Grey High School Trooping the Colour Parade on 10 May 2024
There is a recording of the Grey High School Trooping the Colour Parade 10 May
2024 available on
https://www.youtube.com/live/fS25TiLmg7k?si=QbYyjc91pm_8x4Li
SAMHSEC meeting 13 May 2024, postponed to 20 May 2024
Robin Smith spoke on “Three Boers denied amnesty in terms of the Peace of Vereeniging 31 May 1902”.
By the terms of the Peace of Vereeniging, signed in Pretoria near midnight on 31 May 1902, “No proceeding, Civil or Military, will be taken against any of the Burghers so surrendering for any acts in connection with the prosecution of the war”. But, of course, there were exceptions. Three Boers who were wanted for murder were not named in the text of the peace treaty but were indicated verbally by Kitchener to Botha and Smuts as having committed deeds “against the usages of war”, two in the Orange River Colony (as it then was) and one in the Transvaal Colony (as it then was). All three cases were investigated by military and civil authorities once hostilities had ceased. One of the accused was found guilty, sentenced to death and executed, one was acquitted in a civil court in Bloemfontein and released, the third was never found.
There are a number of published sources which have been used to compile this account. From the Boer point of view, it is an emotive subject and some accounts are scarcely objective, with the story of one of them soon becoming mythology.
The recording of Robin’s presentation is in the SAMHS Zoom library.
SAMHSEC RPC 27 May 2024
In session 1, Jaco Pretorius reviewed Guy Keeling’s book Raw War, in which 123 actions of the Anglo-Boer War are narrated and discussed in the context of the 6 phases of the War into which the author assigns the events concerned.
In session 2, Pat Irwin reviewed 2 books relating to the Royal Navy in the Second World War, both being written and published during the War. These were The Ship, an historical novel by CS Forester, and Three Corvettes, an autobiographical narrative by Nicholas Monserrat.
The Ship is an account of a fictional HMS Artemis, a light cruiser involved in a battle with Italian ships while escorting a convoy to Malta in the Mediterranean in 1942. Within the framework of the story, based on the actual Battle of Sirte a year earlier, the most penetrating aspect of the novel is the detailed characterisation of the crew, both as they prepared for and participated in the battle. Such is the power of Forrester’s writing that 8 decades after it was written, a reader easily feels part of the events described as well as part of the crew. This is a riveting book by an author who in many respects transcends time.
The second book, set in the 6-year long “Battle of the Atlantic” records Monserrat’s experiences as an officer serving on corvettes in the North Atlantic and in the North Sea. The primary purpose of the small robust ships known as corvettes in the Second World War, was the protection of convoys from U-boats, while sailing between North America and Britain, and in the seas around Britain. To this end they were purpose designed and proved to be relatively successful in their task.
Monserrat details the challenges of this hazardous process and how it was overcome, or at least mitigated. By no means the least of such measures was the courage, endurance and skill of both merchant ship and naval crews. He also describes the functions, operations and discipline of his crews within the structural framework of the Royal Navy as well as their aspirations for a post-war Britain.
Monserrat is gifted writer with a superb command of the English language. His writing is crisp, precise and authoritative and draws the reader into what he has to say.
In addition to their historical and social value, both these books are masterful pieces of writing, guaranteed to keep anyone interested with naval matters, particularly in the Second World War, glued to their pages.
The review was illustrated and concluded with a summary of the casualties on both sides of the conflict. While some 3 500 merchant ships and some 72 000 Allied naval and merchant seamen were lost, 75% of all U-boat crews perished.
SAMHSEC meeting 10 June 2024
Arnold van Dyk is to talk about “Viva Os Boers -the history of the Boers interned in Portugal during the Anglo Boer War”.
SAMHSEC RPC 24 June 2024
SAMHSEC Requests the Pleasure of your Company to talk about military history on 24 June 2024.
RPC meetings are opportunities for you to share your knowledge of a military history subject or book with fellow military historians. Presentations should last approximately 15 minutes to allow time for sharing the pleasure of one another’s company. You can do any number of RPC presentations per year. Please contact André at andrecrozier@gmail.com if you want to share your knowledge.
Chairman’s note: average attendance of RPCs is steady in the middle 30s, which confirms the SAMHSEC AGM decision that RPCs should continue. However, we have having difficulty in finding speakers. We can’t continue to rely on the same speakers who have offered their contributions of late. Please contact André to share your knowledge of a military history subject or book with fellow military historians. Please contact me if you have suggestions for future RPCs.
Research assistance requests
The following research assistance requests have been received from Peter Henkal, 082 594 8428, peterhenkal@gmail.com, http://peterhenkal.com. Please contact Peter directly if you or one of your contacts can contribute to Peter’s research.
Request for research assistance 1: History Zuurberg Mountain Village / Zuurberg Inn
I am researching the history of the Zuurberg Mountain Village / Zuurberg Inn. Zuurberg Mountain Village (Zuurberg Mountain Inn) situated on the Property; Portion 3, (Portion of Portion 2) of the farm Doorn Nek No. 73, situated in the Division of Alexandria. In Extent 164,6609 Hectares.
So far, I have been able to obtain ownership records going back to 1850:
1850 – Mr. D. Harvey opens a Half-way House
1855 – Mr. John & Elizabeth Matthews buy the property
1861 – Mr. John Matthews applies for a Liquor license to open a hotel
1880 – Mr. W. Phillips
1882 – Mr. E. W. Gough
1884 – Mr. G. Eaton is the proprietor of the Zuurberg Hotel
1885 – Mr. A. B. Greenwood takes over in February
1885 – Mr. W. H. Gane takes over in May the same year
1891 - Mr. Gane passes away and his wife takes over
1894 – Hotel up for sale
1899 – Mr. S. M. Jepson
1900 – the hotel burns down and is bought by F. W. Bracken
Accounts by Greg Jones, the oldest son in the Jones family, speak of hard work
and unshakable dedication to the Inn
I have been told that a military garrison existed near the Inn making use of the
Inn’s blacksmith and stables.
I would appreciate any information about the Inn and military presence/activities
in the area.
Request for research assistance 2: Eastern Cape Frontier Wars
In my project into the History of the ZMV, the 100-year Frontier wars that took
place in the Eastern Cape will need to be explained to the reader (mainly overseas
tourists). Although lengthy accounts are available to me on the Internet, I am
looking for a more engaging, “human” angle – a hero, a villain, a loser -that stood
out in each side to the story.
I realise in those turbulent colonial days it was often confusing to differentiate
right from wrong; however, there were individuals that stood out, good or bad.
Request for research assistance 3: Jan Smuts in the Zuurberg/Zuurveld
I have come across information that General Jan Smuts toured the
Zuurberg/Zuurveld area to recruit men for his army.
One report stated that he and some of his men got very sick from ingesting the
juice of an indigenous Aloe to quench their thirst on the way through the
mountainous terrain. Any substantiation?
(Scribe’s note 2: I have responded to Peter as follows:
“Boer strategy during the guerrilla phase of the ABW included incursions into the
Cape Colony to encourage Cape Dutch rebellion and to draw British troops away
from the former republics to relieve pressure on the Republican forces still in the
field. Much has been written on this phase of the war, see inter alia
http://samilitaryhistory.org/1/c01mayne.html )
The incursion led by General Smuts is reliably covered in Taffy and David
Shearing’s book “General Jan Smuts and his long ride”.
The poisoning of General Smuts and others is covered in Deneys Reitz’ book
Commando, Chapter 22 as follows:
“Up to now, we had found so little difficulty in commandeering supplies from the
farms we passed that no-one ever thought about the next day, with the result that
when we unexpectedly found ourselves in a wild region without habitations, the
men had little or no food with them and were already beginning to feel hungry.
Scattered about stood a strange growth known as “Hottentot’s bread”
(Encephelartos Altensteiniti), a wild fruit not unlike a large pineapple.
It is edible only at certain seasons of the year, but coming from the north,
we did not know this, and as one of the men sampled it and found it to his liking,
many unfortunately followed suit.
I had not eaten any and returning to the firing-line after going to tie up some
horses that had broken loose, I was astonished to find more than half our men
groaning and retching on the ground in agony, some apparently at their last gasp.
General Smuts was worse than the rest, so with half our number out of action, we
were leaderless, for he was lying comatose.”
SAMHSEC
1908 – F. W. Bracken – Zuurberg, Coerney & Wood’s hotel
1946 – PE businessmen buy the hotel & managers run it
1948 - after a second fire Major Wessels takes over
1965 – Mr. Steenkamp buys the hotel
1997 – present: Henri Alant
That there was a Fort or Signalling post (?)
(Scribe’s note 1: I have referred Peter to the book Field Guide to the Eastern &
Southern Cape Coasts Chapter 28 which is as good a summary of Eastern Cape
history as I have found to date.
I have also sent Peter the link to a 2007 SAMHSEC presentation on the first 4
Frontier Wars http://samilitaryhistory.org/8/p08mayne.html and told him that
there have been many Frontier Wars related SAMHS presentations and
recommended using the search function on the SAMHS website
https://www.samilitaryhistory.org/search.html ).