Fighter Pilot Bob Kershaw: tribute page
Hi and welcome to this site;
I met Derek Kershaw, son of Bob Kershaw, in Knysna during the 2013 December holiday season. Derek was so kind to let me scan his father's log books, war photographs and other documentation, to be published on this site.
Robert Harold Carlisle Kershaw joined the SAAF in early 1939 as a pupil pilot in the "Pirow" training scheme.
In 1940 he saw active service in East Africa with 3 squadron, winning the first SAAF DSO medal for rescuing a shot down fellow pilot under enemy fire.
Bob had an eventful second operational tour in 1941/'42 flying Hurricanes with 1 squadron in North Africa. This was a tough time for our SAAF squadrons as the Germans enjoyed air superiority with more advanced fighter aircraft. Bob's aircraft was shot up by the enemy on two occasions. However, he caused severe damage to enemy aircraft in aerial engagements.
In 1943 Bob succeeded in volunteering for a third operational tour, flying operations with 2 squadron and 7 squadron in North Africa and Italy.
Bob was yet again selected for his fourth operational tour in Italy 1944/'45, this time as OC of 7 squadron flying Spitfires on mostly dive-bombing missions. Unfortunately in March 1945 his aircraft crashed behind enemy lines and Bob spent the last weeks of the war in a German POW camp.
Bob was awarded the DFC and he is one of the very few SAAF pilots to have done four operational tours. One of Bob's "claim to fame" is the fact that his image was to appear on South African war postage stamps.
After the war Bob had a successful career in the automobile industry. Bob passed away in 1996.
Returning from East Africa 1941.
Derek Kershaw with a painting of his dad's 7 squadron Spitfire TJ-D, featuring the squadron designed twin 500lb bomb rack.
This is a living web site. Any input and/or participation will be much appreciated regarding additional information, correctness, information from relatives of members who served with Bob in his squadrons, photographs, stories etc. Please e-mail me.
If you perhaps have a family member who served as a SAAF fighter pilot during WW2 and you would want to find out more about his war service please contact me, hopefully I can be of some help.
Tinus le Roux
January 2014
Bob as flight commander with 7 squadron 1943/'44.
Military Service
0?/0?/1937 Air cadet, SA College School
01/04/1939 No.1 UATG, Brooklyn
01/06/1939 Young's Field, Wynberg
01/07/1939 No.1 UATG, Wing Field
07/01/1940 Wonderboom
01/06/1940 2 Air School
??/06/1940 qualify for wings
18/06/1940 Kimberley
??/07/1940 Promoted to 2/ Lt.
03/07/1940 Wonderboom
16/08/1940 Waterkloof
27/08/1940 Z.A.S. Harvard course
1st Ops Tour
30/09/1940 No.3 Fighter Squadron, East Africa
22/11/1940 Involved with first air battle of 3 squadron, damaged 2 Ca.133's.
10/12/1940 Escorted governer of Kenya from Malindi to Lamu.
15/03/1941 Attack on Diredaa, rescue Capt. Jack Frost after he was shot down.
05/04/1941 Attacked Addis Abeba drome and destroyed C-133 and SM-76 on the ground
11/04/1941 DSO awarded, the first for a SAAF member
20/04/1941 Accidently shot and wounded by a British officer.
24/07/1941 43 Squadron
16/08/1941 M.E.F. UDF
2nd Ops Tour
16/08/1941 1 Squadron North Africa
24/09/1941 Mentioned in Dispatches award
29/11/1941 Shot down, force landed at LG132
04/12/1941 Probable destroyed a C-202 and damaged a C-202
07/12/1941 Aircraft badly shot up by Bf-109
12/12/1941 Probable destroyed a Bf-109
Tour expired, 115 sorties, 204 ops hours
10/05/1942 10 Squadron Durban
31/08/1942 6 Squadron Cape Town
3d Ops Tour
24/07/1943 2 Squadron, North Africa, Sicily, Italy
30/09/1943 7 Squadron, as flight commander, North Africa
??/??/1943 Promoted to Captain
21/07/1944 Tour expired, 112 sorties, 168 ops hours
4th Ops Tour
01/10/1944 7 Squadron, Officer Commanding, Italy
??/??/1944 Promoted to Major.
10/03/1945 Aircraft Glycol system hit, bailed, POW in Germany
63 sorties, 75 ops hours
21/08/1945 DFC awarded
OC of 7 squadron 1944/'45
Bob at the War museum in Johannesburg with the original painting by Neville Lewis. This painting was used as master for the particular war stamp image.
East Africa 1940-1941 with 3 squadron
Hurricane Mk. i of 3 squadron
Profile of the plane flown by Bob when he won his DSO. Graphics thanks to Brent Best.
Bob and Jack Frost posing for photographs after the successful rescue flight by Kershaw.
One of the official photographs of Kershaw and Frost.
Press reports.
Bob returning from East Africa after he was accidently shot through the chest and arm by a British officer. See the bandage on his right arm.
Jack Frost DFC, Bob Kershaw DSO and S v B Theron DFC.
North Africa with 1 Squadron 1941-1942
Corrie van Vliet, Quirk, Bob and Malcolm "Bennie" Osler.
1 Squadron Hurricanes being strafed by Italian fighters September 1941.
Fellow 1 squadron pilots
1943, North Africa with 2 Squadron
Kittyhawk with Africa map and springbok emblem.
2 Squadron pilots while Bob was with them.
1943-1944, 7 Squadron, North Africa, Italy
Some of Bob's pilot friends
1944-1945, 7 Squadron Italy
Painting made for Bob by the famous aviation artist R Belling, 1997.
