Wing Commander JD Nettleton

Tracing African Wings

The young boys in this 1930 Western Province Preparatory School Cricket Team photograph may not have understood the “Depression” and a world war, unthought-of but ten years later, Percy Burton an RAF fighter pilot, lost his life during the “Battle of Britain” while JD Nettleton, Bomber Command’s first Lancaster pilot awarded the “Victoria Cross”, failed to return from a 1943 bombing mission.

More than a “Few” South Africans

The raid leader, Squadron Leader JD Nettleton, the first Lancaster pilot to be awarded the “Victoria Cross” landed his badly damaged Lancaster off course in Blackpool after over 10 hours of flying ending his 16th operational sortie. His Rhodesian born and Michaelhouse educated co-pilot, Pilot Officer PA Dorehill and Flight Lt CSC McClure, a Rhodesian named on the “Roll of Honour” at Rondebosch Boys High in Cape Town were awarded the “Distinguished Flying Cross” while South African crew member Flight Sgt CF Churchill, earned a “Distinguished Flying Medal”.

More than a “Few” South Africans

Wing Commander GLB Hull DFC crash landed his No 114 Squadron Blenheim during an unrelated “Intruder” operation in Holland at around the time Nettleton was heading back in his badly damaged Lancaster. Hull and a crew member Pilot Officer JF Morton ended in up in Stalag III joining Flying Officer AJ Garwell DFC DFM, an “Augsburg Raid” survivor, spending over 3 years as “POW’s”.

More than a “Few” South Africans

Wing Commander JD Nettleton VC and his crew were among 295 Lancaster’s that attacked Turin on July 12th. Thirteen, including Nettleton’s KMZ ED 331 failed to return, one of three lost over the Bay of Biscay on July 13th leaving no survivors.

More than a “Few” South Africans

Swales and number 23 had a magnetic attraction. His signed the mounting of the group photograph taken in Montevideo on September 23rd,1943, survived an emergency-landing after the July 23rd 1944 Kiel raid, his immediate “Distinguished Flying Cross” earned during the December 23rd daylight Cologne railway yard bombing was announced on February 23rd 1945 and, his posthumous “Victoria Cross”, awarded folowing his actions on February 23rd was Bomber Command’s 23rd, their last of the war was three years after his fellow South African JD Nettleton became the first Lancaster pilot recipient.

The Airmen who started at Sea

Those present at the 1922 christening ceremony would not have anticipated that an illustrious group of Second World War airmen would emerge from the training facility’s tough two-year course. A few of those airmen, including CH Filmer, JS Simson, JW Sleigh, EJ Morris, and JD Nettleton are in this 1931 photograph with Nettleton also pictured as a young cadet.

The Airmen who started at Sea

Time has created bland masks for the twenty-six airmen on the “Roll of Honour” but names like Ainslie, Watson, Hay, Lourens, McKendry and Nettleton tell uniquely different stories.

The Airmen who started at Sea

Clifton’s Nettleton Road is a prestigious and expensive Cape Town address, but many are unaware of the story behind the name John Dering Nettleton who left Western Province Preparatory School in 1930, did not move on to St Andrews or Bishops and instead, became “General Botha” Cadet No 573 in 1931.