Edwin Swales
| Ted Swales | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Birth name | Edwin Essery Swales |
| Nickname(s) | Ted |
| Born |
3 July 1915 Inanda, Natal, Union of South Africa |
| Died | 23 February 1945 (aged 29) near Limburg, Belgium |
| Buried at | War Cemetery at Leopoldsburg, near Limburg, Belgium (51°6′44.17″N 5°16′6.47″E / 51.1122694°N 5.2684639°E) |
| Allegiance |
 South Africa United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1942–45 † |
| Rank | Major (SA Air Force) |
| Service number | 6101V |
| Unit | Pathfinder Force with No. 582 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars |
World War II Raid on Cologne Raid on Pforzheim |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Distinguished Flying Cross |
 Photograph of Major Swales' tombstone in the Leopoldsburg War Cemetery
|
Edwin (Ted) Essery Swales VC DFC (3 July 1915 – 23 February 1945) was a South African pilot and war hero of the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and posthumously the Victoria Cross.
Edwin Essery Swales was one of four children born in Inanda, Natal, South Africa to Harry Evelyn Swales, who was a farmer in the Heatonville district, and Olive Miriam Essery. Following the death of her husband in the influenza epidemic of 1918-19, Mrs Swales and her children moved to the Berea, Durban. Here, Edwin Swales attended Durban High School (DHS). As a young lad, Edwin had also been a member of the Boy Scout movement (4th Durban Scout Troop). After leaving school, and prior to the Second World War, Edwin Swales worked for Barclays Bank (Dominion Colonial and Overseas - DCO) in Durban. Swales had joined the Natal Mounted Rifles before the War, rising to the rank of Sergeant Major, (officially, a Warrant Officer, 2nd Class). With the N.M.R., in the early part of the War, he saw action in Kenya, Abyssinia and in North Africa. He then transferred to the South African Air Force on 17 January 1942.
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