Albert “Zulu” Lewis – The Pilot Who Aced it in One Day!
- Garth Calitz
- Jul 15
- 9 min read
By Rob Russell
Born in Kimberley on 10 April 1918, Lewis attended Kimberley Boys' High School. He was never particularly interested in aviation, but with the threat of war growing, he found himself developing an interest, rather than farming, which his family had hoped he would move into. Little did they know he was to go on to achieve something not many people were able to do - become an ace in a day!
Lewis joined the Royal Air Force when he was 20. on a four-year Short Service Commission, being enlisted as an Acting Pilot Officer with effect from 29th October, 1938. At No.5 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School, Hanwell, he flew the Blackburn B-2, and in November 1938, he was posted to No. 3 FTS at South Cerney in Gloucestershire, near the Wiltshire border, flying the Hawker Hart, Audax and Fury.
On being awarded his wings, Albert was transferred to an advanced training squadron and completed his course on 8th June and was posted to No.754 Squadron Fleet Air Arm, where was to become a Staff Pilot, based at HMS Daedalus at Lee-on-Solent, flying the Walrus, Magister, Mentor, Sea Fox and Swordfish. On 20th June, 1939, he crashed a Walrus, the machine being a complete write-off. Discharged from Haslar Naval Hospital on 12th August, he reported back for duty and continued his training. In September, he was posted to No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron Auxiliary Air Force, which had been formed on 1st November 1938, for bombing, with Hinds, Tutors and Avros. He was not to last long there and was posted in December to No.504 "City of Nottingham" Squadron, at Debden. The Squadron was equipped with Hurricanes.
In 1940, Albert was to become involved in flight testing on February 29th, 1940. Albert Lewis (sometimes known by his second name, Gerald) flew the first Hurricane fitted with the new proposed variable pitch airscrew. Up till then, all Hurricanes had fixed-pitch two-bladed propellers.
As an interesting anecdote and legendary wartime story, the use of the word "airscrew" for propeller was common at that time. It lasted until a squadron short of propeller spares sent urgently for "12 airscrews" to their Command. Back went 12 pilots, 12 navigators, 12 gunners and 12 wireless operators to the squadron. What happened was that the signal had been received as "12 aircrews" instead of "12 airscrews"!! What happened to the wireless operator concerned is not recorded, but the term airscrew was discontinued, and propeller has been used ever since. It was rumoured that the WOP had screwed any chance of further promotion with this message!
In addition to testing the new propeller, he still undertook squadron duties and flew 306 hours and 45 minutes on convoy patrols, formation practices, night flights, etc., before making his last entry in his log book with No.504 "City of Nottingham" Squadron on 26th April, 1940.
He was then posted to No.87 Squadron in France, being transferred almost immediately to No.85 Squadron under Squadron Leader "Doggie" Oliver. On the 12th May, whilst on routine patrol, he shot down a Messerschmitt Me 109E and a Heinkel He 111. On the 19th, just a few days later, whilst flying regular patrol flights, in a Hurricane that had just been transferred to his Squadron and still bearing No.213 Squadron's marking, he got five confirmed kills that day - two Me 109s on the first patrol in the morning, and three more on the evening patrol, this fight having been witnessed by his CO and the Squadron leader. He later recalled the event, saying: "I was jumped by a patrol of 3 Me 109s as I was about to return to base, troubled by a loose gun panel; became aware of attack as tracer streamed by. Turned into an attack and found the leader coming straight at me. Somehow his cannon shots missed and he rolled into a steep turn almost on his back, and pulled away. Suddenly, there was his belly at point-blank range. I rammed the nose of the Hurricane down, my head hitting the top of the cockpit glasshouse, and pressed the gun button; fuel spewed out from the L-shaped tank, which the pilot sat on, and with fuel streaming behind him, the pilot flew straight down into the deck and exploded. By the way he handled his plane, I imagined the pilot to be experienced, possibly an instructor, with two greenies or fledglings, as the other two made half-hearted attacks, formed up together and headed home, towards Brussels.
"The fight had occurred in the Rubaix area on the Franco-Belgian border. My first inclination was to leave them well alone, but realising we had the extra boost in the Hurricane if we needed it for a short duration, I pulled out the boost control and followed the two. I don't think they were aware of me following them, as I was able to position myself slightly below and behind. They were sitting ducks; short bursts into each and they plummeted straight down into the deck at a steep angle. I was able to pinpoint the wreckages and submitted my report. The ack ack guns confirmed, and 'Bob' Martin, MC, our Intelligence Officer, had a look at the wreckages. They were fairly close together, in wooded country.
Shortly after this event, he got seven days' leave and promptly went off to Gloucestershire to marry Betty Yvonne Coxon on the 29th at St. Paul's Church, Whiteshill, Stroud. It was to this area that he returned some 30-odd years later to farm.
It was at this time that Squadron Leader (later Group Captain) Peter Townsend was posted to the Squadron to command. He soon christened Albert Lewis "Zulu", as he had christened his great chum, South African Caesar Hull, in No.43 Squadron, from which he had come.
On 26th June, Dickie Lee, "A" Flight Commander, and Zulu Lewis flew to Debden for an investiture. Dickie got a DSO and DFC, and Zulu his DFC.
On 31st August, he got a Me 109e after being scrambled in a hurry. The combat report reveals that 9 Hurricanes took off at 1917 hours to patrol the area looking for a formation of bombers being escorted by the M1 109s. They were eventually found over Dover and then nine Me 109s were seen flying at about 15,000 feet. The squadron circled out to sea as enemy aircraft were on the left, and then wheeled in and caught them by surprise when individual combats ensued. It goes on: "Pilot Officer Lewis fired a four-second burst at enemy aircraft from 150 yards on the beam and from slightly below. Black smoke billowed out and enemy aircraft dived steeply. P/O Lewis followed it down to 5,000 feet, making sure it was shot down and then returned to continue the patrol.
On the 15th September of that year, he was posted to the legendary and top-scoring 249 Squadron. There were many other South Africans who served in that squadron with distinction. Among them was Pat Wells, who went on to work as a Sales Manager for Cessna Aircraft with Comair at Rand Airport, Germiston. Other South Africans there were J. T. (Jimmy) Crossey, who was involved in the running of Malta Airways. Yet another South African with the Squadron was Percy Burton, who, although mortally wounded, rammed a German aircraft with supreme courage.
With No. 249 under Squadron Leader (later Air Chief Marshal) Sir John Grandy, it was all action at North Weald; it not being unusual for pilots to fly three, four and sometimes five times a day. When Zulu Lewis arrived on 15th September, 1940, and on one of his first flights he got a He 111, and shared in the probable destruction of another. On 18th September, he got his twelfth confirmed enemy aircraft. On the 27th, he managed the rare feat of becoming an ace again in one day. This time he got six confirmed and three probables. He got 11 confirmed on the two days of 19th May and 27th September, 1940, a record for pilots of single-engined British fighters.
On the 22nd October, Zulu, whilst on patrol, was attacked and was severely injured. He managed to bale out of his aircraft and was taken to Faversham Cottage Hospital, with shrapnel in his legs, and severe burns on the face, throat, hands and legs. He was also temporarily to lose his vision, for a few weeks, but luckily for him, it gradually returned. It was here that he was to receive his little golden caterpillar, with his name engraved on the back, while he was in hospital, which confirmed his membership of the select band who have had their lives saved by parachute.
After two months in hospital and convalescing, Zulu returned to the Squadron in December 1940, having been promoted Flying Officer on 29th November and was flying by 17th January 1941, he became "A" Flight Commander, and was awarded a bar to the DFC. This was presented to him by King George IV.
Zulu volunteered for overseas service and was posted to command No.261 Squadron (Hurricanes) in January, in Sierra Leone, West Africa. This was the port where aircraft were assembled to be flown to the Middle East. On February 4th, 1942, he led 18 Hurricanes from Takoradi to Lagos, Nigeria; then to Kano; to Maiduguri, still in Nigeria, and on to El Genina; then solo to Khartoum and Port Sudan. While at Port Sudan, he met up Pierre St. Quentin, born in Southern Rhodesia, who was testing Kittyhawks for the RAF. He persuaded Zulu to "have a go" at flying the Kittyhawk, but he preferred the "Hurribus" in which he had achieved such success in combat.
On 19th February, 1942, he was transferred to Trincomalee in China Bay, Ceylon, to command No.261 Squadron, which had been reformed at Hal Far in Malta in June, 1940, Zulu now commanded a squadron with pilots that came from many countries, namely Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians and an American. A real mixed bunch! China Bay was a grass airfield, or rather, a clearing, where a runway was under construction, and everything was pretty primitive. Despite that, the force developed a love for the island of Ceylon. Zulu enjoyed his time there and made many friends.
On 9th April, the day before his 24th birthday, Zulu led his Squadron to intercept a Japanese raid and as he was taking off, his aircraft was hit by fire from one of the Japanese Zeros. He was wounded in the left shoulder and his arm became useless. On fire, he bailed out at 200 feet, his parachute opening just in time. He could see his base being heavily attacked, and for six hours lay suffering from shock until he was found by natives, who revived him with coconut milk and helped him back to base.
In June, he returned to Britain via South Africa, where he was amazed and embarrassed to find himself "... a local lad who had hit the limelight", as he puts it. He had his portrait painted by Springs artist Johannsen (commissioned by the City Council of Springs) and was given a few days' leave to see his folks. He recalls modestly: "It was rather trying, one reception after another, speeches, grinning whether you felt like it or not, and I was relieved when it was all over.'' On his return to Britain, he was made Chief Flying instructor at Tealing in Scotland and then went to 10 Group HQ at Box in Wiltshire in 1944-45 (the Air Officer Commanding was another South African, Air Vice-Marshal Sir Christopher J. Quentin Brand, KBE, DSO, MC, DFC,
After the war Zulu resigned from the RAF and went to the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. In 1947 he returned to South Africa and in 1951 joined the Tobacco Research Board in Southern Rhodesia. In 1953 he became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints (Mormons) and moved to the U.S.A., to further his studies in Agriculture, but in 1957 he returned to farm in England, the country that he had grown to love.
Albert Gerald Lewis, as well as being a brave and resourceful pilot, was a sincere and deeply religious man. In a rare interview with Sqn Leader D Tidy he said the following "As my mind reflects on the Battle of Britain and on the many wonderful characters who formed a part of that scene and died a quarter of a century ago in order that the world might be a better place to live in, as did those in the First World War and indeed all righteous people from the beginning of time - I wonder, have we achieved lasting peace? If we are not to disappoint ourselves and all those who have come before, we need a plan - one that is practical and embraces all mankind. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I sincerely believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only plan which can embrace the world so that all who desire to may live in peace."
Zulu farmed in the UK until his death on the 14th December 1982
Comments