SWALES E
Swales, Edwin Died
Personal Information
| Rank | Major |
| Forename(s) | Edwin |
| Surname | Swales |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 29 |
| Decorations | VC, DFC |
| Date of Death | 23-02-1945 |
| Next of Kin | Son of the late Harry Evelyn and Olive M. Swales (née Essery), of Durban Natal, South Africa. |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | Avro Lancaster III |
| Serial Number | PB538 |
| Markings | 6O-M |
Memorial Information
| Burial/Memorial Country | Belgium |
| Burial/Memorial Place | Leopoldsburg War Cemetery |
| Grave Reference | VIII. C. 5. |
| Epitaph | IN PROUD MEMORY FROM COMRADES OF THE NATAL MOUNTED RIFLES AND S.A. AIR FORCE |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 2 |
| Panel Number | 250 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | 6101V |
| Service | South African Air Force |
| Group | 8 |
| Squadron | 582 |
| Squadron Motto | Proevolmaus designates (We fly before marking) |
| Trade | Pilot |
| Country of Origin | South Africa |
Other Memorials
| Location | Adjacent to former Airfield Site, Little Staughton, Bedfordshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed Stone Memorial |
| Memorial Text | A memorial to RAF Little Staughton, including 109 Sqn |
| Location | All Saints Church, Little Staughton, Bedfordshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed Stone Tablet & Sqn Badge |
| Memorial Text | In memory of 109 and 582 Sqns. At R.A.F. Little Staughton |
Miscellaneous Information
| VC Citation (London Gazette 24 April 1945): "Captain Swales was 'Master Bomber' of a force of aircraft which attacked Pforzheim on the night of February 23, 1945. As Master Bomber he had the task of locating the target area with precision and of giving aiming instructions to the main force of bombers in his wake. Soon after he reached the target area he was engaged by an enemy aircraft and one of his engines was put out of action. His rear guns failed. His crippled aircraft was an easy prey for further attacks. Unperturbed, he carried on with his allotted task. Clearly and precisely he issued aiming instructions to the main force. Meanwhile the enemy fighter closed the range and fired again. A second engine of Captain Swales’ aircraft was put out of action. Almost defenceless, he stayed over the target area issuing his aiming instructions until he was satisfied that the attack had achieved its purpose. It is now known that the attack was one of the most concentrated and successful of the war. Captain Swales did not, however, regard his mission as completed. His aircraft was damaged. Its speed had been so much reduced that it could only with difficulty be kept in the air. The blind-flying instruments were no longer working. Determined at all costs to prevent his aircraft and crew from falling into enemy hands, he set course for home. After an hour he flew into thin-layered cloud. He kept his course by skilful flying between the layers, but later heavy cloud and turbulent air conditions were met. The aircraft, by now over friendly territory, became more and more difficult to control and it was losing height steadily. Realising that the situation was desperate Captain Swales ordered his crew to bail out. Time was very short and it required all his exertions to keep the aircraft steady while each of his crew moved in turn to the escape hatch and parachuted to safety. Hardly had the last crew-member jumped when the aircraft plunged to earth. Captain Swales was found dead at the controls. Intrepid in the attack, courageous in the face of danger, he did his duty to the last, giving his life that his comrades might live.” |
| This was Major Swales's 43rd operational sortie. He had the rank of Captain but was acting Major |
| Born 03 July 1915, Inanda, South Africa, one of four siblings. His father died of influenza during the 1918-19 epidemic, after which Olive moved the family to Berea, Durban. Edwin attended the Durban High School, following which he worked at Barclays Bank and excelled in rugby, cricket and squash rackets; playing rugby for Natal. |
| On 1st June 1935, he enlisted in the Natal Mounted Rifles (NMR), and active citizen force similar to the British Territorial Army, and by 31 May 1939 had completed his term of service, having risen to the rank of Warrant Officer II. Returning briefly to his banking career, he was then mobilised for full-time service in the NMR on 15 September 1939, and served on routine duties until 9 June 1940; on which date he officially volunteered for more active service outside South Africa. In the same month, the NMR was converted for foreign service and became part of the 2nd South African Infantry Brigade. It was sent to Kenya which was under threat from the Italians. A further move for 2nd Brigade to southern Abyssinia in February 1941 brought it into the front line of the armies which retrieved the area from Italian domination. The brigade then moved to North Africa where it fought in the Crusader offensive, Gazala battles and the fighting retreat by the Allies to Alamein. Finally, after serving at El Alamein, the 2nd Brigade was withdrawn and returned to South Africa. Swales now volunteered on 17th January 1942 for a transfer to the South African Air Force (SAAF) and, on being accepted for pilot training, moved to No 75 Air School, Lyttleton, near Pretoria on 2 February to commence instruction. Completing the first phase on 8 October, he moved to No 4 Air School, Benoni, and made his first solo flight on 29 October in a DH Tiger Moth. In February 1943, he reported to No 21 Air School, Kimberley for advanced training in the Airspeed Oxford aircraft; finally awarded his “wings” on 26 June and commissioned as Second Lieutenant on the same day. On 22 August 1943, he was seconded to the Royal Air Force (RAF) whilst retaining his South African Air Force uniform and rank. (Source: victoriacrossonline.co.uk) |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 23-02-1945 |
| End Date | 24-02-1945 |
| Takeoff Station | Little Staughton |
| Day/Night Raid | Night (92% moon) |
| Operation | Pforzheim- as Master Bomber. 380 aircraft and one film unit aircraft, 12 losses. Bombing took place from 8000' and was especially accurate. 1825 tons of bombs were dropped in just 22 minutes. More than 17000 people were killed in the resultant fire storm- probably the third highest death toll of the war. A post-war survey estimated that 83% of the built up area was destroyed. Capt E Swales of South Africa won the last Bomber Command VC of the war on this raid, awarded posthumously. |
| Reason for Aircraft Loss | Very badly damaged by night-fighters over the target but the pilot skilfully flew the aircraft to the Allied lines and ordered his crew to bale out. The aircraft hit high tension cables before the pilot himself was able to make good his escape and crashed near Valenciennes. The other crew members all fell inside the Allied lines and were unharmed |