Flight Lt AC Hamman

Tracing African Wings

Over time, names on a “Roll of Honour” become bland but tagged by Service No’s, Squadron detail and medal awards, a name creates a story. The SACS “Roll of Honour” for instance, includes two RAF airmen who lost their lives in Wellington Bombers. Alwyn Crampton Hamman DFC & Bar lost his life during the first “Thousand Bomber” raid in 1942, K Lentin was killed during a July 1944 Coastal Command anti-submarine patrol.

Links of Long Standing

The SAAF Development Programme’s prewar demise influenced many young South Africans including WI Deas, PG Dexter, GJ Drake, J Falkson, AC Hamman, PH Hugo, O Hume, J Ing, AG Lewis, N Lewis, LA Lynn, Spencer Peacock -Edwards, SR Whiting and GM Wright while 26-year-old Michaelhouse educated Guy Paul Wentworth Austin arrived in England on the day war was declared, commissioned as an “acting Pilot on probation” in January 1940 and lost his life 10 months later in a No 9 Squadron Wellington shot down over Germany.

Against Unfavourable Odds

“The London Gazette” issue on December 24th announced the “Distinguished Service Order” award to Squadron Leader AG Malan DFC and Bar and “Distinguished Flying Cross” awards to Pilot Officer AC Hamman, a No 115 Squadron Wellington pilot, No 114 Squadron Blenheim pilot Acting Squadron Leader GLB Hull and Flying Officer AER Fry a No 59 Squadron Blenheim pilot. The four pilots had strong Cape Town connections, Malan being a General Botha graduate, Hamman was educated at SACS while Fry and Hull were former Bishop’s pupils.

More than a “Few” South Africans

Educated at SACS, Alwyn Crampton Hamman, a first- year University of Cape Town medical student in 1934, commissioned in early 1940 and was flying No 115 Squadron Wellingtons by April. Two years later, having flown a significant number of Wellington sorties, Flight Lt AC Hamman DFC and Bar arrived at No 22 “OTU” as an instructor, not expecting to fly operationally for a few months.

More than a “Few” South Africans

However, on May 30th Flight Lt Hamman and his trainee crew took off into the night skies from RAF Wellesbourne in Warwickshire joining 365 other “OTU” pilots and their crews making up over 6 500 aircrew in the 1 047 bombers deployed to Cologne for the first “Thousand Bomber Raid”. Another former SACS pupil, Flight Lt William Nelson Whamond was flying a No 44 Squadron Lancaster.

More than a “Few” South Africans

Having secured Churchill and Portal ’s support for his concept of 1 000 aircraft attacking a single target at the same time, Harris had to use “OTU” and Flying Training Command aircraft after Coastal Command’s aircraft and crews were withdrawn at the last-minute. Substantial damage was caused to Cologne, but 291 airmen including Flight Lt AC Hamman, three other No 22 “OTU” instructors and their crews were “Missing” after 41 aircraft mostly flown by “OTU” crews failed to return. 14 Essen, endured the second “Thousand Bomber Raid” a day later when 31 of the 956 aircraft failed to return and 220 aircrew were posted “Missing”.

More than a “Few” South Africans

Eleven of the 170 bombers that attacked Bremen on June 4th did not return. No 61 Squadron Lancaster gunner 41-year-old Flight Lt GLC Beattie and six crew members lost their lives. George Liddell Carruthers Beattie, born in England in 1901, educated at SACS, University of Cape Town was a Rhodes Scholar and joined the RAF in 1918 after lying about his age. Commissioned in 1940 15 he participated in both “Thousand Bomber Raids”, though not the only South African involved, Alwyn Crampton Hamman appears to have been the only South African to lose his life during those raids.

Spirits in the Sky

55 573 of 125 000 Bomber Command aircrew lost their lives, 9 838 became “POW’s” and 8 403 were wounded. At least 300 South Africans served as Bomber Command airmen an estimated 176 of whom lost their lives. No 9 Squadron Wellington pilot, Pilot Officer Harold Rosofsky the first to lose his life and the last, No 139 Squadron Pathfinder Mosquito pilot, 23-year-old Flight Lt Robert Ogilvie Day DFC, were coincidently educated at King Edwards in Johannesburg and frame names like Begbie, Bartholomew, Deas, Goodman, Hamman, Hirschfield, Howe-Brown, Lourens, McKendry, McGregor, Wing Commander JD Nettleton VC and Major Edwin Swales VC DFC.