Harry Curtis (Father) – War Years
In 1941 Harry joined the South African Air Force to train and become a pilot. He started his flying days at No 5 Air School Witbank, his first flight being on 14th October 1941 in a Tiger Moth. He qualified to wear the South African Flying Badge on 10 April 1942 after flying 165 hours. His logbook contains a summary of Flying and Assessment undertaken at 25 Air School. The assessment reflects the period December 1943 to July 1944, reflecting total flying hours of 1402 and Above the Average assessment as a Pilot Instructor.
A later Flying Assessment undertaken at 9 Fighter Squadron on 31 July 1945 reflects:
Assessment of Ability:
| As a Fighter Pilot | – Average + |
| In Bombing | – Average + |
| In Air Gunnery | – Average + |
As a pilot instructor, he instructed for two years and was then sent on operations to North Africa, Europe and Greece.
Harry was released from the SA Airforce in December 1945
