Robert H. C. (Bob) Kershaw (died 6 May 1998) was a fighter pilot and later businessman of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, notable as the first South African recipient of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, for his rescue of downed squadron leader John Frost. Kershaw and Frost were flying

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

s in the No. 3 Squadron of the South African Air Force when they were sent to

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in early 1941 as part of a campaign against Italian forces in

Abyssinia The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historica ...

. On 15 March, during an attack on

Diredawa Dire Dawa ( am, ድሬዳዋ, om, Dirree Dhawaa, 3=Place of Remedy; so, Diridhaba, meaning "where Dir hit his spear into the ground" or "The true Dir", ar, ديري داوا,) is a city in eastern Ethiopia near the Oromia and Somali Re ...

airfield, Frost's tank of glycol coolant was hit. Frost proceeded to land quickly before the overheating engine seized. Frost landed at a satellite airfield near Diredawa, and set his plane on fire to prevent its capture. Kershaw had seen Frost go down and followed, putting his plane down on the same field. Due to size constraints in the Hurricane, Frost discarded his parachute and sat in Kershaw's lap. With Kershaw working the rudder's foot pedals and Jack using the throttle and control stick, they were able to take off and return to base. The rescue was a sensation in South Africa, Kershaw receiving an immediate DSO. A portrait was painted (it now hangs in the South African National War Museum), and his image was in turn adapted for a -pence

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...

issued in August 1942. Kershaw returned to flying, and eventually rose to the rank of Major. He flew the

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

after they were delivered to the SAAF. Later he and his engineer would design the prototype twin payload bomb rack for the Spitfire, as it was ineffectual with a single payload. He was shot down and captured later. He received a Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war he went into the automobile business in

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

, becoming managing director of Grosvenor Ford. He later retired to

Knysna Knysna () is a town with 76,150 inhabitants (2019 mid-year estimates) in the Western Cape province of South Africa. and is one of the destinations on the loosely defined Garden Route tourist route. It lies at 34° 2' 6.3168'' S and 23° 2' 47. ...

, where he joined the commando wing of the SAAF, rising to the rank of commandant. He died in Knysna in 1998.

References

Dispatch Online obituary, with photograph

Dispatch letter with more detail

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kershaw, Bob South African Air Force personnel 1998 deaths South African people of British descent White South African people South African World War II pilots Shot-down aviators South African prisoners of war Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Year of birth missing Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)