went through and all so young. His father leut.
Colonal W. O. Webb and my father sgt major H. B Webb both fought in both World
Wars. They also were so young and suffered in the trenches in France. My dad
was blown up and gassed. Lost the partial sight in one eye and shrapnel
rendered his right thumb unuseable.
Let us never go into this carnage again. These photographic reminders should
teach the powers to be to avoid war at all cost.
Right now in Mozambique we are going headlong into another civil war only
because of not entertaining the other sides complaints.
Cheers for now.
Kenn Webb
J M "Mike" Welchman
Dec-Jan 1942: was on the trip to Takoradi, Gold Coast West Africa, to do ferry flight of Hurricane aircraft back to the WD but returned without doing a ferry flight.
02/05/42 Made an accident with a Tomahawk as the U/C folded on landing
15/06/42 crashed aircraft while evacuating from Sidi Azeiz due to U/S aircraft
04/11/42 promoted to acting Flight commander
09/02/43 RTU
CLICK TO SEE HIS TRIBUTE PAGE HERE
Bert F Welgemoed
25/05/42 Joined 40 sqdn
20/12/42 Flew to Cairo and returned with six dozen whiskey's and 80 gallons of brandy in the long range tanks for X-mass party
12/01/43 Aircraft slightly damaged by AA fire
09/02/43 promoted to Captain