Dave Hastie: Spitfire pilot SAAF No. 1 squadron

 Hi and welcome to this site;

 I have met Dave Hastie thanks to Stewart “Bomb” Finney who was a fellow SAAF 1 squadron pal back in 1943/44.

Dave was so kind as to let me video interview him at his house in Pretoria on 12 January 2012. This web site then is to present the videos, photographs and Dave’s flying log book. Photographs of fellow 1 sqdn pilots are also shown on this site.

Dave Joined the SAAF in 1941 and went “up north” in 1942 after extensive flight training. While in North Africa he received further operational training. At that time there were very few “vacancies” at the fighter squadrons and Dave did non-operational duties for a while.

He  joined No.1 SAAF squadron in 1943 and saw operational service in Africa, Sicily and Italy. During this time the enemy activity regarding fighter opposition was minimal but Dave managed to shoot down a German Fw 190.

Dave returned to the Union and did mainly flight testing of repaired aircraft at Waterkloof AFB.

After the war Dave had a long career in accounting until his retirement in 1988

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 Dave in his squadron, photographs, stories etc. Please e-mail me. Most welcome will be any photographs of 1 squadron while Dave was with them.

If you have a family member who served as a SAAF fighter pilot during ww2 and you want to find out more about his war service please contact me and maybe I can be of assistance.

Tinus le Roux

February 2012


 Dave at his 90th birthday with his "Halcyon", January 2013.


Italy 1944 

Military Career

01/10/1941   No. 75 Air School, ground training

31/01/1942   No. 5 Air School, Witbank, 59 hours on Tiger Moths

27/03/1942   No. 25 Air School, Standerton, 110 hours on Miles Master II

04/09/1942   Wings awarded

16/12/1942   No. 71 O.T.U.

09/03/1943   No. 1 M.E.T.S.

31/03/1943   No. 59 R.S.U.

20/04/1943   No. 1  SAAF sqdn

03/09/1943   Bailed from burning Spitfire

19/03/1944   Shot down a Fw 190

09/04/1944   Return to Union

17/04/1944   MAF Depot

01/06/1944   No 11 O.T.U. Waterkloof  (test pilot)

17/07/1945   MAF Depot

20/07/1945   No. 11 O.T.U. Waterkloof

03/09/1945   SA Military College

22/10/1945   A.F.S Congella

 One of the aircraft that Dave flew in Italy 1944.


Dave with Dick  Richards. Note the two swastika "kill" marks and the 1 squadron marking.


Dave and Shiela's wedding on ?   at  ?. From left to right: Dave's brother  Neville, Dave's mother Dorothy (Molly) Jones, Dave, Shiela, Shiela's mom Ethel Howard, and Shiela's best friend Ruth Swanson.

 

Dave's Spitfire named "Halcyon" meaning "happy days" named after his mother's kindergarten.

 

Dave in front of his Spitfire AX-T

 

Dave and Dicky Richards

 

This free website was made using Yola.

No HTML skills required. Build your website in minutes.

Go to www.yola.com and sign up today!

Make a free website with Yola