The South African
Military History Society

Die Suid-Afrikaanse Krygshistoriese Vereniging



Johannesburg Meeting schedule

Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday evening of each month at 8-00 pm (unless the 2nd Thursday is on a public holiday).

Meetings are held at:
South African National Museum of Military History
Erlswold Ave
Saxonwold
Johannesburg
Contact: Joan Marsh 010-237-0676
Lecture Convenor - Lyn Mantle 011-784-6232

Non-members welcome!

A small fee (R10) is charged for non-members.
Tea (R5) is available after the meetings.

Lecture programme 2010
Date   Lecturer Title
21st January CRTerry WillsonThe Boer, his Mauser & First World War
THIRD THURSDAY!MLAlan Mantle The War Machines of Leonardo da Vinci
11th February CRJan Willem Hoorweg Battle of Suomusalmi (Finland vs Russia)
 MLRaymond Heron Spionkop - The untold Story
11th March CRCR: Bob Smith The Perils of Pearl Harbour
 MLRobin SmithPickett's Charge
9th April   Annual General Meeting
 MLPhilip Weyers General Smuts & the Formation of the Royal and SA Air Forces
13 May CREmilio Coccia Italian POW's in South Africa (1945-47)
 MLColin Dean Woks, Lops and Mops from a Master Codemaker
10 June CRDavid Scholtz The Edwin Swales Memorial
 MLJohn Murray Some Irish VC's of the Anglo-Boer War
08 July CRMarjorie Dean From the Veld to the Pole & back again (Oates)
 MLHamish Paterson Battle of Pharsalus ( Caesar vs Pompey 48BC)
Lecture programme 2009
Date   Lecturer Title
15th January CRDebbie SchlosserA tribute to Col. Frans Nel
THIRD THURSDAY!MLSarel RousseauFurther Adventures of Radio Hams in WWII
12th February CRDavid ScholtzRoyal Sussex Memorial at Abraham's Kraal
 MLMorris SkikneTank Battalions in the 4 Israeli Wars
12th March CRIvor LittleProject Dobbin
 MLRobin SmithStonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign in Spring 1862
9th April   Annual General Meeting
 MLColin DeanNazis on Ice - Busting of a myth
14th May CRHamish PatersonThe Road to Amalindi
 MLJohn BlelochJameson & the Raid
11th June CRNick Cowley The Admirals of Rosebank
 MLJack MinkMusic of WW2
9th July CRDean McElwee My father's Cap Badge collection ( 1890's to present )
 MLCharles LeachLtn. 'Breaker' Morant & the Bushveldt Carbineers
13th August CRMarjorie Dean America's Nightingales - Heroines of the American Civil War
 MLProf. Tim StapletonBlack Police and Soldiers in Southern Rhodesia, 1923-65.
10th September CRAnn Bourdin Thermopylae and Salamis
 MLKathleen SatchwellFrom the Frontier to the Trenches.
8th October CRMarius Whittle Operation Leopard - French Foreign Legion Zaire 1978
 MLPaul Kilmartin1914 The Road to War & the Opening months
12th November CRTim Waudby Ghurka!
 MLSteve Lunderstedt The Boer Rebellion
10th December CRIan ThurstonEscape from France 1940
 MLJohn Parkinson HIJMS 'Wakamiya': Early Japanese Naval Air Power
Lecture programme 2008
Date   Lecturer Title
17th January CRSarel RousseauRadio Hams at War
THIRD THURSDAY!MLFlip HoorwegHitler's Greatest Defeat: Operation Bagration, '44
- the Red Army's conquest of Belorussia.
14th February CRAllan SinclairThe Battle of Sidi Rezegh;
A study of a painting by Ralph Hill
 MLTim WaudbyKipling Revived: the North Western Frontier
13th March CRDonald Brown'My' R.A.F.
 MLRobin SmithShiloh - The emergence of Grant
10th April   Annual General Meeting
 MLMarjorie DeanWalking the scene - Battlefield Tours
8th May CRNick CowleyThree Braggart Soldiers of the 19th Century
 MLDr. Org de BruynThe story that coins tell
12th June CRHamish PatersonIll-met: U boat vs aircraft
 MLAlan MantleSuez 1956 - The invasion & the aftermath
10th July CRJohn CrampRorke's Drift - what became of the heroes ?
 MLMarius WhittleAirborne & Airmobile Warfare in Southern Africa.
14th August CRFelicia FourieThe Women of the Anglo Boer War
 MLKen GillingsAftermath of A.B.W.
11th September CRRobin GardinerSpecial Operations Executives in Burma
 MLJohn ParkinsonHMS Durban ; WW2 - The East & D-Day
9th October CRAnne BourdinMarathon - a Mythic Battle 490 B.C.
 MLJohn MurrayThe Royal Marines
13th November CRFlip HoorwegGermany's own Dunkirk
 MLSteve LunderstedtKoos de la Rey
11th December CRTerry WillsonThe History of a Rifle discovered in Zululand
 MLDavid Williams"On the Border" his new book
Lecture programme 2007
Date   Lecturer Title
18th January CRFlip HoorwegJulius Caesar and the Battle of Alesia 52 BCE
THIRD THURSDAY!MLFrank DiffenthalWe were Volunteers - Angola 1975
8th February CRNick CowleyThe Great Escape - South Africans involved
 MLHamilton WendeThe King's Shilling - 1916 - East Africa
8th March CRDavid WilliamsSeven Famous Battles that shaped South Africa
 MLRobin Smith9 Days in April - Grant's pursuit of Lee, April 1865
12th April   Annual General Meeting
  MLMartin AyresThe Planning of D-Day, 1944
10th May CRDonald BrownA Child at War
  MLClive WillsworthThe S.A. Artillery in action 1975 - 1988
14th June CRKlaus KühneBritische Freikorps - South Africans involved
 MLTim WaudbyThe way back - Burma 1943-45
12th July CRMarjorie DeanSunset in the West - Hood's Tennessee Campaign
  MLCarvel WebbThe History of SIG Firearms
16th August
THIRD THURSDAY!
CRIvor LittleSan Boats (Eagle Oil) at War
A brief look at the bravery displayed by the tanker crews of the Eagle Oil & Shipping Company during the ocean convoys of World War II.
  MLColin DeanThe Spice Trade Wars
An overview of 400 years of struggle by five different countries to gain control of the lucrative Far Eastern Spice Trade.
13th September CRJohn CrampSoldier-Prince, Edward of Kent, Queen Victoria's father
A brief biography of a Victorian soldier.
 MLHamish PatersonCleopatra vs Augustus
The Battle of Actium 33BC.
11th October CRMartin Ayres1066, the year that changed England forever
  MLJohn ParkinsonJapan: 1863-64 British Naval Bombardment of Kagoshima
8th November CRRoslyn PeterThe Graf Spee
  MLSteve LunderstedtFreddie Tait - The Golfing Hero
13th December CRJohn MurrayDeath of a Hero - Nairac, G.C.
  MLCol. Jas JacobsThe Basotho Wars 1820-1869
LECTURE PROGRAMME - 2006
Date   Lecturer Title
19th January CRFlip HoorwegDefeat into Victory: Mons 1914 vs Mons 1918
THIRD THURSDAY!MLDavid WilliamsMonte Cassino
9th February CRAvram PelunskyThree Battles of Gaza, 1917
 MLMario LupiniThe Italian Involvement in the Anglo-Boer War
9th March CRTerry LeaverBritain, the Middle East and T E Lawrence
 MLRobin Smith Antietam - the American Civil War's Bloodiest Day
13 April   Annual General Meeting
 MLCarvel Webb Radio and its Transformation of Modern Warfare
11 May CRBob SmithBridge on the River Kwai
 MLSAAACAPanel Debate on the merits of various weapons
8 June CRColin DeanWW2 POW Camps in the UK
 MLDick BullenBurma - the Longest Retreat
13 July CRFlip HoorwegThe Caves of Umurbrogol Ridge 1944
 MLMartin AyresHundred Years War - Joan of Arc and Henry V
10 August CRIvor LittleWooden Walls to Dreadnoughts - Gun, Ram, Armour or Torpedo?
 MLMC HeunisOVSAC - Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps - Boer War Artillery Trophy Guns
14 September CRJohn ParkinsonSome Arctic Activities: Vice Admiral Sir Henry Kellett.
 MLPaul KilmartinSA's last VC, Edwin Swales
12 October CRHuffy PottThe Battle of Berg-en-Dal
 MLJohn MurrayThe French Foreign Legion
9 November CRJohn CrampThe evolution of the Victoria Cross
 MLJohn ParkinsonEarly Steam-Navigation of the Yangtse Gorges
14 December CRTerry WillsonThe Natal Volunteers, 1854 to 1912
 MLAndre SharashkinThe Russian Front of the Second World War
CR = Curtain Raiser . . . ML= Main Lecture
Lecture programme 2005
Date . Lecturer Title
20th January CR Gerald Zwirn Voices from the Past
THIRD THURSDAY! ML Flip Hoorweg The Saint Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensive: 1918
10th February CR Angela Embleton "We learnt to fly by the seat of our pants" - diary of a SA Pilot in WWI
. ML Robin Smith The Struggle for Chattanooga
10th March CR Susanne Blendulf Women's Territorial Service, East Africa 1939-45
. ML Stuart Sterzel The Battle of Cuito Cuanevale, Angola, 1987
14th April . Annual General Meeting .
. ML Frank Bullen No Scarlet, No Bearskin
12th May CR Terry Leaver V E Day
. ML SAAACA group Cut and Thrust: A Century of British Swords
9th June CR Bruce Wentzel Royal Marines 1812 - in the Movies
. ML Ivor Little "A Name Amongst Seafaring Men" - The Proud Military Legacy Of The Training Ship "General Botha"
14th July CR Robert Morgan-Wilson Toxopholy - a new string to your bow
. ML John Murray Sinking of the Lusitania
11th August CR Theo Truter The battle for Keren, Eritrea, Feb 1941
. ML Hamish Paterson Japan's longest day - the decision to surrender
8th September CR Col C J Jacobs The Lucy Ring - (Soviet name for German Spy Rudolf Roessler)
. ML John Parkinson '1858: British Treaties with China and Japan, H.M.S. 'FURIOUS' at Shanghai, The Peiho, and Yeddo'
13th October CR Marjorie Dean Trafalgar - the Making of a Hero
. ML Terry Willson The Order Book of Major Tottenham, 12th Lancers
10th November CR Martin Ayres Admiral Nagumo and his Fateful Decisions: Pearl Harbour to Midway
. ML Gerald Zwirn The last days of Mussolini
8th December CR Felicia Fourie The Peace Negotiations - Anglo-Boer War
. ML Colin Dean Flying Bombs
CR = Curtain Raiser . . . ML= Main Lecture
Lecture programme 2004
Date . Lecturer Title
9th December CR Geoff Hardy Excerpts of the Boer War Diary of Private J L Hardy with the Royal West Kents
. ML Terry Willson The British Sniper
11th November CR Bob Smith Ladysmith - Battle of Wagon Hill - January 1900
. ML Colin Dean Chinese Colonial Expansion in the 15th Century
14th October CR Marjorie Dean Major-General Robert "Roy" Urquhart (of Arnhem), 1943
. ML Ken Gillings What Really Happened at Vlakfontein - May 1901?
9th September CR Louis Wildenboer Anzio Annie - the Story of a Gun
. ML Paul Kilmartin Why the Poppy? Why Remember?
12th August CR Flip Hoorweg Nathan Bedford Forrest - Forerunner of Christiaan de Wet?
. ML John Parkinson Vice Admiral Nagumo in the Indian Ocean - April 1942
8th July CR Alan Young Special Forces League
. ML Hamish Paterson Death of a Kingmaker
10th June CR Terry Leaver D-Day
. ML Col. C.J. Jacobs Guerilla Phase of the Anglo-Boer War in the NE Transvaal
13th May CR Deon Fourie Smuts the Soldier
. ML SAAACA Group British Smallarms in the 20th Century
8th April . . Annual General Meeting
. ML Marius Whittle The Terrible Twins - J.F.C. Fuller and B H Liddell-Hart
11th Mar CR John Murray Field Marshall Sir William Slim - Uncle Bill
. ML Martin Ayres The Hundred Year's War - Part 1
12th Feb CR Ivor Little The Warship that Wouldn't Die
. ML Dr Walter Murton Snapshots - of War - The Crimea
15th Jan CR Dennis Culligan WWII Recollections
. ML Flip Hoorweg The Exploits of Kampfgruppe Peiper
Lecture programme 2003
Date . Lecturer Title
11th December CR Alan Sinclair Art of the Museum Part 2
. ML George Barrell Russo-British Rivalry in 19th Century Afghanistan
13th November CR Avram Pelunsky If the Germans had known the Allies had cracked Enigma...
. ML Hamish Paterson King vs Kingmaker
9th October CR John Murray The Sinking of the Scharnhorst, 1943
. ML Colin Dean The Jetrace
11th September CR Geoff Hardy Amazing British Bi-plane Ops of World War II
. ML Col C J Jacobs 1st Battle of El Alamein, July 1942 - The role of the 1st SA Division
14th August CR Terry Leaver Douglas MacArthur
. ML Paul Schamburger Swiss Armed Neutrality during World War Two
10th July CR Marjorie Dean Florence Nightingale
. ML Paul Chappe P.R.A.W. (Police Reserve Air Wing, Rhodesia)
12th June CR Flip Hoorweg The USA - Arsenal of Democracy
. ML Steve Lunderstedt Magersfontein
8th May CR Hamish Paterson Searching for ancestors' military records
. ML SAAACA Group The Development of the Gun
10th April . . Annual General Meeting
. ML John Murray The Easter Rising
13th Mar CR Terry Willson The Jacobs Gun
. ML Paul Kilmartin The mystery of the flight of Rudolf Hess
13th Feb CR John Bleloch The Heliograph
. ML Achilles Kallos The Balkan Wars of Independence 1821-1922
16th Jan CR Martin Ayres SNAFU Revisited
. ML Peter Goodship The battle of Helvetia 29 December 1900
CR = Curtain Raiser . . . ML= Main Lecture
Lecture programme 2002
Date . Lecturer Title
12th December CR Bob Smith A Soldier's Life - General Sir Ian Hamilton
. ML Hamish Paterson Charlestown to Camden, South Carolina, 1780
14th November CR George Barrell Col Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, East Africa, WW1
. ML Dr Walter Murton The Four Battles: Greeks vs Persians 5th century BC
10th October CR John Parkinson HMS Durban - her first commission
. ML Flip Hoorweg The Hurtgen Battles of 1944 and 1945
12th September CR Hamish Paterson The Defence of the Oslo Fjord April 1940
. ML Louis Wildenboer Heavy Gustav - the story of a gun
22nd August CR John Murray The Micks: the Irish Guards
. ML Dr Alan Kayle The sinking of the Birkenhead, salvage and artifacts
11th July CR Geoff Hardy Aspects of the Spanish Civil War
. ML Paul Schamberger The Siege of Mafeking
13th June CR Colin Dean The German Underground
. ML David Williams The Battle of Sidi Rezegh November 1941
9th May CR Marjorie Dean The Historical Novel - a great place to start
. ML SAAACA Group Bayonets
11th April . . Annual General Meeting
. ML Frank Bullen The other side of the Bayeux Tapestry
7th Mar CR George Barrell The Experiences of a British Officer with the Pom-Pom in the Anglo-Boer War
. ML Martin Ayres The Desert Rats in the Gulf War 1990-91
14th Feb CR Heinrich Janzen The German Cruiser Prinz Eugen
. ML John Murray The Channel Dash
17th Jan CR Hamish Paterson His Majesty's U-boat
. ML Jean-Louis Tavlet The Fachoda incident from a French viewpoint
Lecture programme 2001
Date . Lecturer Title
13th December ML William Lane The War Diary of Burgher Jack Lane
. CC Hilary Bruce The story of the War Diary Research
8th November CR Avrun Pelunsky The Russo-Finnish War (The Winter War) 1941
. ML Flip Hoorweg The Mexican War of 1846
11th October CR Allan Sinclair Art of the Museum
. ML Bert Woodhouse Prehistory of conflict: weapons and warfare in the Rock Art of Southern Africa
13th September CR Louis Wildenboer The Lady Roberts Gun
. ML Rod Hooper-Box Cape Mounted Rifles
16th August CR John Murray Profiles in courage: Campbell VC and Esmonde VC
ML Nico Othenos Japanese Swords
12th July CR Flip Hoorweg The Last Stand of the White Bread Division
. ML Pierre du Toit Anglo-Boer War Lantern Slide Show (Boer side)
14th June CR Geoff Hardy General George H Thomas
. ML George Barrell The Battle of Britain
10th May CR Colin Dean Early Submarines
. ML Hamish Paterson The Wars of the Roses Part 2
19th April . . Annual General Meeting
. ML Neil Lee The Bayeux Tapestry
8th Mar CR John Sutton The British South Africa Police in the Anglo-Boer War
. ML Hendrik van Eck Sir Charles Warren's campaign in the Northern Cape
. ML Robin Smith The Crimean War
20th Jan CR George Barrell The Battle of Tannenberg, 1914
. ML Hamish Paterson The Wars of the Roses
Lecture programme 2000
Date . Lecturer Title
14th December CR Martin Ayres SNAFU Five
. ML Colin Dean Gyroscopes in the history of modern weapons
9th November CR Leslie Ayres Women disguised as men in war
. ML Dr Walter Murton Star Wars
12th October CR Louis Wildenboer The Paris Gun
. ML Hamish Paterson Clive: Calcutta to Plassey
14th September CR John Murray Nelson meets Wellington: Autumn 1805
. ML Peter Goodship The Political Battle of Nooitgedacht
10th August CR Martin Ayres One day in Military History
ML Rob Milne Anecdotes of the Anglo-Boer War
13th July CR Dr Walter Murton The Gulf War
. ML George Barrell The Battle of Britain: the Truth behind the Heroics
8th June CR Marjorie Dean The Boxer Rebellion: China 1900
. ML Harold Miller Experiences of a private soldier in a WW2 POW Camp
11th May CR Lyn Miller An Anglo-Boer War Lantern Slide Show
. ML Elsabe Brink The Plight of Johannesburg civilians prior to the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War
. . Annual General Meeting
. ML John Murray The Fighting Gurkhas
9th Mar CR Hamish Paterson The Battle of Coutras: Huguenots versus Catholics, France 1587
. ML Barbara Conradie The History of the Standard Bank during the Anglo-Boer War
10th Feb CR Avran Pelunsky 1999 - A Century of Strategic Importance
. ML Flip Hoorweg The Battle of the Three Emperors - Austerlitz, 1805
20th Jan CR Heinrich Janzen The Battle of Isandlwana
. ML George Barrell Lord Methuen.
Lecture programme 1999
Date . Lecturer Title
9 December CR Peter Marr The Northumberland volunteers in the Anglo-Boer War
. ML Peter Goodship Nooitgedacht re-assessed
11 November CR J Murray The Irish regiments of the First World War
. ML Hamish Paterson Natal Volunteers
14 October CR H Janzen Battle of Elandslaagte
. ML Dr Felix Machanik The Lancers in the Anglo-Boer War
9 September CR Marjorie Dean The battle for Atlanta
. ML Prof Greg Cuthbertson The Pro-Boer movement during the Anglo-Boer War
12 August CR Colin Dean Early submarines and torpedoes
. ML Dr Jane Carruthers Boer War artist - Melton Prior
8 July CR Flip Hoorweg Naval Disasters
. ML S Murray The English Longbow
10 June CR J van der Merwe Warships at Knysna
. ML Prof Jack Lambert Experiences of Natal loyal africans during the Anglo Boer War
13 May CR George Barrell The Success of the Blitzkrieg : The Battle of France 1940
. ML Rod Hooper-Box Long Rifles in Battle 1795-1902 - British Weapons in South Africa
8 April . . Annual General Meeting
. ML Hamish Paterson The Battles of Lexington and Concord: The American War of Independence -- 1775
11th Mar CR Dr W Murton Two Crossings of the Atlantic in Wartime (Plebian Out-Supremo Home)
. ML Penny Grimbeek Smuts the Man
11th Feb CR Prof Ian Copley A Tour of Hartebeespoort during the Anglo-Boer War
. ML Martin Ayres Marlborough - Britain's Greatest General
14 Jan CR L Wildenboer Homemade Artillery
. ML Kemsley-Couldridge Some Ethereal Aspects of War
Lecture programme 1998
Date . Lecturer Title
10th Dec: CR Martin Ayres SNAFU 4
. ML Flip Hoorweg A Bridge Too Far
12th Nov: CR John Murray Henry V's Agincourt Campaign of 1415
. ML Martin Ayres Napoleon's Invasion of Russia in 1812
8 Oct: CR L Wildenboer The Making of the Atomic Bomb
. ML H Paterson The Decision to Drop the Bomb
10 Sept: CR G Barrell The Yom Kippur War - 1973
. ML W Murton Unsung Heroes
13th Aug: CR Colin Dean The Fish That Sank
. ML Prof C Miller Canada Goes to War 1899-1900
9th July CR Prof Ian Copley What Happened to Veldkornet F Kruger
. ML Dr R Williams MK Operations
11th June CR Terry Willson A Relic from Berea: Facts and Speculation, or Coincidence
. ML B K Couldridge The Scottish Dirk: From Ballocks to Kidneys to Jewellery
14th May ML F W Bullen All the Queen's Men
. ML Lt-Gen. J Dutton With the Armour in Korea
16th April CR   Annual General Meeting
. ML Hamish Paterson The Great Mariannas Turkey Shoot
12th March CR Martin Ayres Military Incompetence
. ML Maj-Gen R de Vries Case Studies in Mechanised Warfare
12th Feb 98 CR John Murray The Massacre of Glencoe-- 1692
. ML Prof Deon Fourie The Evolution of Regimental Colours in SA
15 Jan 98 CR Rev N R Campbell Chaplain Smith at Rourkes Drift
. ML Colin Dean Solving an Enigma: How the puzzles of the Enigma Code machine Were Solved
Lecture programme 1997
Date . Lecturer Title
11th Dec 97 CR F Machanik The Zion Mule Corps at Gallipoli-- April 1915
. ML W Murton Words and Music During Conflict
13th Nov 97 CR Colin Dean Chinese War strategies as expounded by Sun Tzu
. ML Hamish Paterson The Battle of Leyte Gulf - October 1944
9th October CR John Murray The Battle of Flodden - 1513 - England v Scotland
. ML Dimitri Friend The Unwomanly Face of War - Russian women in WW2
11th September CR H Janzen Nowotny's Final Encounter -- 1844
. ML BEK Couldridge The Battle of The Little Big Horn - The Greasy Grass -- 1876
14 August 97 . Deputy Defence Minister Ronnie Kasrils Umkhonto weSizwe
. . Cdr M Bisset Navy's 75th anniversary
. . Heinrich Janzen Parade of the Imperial Light Horse on the occasion of the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1947
10 July 97 CR John Murray The Irish Guards
. ML Marjorie Dean When Billy met Jamie: The Battle of the Boyne -- 1690
12 June 97 CR Flip Hoorweg What the history books don't tell you about D-Day
. ML David Ransom The eagle soars: The growth of the RAF
8 May 97 CR George Barrell The experiences of a teenager in the Blitz
. ML Louis Wildenboer The battleship
10 April 97 AGM . Annual General Meeting
. ML Capt Ivor Little The Scottish Navy
13th March CR Martin Ayres The Unluckiest Division in World War 1
. ML Louis Wildenboer The English Castle
13th Feb CR Rev N R Campbell Did the Boers have chaplains?
. ML Hamish Paterson The Fetterman Disaster of 1866 in the American Indian wars


* NOTE* Fast mirror and backup site      BOOKMARK FOR REFERENCE     Main site * NOTE*


South African Military History Society / scribe@samilitaryhistory.org