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Field Marshal Jan Christiaan Smuts
1870 to 1950

Field Marshal Smuts was a member of the Imperial War Cabinet during the Great War (1914 –1918)
and is regarded as the founder of the Royal Air Force that came into being with the amalgamation of 
the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps into one independent arm of service on the 
1st April 1918. 
 

Captain Edwin Essery Swales VC DFC
1915 - 1945

Captain Edwin Swales was the only member of the South African Air Force to be awarded the Victoria Cross. He was a Lancaster “Pathfinder” pilot with 582 Squadron RAF. 
 

Extract from the Fifth Supplement to The London Gazette No. 37049 for Tuesday 24th April 1945

The KING has been graciously pleased to confer the VICTORIA CROSS on the undermentioned officer in recognition of most conspicuous bravery :-

Captain Edwin Swales D.F.C (6101V) S.A.A.F., 582 Squadron (Deceased) :-

Captain Swales was master bomber of a force of aircraft which attacked Pforzheim on the night of February 23rd, 1945. As master bomber, he had the task of locating the target area with precision and of giving aiming instructions to the main force of bombers following in his wake.

Soon after he had reached the target area he was engaged by an enemy fighter and one of his engines was put out of action. His rear guns failed. His crippled aircraft was an easy prey to further attacks. Unperturbed, he carried on with his allotted task; clearly and precisely he issued aiming instructions to the main force. Meanwhile the enemy fighter closed the range and fired again. A second engine of Captain Swales aircraft was put out of action. Almost defenceless, he stayed over the target area issuing his aiming instructions until he was satisfied that the attack had achieved its purpose.

It is now known that the attack was one of the most concentrated and successful of the war.

Captain Swales did not, however, regard his mission as completed. His aircraft was damaged. Its speed had been so much reduced that it could only with difficulty be kept in the air. The blind-flying instruments were no longer working. Determined at all costs to prevent his aircraft and crew from falling into enemy hands, he set course for home. After an hour he flew into thin-layered cloud. He kept his course by skilful flying between the layers, but later heavy cloud and turbulent air conditions were met. The aircraft, by now over friendly territory, became more and more difficult to control; it was losing height steadily. Realising that the situation was desperate Captain Swales ordered his crew to bale out. Time was very short and it required all his exertions to keep the aircraft steady while each of his crew moved in turn to the escape hatch and parachuted to safety. Hardly had the last crew-member jumped when the aircraft plunged to earth. Captain Swales was found dead at the controls.

Intrepid in the attack, courageous in the face of danger, he did his duty to the last, giving his life that his comrades might live.