SAMHSEC 21 MILITARY HISTORY IN 21 WORDS COMPETITION
In celebration of SAMHSEC’s 21st Anniversary, you are invited to
Write 21 words on Eastern Cape military history fact or fiction in either English, Afrikaans or Mengels for SAMHSEC’s 21st anniversary (count the words!)
For example:
When the Kat River rebels occupied Fort Armstrong, the British Army had to attack their own fort to get it back (count those words too!)
You may enter as many stories as you wish.
The invitation is open to anyone, anywhere, who is interested in participating.
We have decided to end the competition on 30 November 2025. Please submit your entries by WhatsApp to Anne Irwin at 072 522 8485 with the subject SAMHSEC 21. Khawulezesa!
Anne and a panel of independent judges will select a winner to be announced at SAMHSEC’s 8 December zoomeeting. The winner will receive a prize. The judges’ decision will be final. A selection of stories will be featured after the competition has closed.
Please contact Anne if you have any questions or suggestions.
SAMHSEC meeting 13 October 2025: Two Pattison brothers from Southwell who died in France during WW 1 by Stephen Bowker
Private Victor Reginald (Vic) Pattison (aged 19) was killed in action at Delville Wood on 18 July 1916 and has no known grave. His name is on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. Second Lieutenant Charles Joseph (Joe) Pattison (aged 22) died of wounds on 24 October 1916 after being wounded at Butte de Warlencourt on 17 October. Vic’s name is included on Joe’s gravestone in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission St Sever Cemetery at Rouen.
Joe was born in the Transkei and Vic was born in Grahamstown. Their early years were spent in the Transkei where their father, Reverend Pattison, was a Pastor. In 1902 the family moved to Southwell when Reverend Pattison took up the post as Resident Pastor at St James’ Church in Southwell and teacher at St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown.
The family lived in the house adjacent to the Church that served both as a home and school. Joe went on to St Andrew’s College, while Vic remained at St James’.
Both brothers served in German South-West Africa before enlisting to serve with the First South African Infantry Regiment. In September 1915 they embarked for Europe on the SS Durham Castle. They saw action in North Africa before going to France.
There is a marble plaque commemorating parish members who died in WW 1 in St James’ Church.
Stephen’s presentation is in the SAMHS Zoom library.
SAMHSEC Requested the Pleasure of your Company on 27 October 2025
In Session 1, Mike Huxtable told us about the South African Military Intelligence Veterans Association (SAMIVA) which was established in 2014. With remembrance as a key objective, the SAMIVA Sunrise Memorial Service is held annually on the Sunday closest to 5 February, which is International Intelligence Services Day, at Fort Klapperkop in Pretoria. SAMIVA represents its members at Remembrance Parades throughout the year.
The SAMIVA Memorial Needle and Museum is on the farm of an association member near Colesberg. Plans to relocate the Memorial Needle and Museum to a permanent site in Pretoria should the present location no longer be available have been made.
Please contact the SAMIVA Secretary at SAMIVA.Sec@gmail,com for further information.
Mike’s presentation is in the SAMHS Zoom library. You may be interested in Walter Volker’s presentation on SADF Military Intelligence which is also in the SAMHS Zoom library.
In session 2. Dylan Fourie examined how four warriors featured on the Swedish metal band Sabaton’s album Legends embodied different ideas of heroism, power and legacy across cultures.
Lü Bu (died 199 AD) was known as the “Tiger Among Dragons”. A fearsome general of the late Han Dynasty, Lü Bu was famed for his unmatched skill in single combat and his ferocity on horseback. Yet his downfall lay in his own ambition and betrayal. Though revered for his strength, his repeated acts of treachery, culminating in the murders of his adoptive father and his patron, Dong Zhuo, made him a pariah. Ultimately, his unmatched might could not save him from execution when his reputation for disloyalty outweighed his military genius. His story serves as a reminder that personal power without loyalty leads to ruin.
Vlad III of Wallachia (died 1476 AD) was introduced not as a monster of fiction, but as a ruthless yet effective ruler in fifteenth-century Eastern Europe. Known as “The Impaler,” Vlad used terror as a weapon against both internal opponents and the encroaching Ottoman Empire. His horrifying displays of impalement were not acts of madness, but deliberate psychological warfare. By transforming brutality into deterrence, he secured short-lived independence for his small realm between great empires. Though his cruelty was legendary, his defiance against overwhelming odds ensured his lasting place in history.
Miyamoto Musashi (died 1645 AD) was the undefeated duellist of feudal Japan. Over a career of more than sixty duels, Musashi never lost, relying on adaptability and psychological insight as much as physical skill. His discipline and pugilistic mastery were later distilled in his book “The Book of Five Rings”, a text that transcends swordsmanship to explore the mindset of mastery itself. Where Lü Bu embodied chaos and ambition, Musashi represented restraint, balance and self-control, the mark of a true warrior.
Pharaoh Senusret III (died 1839 BC) ruled Egypt nearly four thousand years ago and exemplified the union of military might and administrative vision. Through repeated campaigns into Nubia, he expanded Egypt’s influence and secured its southern frontier with a chain of fortresses along the Nile. More than a conqueror, he reshaped governance by centralising authority and strengthening the state. Worshipped as a living god, Senusret III demonstrated how warfare and leadership could merge into enduring statecraft and myth.
Together, these four figures illustrate the many faces of military legend. Each lived in a different era, fought for different causes and met different ends, yet their memories remain with us through story. Sabaton’s Legends captures not only their feats of arms, but also the human fascination with courage, ambition and legacy.
Their stories remind us that the line between history and legend is often as thin as the edge of a sword.
Dylan’s presentation is in the SAMHS Zoom library. You may be interested in Al du Pisani’s presentation on Sabaton, also in the SAMHS Zoom library.
SAMHSEC meeting 10 November 2025
Dylan Fourie is to discuss 11 November 1918 and its commemoration.
SAMHSEC Requests the Pleasure of your Company to talk about military history on 24 November 2025
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.
November 2025 Remembrance Events in Port Elizabeth
Sunday 2nd November Annual Poppy Run to place a Haig Poppy on the grave of War Veterans in the Port Elizabeth area. Meet at Maritime Club 0930. Volunteers welcome. Contact Terry Pattison 082 772 4920 terry2@mweb.co.za
Sunday 9th November 2025 Civic Remembrance Day Parade at Walmer War Memorial. Spectators to be seated by 0930.
Tuesday 11th November 2025 Grey High School Remembrance Day Service at 1200 in the Memorial Quad. Note the change from the usual 1100 to 1200 to accommodate examinations. Parking is not available on the campus so please use street parking and enter through the Centenary Gate in College Drive. Spectators to be seated by 1140.
Tuesday 11th November 2025 Remembrance Dinner at Old Grey Club 1730 for 1845. Contact edhurr@computingservices.co.za
Sunday 30th November 2025 Umzintzani Parade at PAG Memorial St George’s Park 0930, followed by harmony at the Maritime Club.
SAMHSEC
Chairman: Malcolm Kinghorn culturev@lantic.net
Secretary: Stephen Bowker stephen@stephenbowker.co.za
Speaker coordinator: André Crozier andrecrozier@gmail.com
Scribe: vacant
Field trip coordinator: vacant