The South African Air Force Memorial on Bays Hill

Located on Bays Hill in Swartkop outside Pretoria, the South African Air Force Memorial overlooks Air Force Base Swartkop, the first air force base of the SAAF. The memorial was unveiled on 1 September 1963 by State President Charles Robberts Swart in a ceremony attended by 5000 people. An annual memorial service is traditionally held here in May. The site serves as a tribute to SAAF members who died during times of war and peace between 1915 and the present.

The design of the memorial consists of three wings that cross over one another, a shape intended to symbolise flight. Each wing covers separate rooms that house a chapel, a caretaker's office, and a machine room. The hall between the wings houses a cenotaph as the centrepiece of the memorial and the rolls of honour. Construction began in May 1962 and was completed within 11 months, utilizing local materials such as Granite from Namaqualand and Stinkwood from Knysna.

The memorial site has been expanded over the years. In 2001, a memorial wall listing past members of the SAAF was unveiled, and in 2004, a Garden of Remembrance opened to house the ashes of former SAAF members and their spouses or partners. A memorial to the Unknown Airman was also inaugurated in 2004. This site succeeded a smaller memorial that was located outside Waterkloof Air Station from 1950 to 1962.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons