Imperial Gift - South Africa

South Africa

South Africa was the second country after Britain to establish an air force independent from army or naval control on 1 February 1920. The South African Air Force's share of the Imperial Gift was:

• 48 x Airco/de Haviland DH-9
• 30 x Avro 504
• 22 x Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a
• 10 x Airco/de Haviland DH-4

The 10 DH-4s were war loss replacements sponsored by the Over-Seas Club of London. An additional DH-9 was donated by the city of Birmingham. Two Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s left over from Allister Miller's wartime recruitment campaign and handed over to the Union Defence Force in October 1919, completed the SAAF's initial fleet. There is, however, no record of the B.E.2s ever being used after 1919.

The ancillary equipment and materials included in the donation was: 20 steel hangars, 30 portable wood and canvas Bessonneau hangars, radio and photographic equipment, complete engine and airframe workshops with tools, trucks, tenders, trailers, 50,000 gallons of engine oils and 20,000 gallons of paints, varnishes and dope. The total value of the donation was estimated at £2,000,000.

An offer of four Type Zero airships was turned down due to doubts about their usability above 6,000 feet and the expense of replacing the envelopes, which were estimated to have a useful life of only three months due to rapid deterioration in the harsh South African sunshine.

The first batch of aircraft arrived in South Africa in September 1919 at the Artillery Depot at Roberts Heights, Pretoria where an Air Depot was established on 1 January 1920. The combined facility was then known as the Aircraft and Artillery Depot.

Two Avro 504s were sold for £1563-11s-8d to the South African Aerial Transport Company in 1920.

A 23.5 morgen (20.1 hectare) piece of land two miles east of Roberts heights was acquired for an aerodrome and named Zwartkop after a nearby hill. No. 1 Flight was formed at Zwartkop Air Force Station on 26 April 1920, equipped with DH-9s. After the formation of a second flight, 1 Squadron was established in early 1922.