John Martin Photographs

These photographs originate from the private collection of 4 sqdn fighter pilot John Martin. It was kindly made available by him. I scanned and placed the photographs on this web site in order to share these gems to 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

August 2013

1) Air School Lyttleton, John sitting in front with the rifle.

2) Pupil pilot 1943

3) Lyttleton 1942

4) Marmon Harrington armoured car course, Swartkops 1942

6) John sitting on the car, he was a driver.

7) Glider winch

9) A-frame glider training, Kwaggapoort

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11) This glider was pulled up by a winch.

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17) Note the dowel stick in front with wire horizon and tape speed indicator.

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20) Sail plane training.

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27) John on his first launch with the sail plane.

28) Training with Harvards, 22 Air School Vereeniging, 160 hours, from July 1943

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32) Wings parade 13/11/1943

33) Portrait after getting his wings.

34) Kittyhawks at Zwartkops and Isipingo 1943-1944

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36) Family photograph during leave 1944, two weeks before going up north.

Back row left to right:

Brother Eric, mother Mable, John, Sister Joyce, Father with sister's son, husband of sister.

37) Allocated Spitfire at 4 squadron: KJ-X

38) 4 Squadron logo

39) Dinner in Florence 10 day leave. Person next to the two girls is 4 sqdn pilot Pretorius.

40) Briefing before a mission.

41) Photograph taken in Cairo after completing the course at 73 OTU 1944.

42) 4 Squadron pilots returning from a mission.

left to right: John, Harry Chandler,Freddy Neser, ?,?

43) 4 Squadron pilots 1945:

Back row: Theo Wollmer, John Martin, Denis Taylor

Middle row:George Segalla, Ray Davey, Wally Brunton, Ray Bosch, Coffee Raine, Graco de Graaf, Nico de Jongh

Front: Les Bloch, Junior Carter, Cocky Cochrane-Murray

44) Forli Jan.1945

45) Forli with parked 4 squadron Spitfires

46) Squadron photograph in preparation for the King's visit to the squadron.

47) John with flight gear

48) Pose for photographer, a professional photographer once asked John to pose for a couple of photographs and hence this series.

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50) John with flight gear: flying helmet, oxygen mask, gauntlets, mae west, etc

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53) John with the squadron mascot dog: Chumbones

54) Note the fitted 90 gal fuel tank underneath the belly of the Spitfire.

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56) 500lb bomb

57) Replacing the oxygen bottle.

58) Stencilling the squadron logo onto the Spitfire.

59) Ground crew putting the parachute in the plane: Norman fletcher. Bill Hemphall was one of the mechanics on John's aircraft and they became great friends after the war.

60) Fusing the bomb

61) John with one of the aircraft mechanics.

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64) Ground crew sitting on the wing to assist the pilot on the taxi ways especially in muddy conditions to show the way.

65) Tiger Moth flight on John's 80th birthday 2nd of June 2003.

66) John with his aviation friend Gordon Dyne and Catherine Labuschagne. Catherine is one of only two qualified woman Gripen fighter pilots in the world. .

67) Photograph taken in the 1950's. John showing his flight gear with a 4 squadron vampire scarf. Squadron members obtained these scarves in Italy when they did service there. The scarf is hand embroidered and of high quality.

68) John with fellow 4 squadron pilot Bill Tatham posing in front of a restored Spitfire IX by Denel. This was the event where the Spitfire was first flown after restoration. This Spitfire was painted in the same colours as that flown by Bob Rogers in Italy when he was OC of 40 squadron. ( WR-RR)

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71) John with Maurene at his 80th birthday.

72) John and Michelle, his youngest daughter

73) Flip in Harvard 2006, Swartkops.

75) John sitting in front.

76) John with Bryan Stableford.

77) John flying in a Chipmunk on 2nd of June 2013 on his 90th birthday.

78) John at the controls with this low fly-past!