NEWSLETTER - FEBRUARY 2025

Andriza Liebenberg stepped in at short notice and spoke about the Dickin Medal, awarded since the 1940s to animals for "conspicuous gallantry or devotion to duty"

Not strictly a military medal, it was instituted in 1943 by the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) and named after that institution's founder, a Ms Dickin. It has been awarded 75 times to date including an Honorary medal to a horse in 2014 as a proxy for the animals which took part in World War I on the centenary of the start of that conflict.

Andriza started by describing the initial awards, to 3 homing pigeons which were attached to the RAF and whose timely flights during WWII saved air crew when other means of communication had failed.

Extensive coverage was given to Simon, the lone cat recipient, whose participation in the Yangtze incident was a result of his duties as chief rat catcher on HMS Amethyst. When the ship was bombarded attempting to go upriver to the British Embassy, Simon was burned and injured, but recovered in time to catch a particularly large rat which had been raiding the ship's stores during their ten week long stranding under artillery fire. For this action he was promoted to Able Seaman! Sadly, on Simon's return to Britain he was quarantined which led to his death from a virus in November 1949.

The first non-British recipient was another pigeon, GI Joe, whose flight saved an Italian village from USAF attention after it had been captured earlier than expected by Allies.

An English Pointer by the name of Judy had her story told next, as part of the crew of HMS Gnat and later HMS Grasshopper as they battled the Japanese, becoming PoWs.

Finally Andriza spoke about the most recent (January 2014) recipient, another dog by the name of Bass. This Belgian Malinois served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia and received recognition for action in Helmand during May 2019 when he tracked IEDs (improvised explosive devices) which threatened the US soldiers.

Andriza's lecture is in the Society's Video Library on the website.

10th February 2025 at 19h30 and then at 20h15:

Speaker Alan Mantle
Subject World War II Mediterranean Theatre - Conflicts of Military Strategy with Coalition Politics.

20th February 2025 at 19h30 and then 20h15

Speaker: Errol Back-Cunningham
Subject: Nazi Auxiliary Cruisers

Germany entered WW2 with a hastily constructed battleship fleet and a larger U-Boat arm. Few know that their smaller armed merchant cruisers produced a much higher return on investment for the men deployed and money spent on waging a predatory piratical war on Allied merchant shipping.

The next RPC (Request the Pleasure of your Company) Zoominar will be on Monday 24th February.

For those members still anxious about Zoom lectures, please give them a try! Go onto the internet and open your web browser at www.zoom.us . If using a cellphone, visit the app store. Once you have the app on your device - computer or cellphone - choose to join a meeting. Either use the link which is provided in the invitation or type in the meeting code and then the password, also from the invitation, as requested. There are usually two Zoom sessions per evening.

You do NOT need to have a camera - unless you are the speaker or a chairman- although it is always interesting to match faces to voices. As in the auditorium, you do not HAVE to ask the speaker any questions, but there are ways in which you can draw the chair's attention so you can do so.

This will be on the THIRD Saturday ie 15th February 2025, in order to avoid a clash with the Book Launch of the new history of the Natal Mounted Rifles (now Queen Nandi Mounted Rifles). Although the official launch will be a closed function on the 8th February, a number of our members have been invited. However, for the benefit of ALL our members and guests OUR meeting on the 15th February will encompass a PowerPoint presentation on the history of the NMR by book co-authors fellow member Matthew Everitt, together Wray Maine, curator of their Regimental Museum. This will be accompanied by a short book launch at which orders will be taken.

Branch lecture meetings are usually held on a Saturday afternoon.

The venue remains the St Cyprians Church Hall off Umbilo Rd, with secure parking and liquid refreshments available for cash. The starting time is 1.30 for 2.00pm.

Entry is free and open to all. A donation of R10 for the raffle and R10 for the car guard are requested from all attendees. Details of their February meeting can be obtained from the branch chairman, Prof Phil Everitt - 084-437-1636 or everitt@iafrica.com

Kathy Munro advises that Johannesburg Heritage Foundation will run a bus trip from the Sunnyside Park Hotel to the Cemetery. She will be one of the guides on the bus. Details from
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DmSvdMrny/

or contact JHF office - mail@joburgheritage.org.za or 060813 3239