« previous next »
Pages: [1]

Author Topic: South African Airmen in WW1  (Read 1357 times)

Offline Monty

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1643
South African Airmen in WW1
« on: June 17, 2018, 07:29:12 AM »
I'm quite excited by this new book, just released. We have read and studied and modelled lots of other Airmen from the Colonies, but I can't recall a single South African: Hopefully this book can set this right! The information is often supplied in abbreviated form, but there are previously unpublished photographs and a good record of what happened to "Miller's boys", the airmen recruited by Maj Allistair Miller on two recruiting drives throughout South Africa...

Recommended,

Marc

Logged

Offline lcarroll

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 8551
Re: South African Airmen in WW1
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2018, 12:31:34 PM »
Monty,
    As proud as I am of the "Canadian Connections" as I call them Anthony Beauchamp Proctor VC is a very impressive and true South African Air Ace you can be extremely proud of!  Looks like a great book and hopefully the 5 foot 1 inch South African who shot down 54 enemy aircraft is properly honored! :)
Cheers,
Lance
Logged

Offline Monty

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1643
Re: South African Airmen in WW1
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2018, 03:59:27 AM »
Yes, Lance, the Canadians have always been magnificent airmen (and soldiers) through both World Wars and onwards, but there are a few South Africans too! After the Anglo-Boer War, you can understand the sentiment was a little negative, but many South Africans enlisted, joined the RFC and the RAF and had amazing careers... Just a few I have found so far: Capt Samuel "Kink" Kinkead, 30 plus victories, service in South Russia thereafter. Also "Boetie" Venter, at least 16 victories and a great SAAF career thereafter... I'm still looking! Roden have done a great job and produced marking for Beauchamp-Proctor's SE5A in both 1/48 and 1/32, WNW have none yet, I will have to work on them! I am still working through the book, I have found one of my own ancestors who served!
Regards,
Marc
Logged

Offline lcarroll

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 8551
Re: South African Airmen in WW1
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2018, 05:12:09 AM »
Marc,
    Yes, I'd read of Kinkead in Raymond Collishaw's memoir, "The Black Flight". Those that volunteered for the Russian Campaign immediately after the war had to have been a very special breed! That is really neat that you found one of your ancestors served as well. I have always believed that the generation that fought in the First World War, regardless of the color of their uniforms, were a very special generation indeed.
Cheers,
Lance
Logged
Pages: [1]
« previous next »