The South AfricanMilitary History Society
Die Suid-Afrikaanse Krygshistoriese Vereniging
The South African
Published in the South African Military History Journal, Vol 7 No 5, pg 180; June 1988
The South African Military History Society celebrated its 21st Birthday in October of last year, and so the inclusion in the Journal of a brief historical outline of the Society would seem to be appropriate.
Although certain interested persons, including Commandant-General H B Klopper, DSO, ED, Commandant G R Duxbury and Dr Felix Machanik, had considered the need for the formation of a military history society of some sort, it was Mr Neville Gomm who took some positive action in this direction and is regarded as the founder of the South African Military History Society. Neville Gomm had spent six years in the South African Defence Force as a Corps of Signals Instructor and had a keen appreciation of military matters. During his military service he had built up a fairly large collection of military unit badges and this had led to contact with other collectors, military historians and societies catering for their aims. It was, therefore, a logical step to establish an organization to cater for the interests of collectors and those interested in military history in South Africa. Accordingly, it was he, who in June, 1966, sent out letters to a large number of people in South Africa, South-West Africa and Rhodesia inviting them to indicate whether or not they wished to associate themselves with an attempt to establish a 'military historical society for Southern Africa'. At the same time he had published in The Star of 2 June 1966, a letter inviting interested persons to write to him about the matter. This letter stated, inter alia, that 'the aims of the society will be to promote the study of the history of the uniformed forces of the world; the promotion of mutual assistance among those interested in the collection of insignia, uniforms, weapons or medals ... ; and to promote the publication of histories of the uniformed forces of Southern Africa'. These and other approaches elicited an immediate and enthusiastic response from a large number of people. One of the most enthusiastic of the early supporters, and one whose name also deserves to be singled out, was Mr Don R Forsyth who became the Society's first Chairman.
At the same time Neville Gomm sought the co-operation of Commandant Duxbury, the Director of the South African National War Museum and, at that time, the Officer Commanding, West Park Commando. Commandant Duxbury was one of those of similar views and he supported unstintingly the efforts of Neville to the extent that he prepared the agenda for the 'Inaugural Meeting of the proposed Military Historical Research and Collectors Society of Southern Africa' and was responsible for most of the arrangements for the meeting, at which he took the chair. This meeting was held at the War Museum on the evening of Wednesday 5 October 1966, and a report of the meeting, which was addressed by General Klopper, appeared in The Star of 6 October 1966.
In his opening address General Klopper pointed out that South Africa could look back with pride on a long and honourable military past. He sketched briefly 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 organization. He stated that, with such a rich military background it was clear that much work could fruitfully be done by the Society. Uniforms, weapons, badges, decorations and medals, historical battlefields, colours, defence works, memorials, regimental histories, and a host of other subjects were aspects of the past awaiting intensive study. By doing research in these fields one would widen and be able to spread one's knowledge. He pointed out that it was the responsibility of those present to secure for the younger generation the knowledge of the various battlegrounds. He also appealed to the older men to influence the young soldiers in the study of military history. He concluded his address by wishing the Society every success in its endeavours.
Thereafter, the recommendation of Neville Gomm for the formation of
a military historical society was accepted, and an ad hoc committee was
appointed to consider proposed rules and other matters appertaining to
the functioning of the newly established society. This ad hoc committee
was elected as follows:
Chairman Mr D R Forsyth
Vice-Chairman Major B G Simpkins, JCD, MM
Secretary Mr Neville Gomm
Treasurer Dr S M Kaplan
Members
Dr Felix Machanik
Major S W J Kotze
Mr H E Winder
Mr P Melville
Mr C Amm
Perhaps it needs to be stated here that, in addition to those whose names have been mentioned, the members of the ad hoc committee as well as several of those present at the inaugural meeting had been most supportive. Their subsequent efforts helped to get the Society firmly established and to keep it going.
Unfortunately, no record appears to have been kept of all those who attended the inaugural meeting but it is understood that, apart from those persons mentioned above, the meeting was also attended by, among others, Captain John A Ball, Professor C J Barnard, Major R J Southey, ED, Captan O G Reitz, MBE, and Messrs Ken Anderson, C Cahill, Ian Kynaston, M Lupton, K P Nolan, P E B Rice, T E Sole and P van Wyk as well as the writer. In addition, it also appears that Messrs W J P Carr, G A Chadwick, Charles H Cohen, Dr G A Christidis and Squadron Leader D P Tidy, among others, were actively associated with the Society virtually from the beginning.
The ad hoc committee met on Thursday 20 October, and approved, for submission to the first general meeting, a set of rules for the new society, and the first general meeting of members was held on Thursday, 3 November 1966. The meeting, which was chaired by the new Chairman, Mr D R Forsyth, approved and adopted the new rules and re-elected the ad hoc committee en bloc to hold office until the first annual general meeting to be held early in 1967. Major R J Southey, ED, read an interesting paper on Majuba. The next general meeting was held on Thursday, 1 December, when Major B G Simpkins presented a slide show with taped commentary on a fact-finding visit to Egypt and Libya in 1958 to obtain information for his book on the history of the Rand Light Infantry.
The programme for 1967, by which time the membership was in the order of 41 members, commenced with a meeting on Thursday, 2 February, when Captain John Ball spoke on South Africa's achievements in the field of POW Administration, 1941 to 1947, and on Colonel H F Prinsloo, OBE, ED, who was Officer Commanding POW Camps at that time. Thenceforward meetings were held on a regular basis on the second Thursday of each month, except for a short period from July to August 1967, when meetings were not held, and have continued without interruption until the present time.
Apart from a circular letter concerning the formation of the Society and its aims, and the notification of an entrance fee of Rl and an annual subscription of R3, issued as Publication No.1 sometime after the first general meeting on 3rd November 1966, Newsletter No.1 was issued on 25th January, 1967, and regular newsletters have continued ever since.
The first Annual General Meeting was held on 2 March 1967, when the Chairman, Mr D R Forsyth, in reviewing the progress to date and advising that membership had grown to 51 members, paid tribute to Neville Gomm and thanked him for what he had done to keep the Society going. The ad hoc committee listed above was re-elected en bloc to serve as the Executive Committee for a further year.. At the Annual General Meeting on 14 March 1968, Mr D R Forsyth was re-elected to the Chair and Mr T E Sole took the place of Dr S M Kaplan as Honorary Treasurer, whilst Squadron Leader D P Tidy and Mr Charles Cohen joined the Committee in place of Major S W J Kotze and Mr C Amm. Unfortunately, Mr Neville Gomm left Johannesburg on transfer to Bloemfontein in May 1968, and his place as Honorary Secretary was taken by Mr P E B Rice.
The original rules of the Society were reviewed and converted into
a Constitution by Mr Charles Cohen and adopted at a special general meeting
on 28 July 1969, when the aims and objects were reworded as follows:
(a) To promote the scientific study, research into, knowledge and appreciation
of the history of armed forces and organizations associated with them;
(b) To promote the scientific study, research into, knowledge and appreciation
of history with particular emphasis on military history;
(c) To promote the scientific study, research into, knowledge and appreciation
of items of military paraphernalia amongst collectors of such items and
those interested therein, and to facilitate and assist in the exchange
of information regarding such items;
(d) To assist in the formation of branches of the Society; and
(e) To promote the publication and issue of literature in furtherance of
the aforesaid objects of the Society.
By the time of the Annual General Meeting on 14 March 1968, the membership had grown to 115 and has climbed steadily since that date with an optimum membership of between 500 and 600 over the last ten years or so.
As mentioned above the Constitution provided for the formation of branches and the Durban Branch has functioned very actively and successfully from an early date. The Western Transvaal Branch at Klerksdorp was active for a number of years after which it ceased to function, whilst the Cape Town Branch, which was established in 1975, has also been very active. Unfortunately, it is not possible to deal with the affairs of these branches in this article.*
Life membership of the Society was introduced in 1975 and the fees for such membership invested in a special account. Arrangements were also made in 1975 for the introduction of family membership, which resulted in a small decrease in the number of Journals and newsletters sent to members of the same family. Honorary Life Membership has been conferred on Mr Neville Gomm, Colonel G R Duxbury (1976), and Major-General J C Lemmer, MC, (1983).
The Constitution was amended again in July 1978 but without any changes in the aims and objects set out above. In September 1976, the Society applied to the Depar ment of National Education for affiliation to the SA National Museum of Military History and, later in the year, was advised that the Government had agreed to the affiliation.
Here follows a list of the Chairmen of the Society since its founding:
Mr D R Forsyth October 1966 to April 1969
Cmdt B G Simpkins April 1969 to April 1971
Mr W J P Carr April 1971 to April 1973
Mr Charles H Cohen April 1973 to April 1975
Dr Felix Machanik April 1975 to April 1977
Colonel D E Peddle April 1977 to July 1977
Major Darrell D Hall July 1977 to April 1979
Professor C J Barnard April 1979 to April 1981
Mr H W Kinsey April 1981 to April 1983
Major Darrell D Hall April 1983 to April 1986
Mr Ian S Uys April 1986 to April 1988
Mr Stewart T Stiles April 1988 to April 1990
Dr Ian Copley April 1990 to April 1992
Mrs Jenny Copley April 1992 to April 1993
Mr John Mahncke April 1993 to April 1995
Mr Kemsley-Couldridge April 1995 to 1997
Mr Martin Ayres April 1997 to 1998
Mr George Barrell April 1998 to April 2000
Mr Hamish Paterson April 2000 to April 2002
Mr Colin Dean April 2002 to April 2004
Mrs Lyn Miller April 2004 to April 2006
Mr Flip Hoorweg April 2006 to April 2008
Mr Bob Smith April 2008 to date
Here follows a list of office bearers who have served the Society
over the years.
Honorary Secretary
Mr Neville Gomm October 1966 to May 1968
Mr P E B Rice June 1968 to March 1969
Mr Paul Melville April 1969 to October 1970
Mr V Solomon November 1970 to 1972
Honorary Treasurer
Dr S M Kaplan November 1966 to March 1968
Mr T E Sole March 1968 to December 1970
Mr Maurice Gough-Palmer January 1971 to April 1982
Honorary Secretary/Treasurer
Mr Maurice Gough-Palmer March 1973 to April 1982
Mr Mike Marsh April 1982 to March 1998
Mrs Joan Marsh April 1998 to date (April 2008)
It will be noted from the above that Maurice Gough Palmer served the Society from January 1971 to April 1982 as Honorary Treasurer and then as Honorary Secretary Treasurer, i.e. for a period of 11 years and this remarkable service deserves special mention and commendation. The Society showed its appreciation by the presentation of an engraved silver-plated beer mug to Maurice at the monthly meeting on 8 July 1982, as a small token of thanks to him and the esteem in which he was held.
In 2005 the Society presented Mike Marsh with a cut glass beermug in appreciation of his ongoing support particularly as regards the web-site and e-mailing services.
Honorary Auditor
Mr Brian K Thomas 1967 to 1971
Mr P E B Rice 1972
Mr Ian S Uys 1973 to 1978
Mr P E B Rice 1979 to 1981
Mr Ian S Uys 1982 to 1983
Gavin Moore & Company 1984 to date (April 2008)
Executive Committee:
In addition to the Chairmen and other office bearers both mentioned
and listed above, the following persons have served on the Committee of
the Society over the years:
Dr Ian B Copley; Dr J J Craig; Cmdt O E F Baker
Dr R Sinclair; Dr S Monick; Capt J H A Speir
Maj A C M Tyrrell; Capt F H B Winder; Mr D Aitken
Mr P W Barker; J L Keene; W Garr
A Kirby; D C Landels; D R Maree
R G Murchison; S T Stiles; T Tolhurst
Paul Melville; Dave Unwin; Ian Uys
Avram Pelunsky; Dave Panagos; Peter Rush
John Bleloch; Louis Wildenboer; John Larn
Terry Leaver; Heinrich Janzen; Ivor Little
Elizabeth Leaver; John Murray; Marjorie Dean
Flip Hoorweg; Bob Smith; John Parkinson
The first newsletters were written and circulated by the Honorary Secretary,
Mr Neville Gomm, until May 1968, after which Mr P E B Rice, Commandant
B G Simpkins and Mr W J P Carr took over for varying periods until the
end of 1971. Thereafter, Cmdt Simpkins acted as Scribe from 1972 to 1979;
quite a long spell. Mr M J C Marsh followed from September 1979 to April
1982, after which Mr Rod Murchison, Mr W Garr and Dr Ian Copley served
for varying periods until April 1984 when Mr Stewart Stiles took over as
Scribe and has continued until the present time.
Acting as Scribe is quite an onerous task, but the newsletters have served
a very useful purpose in keeping members throughout the country and overseas
informed of the Society's activities. Throughout the years the newsletters
have carried summaries of the monthly lectures, various items of interest
to members, changes in membership of the Committee and other office bearers,
and notification of important dates, meetings, tours, etc.
An important milestone in the progress of the Society since its inception in October 1966, was reached in December 1967, with the first issue of the Military History Journal published by the South African National War 2 Museum in association with the Society. Captain John A Ball was the first Honorary Editor, with Col G R Duxbury e as Editor-in-Chief. John Ball was joined in December e 1968, by Squadron Leader (now Major) D P Tidy, MA (Oxon) who acted as Honorary Editor up to June 1971, with Colonel Duxbury continuing throughout as Editor-in -Chief. Major Tidy has remained on the editorial staff up to the present time, a truly remarkable achievement, and his expert knowledge and experience in the editorial field has been invaluable. Colonel Duxbury remained as Editor for the period December 1971, to December 1976. Since December 1971, Helen Hansmeyer, O Smedley-Williams, Colonel D E Peddle, Rochelle Keene, Major A C M Tyrrell, Dr Stanley Monick, Karin Greyvenstein and Margaret Northey have been members of the editorial staff. Dr S Monick acted as Chief Editor from June 1981 to June 1982. Mr H W Kinsey joined the editorial staff as an assistant editor in June 1978, and has continued as such since that date, whilst John L Keene has acted as Editor since December 1982 apart from two issues in 1984 and 1985, when Margaret Northey acted as Editor.
Apart from the periods when Colonel Duxbury acted as Editor-in-Chief, or as Editor, he kept a watching brief on the Journal, as the Museum has always been the final arbiter in the policy and contents of the Journal, and his guidance and work over all the years has been of great value and deserves special mention.
The Journal is now in the seventh volume and indexes for the first
five volumes, for reference purposes, have been prepared as follows and
are very comprehensive:
Volume 1 Museum Staff
Volume 2 Colonel D E Peddle
Volume 3 Gillian R Goldstein
Volume 4 Dr S Monick et al
Volume 5 Dr S Monick
The Journal has a very wide circulation, both locally and overseas, and is made available free to all members of the Society, as part of the cost of membership. It has served a very useful function in the publication of a great deal of valuable information, as well as the results of research, relating to military history. It contains, in addition, details of the activities of the Society, lists of the monthly lectures, book reviews, etc. The Editors have managed to maintain a very high standard without the Journal becoming too technical and thus losing its personal appeal. It is a publication of which both the Museum and the Society can be justly proud.
A few years ago the Murchison family provided an annual prize in the form of a plaque to be presented to the author of the article appearing in the journal which was considered by the Editorial Committee to be the best article in any particular year. The prize is known as the Roderick Murchison Memorial Prize and is in memory of the late Mr Roderick G Murchison, who was a prominent member of the Society before his death on 20 May 1974.
The prize has been awarded annually since 1982 as follows:
1982 Major Darrell D Hall
1983 Mr W J P Carr
1984 Dr Stanley Monick
1985 Cmdt S Bourquin
1986 Dr Stanley Monick
In 1967 moves were made for the designing of a badge or logo for the Society and correspondence in this regard was entered into with the South African College of Heralds. The willing assistance of Joan Pell (Mrs H E Winder) was enlisted and she designed a most attractive logo showing an upright Roman-type sword in silver and gold, thus not setting a particular period in history; crossed by three symbolic goose quills with white flights, cut ready for use, to signify the recording of military history; with the whole on a dark navy background. The three quills represent the three Forces of land, sea and air, and a scroll below bears the initials 'S.A.M.H.S.' and 'S-A.V.K.', i.e., South African Military History Society' and 'Suid-Afrikaanse Vereniging vir Krygsgeskiedenis'. Subsequently, advice was received from the State Herald in August, 1971, to the effect that the name The South African Military History Society' had been officially registered and a Certificate of Registration issued.
Moves were made in 1971 and again in 1982 for the design of a Society tie, but the idea was abandoned on both occasions owing to lack of support on the part of members. However, the matter was resuscitated in 1986 and a suitable tie was designed and made available to members early in 1987 at a reasonable cost. The tie consists of the Society's logo in silver and black on a blue background; offset at intervals by two narrow oblique red and silver stripes.
A new tie, retaining the navy blue background and with several parallel red and silver stripes, with multiple copies of the Society's logo, was designed and made up in March 2000.
Throughout its 21 years of existence the Society has managed to maintain a regular programme of lectures of a very high standard and of interest to members, interspersed with slide shows, Museum evenings and films. In recent years Major Darrell D Hall has produced 'Military Magazine' slide shows of some ten minutes' duration under the heading of 'Metro-Goldwyn Hall', and these short slide shows, which start the evening's proceedings when shown, have proved very popular.
Apart from the first few lectures, the monthly lecture programme was arranged by Mr Charles H Cohen for the years 1967 to 1976 and by Mr H W Kinsey from 1977 to the present time.
A very important aspect of the Society's activities was the inauguration of tours to various battlefields and historical sites, in order to enable members to visit such sites under the guidance of knowledgeable experts, with a view to members being able to benefit from the knowledge of experienced field workers and thus to increase the interest of members. In addition, such tours provided an ideal opportunity for members to meet on a more social basis as well as to exchange information and ideas. This important development was made possible only by the enthusiastic drive and interest of Colonel G R Duxbury, who acted as Tour Director, and the staff of the Military History Museum, including Captain J H A Speir, Deputy Tour Director, who carried out all the administrative and preparatory field work involved. On all these outings, whether on one day or over long week-ends, lectures were given either by Colonel Duxbury or by members of the Society who had made a particular study of the sites visited.
On the first three outings in 1967 and 1968 members provided their own transport, but thereafter use was made of coaches and the tours arranged on a more organized and regular basis.
Here follows a comprehensive list of the tours and outings held over
the years:
Pretoria Area 11 June 1967
Eastern Transvaal 2-4 September 1967
Potchefstroom 11 August 1968
Majuba: 1880/1881 Battle fields 29-30 March 1969
Kimberley Area 10-12 October 1969
Ladysmith Area 4-7 September 1970
Bronkhorstspruit 29 August 1971
Zulu War Battlefields, etc. 8-11 October 1971
Klapperkop & Nooit gedacht 11 June 1972
Majuba Area & Newcastle 2-4 February 1973
Zulu War Battlefields 31 August - 3 September 1973
Buffelspoort & Rustenburg 7-9 June 1974
Ladysmith Area 10-13 October 1974
Kimberley Area 9-12 October 1975
Sannaspos & Brandwater Basin 27-31 May 1976
Eastern Transvaal Battle fields 16-18 September 1977
Natal Battlefields 4-7 May 1978
Zulu War Battlefields (Zulu War Centenary) 24-27 May 1979
Bronkhorstspruit 25 January 1981
Majuba Area 26 February - 1 March 1981
Koppies/Rooiwal, etc. 16 June 1985
Zulu War Battlefields 9-12 October 1986
Kimberley Area 25-27 March 1988
Unfortunately, three other trips arranged by the Military History Museum in 1981, 1983 and 1985, had to be cancelled owing to lack of support on the part of members of the Society. These tours were to the Durban area in May 1981, to coincide with the Republic of South Africa Anniversary celebrations, to the Kimberley area in May 1983, and to the Ladysmith area in October 1985.
In 1981 the Society decided to arrange 'do-it-yourself' outings to battlefields
and other historical sites, mainly in the Transvaal, on the basis of members
providing their own transport and refreshments and, where necessary arranging
their own hotel accommodation. These outings also proved successful and
have been held on a regular basis as follows:
Heidelberg 15 November 1981
1922 Strike Sites 13 March 1982
Nooitgedacht 24 October 1982
Mafeking 5-7 August 1983
Eastern Transvaal Battle fields 5-6 May 1984
Jameson Raid & Doornkop Sites 11 August 1985
Pretoria Area 16 March 1986
SAAF Museum, Lanseria 16 November 1986
Rooihuiskraal, etc., & No.1 Military Hospital 22 March 1987
Diamond Hill & Sammy Marks House Museum 5 July 1987
Rustenburg, Elands River & Moedwil 19-20 September 1987
On all the outings and trips arranged by the Society every effort has been made for experts on the particular areas visited to lecture to those participating, as has been the case with the trips arranged by the Military History Museum.
On the occasion of the Society's Tenth Anniversary a braaivleis was held at the SA National Museum of Military History on Friday evening, 19 November 1976, when a plaque was presented to the Museum as a token of appreciation for the assistance given to the Society by the Museum. Since then braais have been arranged every two years or so, and have been held during the month of October in the years 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1987. At the braai held on 16 October 1987, the Museum reciprocated the 1976 gesture by presenting a plaque to the Society to mark the close association between the two bodies.
The success of these braais has been largely due to the work of members of the Committee, particularly Dr Felix Machanik who has made himself responsible for most of the detailed arrangements, whilst the willing practical help of Mr John L Keene of the Museum staff has been invaluable. The Society is also indebted to the Director of the Museum for the use of the premises for the braais and the help rendered by members of his staff.
The growth and strength of the Society may be attributed to a number of factors, namely: the vision of the founders and the overall concept as contained in the aims and objects of the Society; the dedicated work of the successive Chairmen; the office bearers and committee members over the years; and the loyalty of the large number of enthu- siastic members who have given their full support to all the Society's activities and, in the case of the Witwatersrand and Pretoria areas, those who had been regular in their attendance at the monthly meetings. However, super- imposed on all this is the never-ending fascination of the study of military history. We have benefited greatly from our affiliation to the South African National Museum of Military History, which has been our home during our formative years and, hopefully, will continue to be in the years ahead, now that we have become of age.
The Society owes a debt of gratitude to Colonel Duxbury for his encouragement and willing help at all times, as well as to the staff of the Museum, many of whom have helped to contribute to the success of the Society. At the monthly meeting on 8 December 1983 (i.e. the first meeting held in the newly opened J C Lemmer Auditorium at the Museum) the Society made a presentation of an inscribed carriage clock to Colonel Duxbury as a mark of esteem and appreciation of his willing assistance to the Society since its formation in 1966. Subsequently, upon his retirement in 1987, the Committee entertained the Colonel and Mrs Uylet Duxbury to a farewell dinner at the Johannesburg Country Club on 21 April 1987.
The Society has become firmly established and I feel sure will continue to prosper and make an even greater contribution in the future to the study of military history in South Africa.
This article was published in 1988, since when the Society has passed its 30th Anniversary
Rather than have a new section, as the Society held its 39th AGM in April 2005, it was decided to fill in as many of the gaps as possible from 1988 to date (August 2006.
This article has been written by Major Anthony Gordon, Committee Member of the Cape Town Branch, and is mainly based on information from Commander Mac Bisset SA Navy, Rtd.
The Cape Town Branch of the SAMHS was established in 1975. The Founding members were Dr. K.V.O. Gunn, an expert on the Frontier Wars, and Lieutenant W.M. Mac Bisset who had been appointed to the South African Military Museum Western Province Command in February of that year. Major General H.G. Willmott asked Mac to establish a branch of the Society and the inaugural meeting was later held at the Centre for Extra Mural Studies at the University of Cape Town.
The first lecture was given by the distinguished historian and former member of the Union War Histories team, Professor Eric Axelson.
The members of the first Committee of the Cape Town Branch were Dr Ken Gunn (Chairman), Mr M.G.Hibbert (Vice Chairman). (Called Bill, he was the expert, and author, on the Boer War "Tribute Medals"), Dr Frank K. Mitchell (The medal expert), Mr Paul Lange and Lieutenant W.M. Bisset (Secretary).
The only remaining "original" members are Commander Bisset, Mr "Woody" Nel and Mr Johan Louw.
After a few years the Branch moved to the "Athenaeum" in Newlands for its meetings until the mid 1990s. After this we have met at the S.A. Legion "Rosedale" complex for ex-servicemen and their wives and widows. Our meetings are appreciated by the veterans who live there.
After Dr Gunn's death, in 1984, Mr Paul Lange, then Vice Chairman, took over as Chairman and, for many years, worked tirelessly for the Society. He was succeeded, as Chairman, by Major A.G.D.Gordon who was succeeded by Mr Alan Nathan until the present Chairman, Mr Derick O'Riley, took over.
Some of the other well-known Committee members have been the late Colonel "Ossie" Baker and Mr "Ranto" Garschagen and Mr John Mahncke, the present Vice Chairman and Scribe, who was Chairman of the Johannesburg Branch before moving to Cape Town.
Besides our monthly meetings, held, like all branches, usually on the second Thursday of each month, we also run visits to our, only, two battle sites of Muizenberg (1795) and Blaauwberg (1806), to the very old military establishments such as The Castle (1666), Wynberg Camp and The Simon's Town SA Navy base (VOC from 1742). Also to our many remaining Coast Defences dating back to the first Dutch (VOC) occupation 1652. Many of the WW II defences (including 9 of the 12 9.2 inch guns in South Africa) are still in place but we are very worried at the present lack of support in security and restoration of many sites. For centuries The Cape was one of the most heavily fortified places in the world, tourists are interested but facilities are not arranged for them! They are a very low priority. Our War Graves are also of great interest to visitors.
Our congratulations and best wishes to the Johannesburg Branch on your 40th anniversary.