A flying Springbok of wartime British skies: A.G. "Sailor" Malan
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Date
2009
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Published by History Department, University of the Western Cape
Abstract
This article, an expanded version of a 2008 public lecture, explores the life and
times of Adolph Gysbert ?Sailor? Malan, a South African who rose to prominence
as a combatant in the 1940 Battle of Britain and who, after his post-war return
to the Union, became a notable personality in liberal reform politics. A classic
Anglo-Afrikaner empire loyalist or ?King?s Afrikaner?, Malan became ?Sailor?
through his interwar merchant marine service, joining the Royal Air Force in
the later 1930s. An exceptional fighter pilot, his wartime role as an RAF ace in
defending Britain turned him into a national hero, a migrating loyal Springbok
who had sprung selflessly to the defence of Great Britain. Subsequently, as an
ex-serviceman, Malan drew on his wartime sensibilities and beliefs to return to
political battle in his home country, in opposition to post-1948 Afrikaner nationalism
and its apartheid policies. The mini-biography of Sailor Malan analyses
several key life-story elements, including his seafaring apprenticeship, British
wartime identity and combat experience, and troubled relationship with post-
1945 South Africa as a gradualist liberal.
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Keywords
Malan, Adolph Gysbert "Sailor", Fighter pilots, Royal Air Force (RAF)
Citation
Nasson, B. (2009). A flying Springbok of wartime British skies: A.G. "Sailor" Malan. Kronos, 35: 71-97