Tag: South Africa

Asian and African Warships to the Cape

On: By: JA
I was given a whole stack of prints that were photographed of warships that called in Cape Town and Simonstown roughly between 1994 and 2002. The photographer was Patrick Gavin Worman, and unfortunately like so many of us he was tied down to weather, photography position, camera and skill, and I am grateful to him for capturing images of these vessels. He passed away in 2018 
 
This gallery comprises images from Asia (Japan, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Malaysia), Kenya and South African Navy vessels
 

Yueh Fei (Taiwan) 04/04/1997 

Cheng Ho (Taiwan) 04/04/1997 

Cheng Kung (Taiwan) 28/05/1996 

Chi Kuang (Taiwan) 28/05/1996 

Wu Yi (Taiwan) 28/05/1996 

Shikishima (Japan) 29/06/1995 

Shikishima (Japan) 29/06/1995 

Tir (India) 05/04/1997 

Moawin (Pakistan) 04/04/1997 

Babur (Pakistan) 04/04/1997 

Huang Tuan (Malaysia) 05/04/1997 

Perseverence x Lowland Lancer (Singapore) 4/4/97 

Nyayo (Kenya) 05/04/1997 

SAS PW Botha (RSA) 24/04/1995 

SAS Fleur (RSA) 

SAS Walvis Bay (RSA) 31/05/1995 

SAS Umzimkulu (RSA) 31/05/1995 

SAS Umgeni (RSA) 31/05/1995 

SAS Umkomaas (RSA) 05/04/1997 

SAS Umhloti (RSA) 05/04/1997 

SAS Outeniqua (RSA) 31/05/1995 

SAS Drakensberg (RSA) 31/05/1995 

SAS Maria Van Riebeeck (RSA) 16/10/1994 

Cable Restorer (RSA) 

Cable Restorer (RSA) 
 
DRW © 2020. Created 03/01/2020

Roll of Honour. St John’s College, Houghton

On: By: JA

St John’s College in Houghton has a very strong connection to the military, and there are two chapels on the premises. The larger chapel houses the Roll of Honour, whereas the Crypt Chapel has the Delville Wood Cross in it. I have dealt with that chapel in a previous post and this post really deals with the Roll of Honour. Unfortunately my images are less than satisfactory, but I was pushed for time and was not able to concentrate on what I was photographing, which is probably why it has taken so long for these images to appear in the first place.

I really started working on the Roll of Honour as a result of my involvement with “Lives of the First World War”, and really looked at the 1914-1918 portion of the Roll of Honour and created a community for it. I had hoped to be able to tie a name into a specific record but I was not always successful. The problem really is that some names tie into a number of possibles, or don’t tie into anybody and without more details I am just unable to do anything except guess, and even then I cannot. The results here may not be correct and I do welcome any help with them.  

The inscriptions are on wooden panels and it was not easy to read them which is why I took an image with the flash and an image without one.  Images link to either CWGC or South African War Graves Project. There are 4 sections to this page: World War 1, World War 2, Post World War, Private Memorials. 

 

(1) CA Bailey. No possible candidate found

(2). S Dunstan. There are two possibles at CWGC but no way to tie either of them to the ROH.

(3) A Eastwood. No possible candidate found

(4) A Fraser. Possible candidate

(5) W Hirst. No possible candidate found

(6) R Johnstone. Two possibles but no way to positively tie them to the ROH

(7) CD King. Many possibles but nothing to tie them into the ROH

(8) S Marsh. Two possibles but no way to positively tie them to the ROH

(9) R Martin. Many possibles but no way to positively tie them to the ROH

(10) J Peters. Many possibles but no way to positively tie them to the ROH

(11) B Stokes. No possible candidate found

(12) W. Ware-Austin. No possible candidate found. 

World War 2

L. Adams (2)
P.H. Andrews (3)
H.C. Campbell (4)
G. Cherrington (5)
B.D. Havnl (1)
J.A. Hill (7)
R. MacDonald (8)
D.F. Murray (9)
B.P. Purves (10)
F.M. Reim (11.)

(1) Surname appears to be Havnl but this may be missing characters. 

(2) May be http://www.southafricawargraves.org/search/details.php?id=160

(3) May be http://www.southafricawargraves.org/search/details.php?id=537

(4) Two possibles but not able to confirm which it is

(5) No data on a G Cherrington

(6) Aka known as Baratt, Thomas Oxenham Gordon

(7) Two possibles but no way of checking which it is

(8) May be http://www.southafricawargraves.org/search/details.php?id=14221

(9) Two possibles but not enough information

(10) May be https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2239953/purves,-brian-percival/

(11) Initials are given as M.F on grave

Post World War 2​

M.D. Reitz  (1952)

C.H.C.R. Stewart (12)

R.H. Mentis (1963)

P.N. Gettliffe (12)

D.A. Carshalton (1976)

D.R. Mitchell (12)

A Gordon-Bennett (1978)

A. De Kiewiet (12)

(12) No record found

Private Memorials.

I saw two private memorials amongst the panels.

DRW © 2018-2020. Created 15/11/2018, World War 2 names added 16/04/2019, added in links 18/04/2019, URL changed 29/12/2019, fixed problem with table 25/05/2020

Michael Gibson GC

On: By: JA

Michael Gibson (06/1906 – 18/10/1940) was awarded the George Cross for his actions on 17 October 1940 in Coventry.

He was 34 years old and serving in the Corps of Royal Engineers when he and Second Lieutenant Alexander “Sandy” Campbell GC were called in to deal with an unexploded bomb which had fallen on the Triumph Engineering Company’s works. War production in two factories had stopped because of it., and a large number of people living nearby had been evacuated. Campbell found the bomb was fitted with a delayed action fuse which it was impossible to remove, so he decided to transport it to a safe place. This was done by lorry. Campbell lay alongside the bomb so that he could hear if it started ticking and could warn Gibson, the driver, to stop and run for cover. Next the two men carried it a mile from Priory Street to Whitley Common, where they successfully made the bomb safe. They were both killed the following day while working on another unexploded bomb.

Following a funeral service at Coventry Cathedral on 25 October 1940, the squad were buried in a collective grave in Coventry’s London Road Cemetery. The squad comprised Second Lieutenant Alexander Fraser Campbell GC and Sappers William Gibson, Richard Gilchrest, Jack Plumb, Ronald William Skelton, Ernest Arthur Stote and Gibson.

© DRW 2016-2018. Created 17/03/2017. Images and information courtesy of Mark Green.

Worcestershire Anglo Boer War Memorial

On: By: JA

The Memorial to the Men of Worcestershire who lost their lives in the Boer War stands outside Worcester Cathedral.

The Memorial  is a bronze depiction of a  soldier of the Worcester Regiment kneeling as he prepares to fire his last cartridge. A winged figure said to represent “Immortality” stands above him with a palm branch in one hand, and in the other hand a sheathed sword with laurel wreath on it. It was unveiled on 23 September 1908 by Lt. Gen. the Hon. Sir N. G. Lyttleton. The monument was restored in 2005. The sculptor was William Robert Colton and it is a grade II listed object.

There is an additional inscription on the base of the memorial that is not as legible.

Their bodies were buried in peace

but their name liveth forevermore 

Inside the Cathedral there is an additional Roll of Honour.

© DRW 2017-2018. Created 07/03/2017. 

John R.M. Chard VC

On: By: JA

John Rouse Merriott Chard (21/12/1847 – 01/11/1897) was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Anglo Zulu war at Rorke’s Drift in 1879.

The Citation reads:

“For gallant conduct at the Defence of Rorke’s Drift, 22nd and 23rd January 1879. The Lieutenant-General reports that had it not been for the example and excellent behaviour of Lieutenants Chard, Royal Engineers, and Bromhead, 24th Regiment, the defence of Rorke’s Drift would not have been conducted with the intelligence and tenacity which so eminently characterised it. The Lieutenant-General adds, that the success must in a great measure be attributable to the two young officers who exercised the chief command on the occasion in question.”

He is buried in St John the Baptist Churchyard, Hatch Beauchamp.

 

© DRW 2016-2018, created 31/10/2016. Images courtesy of Mark Green. 

The Ross and the Woltemade

On: By: JA

When it comes to talking about salvage tugs two names really stand out: the John Ross and the Wolraad Woltemade. 

The John Ross was built in Durban in at the James Brown & Hamer yard in 1976 and was named after Charles Rawden Maclean. Her principle dimensions are: overall length of 94,60m, breadth: 15,80m, depth: 8,60m, draft: 7,50m. She is of 2.918 Tons GRT and 875 Tons NRT.

I was fortunate enough to see her in East London in 1990, and I was very impressed. Unfortunately I was limited in how many pics I could take of her.

She was renamed Smit Amandla (callsign ZTUG) from December 2003. 

The Wolraad Woltemade was built at the Henry Robb shipyards in Leith for Safmarine. She was handed over to her new owners in 1976 and was named after Wolraad Woltemade

Wolraad Woltemade
Wolraad Woltemade

I saw her in Cape Town in 1990, although the images I took were not great due to the early morning gloom. 

Sadly she was broken up in 2010. 

There are 1/1250 scale (1,2 x 7,6 x 2,0 cm) models of the Ross and Woltemade available and they are in nylon and unfinished although there are a variety of different finishes and colours to choose from but I took a low res because I really wanted to see what the the output from a 3D printer looked like. 

Unbuilt

What were they like? I battled to get a smooth surface on them, sanding did not seem to work and in the end multiple coats of paint were the easiest. I also battled to get anything to stick to them. The mast of the Woltemade was a battle and the end result is really just a compromise. They are nice models though, esp the Ross.

Almost done

The Ross and Woltemade were the most powerful salvage tugs in the world when they were built and were involved in a number of marine casualties. They are true South African marine icons.

© DRW 2016-2018. Created 01/10/2016

Henry Lysons VC

On: By: JA

Henry Lysons (30/07/1858 – 24/07/1907) was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the Zulu War in 1879.

The citation, recorded in the London Gazette of Issue: 25093, Page: 1586,  reads:

“2nd Battalion, The Cameronians, Lieutenant Henry Lysons
[(Scottish Rifles) On 28 March 1879 at the Hlobane Mountain, South Africa, Lieutenant Lysons, with a captain and a private (Edmund John Fowler) dashed forward in advance of the party which had been ordered to dislodge the enemy from a commanding position in natural caves up the mountain. The path was so narrow that they had to advance in single file and the captain who arrived first at the mouth of the cave was instantly killed. Lieutenant Lysons and the private, undeterred by the death of their leader, immediately sprang forward and cleared the enemy out of their stronghold.

Lieutenant Lysons remained at the cave’s mouth for some minutes after the attack, during which time Captain Campbell’s body was carried down the slopes.” 

He is buried in St Peters’s Churchyard, Rodmartin, Gloucs

Henry Lysons VC 30/07/1858 - 24/07/1907 St Peters's Churchyard, Rodmartin, Gloucs

DRW. © 2016-2020 Created 17/04/2016. Image courtesy of Mark Green

Joseph John Farmer VC.

On: By: JA

Joseph John Farmer (15/05/1854 – 30/06/1930) was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in the First Boer War on 27 February 1881, on Majuba Hill in South Africa.

The Citation,Issue: 24973, Page: 2553, reads:

“Army Hospital Corps. Provisional Lance-Corporal Joseph John Farmer, For conspicuous bravery during the engagement with the Boers at the Majuba Mountain, on the 27th February, 1881, when he showed a spirit of self-abnegation and an example of cool courage which cannot be too highly commended.

While the Boers closed with the British troops near the wells, Corporal Farmer held a white flag over the wounded, and when the arm holding the flag was shot through, he called out that he had “another.” He then raised the flag with the other arm, and continued to do so until that also was pierced with a bullet.”

He is buried in Brompton Cemetery in London.

His headstone is made from a rock supposedly brought from Majuba and is inscribed to that effect (inscription recreated for clarity).

There is a commemorative plague erected at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire in his honour.

Brompton Cemetery, London

DRW © 2015 – 2020. Created 21/09/2015, edited 09/05/2017

The Arrival of Sally (5)

On: By: JA

Aka: The Arrival of Sally and Lily Su

Early one Saturday morning, as I was on my way home from doing the morning shopping I spotted 2 Twinns by the side of the road. I pulled over and opened the door. “Hi girls, need a lift?”


“Good Morning”, Lily said, “yes please.”
“Could you please take us to the Tumbling Twinns? I have their address somewhere.” Sally added.
“Oh, that’s OK, I know where they stay, I was just on my way there now. Hop in and buckle up. We will be there in a jiffy.”


“Did you have a good flight?” I asked.
“It was Ok. I woke up half way and was very hungry. There was this box of fashion dolls next to us and they kept on jabbering on their cell phones and nattering about clothes. If I had had parachute I would have bailed out!” Sally explained.
“What about you Lily?”
“I slept through it all. I think Sally had too much chocolate before we took off, and the sugar kept her awake.”

We arrived at the home of Tumbling Twinns and the girls went upstairs to meet the gang. Like all Twinns they were apprehensive about fitting in with the existing ones. But, both were confident that they would be be met with open arms. “Good luck Sally,” Lily whispered.
“And you Lily, I think I have a tummy ache from fear.”
“It’s just your nerves, and all that chocolate. Don’t let the side down.”


Lily spotted Jennifer Mae concentrating very hard on her dingbat. “Drat, consarn it! how will I ever get this thing mastered in time for the tournament?” she muttered.


Lily touched Jennifer on the shoulder. “It’s easy…. all you need is total concentration. Let me show you how.”


Lily took the dingbat from Jennifer and was soon bouncing the ball up and down so rapidly that it seemed as if there were more than 1 ball.

Jennifer introduced herself. “I am Jennifer Mae, and up till now was the only Asian Twinn here.”
“My name is Lily Su, and I am honoured to meet you.”


“Lily, where did you learn to be so good at the dingbat?”
“It’s easy, I took a course at the factory, they said that anybody that could swat a fly could use a dingbat. It’s a very handy skill to have. I came top of my class in dingbat 101.”
“Will you teach me how to be an expert too?” Jennifer asked eagerly.
“Certainly, but only if you teach me how to write fortune cookie fortunes. Your reputation for wise fortune telling has spread far and wide in the Continuum. Rory says that sales have tripled since you started writing the fortunes.”
“That’s good news. But I do have a lot of help from my friends. In fact, I foresee that Brenda is going to have a surprise visitor.”

Sally had just found Brenda and the 2 Emmas shook hands.


“Welcome to Tumbling Twinns Sally. I am so pleased to finally meet you “in the vynil””. Brenda said, overcome with emotion.
“Its lovely to meet you too Brenda. I have read so many of your adventures already that I feel like I know you. I am glad that I can bring balance to the Continuum by being here.”
“We must hold our Annual General Meeting as soon as possible Sally.”
“What a great idea. I even brought refreshments. The Emmas sent along a packet of Hersheys Miniatures for us to nibble, but I woke up during the flight down here and got kind of hungry and I am afraid there aren’t too many left.”


Brenda just laughed, fully aware of Sally’s love of chocolates. “That’s OK, I am sure they will send us more. Come, you must tell me all the news, I have been waiting to hear about how the Cookies tried to take over.”
“Hmm, it’s a long story, lets grab a chair and I can tell you all about it.”

And so there were 2 new arrivals at Tumbling Twinns. Which meant stories to tell, clothes to swop and new adventures to come. Welcome Sally and Lily, we hope that you will be very happy here.

© DRW, JE Sturgis 2007-2018. Moved to blog 21/04/2015

Reginald Frederick Johnson Hayward VC, MC*

On: By: JA

Captain Reginald Frederick Johnson Hayward VC was the son of stockbreeder Frederick and Gertrude Hayward. He was born on 17 June 1891 at the Beersheba Mission Station near Swartruggens, East Griqualand, and was educated at Hilton College Natal, Durban Business College and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in the United Kingdom.
In May 1912 Reginald joined 6th Battalion Wiltshire Regiment and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on 29 September 1914. During October 1916 he was involved in action at Stuff Redoubt, Thiepval, France and he was awarded the Military Cross, a bar was added to his MC during the battle of Messines in Belgium.

In March 1918, as the Germans advanced towards Bapaume, the 1st Battalion The Wiltshire Regiment was moved to the north of Fremicourt, a village east of Bapaume and just south of the Cambrai road. 4th Corps was trying to hold a line between Vaulx and Morchies to the north of the road. The surviving Wiltshires, three officers and 54 NCO’s and men, were gathered at Bihucourt, north-west of Bapaume, on 24 March. When the German offensive had opened on the 21st, 8th Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment mounted an unsuccessful counter-attack at Doignies to try and contain the enemy advance south of the Cambrai-Bapaume road. They were then withdrawn west to Velu Wood. By the 23rd, the German advance had reached this point and the Glosters, together with the 10th Battalion The Royal Warwickshire Regiment was ordered to cover the further withdrawal of British forces. Bapaume itself was abandoned to the Germans.

The Citation, recorded in the London Gazette for Supplement: 30648,  Page:4967, reads:

“For most conspicuous bravery in action. This officer, while in command of a company, displayed almost superhuman powers of endurance and consistent courage of the rarest nature. In spite of the fact that he was buried, wounded in the head, and rendered deaf on the first day of operations, and had his arm shattered two days later, he refused to leave his men (even though he received a third serious injury to his head), until he collapsed from sheer physical exhaustion.

Throughout the whole of this period the enemy was attacking his company front without cessation, but Captain Hayward continued to move across the open front from one trench to another with absolute disregard of his own personal safety, concentrating entirely on re-organising his defences and encouraging his men.

It was almost entirely due to the magnificent example of ceaseless energy of this officer that many determined attacks on his portion of the trench system failed entirely.“

Reginald Hayward survived the war and continued to serve in the military in Dublin, Egypt and Palestine. In April 1935 he was transferred to the Reserves. During the Second World War he served as Commander of the Royal Army Service Corps Anti-Aircraft Command. He retired on 09 July 1947 as an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel.

Apart from his Victoria Cross and Military Cross with Bar he was awarded the 1914 – 1915 Star, British War Medal 1914 – 1920, Victory Medal 1914 – 1919, Defence Medal 1939 – 1945, Coronation Medal 1937, Coronation Medal 1953 and Territorial Efficiency decoration.
He died on 17 January 1970 in Chelsea, London and was cremated on 23 January 1970 at the Putney Vale Crematorium, London while his ashes are scattered in the Garden of Remembrance.

Reginald Hayward VC Memorial Stone National Memorial Arboretum
Reginald Hayward VC

Memorial Stone

National Memorial Arboretum

(Based off an extract published in The VC and the GC, The Complete History, by Methuen and The VC and GC Association in 2013.

© DRW 2015-2018. Created 08/03/2015, edited 17/05/2017