NEWSLETTER NO.1. ISSUED: JANUARY 1967.
THE SOCIETY COMMENCED ITS ACTIVITIES WITH THE INAUGURAL MEETING WHICH WAS HELD AT THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL WAR MUSEUM IN JOHANNESBURG ON WEDNESDAY 5TH OCTOBER, 1966.
ON THIS OCCASION COMMANDANT-GENERAL H.B. KLOPPER, D.S.O. , E.D., A RETIRED HEAD OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE FORCE, DELIVERED THE OPENING ADDRESS. HE POINTED OUT THAT SOUTH AFRICA COULD LOOK BACK WITH PRIDE ON A LONG AND HONOURABLE MILITARY PAST. HE BRIEFLY SKETCHED THIS PAST FROM THE DAYS OF THE DUTCH EAST INDIA COMPANY UP TO THE YEAR 1912, WHEN SOUTH AFRICA OBTAINED ITS OWN DEFENCE ACT AND DEFENCE ORGANISATION. WITH A RICH MILITARY BACKGROUND SUCH AS OURS, IT 'WAS CLEAR HOW MUCH WORK COULD FRUITFULLY BE DONE BY THE SOCIETY.
UNIFORMS, WEAPONS, BADGES HISTORICAL BATTLEFIELDS, COLOURS, DEFENCE WORKS, MEMORIALS, DECORATIONS AND MEDALS, REGIMENTAL HISTORIES, AND A HOST OF OTHER SUBJECTS ARE ASPECTS OF THE PAST AWAITING INTENSIVE STUDY, HE SAID. BY DOING RESEARCH IN THESE FIELDS ONE WOULD WIDEN AND BE ABLE TO SPREAD ONE'S KNOWLEDGE. HE ENDED HIS ADDRESS BY WISHING THE SOCIETY EVERY SUCCESS IN ITS ENDEAVOURS.
THE AD HOC COMMITTEE, WHICH WAS ELECTED AT THE INAUGURAL MEETING, MET ON THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER, 1966, TO DISCUSS AND APPROVE OF A SET OF RULES FOR THE SOCIETY. THESE HAD BEEN PREPARED BY THE CHAIRMAN. THE COMMITTEE, AFTER DISCUSSION, AGREED TO PRESENT THE RULES TO THE FIRST GENERAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY. THE FIRST GENERAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY TOOK PLACE ON THURSDAY 3RD NOVEMBER, 1966. THE SOCIETY'S RULES WERE APPROVED AND ADOPTED AT THIS MEETING AND THE AD HOC COMMITTEE WAS RE-ELECTED EN BLOC TO SERVE UNTIL THE FIRST ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING TO BE HELD IN MARCH. THE COMMITTEE NOW IN OFFICE CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING:
ON THIS OCCASION CAPTAIN J.A. BALL WILL TALK ON SOUTH AFRICA'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF ENEMY P.O.W. ADMINISTRATION DURING THE PERIOD 1940-1946. CAPTAIN BALL IS THE HOLDER OF THE CIVILIAN ORDER OF THE STAR OF ITALY WHICH WAS AWARDED TO HIM IN RECOGNITION OF THE WORK HE DID AMONGST ITALIAN P.O.W. THE AWARD WAS MADE BY THE ITALIAN POST-WAR GOVERNMENT WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF OF THE UNION DEFENCE FORCE IN 1947. THE TALK LASTS FOR 45 TO 60 MINUTES AND CAPTAIN BALL WILL ALSO BE TOUCHING ON THE HISTORY OF COLONEL PRINSLOO WHO WAS OFFICER COMMANDING P.O.W. CAMPS AT THAT TIME. HE HOPES TO HAVE PHOTOGRAPHIC AND OTHER MATERIAL ON DISPLAY AT THE SAME TIME.
MEETINGS AT HEADQUARTERS HAVE BEEN ATTENDED BY AN AVERAGE OF THIRTY PERSONS AT A TIME. A MOST PLEASING ASPECT OF THESE MEETINGS IS THE NUMBER OF NEW FACES TO BE SEEN ON EACH OCCASION.
TO DATE THERE ARE 35 PAID UP MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY. CONTINUOUS EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE TO IMPROVE MEMBERSHIP. WE APPEAL TO MEMBERS TO DO THEIR UTMOST TO ASSIST IN THIS MATTER AND TO LET THE SECRETARY HAVE A LIST OF NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF INTERESTED PERSONS.
AS MENTIONED IN OUR PUBLICATION NO.1 (INFORMATION PAMPHLET) IT IS THE INTENTION TO ESTABLISH BRANCHES OF THE SOCIETY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND THAT TO A LARGE EXTENT THEY WILL BE SELF-GOVERNING. AS NO PROVISION IS MADE IN THE RULES FOR THE RUNNING OF THESE BRANCHES, IT WOULD BE APPRECIATED IF POTE~TIAL BRANCH SECRETARIES WILL HAVE THE MATTER DISCUSSED AND FORWARD THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS TO US.
OVERSEAS RESPONSE HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING AND MEMBERSHIP FPOM THAT QUARTER CAN BE GREATLY INCREASED ONCE A PROPER PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN IS LAUNCHED. TO DATE 25 ENQUIRIES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM COUNTRIES SUCH AS CANADA, ENGLAND, IRELAND, NEW ZEALAND, BELGIUM, THE U.S.A., SINGAPORE, RHODESIA AND HOLLAND.
THE QUESTION OF FORMING A PANEL OF EXPERTS HAS BEEN RAISED AND WE INTEND ESTABLISHING ONE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. DETAILS WILL BE GIVEN LATER.
A FEW OFFERS OF A DESIGN FOR A BADGE AND LETTERHEAD FOR THE SOCIETY HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. HOWEVER, WE WOULD LIKE AS MANY PERSONS AS POSSIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS MATTER AND LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING SKETCHES OF YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS. CONTRIBUTiONS RECEIVED AFTER THE END OF APRIL WILL NOT BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.
THE SOCIETY INTENDS PUBLISHING A JOURNAL. WE CANNOT COMMENCE PUBLICATION UNTIL SUCH TIME AS WE HAVE SUFFICIENT FUNDS AND MATERILA. THIS WILL REQUIRE EDITING AND CHECKING FOR ACCURACY. YOU WiLL REALISE THAT IT IS A HUGE TASK AND WE APPEAL TO YOU TO LET US HAVE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS AND TO BE PATIENT IF THE FIRST EDITION DOES NOT APPEAR AT AN EARLY DATE. REMEMBER THAT MEMBERS' ADVERTISEMENTS ARE MOST WELCOME FOR PUBLICATION.
MR. M.P. CONNIFORD, WHO IS A MILITARY VEHICLE HISTORIAN AND RESIDES AT 12, WESTDENE CRESCENT, CAVERSHAM, READING, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND WRITES AS FOLLOWS: "WHILST I HAVE MANY CONTACTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, AND HAVE UNDERTAKEN WORK FOR THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM, I FEEL IT WOULD PROBABLY BE BEST IF I REMAINED PURELY IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF VEHICLES FOR YOUR MEMBERS, RATHER THAN JOIN THE SOCIETY." THIS IS A MOST GENEROUS OFFER ON THE PART OF MR. CONNIFORD AND WE HOPE MEMBERS WILL MAKE USE OF IT.
MEMBERS' ADVERTISEMENTS.
MR. N. GOMM, 47A, PRINCES STREET, TROYEVILLE, JOHANNESBURG: HAS COMMENCED COMPILING A SCRAPBOOK OF CUTTINGS DEALING WITH ALL ASPECTS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE FORCE. THESE ARE ARRANGED IN CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE AND IS TO BECOME THE PROPERTY OF THE SOCIETY. MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED TO CONTRIBUTE ANY ARTICLES OR NEWS ITEMS THEY MAY FIND IN NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, ETC.
REMEMBER TO INFORM THE SECRETARY OF ANY CHANGE IN ADDRESS.
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