PAST EVENTS
Some of our members may remember that in 1977 we showed at our monthly meeting for June the film "The Fifth Offensive", starring Richard Burton in the title role of Marshal Tito. At our first meeting of this year, in January, we had a more personal and far more dramatic insight into the armed conflict in Yugoslavia during WWII. As guest of honour we had in our midst Colonel Bill Hudson, DSO, OBE, and through his courtesy a BBC TV documentary film was shown dealing with the war in Yugoslavia and in particular with Col. Hudson's part in it as a lone British agent. South African born Bill Hudson had worked in Yugoslavia for five years before the war as a mining engineer. In 1941 he was enlisted as an agent attached to the secret Special Operations Executive (SOE), whose men operated behind enemy lines to help co-ordinate resistance against Axis forces, and was "pitchforked" into Yugoslavia to assess whether Britain should back royalist or communist guerillas against the Nazis, and thus became the sole allied agent to meet both the royalist leader Milhailovic and communist leader Tito.
From the night of september 20, 1941, when after a vague and unsatisfactory briefing on board a submarine he was lowered with a canoe into the sea 300m off the coast of Montenegro, developed a tale of incredible courage, daring, ingenuity, but also of great loneliness. The producer of the BBC documentary said about Colonel Hudson "I found him to be a man of integrity and sensitivity who had found the whole experience to be traumatic and, until now, had not wanted to talk about it. As part of the making of this documentary Col Hudson returned to Yugoslavia a year ago. But this presented a snag: as a South African, the colonel insisted that he be allowed to travel there on his South African passport. He also insisted that the communists allowed him to hold a Christian ceremony for the people who had died fighting in Yugoslavia. The Yugoslavs, keen for the film to be made, eventually agreed to both demands."
After a brief question time fellow-member Victor Conrad thanked the colonel on behalf of the audience in sincere and moving terms.
1985 SUBSCRIPTIONS
All members should by now have received the December 1984 Military History Journal and notice of 1985 subscriptions. If you have not received yours please contact the Secretary! Treasurer, S.A.M.H.S., Box 52090, Saxonwold 2132, Tvl. Prompt payment eases the job of the Secretary/Treasurer.
FUTURE EVENTS
Programme of Monthly Get-togethers
FEBRUARY 14TH DR FRED CLARKE M.E.C., will address this Branch of the Society on "THE GRENADIERS".
March 14th Fellow-member Mrs. Carol Smale will talk about her grandfather, Mr. S.B. Jones, a Natal Pioneer who took part in the Anglo/Zulu War of 1879 and the Anglo/Boer War.
April 11th Fellow-member Colonel Freddie Hodgson will present a slide talk entitled "Mons and Le Cateau 70 years later". Colonel Hodgson, author of "From Hell to the Himalayas", recently returned from a pilgrimage to WWI battlefields in France.
May 9th Fellow-member Midge Carter will give a talk on "The Battle of Agincourt - England's greatest victory".
June 13th Mr. George Ponsford will give us a talk on his war experiences with the 1st Canadian Division in Italy, 1943/44.
July 11th To be announced.
August 15th Please note that this meeting will be held on the 3rd Thursday in August. Our National Chairman Major Darrell Hall will address us on the subject of "The Secret War 1939-1945".
The venue for all meetings will be the Lecture Room, lower ground floor, 'S.B' Bourquin Building (Natalia Administration Board) on the corner of Jan Smuts Highway and Buro Crescent, Mayville, commencing at 8 p.m. Glasses and ice will be supplied so please bring your own bottled or canned refreshments.
Friends and interested persons are welcome to come along.
(Mrs) Tania van der Watt,
Secretary, Durban Branch,
S.A. Military History Society,
Box 870, HILLCREST, 3650.
Tel. (031) vvvvvv