NEWSLETTER - JULY 2022

In June Dr Vickey Heunis from the Museum of the Boer Republics in Bloemfontein lectured to us about Artifacts from the Anglo-Boer War POWs held on the island of Bermuda. This was a follow on to her interesting lecture about the St Helena POWs late last year.

Bermuda was the fourth and last overseas destination for Boer PoWs; by June 1901 the British Governor of Bermuda had prepared 8 small islands to accommodate prisoners and ships started arriving from Cape Town, roughly one a month. Initially PoWs had been sent to St Helena, then to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and to India, all parts of the British Empire and easy for the British to arrange. Water storage seemed to have been a major issue on Bermuda but the place was clearly pleasant enough for quite a few to remain there at the end of their imprisonment.

Overall 4619 PoWs were landed at Bermuda with a further 34 having to be buried at sea on the voyage from Cape Town

Souvenirs were easily sold - tourism continued as normal, mainly from the US mainland and craftsmen were able to supplement their income by selling items carved from wood and bone. They had to buy their own stamps, though!

Bermuda was the fourth and last overseas destination for Boer PoWs; by June 1901 the British Governor of Bermuda had prepared 8 small islands to accommodate prisoners and ships started arriving from Cape Town, roughly one a month. Initially PoWs had been sent to St Helena, then to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and to India, all parts of the British Empire and easy for the British to arrange. Water storage seemed to have been a major issue on Bermuda but the place was clearly pleasant enough for quite a few to remain there at the end of their imprisonment.

The recording is on the website as usual as part of the ZOOM library: www.samilitaryhistory.org

Let scribe@samilitaryhistory.org know in order to be sent an invitation to the next ZOOM meeting.

Thursday 14th is the next scheduled lecture from 19h30 and 20h15 as usual.
Dr Anne Samson will talk about The South African economy at war, 1914-1918.

It's said that money makes the world go round - and while most attention in war is given to the fighting front, a lot is going on behind the scenes to ensure money is available to purchase military necessities and ensure people are fed. While spending seems never-ending, someone ultimately has to pay. As a result, mining (gold and diamonds), farming, shipping and manufacturing were all affected. With 10 per cent of the population involved in the war effort, this talk considers the impact of the war on the SA economy and the effect it had on those left behind and those who returned from the battle fronts.

Approximately 200 of our members receive announcements of forthcoming meetings and are invited to join the meetings. We wish to encourage more of those who are missing out to become involved. We hold three ZOOMinars a month.

All you need is a computer, OR A CELLPHONE, and a data connection and you can become part of the meetings. You will need to contact the Society to be added to the invite list and then you are all fitted out. You then click on the link in the invitation just before the meeting starts and it will hook you up to join the meetings.

Robin Smith will be the speaker - details from Uli Duebi - ulric@wolrdonline.co.za

Pierre du Toit is reluctantly selling many of his books which include several Anglo-Boer War publications. If interested please e-mail him at dutoykie@telkomsa.net or phone 011 453 5542 or cell 073 335 1741 for a list of what is still available.

The June MHJ is scheduled to go to the printers shortly. As happened previously our postal system leaves a lot to be desired. Please will members let Joan know if they would like to collect from local 'hubs' in their cities. Where there are 5 members in close proximity it is economically viable to courier the Journals to one of the five; electronic (pdf) versions can also be arranged and in the case of overseas members is the way theirs will be sent. Also happy to post - your choice.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission has organised a competition for architectural submissions for a suitable memorial for the non-white members of the SA Forces who died in the World Wars and have as yet not been commemorated publically. Details of the competition are available from https://cwgcmemorialcompetition.co.za/

1. HELIOGRAAF NO. 2 (Bloemfontein-branch of the Friends)
2. WESTERN CAPE - HELIOGRAAF NO. 22
3. BITTEREINDER GEDENKLESING (Prof. Andre Wessels - 21 Mei)
   
4. VREDE VAN VEREENIGING/PEACE OF VEREENIGING GEDENKLESING (Prof. Fransjohan Pretorius - 31 Mei)
5. Invoice for Friends of the War museum for those that wish to join
   

Eastern Cape details contact    Malcolm Kinghorn    041-373-4469    culturev@lantic.net

Gauteng details contact    Joan Marsh     010-237-0676    joan@rfidradar.com

KwaZulu-Natal details contact    Prof Phil Everitt    084-437-1636     everitt@iafrica.com

Cape Town details contact    Ronnie Glass    083 441 6170     ronnie.glass@horwath.co.za