Remembering local heroes of yore: dramatic rescue witnessed in run-up to the Battle of Tobruk
Plett history fundi DEREK FRIELINGHAUS recounts this story of two local boys’ experiences during World War II – “one being my dad, Geoff, and the other Bob Kershaw from Knysna”
for a second attack. By now, though, the GEOFF Frielinghaus of Plettenberg Bay was a one-pip lieutenant at an airbase in North Africa. He had four Bofors antiaircraft guns to protect these Hurricanes.
Having witnessed the event described below, he often told us the story of how disappointed the gunners were who guarded the airfield when only three of the four Hurricanes returned after a patrol, and then how amazed they all were when they saw two pilots emerging from the one single-seater fighter plane.
Both Bob Kershaw and Jack Frost dismounted Bob’s aircraft!
Sometime later, I believe, that favour was returned when Jack landed and picked up Bob, who had forced landed…
On March 15, 1941, Italian SM 79 bombers struck several SAAF (South African Air Force) bases and, in response, SAAF pilots set out to destroy the enemy base at Dire Dawa* in Ethiopia.
In their first attack, the SAAF aircraft were intercepted by three Italian Fiat Cr 32s.
Captain Frost was credited with the destruction of one of these aircraft, one more was claimed by captain Theron, and the destruction of yet another was claimed as shared by Morley and Venter.
The SAAF aircraft returned to their base to refuel and replenish ammunition, and later in the afternoon returned to Dire Dawa for a second attack. By now, though, the Italians were waiting for them.
Lieutenant Harvey’s Hurricane was hit, burst into flames, and crashed into a building. Captain Jack Frost, flying Hurricane 280 ‘W\ was next to be hit by ground fire.
His engine started streaming glycol, and he was forced to make an emergency landing at a satellite airfield. Jack hastily exited his stricken aircraft and tried to set fire to it. After failing several times, he sought cover, since the Italian gunners had by now spotted him as well as his Hurricane, and he started taking heavy lire.
Captain Frost swingman, lieutenant Bob Kershaw, flying Hurricane 284 ‘J’ made several efforts to dislodge the Italians, but with little or no success.
Kershaw then made a landing close to Frost, and with Frost sitting on Kershaw’s lap in the cramped cockpit, took off again and made the 45-minute flight back to their base. Kershaw was awarded an immediate DSO** for the rescue of his OC.
Jack Frost was shot down on June 16, 1942, near Bir Hakeim in Egypt. Neither his remains nor the wreckage of his aircraft has ever been found.
Frost was the highest-scoring ace of the SAAF during WWII, with 15 kills. He received the DFC and Bar and was mentioned in Dispatches.
Bob Kershaw served four operational tours before crashing behind enemy lines in 1945, and spending the last few weeks of the war as a POW. After a successful career in business, he retired in Knysna, passing away in 1996.
* Dire Dawa (lit. ‘Place of Remedy’) is one of two chartered cities in Ethiopia – the other being Addis Ababa, the capital. It is divided administratively into two woredas, the city proper and the non-urban woreda of Gurgura.
** Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat. Since 1993, all ranks have been eligible.