Howe resigned from the SAAF, due in part to the discrimination against English speakers or those who didn't toe the National Party line (I relate strongly to those two points), as did many others who did the same and ended up in the UK in the early 1950's to re-enlist with either the RAF of the FAA. One of Howe's friends Philip Lageson <<not Lagesen as that RAF site misspells his surname>> who went on to become an Air Marshal in the RAF and knighted for his pains, left the RAF in the late 1970's and decided to return to South Africa and Howe decided to give his good friend a suitable sending off...
"Phil Lageson was returning to South Africa. He had a friend who owned a shipping line, with whom he took a berth. John Howe got to hear that this was on a container ship sailing to Cape Town. Whilst on patrol he was able to find the ship and fly-by, photographing it in the process. Before doing so he flew behind the vessel and as he pulled round he called the Captain to inform him that one of his containers had broken loose and had broken up as it hit the water, leaving a grey Mercedes floating on the surface! This brought its owner, Phil, quickly up on deck and some of the photos taken as John flew the length of the ship clearly depict a fist being shaken at the aircraft!"
It might be an apocryphal story but is one I am apt to believe.
![Rolling on the floor =))](./images/smilies/24.gif)
Do any other folks have similar tales, about themselves or others that might fit the title of this thread?