The South African
A READER RESPONDS ...
'My latest journal arrived a few days after our August meeting, before which our vet asked me about my being on the SAMHS tour of Egypt and Libya in May, with 25 other South Africans. Following his mother's death a few days before, he wanted me to take all his father's books on the Second World War to the Military History Society, which I duly did, raising some funds for our branch. When I spotted the Sidi Rezegh article ['Sidi Rezegh - Reminiscences of the late Gunner Cyril Herbert Glass, 143458, 3rd Field Regiment (Transvaal Horse Artillery)'] in the latest Military History Journal, I copied it for our vet, whose father I knew had also been in the Third Field Regiment (Transvaal Horse Artillery) and had escaped capture until Italy. Steve was excited when he phoned to say he was sure his father was in the last photo. A week later, at a funeral I told this story to an old friend, down from Himeville, who exclaimed that his father [had] also [been] in the 3rd Field Regt (THA) and had been captured at Tobruk. As we were going up to the Berg the next morning, I took another copy of the article with me and gave it to Chris, whose turn it was to be excited when he recognised his father, who was later promoted to Major. Two of the three missing names from the article's photographs are:
p 177: Capt B C Wheeler, who had three years in the bag after Tobruk and whose three sons would have dearly loved to be on our tour; and
p 178: Sgt W E Burrows, whose family donation of books following his widow's death helped branch funds.
Both were with Gunner Glass in the Third Field Regiment (Transvaal Horse Artillery).
Regards,
Don Porter
Captain Wheeler photographed with his officer commanding,
Lt Col I B Whyte after Sidi Rezegh, 23 November 1941 (p177).
Close-up of Captain Wheeler
Sgt Burrows was recognised in this photograph
of survivors of Sidi Rezegh (p178).
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