KWAZULU-NATAL BRANCH

Newsletter No. 566
MARCH 2026

NOTICE OF MARCH 2026 MEETING

The monthly meeting of the KZN Branch of the SAMHS will take place on 14th MARCH 2026.

In a “tankers afternoon”, the meeting will open with brief PowerPoint and video on the Centurion Tank from its original design brief as essentially the first MBT to be able to counter the German Panther and possibly even Tiger tanks, through its operational history with many countries, until its debut as the Oliphant tank in South Africa.

The main presentation will be by WOI (ret) Johan Bodenstein of QNMR (previously NMR and will cover the call-up and deployment of NMR tanks to the Angola Border in one of the final deployments of the Border War which was drawing to a close. It should be noted that NMR had been deployed to the Border at the end of Ops Savannah and had thus been present for both SADF withdrawals 12 years apart.

from “Rough but Ready” Published 2024

The meeting will take place on SATURDAY 14th March 2026 at 1.30 for 2.00pm.
The venue is as usual the St Cyprians Church Hall off Umbilo Rd, with secure parking and liquid refreshments available for cash. 
Entry is free and open to all, with visitors welcome, but a donation of R20 for the car guard and which also gives entry into the monthly raffle is requested from all attendees.

Enquiries to Phil Everitt,
Chair KZN Branch, SAMHS,
Cell or WhatsApp:  0844371636

NEWSLETTER

1. The past February meeting was held on Saturday 21st February 2026 and opened with a DDH introductory short talk will by Roy Bowman and covering the tragic loss of the carrier HMS Glorious and her two destroyer escorts, Acasta and Ardent to the German capital ships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, resulting in the the largest loss of life of the Royal Navy in WWII.The closest ship was the cruiser HMS Birmingham, carrying the Norwegian Royal Family into exile and she did not respond or render assistance. The full details of the Board of enquiry were sealed for 100 years!

The main talk was by Col Brian Adams, who in a chance meeting with a Taiwanese Officer while serving as OC of the Bushmen Battalion, impressed with his knowledge of Mandarin and was requested by the Taiwanese Authority to become the SA Military Attaché in Taipei! He served in that position during the period 1986-89.

Brian began with a brief overview of the creation of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and interactions with the mainland communist People’s Republic of China. He also described the climate and topography of the beautiful island, and some of his and his wife’s, social and official interactions with the locals. He had never managed to fulfil his ambition of parachute training in South Africa but found the Taiwanese Army honoured to have him join one of their courses. Although due to his age he suffered somewhat with the physical aspects, he eventually completed the standard training and officially gained his paratroopers wings! He finished by explaining and commenting on the state of tension existing between Taiwan and the Mainland Republic which insists that Taiwan is part of the Communist state. Altogether an excellent and enlightening talk.

2 Journals

Note that I have will again bring the latest SAMHS Journals to the meeting and request that those who neglected to collect at the last meeting do so this time. If you are unable to attend, please delegate a friend to collect for you.

3 Mendi Commemoration.

The SS Mendi was a British troopship that sank on February 21, 1917, in the English Channel after being struck by the SS Darro in thick fog, resulting in 646 deaths, mostly black South African soldiers. It is one of South Africa’s worst maritime disasters andisremembered and commemorated for the courage of the troops who died. The ceremony organised by the SA Legion was well attended by veterans, MOTHS and serving officers.

Chair Phil Everitt laid a wreath and cross on behalf of the Durban Branch which can be seen on the extreme right of the wreaths in the picture.

4 Looking Forward to APRIL 2026

The meeting on Saturday the 11th April (the week after Easter) will be addressed by David Hulme, the retired academic attorney who has previously given us excellent presentations on The Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and Mediterranean warfare during the Classical period. This being Easter, he will address us on Pontius Pilate and the Roman Empire governing Jerusalem at the time of the Crucifixion.

5 Presenters wanted.

Note that we do still have openings for short (20-minute) DDHs and 45-minute main talks and are always looking for speakers in terms of volunteers, or suggestions. Please approach the Chair or a committee member should you know of any possibles.

That’s all for now folks, please do your best to attend on Saturday 21st March and if possible, bring a friend to boost numbers and help recruit new members!

Regards
Phil
P R Everitt,
Chair KZN Branch, SAMHS,
Cell or WhatsApp: 0844371636

PS An interesting snippet of news is that due to the hostilities in the Middle East our St Cyprians host Fr Dane, and his wife Edith are currently marooned in the Far East where they had been visiting family, as their return flight has been cancelled!