Film Screen Shots East Africa 1941-42

 Screenshots of John's 8mm film made during his operational service with No. 5 squadron in North Africa 1942. 


Bristol Bombay transport aircraft; Abu Sueir? 

 1

 Bombay transport aircraft; Abu Sueir?

  2

 Bombay transport aircraft; Abu Sueir?

  3

 French girls swimming with 1 sqdn members

 4

 

 5

 

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 Leonard le Clues ‘Polly’ Theron

  7

 

  8

Training with Gloster Gauntlet aircraft at Abu Sueir . No. 1 Squadron Gladiators were sent up to Abu Sueir and assembled, while this was happening the squadron trained with Gauntlets.

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 Training with Gauntlet aircraft at Abu Sueir 

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 Training with Gauntlet aircraft at Abu Sueir 

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 Training with Gauntlet aircraft at Abu Sueir 

13 

 Training with Gauntlet aircraft at Abu Sueir 

14 

 Training with Gauntlet aircraft at Abu Sueir. Note same structure in front as in pic No. 2

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Gladiator ready to be crank-started by Major  van Schalkwyk

 
16

Crank-starting of a 1 squadron Gladiator by Majort van Schalkwyk. 

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1 Squadron Gladiators lined up and idling, Abu Sueir.

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 1 Squadron Gladiators lined up and idling

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 1 Squadron Gladiators lined up and idling

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Note Bombay at the end. 

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Gladiator taxing 

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Gladiator taking off. 

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 Gladiator taking off.

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The next 6 stills are the colour 8mm panned shot  of a posed session represented in this photograph. From left to right:

RAF, Lt  B. R. Dimmock, Lt  A.Q. Masson, Major Schalk van Schalkwyk, Lt Wells, Lt  Servaas Viljoen, Lt  W H Morris, Lt  J. J. Coetzer, RAF, Lt Leonard "Polly" Theron, rest unknown.

 

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Main street in Suez 

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Shop where John bought his movie camera in Suez

 

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 Main street in Suez

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 Main street in Suez

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Swimming pool at the Sudan club in Khartoum.

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Swimming pool at the Sudan club in Khartoum. Lt Andrew Duncan diving

 

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Swimming pool at the Sudan club in Khartoum. Lt Andrew Duncan diving

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 Swimming pool at the Sudan club in Khartoum.

38

 

1 Sqdn went with the train from Cairo to Wadi Halfa 

  39


 Shendi, a town on the railway line north of Khartoum

  40  Shendi, a town on the railway line north of Khartoum


Ship on the Nile going up to Khartoum 

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 Ship on the Nile going up to Khartoum 

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 Ship on the Nile going up to Khartoum 

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Refueling the Gladiators: From Abu Sueir to Khartoum the Gladiators had to stop and refuel at 2 different places and had to be done by hand.

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 Refueling the Gladiators: From Abu Sueir to Khartoum the Gladiators had to stop and refuel at 2 different places and had to be done by hand.

  45


 Refueling the Gladiators: From Abu Sueir to Khartoum the Gladiators had to stop and refuel at 2 different places and had to be done by hand.

  46


 Refueling the Gladiators: From Abu Sueir to Khartoum the Gladiators had to stop and refuel at 2 different places and had to be done by hand.

  47


Vickers Valentia aircraft : used as early shuttle service between South Africa and East African front.

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Mountains at Kassala 

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Kassala: 1 sqdn base on the border of Sudan and Eritrea :Pilots’ mess at Kassala – the old Italian Air Force Officers’ Mess taken over after the Italians fled

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The squadron stayed here outside of the building 

  51


51a

 

Ablutions : Andrew Duncan sitting.

Officers having some kind of celebration 

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Lt  P.H. Smith ("Herr Schmitt")

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 Lt P.H. Smith ("Herr Schmitt")

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Lt Tommy Irvine

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 Lt Tommy Irvine

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Lt Robin Pare 

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 Lt Robin Pare 

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 Lt Robin Pare 

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Lt  Kenneth "Ken"  Driver 

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 Lt Ken Driver

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 Lt  Ken Driver

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Brian ‘Piggy’ Boyle – first SAAF pilot to receive a decoration – DFC

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 Lt  Piggy Boyle

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Ken Driver 

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Ken Driver 

  66


 Johan "Van" van der Merwe, KIA 31 March 1941 by returning fire from Italian bomber

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Johan "Van"  v d Merwe

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Squadron members go hunting 

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 Squadron members go hunting

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Squadron doctor having his hair cut. (MO) 

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Lockheed Loadstar  that Piggy Boyle and John returned with after the Eritrean campaign.

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Inside the Loadstar. Person looking back was Lt AAD McKellar, he was a squadron pilot but never flew because he was bitten by a spider and could not use his one hand. For the whole campaign he was grounded.

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Gladiator fly by 

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The squadron lived in  huts in the wild with a landing strip next to the huts.  Near Kassala

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Ground crew 

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Gladiator Landing in the bush 

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scramble alarm, Khartoum aerodrome 

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Demo scramble 

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Stand by rooms 

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Putting on jackets 

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Putting on helmets and parachutes 

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Gladiator 

103

 

 Two pilots of 1 sqdn with their Gladiators were detatched to Atbara to protect a strategic bridge. The following pictures depicts the humorous "changing of pilots" ceremony where a bottle of wine is handed over to the two replacement  pilots.

103a

 

 

103b

 

 

103c

 

 

103d

 

 

103e

 

 

103f

 

 JJ Coetzer and John Hewitson

104

 

In front of the officer's mess at Atbara. From left to right:  Robin Pare, J J Coetzer, Piggy Boyle, John Hewitson

104a

 

 

105

 

Vickers Valentia shuttle transport 

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Note the train in the background 

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Hand fueling of a Gladiator 

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Hurricane landing

 

123a

 

123b

 

 

123c

 

 

123d

 

 

123e

 

 

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L to R: Pare, Boyle, Duncan 

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Robin Pare 

126

 

 

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van Schalkwyk left 

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Hurricane taking off 

134b

 

134c

 

 

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135a

 

 

135b

 

 

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John Hewitson 

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