KWAZULU-NATAL BRANCH

Newsletter No. 557
March

NOTICE OF MONTHLY MEETING

The next meeting of the SAMHS KZN Branch will take place on SATURDAY 12th April 2025 at 1.30 for 2.00pm

DDH Introductory presentation.

President Trump with his “America First” policy appears to be looking for a deal in the Ukraine War which will reimburse the USA for its arms supply. It is interesting to revisit the deals struck with America for their aid to Britain in both the first and second world wars. The details of those deals and the part played by gold in these, is a little-known fact to most of us. This will be explored in a video which will form the short DDH introductory presentation for the afternoon.

Main Presentation.

The main talk after a short break will be:

This will be given by Col Brian Adams and is based on his personal experiences with the battalion.This was one of the elite units formed by South Africa during the Border War, which harnessed the unique talents of the San/Bushmen who were being forced from their age-old way of life into the rough and tumble of the modern world by the events unfolding in Angola with the collapse of the Portuguese colonies.

The illustrations above and to the right show the leader group and the transformation of the traditional bushman into a formidable modern fighting soldier.

The starting time for the meeting is 1.30 for 2.00pm on SATURDAY 12th April 2025.

The venue remains the St Cyprians Church Hall off Umbilo Rd, with secure parking and liquid refreshments for cash.

Entry is free and open to all, with visitors welcome, but a donation of R10 for a raffle and R10 for the car guard are requested from all attendees.

ADVANCE NOTICE OF MAY 2025 SPEAKER

The main presentation for the afternoon will be by David Hulme, who most will remember from recent his excellent and well-illustrated presentations on the “Berlin Airlift” and the “Fall of the Berlin Wall”.This time he will present a fascinating expose of:
“The Evolution of Weapons and Tactics in the Classical World”

This will deal with the rise of the Greek and Roman Empires and the events preceding their rise and leading to their fall. Having seen presentations by David on this period of history I can assure members that they are in for a unique, interesting and absorbingafternoon with excellent visual backup, which will illustrate the foundations of the modern military.

NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE KZN BRANCH OF THE SAMHS

Notice is hereby given that the AGM of the Branch will take place on Saturday 10th May 2025 at 1.30 for 2.00pm.

The venue will be St Cyprian’s Church Hall where it will precede the talk above by David Hulme. It is not expected that the meeting will last longer than 15 to 20 minutes. Full details and agenda will follow closer to the date.

Note that your Branch is currently struggling with a dearth of Committee members, and we appeal to those who enjoy the Society and meetings to consider making themselves available to serve. It is not an onerous task as there are only a very few committee meetings in the year, but it is essential to build numbers so that if some members cannot be available at a monthly presentation, we have reserve capacity.

We especially need committee members and volunteers who can help with the audio-visual equipment.

Membership 2025

Please may I once again remind the few outstanding members to pay as soon as they are able, as we receive a percentage back as subsidy from National Office based on subscriptions paid. Paid-up members also receive the journal twice a year.

Subscriptions:
Single R320
Family R340

NB Please do not pay in the difference if you have already paid. The amount of R20 will be carried forward - genuinely - to 2026 subscription invoices.”
Please pay via EFT,to account below to avoid Bank Charges below incurred by cash deposits as banks nowadays do not like cash!
If paying by cash deposit, please add R100.00 for bank charges !

FIRST NATIONAL BANK EASTGATE,
Branch code 257705;
a/c no. 50391928346;
name S.A. Military History Society
REMEMBER your NAME as reference!!
A discount is given to members over 80 years.
- contact scribe@samilitaryhistory.org if applicable

If you are attending meetings as a guest, please consider joining – details at National website:
http://samilitaryhistory.org/applic25.pdf

That’s all for now folks, see you on Saturday the 12th April 2025! Please spread the news of the meetings and encourage others to come along.

Regards
Phil
P R Everitt
Chair KZN Branch SAMHS
Cell or WhatsApp: 0844371636
Email: everitt@iafrica.com