These photographs originate from the private albums of ww2 SAAF fighter pilot Cecil Golding. It was kindly made available to me by mr. Golding. I placed the photographs on this web site in order to share these gems to historians, enthusiasts and the wider public. Please respect the copy rights of these photographs and contact me to obtain the necessary permission if you want to duplicate some of this material in other web sites or printed matter. thanks Tinus le Roux Jan 2012 |  |
Captions in green: thanks to Yuri Maree
1) Cairo hospital: ?, nurse, Tom Finlayson (5 sqdn, 2/10/42 KIFA,)
1 – 5 This was after the catastrophic battle on 3rd June over Bir Hacheim, when nine of 5 Squadron’s Tomahawks attacked a dozen or so Stukas just as they pulled out of their dives. They claimed 10 Stukas shot down but lost 7 Tomahawks on the day. This was the fight when Robin Pare was killed, and Cecil, Morrison, Muir, Martin were shot down. Cecil talked a lot about it in the videos.
1a) Cairo hospital 1942: Finlayson, Cecil
2) Cairo hospital june 1942, nurse
3) Cairo Hospital 1942; L Sas? , R Tom Finlayson
4) Tom Finlayson
5) 1. Cairo hospital: Cecil, ?
6) cecil with 1 sqdn 1944, 500 lb bomb
7)
8) Flight training 1941/42
9) 1. On leave: Joan Plinsell, Cecil, Babes Heydenrich
10) 1. Up north with ship 2nd tour 1943
11)
12 Sidi Barrani ,5 sqdn accident July 1942
This was on 3rd June 1942, that really bad day for 5 Squadron. A dozen Tomahawks took off from Gambut no.2 landing ground (LG 142) on a sweep over Bir Hacheim. These two collided on takeoff because of dust, RC Hirst and PC Grobler. Then one turned back with engine trouble (Louis Van der Spuy) and five were shot down, including Robin Pare KIA. 7 a/c lost in one day.
13
14 1. Tunis harbour
15 Italian man
16 1. German pow Tunis 1943
17 1. German pow Tunis 1943
18
19 German wrecks at Tunis Main LG. Far left a Me 110, centre a Ju 88 and right a Ju
20 1. Cecil in Engineer Corps Cullinan 1941
21 Harry Gaynor
22) Harry Gaynor
23 Harry Gaynor
24 1. 1 Sqdn 1944 CG, Lippy, ?, Sandy Brown
25 1 sqdn Sicily 1943
26 Badenhorst 3 sqdn
WJ Badenhorst, he was KIA in Korea with 2 Sq
27 Malta
28 Catania. Sicily, 1 sqdn
Catania, Sicily Aug/Sept 1943
29 Malta
30
31 Costa 3 sqdn
32) Snowy Moody OC 1 sqdn 1942-1943
Snowy Moodie as a full Colonel, so this photo would be after April 1945 when he replaced JDW Human as CO of 7 Wing.
33 8 wing sqdn leaders, Christofferson, Loubser OC 11 sqdn, Rosie du Toit, 8 wing leader,C Golding 3sqdn leader, Geoff Garton RAF
L to R S/L Christopherson, CO of 185 Squadron RAF, major Charles Laubscher CO of 11 Sq SAAF, Rosy du Toit 8 Wing CO (not wing leader, that’s the 2.I.C’s title), Cecil CO of 3 Sq SAAF, S/L Geoff Garton CO of 87 Sq RAF. These Sq’s made up 8 Wing…….3 and 11 SAAF, 87, 185.
34 Italian Bf-109
35 1. Binedell 7 sqdn
36 Stanford, OC 7 sqdn
37 Capt Arthur Binedell 7 sqdn
38 J Human, Jan Hofmeyer, Kritzinger, Derek Gilson, Cecil, J Weaver
Jan Hofmeyr was Minister of Finance in Smuts’ cabinet, he visited 7 Wing at Foiano Della Chiana LG (known as FOIANA) in Italy on 18th September 1944, when this photo was taken. JDW Human at left was 7 Wing CO.
39 Cecil
40 1. X mas lunch
41 1. Cecil, Frank Montanari, 7 sqdn
42 El Gamil LG in Egypt, at the mouth of the Suez Canal in the Med. But…….the photo is reversed!
43 1. 7 sqdn “Heinkel” Meikle left, Montanari right
44 The Western Desert, looks like LG 97 (or one of the LGs south of Alex along the road to Cairo), judging by the building
45 Mech Check the size of the beer bottles…..no wonder they’re smiling!
46
47 1 sqdn At Trigno LG, the only LG 1 Sq and 7 Wing used with a PSP surface (pierced steel planking)
48 3 sqdn group
Cecil standing front right
49 Vic Bester, ?,?, Rosy du Toit, ?
Standing 2nd from left is Col. Ed Biden, a pre-war PF pilot who had been CO of 41 Sq in East Africa. This looks like 1945 or just after the war ended, by which time he was probably a staff officer. Also – Vic Bester was the 3 Sq Adjudant.
50
50 Cecil's gun cam
51 Cecil's gun cam
52 Cecil's gun cam
(George Hillary’s photo album has this same shot)
53 Cecil's gun cam
54 Cecil's gun cam
55 Cecil's gun cam
57 1. Denis Triblehorn, 1 sqdn, 7 sqdn
58 . Mechs with 3 Sqdn badge
59 1. Denis Triblehorn 1sqdn and 7 sqdn
60 Vic Bester, 41 sqdn
Vic Bester, 3 Sq adjudant
61 Bob Sturgeon (“Virgin”) 3 sqdn
62 Southey, Capt Gordon Cecil 3 sqdn
63 Jack Parsonson, 8 wing sweep leader
Taken after the war ended, when 8 Wing was based at Udine in Italy. Jack Parsonson was a POW from 30 April 1943 (shot down in Tunisia two weeks before the German forces in Africa surrendered there) till May 1945.
64 Dawie Theron, 3 sqdn
65 Bezuidenhoud, 3 sqdn
66 ?? Haarhoff, 3 sqdn
67 Ackerman “Akkers” 3 sqdn
68 Frikkie Glover 11 sqdn
69 Doug Davies, 1 sqdn, 11 sqdn
70 Curly ??Porkham 3 sqdn
71 C Golding OC 3 sqdn with sqdn jeep
72 ? Doug (Hank?)Fischer 3 sqdn
73 Athol Blair 3 sqdn
74
75 D Theron 3 sqdn
76 Mackay RAF
77 Cecil . AC with 500lb bomb
79 Dawie Theron right, 3sqdn
80 Officer's mess
81 3 sqdn
82) D Lucas 3 sqdn
83 Rosie du Toit
Looks like Parsonson behind. Du Toit and him were big mates from pre-war Mil College days, when they did the “Amphigarious” course which included equestrian training. They were both expert horsemen. This was after the war ended, and they were the two commanders of 8 Wing at Udine in Italy. (I have Parsonson’s autobiography).
84 1 Sqdn Spit with long range fuel tank
Spitfire Mk.9 of 1 Sq at Foiano LG
85
86 Tunisia 1943
87 O E G Bezuidenhoud 3 sqdn
88 8 (SA) wing cartoon 1945
89 Rosy du Toit
90 Jack Parsonson, 8 wing sweep leader
91 Parsonson and Rosy
See comments re. 83, this was Jul/Aug/Sept 1945 after the war ended, Rosy du Toit pulled some strings when Parsonson was released from POW camp and had him posted to 8 Wing as Wingco Flying. They spent the summer at Udine, Italy and returned to SA at the end of Sept. 8 Wing was supplied with 12 horses in June 1945 for recreational purposes.
92 Sturgeon the “Virgin”
95
96
97
98
99 US concert group in Cecil's AC
100 Malta 1943, 1 sqdn
Spit Mk.5, note 3 bladed prop
101 Udine 3 sqd
102 1. Southy
103 VE day accident, vary pistol shot sets fuel dump on fire.
104 Cecil with US concert group girl
105 US concert group
105 Fw-190
107 Fw-190
108 ?,?, Rosy,?
Oke at left looks like Wing Commander Geoff Garton, who was promoted from 87 Sq CO to Wing Leader in 8 Wing when Snowy Moodie left in April 1945. Oke 2nd from left is also in photo no. 49, standing at centre. Don’t know who he is, but he’s a Lt Col. At right is Col. Ed Biden again.
109 Fw-190
110 J Parsonson + Rosie