The South African
Captain Peter Digby, who died in Johannesburg after a long illness on 8 October 2021, was a member of the SAMHS and made an important contribution to the recording of South African military history and to a number of museums.
He was educated at King Edward VII School and the University of the Witwatersrand, and became a teacher.
Most of his teaching career was spent at Pretoria Boys High School where he was housemaster of School House, Head of the English Department, Editor of the school magazine and officer commanding the school cadet detachment. He established its pipe band in 1971 and it won many awards at pipe band competitions.
He also served in the Citizen Force component of Army Head-quarters, was Secretary of the Transvaal Scottish Regimental Council and was curator of the Transvaal Scottish Regimental Museum which he founded in 1964. He was an executive director of the General Smuts War Veterans Foundation at Irene.
He was the author of five books: Pyramids and Poppies, The 1st South African Infantry Brigade in Libya, France and Flanders 1915-1919; A History of the Cape Town Centre of the St John Ambulance Association; The Affiliation Cap Badges of the South African Defence Force 1984 to 1988; A Pictorial History of the Transvaal Scottish 1902-2002 and an unpublished biography of Colonel E.F. Thackeray.
Peter was a member of the British Orders and Medals Research Society and a former chairman of the Military Medal Society of South Africa. He designed a number of SADF decorations and medals. He was awarded the Military Merit Medal, the John Chard Decoration and the Chief of the Army’s Commendation.
His knowledge about South African medals, badges, uniforms, and books on Military history was encyclopaedic and he will be greatly missed.
Mac Bisset SAMHS
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