The New Year's lecture programme opened with Lieutenant-General Denis Earp's "Experiences with the South African Air Force in the Korean War".

Following the outbreak of the Korean War in July 1950, the South African Government decided, in August, to send a squadron to Korea. Sixteen men were trained initially but, of these, one was killed and one married (only single men were permitted to go to Korea). In May 1951 the remaining 14 pilots left for Korea where they were equipped with Mustang F51Ds, and, were allocated to a U.S. wing. General Earp recalled that at this stage he had done 270 flying hours. The role of the South African squadron was that of armed reconaissance. The opposition was provided by Yaks, Ilyushins and Mig 15s. The casualty rate was high. In August 1951 heavy attacks were made on the North Korean capital. General Earp's aircraft was hit and he was forced to bailout over enemy territory.

According to communist philosophy a captured P.O.W. is a war criminal and enemy of the people. A P.O.W. could, however, partially redeem himself with good behaviour and hard labour. In short, P.O.W. treatment depended on how co-operative one was. If you did not co-operate you did not get anything. At one stage General Earp was informed that he would be executed as he was not co-operative. An additional unpleasantness was the constant attempt at brainwashing. Interrogation was continuous, as were attempts at political indoctrination. The Chinese diet was also very debilitating to a Westerner. Ultimately, mental attitude decided who would live or die. Upon conclusion of the armistice General Earp was released in August 1953.

Major Hall thanked the speaker for his excellent lecture and for sharing his experiences with the Society. Major Hall also opened the evening's procedings with his M.G.H. (Metro Goldwyn Hall) slide presentation on World War II Uniforms .

Future Meetings.

Johannesburg

- February 12th Mr. Peter Fox - "Mary Rose and other Naval Occasssions".

- March 12th - Mr. Stewart T. Stiles - "Napoleon's 1813 German Campaign".

The venue for the Johannesburg meetings is the J.C. Lemmer Auditorium, S.A. National Museum of Mil itary History, Saxonwold, Johannesburg at 20hOO.

Cape Town

- February 12th "Mourir a Madrid" - Documentary film about the Spanish Civil War.

Durban

- Contact Tania van der Watt .

Early Warning - Sunday Tour - Sunday 22nd March.

A one day tour to the Pretoria area is currently being planned for Sunday 22nd March. Included in the tour will be a visit to 1 Military Hospital. Further details in the next newsletter.

Shaka Zulu.

SB Bourquin's comments on the final episodes follow below.

STEWART STILES

'SHAKA ZULU' UNDER REVIEW

The eighth episode, after dealing with the death and decapitation of Dingiswayo at the instance of Zwide' s evil mother, Ntombazi, pretends that the white settlers, as a body, become involved in Shaka's tribal wars. It is a fact that on two occasions Shaka called on the settlers to use the magic of their muskets against his enemies. On one occasion one of the Hottentot servants fired three shots from his musket. On the second occasion this military participation only involved Cane and Isaacs with some seven or eight men, sailors, Hottentots and black servants, all armed with muskets. Neither Farewell, Fynn, nor any of the other characters were present; no canncn was used. In the, film, however, all the settlers appear in Zulu war-dress over their clothes, even loin coverings over their trousers! The balls from their little muzzle-loading cannon knock the Ndwandwes over like ninepins; but when the cannon is elevated and the balls drop among the rear ranks, they explode like percussion shells, to which Farewell remarks: 'that will have singed their feathers a little"! (Should one have shouted "Ubique!" or "Shame!"?)

The Ninth episode starts with the building and departure of the schooner "Chaka" - later better known as the "Elizabeth and Susan", which is shown as having brought to Cape Town a deputation consisting of Farewell, still wearing Zulu war-dress over his clothes, and some senior Zulu indunas. Historically the vessel only got as far as Port Elizabeth. Incidentally, one of the passengers was Elizabeth Farewell, who was returning from Port Natal, where she had spent almost two years, from 1826 to 1828, with her husband. The whole episode dealing with the deputation meeting Lord Somerset in Cape Town is farcical fiction. Somerset had, in any case, ceased to be governor of the Cape three years earlier; but the episode leaves a strong impression that the British colonial officers were all ignorant, bigoted bunglers. These fictitious activities of the deputation spillover into the Tenth and final instalment. It is a pity that Elizabeth Farewell was not shown in her actual role, as having been the first white housewife to have set up home at Port Natal for two years. In the light of this fact, her imaginary meeting with her husband in Cape Town, while he is still wearing his ox-tails, loses its sentimental impact.

The Final episode then has only two historically correct features, which not even the film producers could change. One is that Nandi did die, and the other that Shaka was assassinated. Nandi's burial is interspersed with some half -truths, but which might be forgiven. Even though thousands of people lost their lives during a period of mass hysteria, there were too many impaled bodies hanging about. Throughout this film a gruesomely spectacular method of impalement is shown, which differs materially from the methods of impalement adopted by the Zulus. One must admit, however, that such differences would only affect the viewer and not so much the victim!

The death of Shaka is embellished by much fiction. The Dukuza kraal, where he was slain, stood where the town of Stanger stands today. His body was left lying outside the entrance to the kraal throughout the night, untouchcd by any of the roving wild animals, and was then thrown on the following day into an empty grain-pit. The site of that make-shift grave in Couper Street, Stanger, is now marked by a massive monument and a big boulder which, according to tradition, was used to seal the grain-pit. Dukuza was not put to the torch and the conflagration shown is merely a pyromaniacal grand finale to the film.

I have restricted my comrnents purely to historical aspects, even though there were also some shortcomings in regard to Zulu customs and t:raditions; but I have no hesitation in expressing my admiration of the way in which the Zulu actors, many of whom were quite untrained, have acquitted themselves of their task.

'SB'

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