A magnificent era ended on October 31 with the retirement of the last World War 2 pilot on the regular strength of the Rhodesian Air Force, Group Captain \"Ozzie\" Penton O.L.M., A.F.C.
During a service career spanning the best part of four decades Group Captain Penton has logged a staggering 6 054 flying hours in Tiger Moths, Hawkers Harts, Spitfires. Harvards, Provosts, Rapides, Ansons, Pembrokes, Dakotas, Austers and Trojans as well as jet-engined Canberras and Vampires.
Among the men he taught to fly in his instructing days was the present Commander of the Air Force. Air Marshal Frank Mussell.
Group Captain Penton, who had his first taste of war as a teenage Spitfire pilot fighting Hitler\'s Luftwaffe, has in recent years been the man behind the morale and efficient running of the Air Force\'s reserve manpower, used in scores of complex tasks vital to its operations.
Oswald Penton was born in Cape Town on August 8, 1924. and went to Rondebosch Boys\' High School. He left school in 1939, the year the Second World War broke out, and as soon as he turned 17 he left his civilian employment to enlist in the Coast Garrison Infantry in which he served until February, 1942, when he was deemed old enough to transfer to the South African Air Force.
His early air force days were spent doing essentially similar airfield \"chores\" to those performed by many young reservists in a later war nearer home, but in December, 1942, he began flying training on Tiger Moths at Potchefstroom, graduating the following year to Hawker Harts. He is the last regular officer to have experience of the open-cockpit biplane which was the type first flown by the Southern Rhodesian Air Force on formation in 1937.
Group Captain Penton obtained his pilot\'s wings on September 4, 1943, and was posted to No 73 Operational Training Unit at Abu Suier in the Suez Canal Zone. In April 1944, as a South African pilot he joined No 185 Sqn Royal Air Force.
He saw active service on Spitfires from bases in North Africa, Malta and Italy, flying his last operational sortie on April 25 1945. He was \"demobbed\" with the rank of Lieutenant in November. 1945.
Aged 21. he returned to his civilian employers in Cape Town with much the same feelings as any modern \"A and B\" Reservist going back to his office or factory. But it was not long before he was flying Spitfires again. His company transferred him to Salisbury where he volunteered for No 1 Squadron, S.R. Auxiliary Air Force, and in September, 1947, he made aviation his career when he joined the civil service to become an airfield controller at Khumalo, Bulawayo.
In September, 1951, he transferred into the regular SRAF from the Department of Civil Aviation, but he had to resign his commission in the auxiliary air force and attest as a sergeant. Some men boast that they worked their way up from the ranks — Group Captain Penton was amongst those who did it twice.
In January, 1952, he was commissioned lieutenant in the Southern Rhodesia Staff Corps, which incorporated the embryo air force. His venerable service number was 0087 — the only other officer in uniform today with a 00 James Bond-type prefix is the Commander of Combined Operations. Lieut-Gen Peter Walls.
He took part in the early ferry flights of Air Force Spitfires, Vampires and Canberras, and undertook detachment service with Rhodesian Air Force units in Cyprus, Aden and Pakistan.
He is a past commander of 4 Sqn, 5 Sqn and 7 Sqn and in the 1964 New Year\'s Honours list was awarded the Air Force Cross for his distinguished service as commander of 4 Sqn. In March, 1966, he assumed command of New Sarum flying wing, going on to command No 2 Field Force Unit until April, 1972, when he was promoted Group Captain in command of Air Force Reserves.
He was scheduled to retire in July, 1975, but was immediately re-attested on a short service commission.
In the words of the citation read out when Group Captain Penton was made an Officer of the Legion of Merit, he has displayed outstanding qualities of leadership throughout his career and has been a magnificent ambassador for the Air Force not only with the other fighting services but with commerce and industry.
What the citation did not say was that \"Ozzie\" Penton has endeared himself to all who have served with him and under him during his long career, by his ability to inspire energy and loyalty, by his open- minded fairness and his unfailing sense of humour.
OCVR will be succeeded by Sqn Ldr Peter Cooke, who will be promoted to Wing Commander
End
The Penton Expose
Startling disclosures are made in a formerly top secret file \"The Penton Papers\", leaked to the press by Irish Intelligence this week.
Foremost in the revelations is the plan formulated by General Pienaar in 1940 to form a composite battalion of Little Yellow Bushmen and Pygmies for use in the invasion of Abyssinia. They were to be trained to rush out of the long grass and assail Italian Fascists about the kneecaps. Heavily implicated in the scheme, vetoed after protests from the International Red Cross, was the man destined to become Group Captain O. D. Penton. A.F.C., O.L.M., 1 000 MM. code-named \"The Wizard of Oz\" by Dublin-based agents.
According lo the Penton File, \"Oz\" was born in 1924 — he was such a small baby his mother thought she was going into hospital to have a boil lanced. At Rondebosch Boys\' High School he was prominent at rugby, cricket, tennis, hockey and water polo — as the ball.
\"Oz\" gained his wings on Flying Fleas and was sent to the Front because he complained he couldn\'t see properly at the back.
War in Italy was hell for the youthful Oz— he kept being accosted by kindly American G.I.s with the words \"You wanna dime to buy some candy, kid?\"
Once, surrounded by 20 Luftwaffe Jagdgeschwader of Focke Wulf 190s, he refused to give up. He became the first Spitfire pilot to escape by unstrapping him- self and taking evasive action inside the fuselage.
In a memorable encounter with German fighter ace Heinz (57) Nocke, the latter said: \"Hello liddle kiddlivinkie, hier ist einpfennig fur fcchokolade.\"
Hopes of a transfer to the Far Easten Theatre were scotched by General Smuts who warned Lord Louis Mount batten that if Oz ever contracted yellow jaundice he would most certainly be mistaken for Emperor Hirohito.
After the war Oz returned to work for a\" civilian oil company. Millions of galoob stickers were subsequently produced from a model made with his co-operation . . .
Oz signed on in the Rhodesian Air Force and led the campaign for zero feet ejection seats — to help him get down from the cockpit while the aircraft was static. He was Rhodesia\'s entrant for the 1955 NATO \"Lightweight Fighter\" competition but was sent back with a protest note that they meant the aircraft not the pilot, and the Folland Gnat won.
Oz was the first Wing Commander to be thrown out of the Kentucky Hotel with the words \"All you Hatfield Junior kids try and tell me you\'re in the Air Force.\"
As an instructor on Vampires, Oz caused great heartache to his pupils. Once he left his bone dome on the hard standing by the aircraft. It was nervously saluted by a trainee who wasn\'t sure whether his instrucor was underneath it.
But it was as O.C. Flying at Sarum that Oz really got people down. None of the squadron commanders at that time were under 6 ft. 2 ins. tall. When the day came for an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation they coined the slogan \"Standard Finance—Weneed a forklift—fast!\"
Air Rhodesia refused to lend the passenger ramp for the Boeings but the problem was eventually solved with the manufacture of the first of the famous \"Penton Pedestals\", now found in numerous messes throughout the country. The secret of these pedestals lies in a hidden trap door, through which Oz disappears when his round \"is about to be called.
Oz was one of the first pilots to complete the parachute training course and later made a practice jump with the stickof other pilots. Target for the drop was Lake Mcllwaine and Oz was first out of the aircraft. The others making their first jump landed squarely in the lake and were duly fished out by Sarum\'s C.O. in a motor boat, laden down to the gunwales with Lion and Castle (Beer. Far away and some time later Oz fluttered down slowly to Mother Earth.
During his Air Force career Oz has caused the game of bridge to be classified as a blood sport — S.S.Q. sent out warnings that Air Force members will be held responsible for injuries received while playing with Oz. On hearing of Ozzie\'s system of play Mr. Goren tore up his famous book on Bridge and took up tiddliwinks.
Oz is being forced to retire because he has been noticed groaning under the weight of his campaign medals on official parades. It was feared that he might soon need an A and B to march around behind him carrying them in a wheelbarrow \"in a smart and airman like manner\".
According to reliable sources. Oz has been seeking further employment — he has just had his application as chief test pilot for Airfix turned down, but is expected to have more success as a lumberjack on one of our local mushroom farms.
End
Milestone flight for VR Groupie
In the latter half of October OCVR, Group Captain Penton visited all the VR Squadrons in a \"whistle-stop\" tour.
The culmination of his farewell was at the VR centre at Cranborne on the 29th of October. 1979. The Salisbury based
squadrons were present as were a number of representatives from other squadrons.
In acknowledgement of the high esteem in which he has been held by the VR over the past eight years, he was
presented with a magnificent silver tea service and tray, a combined gift from all the Squadrons.
At Thornhill. when saying goodbye to102 Squadron he seized the opportunity of flying in the \"Silver Provost\".
Commenting on the flight afterwards, he said that although he had not flown in the Prov for many years, he had felt
quite \"at home\", and had not lost his touch.
The last remark was not corroborated by his \"Instructor.\" In fact it was emphatically denied — not in his presence of
course.
Shown here are the two \"Groupies\" and an example of Oz\'s lumbering repartee. (Photo 2)
End of Article
Extracted by Eddy Norris, from the original Blue Copy of the Bateleur dated December 1979, and for use on ORAFs-OurStory Blog.
Your comments are always welcome. please send them to Eddy Norris ar orafs11@gmail.com
Ref. Rhodesian Air Force, ORAFs
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