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?
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Bombay transport aircraft; Abu Sueir?
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Bombay transport aircraft; Abu Sueir?
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French girls swimming with 1 sqdn members
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Leonard le Clues ‘Polly’ Theron
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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
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Training with Gauntlet aircraft at Abu Sueir
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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
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.
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1 Sqdn went with the train from Cairo to Wadi Halfa
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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JJ Coetzer and John Hewitson
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In front of the officer's mess at Atbara. From left to right: Robin Pare, J J Coetzer, Piggy Boyle, John Hewitson
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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
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L to R: Pare, Boyle, Duncan
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Robin Pare
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van Schalkwyk left
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Hurricane taking off
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John Hewitson
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