I spend most of my time weeping. Why? Because of the past, forgotten glory of South Africa, and about how my dying husband came to be treated as a consequence.
Jan Christiaan Smuts
It breaks my heart that Canadians are unaware of the fact that there were South Africans at Vimy Ridge and Delville Wood and so little is known about the part the South African 'Cheetahs' played n the Korean War. It surprises me that so very few of my North American friends, and possibly also the modern generation of South Africans, have ever heard of Field Marshall Jan Christiaan Smuts, the prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher who, in addition to holding various cabinet posts, served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948.
Smuts helped to create the Royal Air Force, became a Field Marshall in the British Army in 1941, served in the Imperial War Cabinet under Winston Churchill and became the only person to sign the peace treaties ending both the First and Second World Wars. According to Wikipedia,
One of his greatest international accomplishments was the establishment of the League of Nations, the exact design and implementation of which relied upon Smuts. He later urged the formation of a new international organization for peace: the UN. In addition, he wrote the preamble to the United Nations Charter, and was the only person to sign the charters of both the League of Nations and the UN. He sought to redefine the relationship between the United Kingdom and her colonies, helping to establish the British Commonwealth, as it was known at the time. This proved to be a two-way street; in 1946 the General Assembly requested the Smuts government to take measures to bring the treatment of Indians in South Africa into line with the provisions of the United Nations Charter and in 2004 Smuts was named by voters in a poll held by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (S.A.B.C.) as one of the top ten Greatest South Africans of all time.
The Only Allied Victory In The Opening Years Of The War
Hitler, it is said, laughed when he heard that South Africa had declared war on Germany. (Neither his sense of geography nor history could have been very well developed!) Without the Cape sea lane, the Allies would not have held Egypt, the Middle East or India. Probably, and ironically, the Mediterranean would have been lost. Perhaps Russia too, as the Axis swept up from what was then Persia, through the back door. Pearl Harbour might have been unnecessary for the Japanese if they had taken India; thus, according to experts, there would have been no USA involvement.
Article comments
1 - Arthur Blake.
What a great article! I was in the RAF and I remember clearly when 27 Squadron SAAF came to join us on Malta. Their band - led by Tom Warder - lifted us up and helped to keep us going during a really dreadful time in our lives.
2 - Desmond Graham
My wife found a link to this article on Facebook and what memories you have triggered, Arthur.
Herewith another link that might interest you. Remember Thuys Uys, the Commanding Officer of 27 squadron and the 'rescue' off Skeleton Coast?
3 - Zena Desmond
I recommend a gripping book called "With No Remorse..." by the writer of this article. It is partly fiction, but much of it is based on fact. It has a photo of the Tom Warder and the "Venturians" on the opening page.
4 - Patsy
I've read it, and have a URL for a tape of the Venturians.
Try it out.
5 - Marie Warder
Thank you for posting a link to the Venturians. Something tells me that you must also have had a dear one "Up North" with 27 Squadron, SAAF.
6 - Ziggy
I cannot find words to express my sorrow at reading about how an old and very dear friend was treated.
My wife and I remember dancing to the music of his band at the Coronation Ball -- which was held at Rand Airport in Germiston -- on the occasion of the Queen Elizabeth's crowning.
7 - Marie Warder
Thank you,Ziggy. Good news!I have received a letter from my member of parliament who read the article, and hers has come with a copy of one to the Minister of Veteran affairs requesting recognition of South African Servicemen! - Praise God!
I now await his response with baited breath.
8 - Dorothy
Marie, I admire your courage, strength and believing and fighting for something that should of been recogized a long time ago.
Keep up the great work.
You are finally being heard.
Dorothy Found
9 - Marie Warder
Another accolade for Jan Smuts: He drafted the Charter of the International Court of Justice, helped found the State of Israel, and led the Boers to victory in the Boer War.
10 - Marie Warder
Praise God! The years I have spent writing to Canadian members of parliament, and pleading for South African vets to be recognized, have paid off! The member of Parliament for my area, read this article and sent it to the the Minister of Veteran Affairs, who has now acknowledged that SA was indeed an ally in WW2, and that surviving veterans would henceforth enjoy the same benefits as Canadians.