Edwin Swales, known as Ted to his friends, was born in Inanda, Natal, South Africa on 3 July 1915.

A keen sportsman, Ted loved to play rugby in his youth and adulthood, playing with civilian teams and military outfits upon joining the Army.

When in Kimberley for training, Ted turned out for the city’s side Griquas.  He was also called up to join the Natal rugby team’s reserves but did not play a game for the province.

As a young man, Ted worked for Barclays Bank in their Durban office but joined the Natal Mounted Rifles in 1935.

With the Rifles, Ted reached the rank of Warrant Officer 2^nd Class, the equivalent of Sergeant Major.

During the early years of the Second World War, Ted saw action in Africa, serving in Kenya, Abyssinia, and North Africa before leaving the cavalry and joining the South African Air Force (SAAF) in 1942.

Ted undertook his flight training in Kimberley, earning his pilot wings on 26 June 1943. The following month, Ted was seconded to the Royal Air Force (RAF) but retained his South African Air Force uniform and rank.

At the controls of Avro Lancaster heavy bombers, Ted flew with 582 Squadron of the RAF Pathfinder Force.

The Pathfinders flew many missions over occupied France and Europe in the run-up to D-Day in early 1944. Their job was to smash and disrupt infrastructure so the Nazi German occupiers could not use it come the Normandy invasion.

In December 1944, Ted flew his first sorties as a Deputy Master Bomber.

On 23 December, Ted was flying on his 33^rd sortie, this time heading for Cologne, Germany on a daylight bombing raid. High over the target, the squadron was pelted by intense, accurate anti-aircraft fire.

Squadron Leader Robert Palmer’s aircraft was hit and set ablaze, but he continued marking the target for his squadron mates before his plane exploded.

Ted was able to release his payload but was immediately set upon by German fighters. According to reports, five attacking aircraft were repelled by Ted and his crew with one claimed enemy aircraft destroyed.

For his part in the Cologne raid, Ted was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Squadron Leader Palmer was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

In time, Ted was flying as a Master Bomber and would earn his own Victoria Cross. Much like Palmer’s, Ted’s award would be tragically posthumous.

Ted was part of a mass raid on the German town of Pforzheim on February 23 1945 when the following action took place:

“Captain Swales was 'Master Bomber' of a force of aircraft which attacked Pforzheim on the night of February 23, 1945. As Master Bomber he had the task of locating the target area with precision and of giving aiming instructions to the main force of bombers in his wake.

“Soon after he reached the target area he was engaged by an enemy aircraft and one of his engines was put out of action. His rear guns failed. His crippled aircraft was an easy prey for further attacks. Unperturbed, he carried on with his allotted task; clearly and precisely he issued aiming instructions to the main force.

“Meanwhile, the enemy fighter closed the range and fired again. A second engine of Captain Swales' aircraft was put out of action. Almost defenceless, he stayed over the target area issuing his aiming instructions until he was satisfied that the attack had achieved its purpose.

“It is now known that the attack was one of the most concentrated and successful of the war. Captain Swales did not, however, regard his mission as completed. His aircraft was damaged. Its speed had been so much reduced that it could only with difficulty be kept in the air. The blind-flying instruments were no longer working.

“Determined at all costs to prevent his aircraft and crew from falling into enemy hands, he set course for home.

“After an hour he flew into thin-layered cloud. He kept his course by skilful flying between the layers, but later heavy cloud and turbulent air conditions were met. The aircraft, by now over friendly territory, became more and more difficult to control; it was losing height steadily.

“Realising that the situation was desperate Captain Swales ordered his crew to bail out. Time was very short and it required all his exertions to keep the aircraft steady while each of his crew moved in turn to the escape hatch and parachuted to safety.

“Hardly had the last crew-member jumped when the aircraft plunged to earth. Captain Swales was found dead at the controls.

“Intrepid in the attack, courageous in the face of danger, he did his duty to the last, giving his life that his comrades might live.”

Ted was originally buried in the US cemetery at Fosse but his remains were later interred in Leopoldsburg War Cemetery, Belgium.

Ted was one of three Pathfinders to win the Victoria Cross in the Second World War and the only member of the South African Air Force to be awarded this highest of honours.