The last meeting held in Johannesburg on the 5th May featured Mr. Will Carr with his talk on "Personal Reminiscences of the Second World War". Will joined the 2nd Medium Battery. South African Artillery in June 1940. He was one of the few English speakers in a predominantly Afrikaans speaking unit. The battery was equipped with 6" howitzers.

Upon completion of training the battery sailed up North in the Norwegian ship Selandia. Their objective was to participate in the 1st South African Infantry Brigade's attack on Italian Somaliland. During this campaign they were in action at the Juba River, Kismayo, Harar, Addis Ababa and Berbera. It was interesting to hear of the difficulty in placing the 6" howitzers due to their steel wheels - an hour being needed to bring them into action. This weakness was overcome with the introduction of pneumatic tyres. Will also related the story of how one of the guns got bogged down by being led astray by one of the numerous fireflies on a night march - the gun commander thought that he was following the hand-held cigarette utilized by as a route marker by the men on the preceding gun. He also provided an amusing account of the actions of a very smart Italian traffic policeman in Mogadishu. It appears that some transgressor had annoyed the policeman, and, after first stamping and dancing on his cap, he proceeded to fire several shots into it.

Will next returned to the Union, where, he completed a cadet course at Potchefstroom and was commissioned into the 1st Medium Regiment equipped with 5.5" gun/howitzers. He acted however in a supernumerary capacity as there were too many officers. He therefore volunteered for a staff officer's course and on its completion was appointed a member of the British Military Mission to Tito's Yugoslav partisans. The commander of the Mission was Brigadier MacLean. Also serving as a captain in the Mission was Evelyn Waugh. The Mission was sent to Yugoslavia with the objective of finding out what was happening in Yugoslavia and to assess the needs of Tito and his men. Will's impression of Tito was that he was a born leader. He had fought in the Austro Hungarian Army in the First World War, during which time, he was captured by the Russians. He was present in Russia at the time of the 1917 Revolution and became a communist convert. On the second morning after their arrival on the Adriatic coast the Mission witnessed the sudden ruthless execution of 2 men by the partisans. Generally, with regard to supplies the communist partisans demanded everything and were totally unwilling to account for their use of it.

After returning to the 8th Army in Italy Will fell ill and had to have a kidney removed. He spent a period convalescing at Klagenfurt and was promoted to the rank of Major. At this stage the 8th Army could have captured Vienna, but, for political reasons, the Russians were allowed to take the capital of Austria. A visit to Vienna revealed a total shambles. The city was in a state of semi-ruin and the Russians appeared to be following a programme of systematic looting - one day stoves, the next mattresses, the next carpets. The poor behaviour of the Russian troops was noticeable. The majority were Tartars. They did not understand how toilets worked and their uniforms were filthy. Will, himself, suffered an unpleasant experience in being deliberately hemmed in by 2 Russian trucks, the drivers of which appeared intent on looking for trouble.

Commandant Bertie Simpkins thanked the Speaker for his fascinating account.

The Meeting was opened, courtesy of M.G.H., by an extract dealing with the aircraftcarrier from the BBC video "Seapower".

Future Meetings

Johannesburg

- June 9th - Major Darrell D. Hall - "Up the Line on the Western Front, 1917."

- July 14th - Professor N.G. Garson - "Smuts and the South African Home Front: A Reassessment".

The Johannesburg Meetings take place in the J.C. Lemmer Auditorium, S.A. National Museum of Military History, Saxonwold Johannesburg at 20h00.

Durban

- June 9th Lt Col Eric Evans, former Commander of the Rhodesian Artillery, will deliver an illustrated slide talk on "The History of the Rhodesian Artillery (including the raids into Mocambique)".

Tea

It would be greatly appreciated if members would be prepared to help with the serving of tea after the Johannesburg meetings. Anyone who wishes to volunteer to assist in this regard can contact me at the telephone numbers listed below.

Journal

As a result of the many printing errors contained in the December issue the Journal has been reprinted. Revised copies are available on request from Mr. Mike Marsh, postal address as above.

Society Plaques

Attractive metal plaques of the Society's badge/logo mounted on a wooden backing are now available at the price of R20 each (postage inclusive).

STEWART STILES