Donald Brebner

During his service  in North Africa Don flew mainly bomb line patrols, armed recce's, bomber escorts and ground attack operations.  

He participated with the fierce Alamein battles and the subsequent push for the final victory in North Africa. 

Don's operational tour to North Africa ended in May 1943. During this time Don shot down two enemy aircraft, damaged three and also was credited with one probable shot down. He flew 134 sorties in 187 ops hours during this tour.

Back in SA Don served as instructor at 11 Operational Training Unit.

Don returned to 1 Squadron (now stationed in Italy) for his second operational tour in early 1944. Besides the normal fighter duties, the pilots now also did a great deal of ground support work in the sense of dive bombing with their Spitfires.

Again Don had quite and eventful tour.  He was credited for shooting down a German FW190 as well as 1/3 of a Me-410 being shot down together with two fellow pilots. In this tour Don flew 134 sorties in 200 ops hours.

He was made OC of 7 Sqdn from 10.4.45 when he came back “up North” for his third tour, but was shot down by flak in Spitfire IX MH532 on 19.4.45. He baled out south of Lake Comacchio, returning to the Sqdn by lunch time. His back had been injured (post war it was still troubling him) though he continued to fly “ops”. The war ended shortly afterwards.

He flew 20 sorties in 21 ops hours during his time with 7 Squadron.

Brebner was one of those fantastic pilots that any squadron could count on. And if he had been flying a Spitfire IX at the beginning of 1943 he might well have been an “ace.” 

After the war he gained a MBBCh at Wits and became a radiologist in 1955, in Johannesburg.