SAMHSEC 19th anniversary
Our 11 September meeting marked the 19th anniversary of SAMHSEC’s first meeting on 9 September 2004, which was held in the PAG Officers’ Mess. Presentations were by Richard Tomlinson on the Schoenmakerskop Coastal Artillery Observation Post and Ken Stewart on the Bridge on the River Kwai.
Current members who attended the first meeting are Peter Duffel-Canham, Ian Pringle and Richard Tomlinson. And I am still the hubcap turning around in circles and catching the shine.
Average attendance of all our meetings to date is 28, with average attendance over the past year of 38.
Thank you all for your contributions to keeping SAMHSEC what it is, and especially to Joan, who allows us to focus on the history and not the hassle.
Buffalo Volunteer Rifles (formerly the Kaffrarian Rifles) regimental memorabilia
The following is an extract from an e-mail received from the Border Historical Society “The Kaffrarian Rifles have a lot of memorabilia and have nowhere to store it or display it. Our local museum will not take anything that has colonial history.”
This unit was formed in East London in 1876, see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Volunteer_Rifles#Under_the_SANDF_post_ 1994_and_Peacekeeping
Anyone with suggestions as to where the memorabilia could be placed is requested to contact the Border Historical Society border.historical.society@gmail.com.
Walmer War Memorial restoration progress report September 2023
Thank you to those to have contributed privately to covering the SA Legion’s restoration expenses.
Thank you also to Dylan Fourie for permission to use his photograph of the ongoing restoration of the vandalised Walmer Town Hall War Memorial:
SAMHSEC field trip to Jefferies Bay and Humansdorp 16 September 2023 cancellation
We had to cancel the planned 16 September SAMHSEC field trip to Jeffries Bay and Humansdorp due to foul weather. Thank you to Tiaan Jacobs who was available to host our visit.
SAMHSEC field trip to Bathurst 4 November 2023
Our next field trip is a return same day visit to Bathurst on 4 November 2023 hosted by Nick Cowley. Further correspondence about the field trip will be by WhatsApp. If you are not on the SAMHSEC WhatsApp group and are interested in attending, please send me a WhatsApp to 082 331 6223 before 9 October.
SAMHSEC 11 September 2023 meeting: visit to the National Army Museum in London (see https://www.nam.ac.uk/)
In her illustrated presentation on the National Army Museum in London: a glimpse of what is has to offer, Anne Irwin briefly discussed the value of dedicated military history museums in today’s society.
The displays current at the time of her visit focused on What makes a Soldier, showing the work of soldiers through the ages, from infantrymen to the Army Air Corps. Her presentation led us through a variety of exhibits which included paintings of battle scenes, coins that had saved the lives of individual soldiers as well as other memorabilia of wars ranging from decorative jugs to playing cards. She briefly focused on the work of BRIXMIS (see https://www.militaryintelligencemuseum.org/brixmis-1) and related a number of exhibits, such as a painting of a Martello Tower, to similar items in South Africa.
Anne’s presentation is in SAMHS' Zoom library
SAMHSEC RPC 25 September 2023
Against the background of SAMHSEC’s observance of the military etiquette of not discussing politics, in session 1 Malcolm Kinghorn discussed how long it takes for politics to become military history.
The example Malcolm used was the naming of the largest offshore construction vessel in the world, the Pioneering Spirit. When launched in 2014, the ship was named Pieter Schelte in memory of Pieter Schelte Heerema (1908-1981), the founder of Heerema Marine Contractors. The name was controversial due to Pieter Schelte having been a member of the Waffen-SS during World War 2. As a result of public pressure, the ship’s name was changed to Pioneering Spirit. Clearly WW 2 politics in the Netherlands was still an issue 70 years after the end of the war and more than 30 years after Pieter Schelte’s death.
In as diverse and politically sensitive a country as South Africa, Malcolm’s approach is err on the side of caution. We have so much military history at our disposal that we need not concern ourselves with events less than 50 years ago.
Pat Irwin’s illustrated, informal talk entitled “Shoreham Aircraft Museum and the White Hart Inn” in session 2, shared aspects his recent visit to these two Battle of Britain sites in south east England.
Three war memorials are to be found in the village of Shoreham: a large white cross carved into the chalk hillside above the village, a well-tended monument off the High Street and the Aircraft Museum itself. Interesting features and the history of the first two memorials were outlined and the Museum described in some detail.
Relatively small and run by volunteers, the museum is dedicated to the Battle of Britain. The physical contents of the museum consist largely of recovered and salvaged parts of aircraft – both British and German – which were shot down during the battle and were often buried several metres underground due to the impact of the crash.
The items include whole engines, parts of cockpits and fuselages as well as equipment, clothing and personal items associated with the crews. Most items are in remarkably good condition especially given the years they spent buried.
There are also many relevant photographs and documents on display. Among the most meaningful of these are the numerous personal accounts of pilots, on both sides of the conflict, ground crews and the salvagers who found the objects displayed. It is interesting that several of the people engaged in these excavations had seen the original aircraft crashing some 40 years earlier and could pinpoint exactly where it took place.
Pleasingly, each individual item is labelled, explained and given context. The effect is to make the museum ‘come alive’ creating a feeling that one is part of the events portrayed. All in all, it is an absolute gem of a museum which deservedly attracts large numbers of visitors including many Germans, who are welcomed. Another function over time has been to develop an atmosphere of reconciliation between the former foes, plenty examples of which are given. The presentation included paintings by Geoff Nutkins, an internationally renowned aviation artist, illustrating some of the combat incidents during the battle.
The presentation then moved to a discussion and examination of the White Hart Inn in the neighbouring village of Brasted. This Inn, only a few kilometres from the famed RAF base at Biggin Hill, was a favoured watering hole for the fighter pilots. The building looks much as it did in the 18th century while the interior of the pub, although slightly modified by corporate ownership, still has strong echoes of its RAF clientele in the 1940s. There is a fascinating montage of pilots, ground crews and aircraft on one of the walls and there are also numerous framed pictures of individual pilots involved in the battle. A copy of a much-cherished blackout curtain with pilots’ signatures on it is also there.
The talk included showing a number of photographs of the RAF fighter ‘aces’, foremost of which was South Africa’s Sailor Malan, in the pub at post-war reunions. Included among these was also a photograph of German ‘ace’ and head of Luftwaffe fighter command, General Adolph Galland, in the White Hart. He was much admired by Allied fighter pilots with whom he raised many a glass in the reunions.
The talk concluded with a tribute to Kath and Teddy Preston, the White Hart Inn publicans during the Battle of Britain, followed by a reading of the poem High Flight by John Gillespie McGee, and the following prescient verse written by Thomas Gray in 1737:
Stare at the flying fleets of wond’rous birds,
England, so long the mistress of the sea,
Pat’s presentation is in SAMHS' Zoom library.
Please note: if you can’t join a zoomeeting by clicking on the link, use the meeting ID and password to join.
SAMHSEC 9 October 2023 meeting
Mac Alexander is to tell us about training with the Chilean Commandos in 1981.
SAMHSEC RPC 30 October 2023
In session 1, Nick Cowley is to share Eastern Cape perspectives on Dick King’s ride. This presentation was postponed from 25 September due to technical issues. Thanks for still being available, Nick.
30 October 2023 at 1930 South African time
Session 2
This session is available for you to share a military history related book. Please contact André at andrecrozier@gmail.com if you want to use this opportunity.
30 October 2023 at 2015 South African time
Grey High School Retreat Ceremony 12 October
The Grey High School Cadet Detachment 33 Retreat Ceremony is to be held at the School at 1300 on 12 October 2023.
SAMHSEC