S/Ldr H. N. Sweetman was born in Auckland on 10th October, 1921. He was a clerk before joining the RNZAF in April, 1940. After completing his flying training, he sailed for the United Kingdom in November 1940 as a Sergeant-Pilot.

Having converted to Spitfires in Scotland, Harvey joined 234 Squadron in mid-February 1941, and was posted a month later to 485 Squadron, the first New Zealand fighter unit, then forming at Driffield. Declared operational on 12th April, 1941, the unit moved south to Redhill in July to begin Circus operations over France. 
 
Harvey claimed Bf 109’s destroyed on 29th August and 18th September, 1941.
485 Squadron took part in the operations over the Channel on 12th February, 1942, when the German battleships ’Scharnhorst’ and ’Gneisenau’ made their famous dash, and Harvey shared in the destruction of another Bf 109. 
 
In early March, 1942, having been commissioned as a Pilot Officer, he was posted to 486 Squadron which was then forming at Kirton-in-Lindsey as the second New Zealand fighter squadron with Hurricanes. The unit was detached to Wittering in May to co-operate with Turbinlite Havocs, flying night sorties in search of German raiders. As well as these duties the unit also flew night scrambles and on one of these, on 23rd July, 1942, Harvey destroyed a DO 217E in the face of return fire. The crew baled out and confirmed that a single-seat fighter had shot them down. 
The squadron now began to convert to Typhoons and when the Wittering attachment ceased it moved south to begin anti-Rhubarb operations.   
On 9th April, 1943, Harvey shared in the destruction of an FW 190 and a week later, after being hit by flak over Le Havre, he managed to reach the English coast and crash land in a potato field near Selsy Bill. In early July, he went on a Fighter Leader course and on his return to the squadron was made a flight commander. When his tour finished in August 1943 he was awarded the DFC and was posted to Hawker Aircraft as a production test pilot. 
 
On 16th February, 1944, Harvey rejoined 486 Squadron. In April, its Typhoons were replaced by Tempests to become operational on 1 May as part of the Newchurch Wing. On 16th June, the unit began patrols in search of V-1 flying bombs, then being launched by the Germans against southern England from sites in the Low Countries. During the next two months Sweetman destroyed ten V-1’s and shared another. 
 
He was promoted to Acting Squadron Leader on 15th September, 1944, and was posted to command 3 Squadron. He led the Squadron to Grimbergen in Holland at the end of the month, to join 122 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force. Harvey destroyed an Me 262 on 26th November, as it was taxying on Rheine aerodrome. 
 
In January 1945, Harvey completed his second tour and returned to Hawker’s for further test pilot duties. He later joined 3 Course at the Empire Test Pilots’ School. 
 
Harvey Sweetman retired to Auckland.