SAMHSEC 22nd Anniversary
This month marks the 22nd anniversary of SAMHSEC’S first meeting on 9 September 2004. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to SAMHSEC’s success. We look forward to your continued participation.
SAMHSEC meeting 10 August 2026
André Crozier discussed the Battle of Britain: the planning and science behind the victory. The lecture covered the modernisation of the Royal Air Force after WW1, especially with respect to the aircraft and the aircrew requirements, the development of the spotter network and of radar, preparing to defend England in the event of war with Germany.
Although many histories of the Battle of Britain comment on the role of radar, it was only in conjunction with the Dowding system of fighter control that radar was truly effective. The system had been developed before the war and fused into a force multiplier which made a major contribution to the British victory.
André’s presentation is in SAMHS’ Zoom library.
SAMHSEC Requested the Pleasure of your Company to talk about military history on 31 August 2026
As August is Women’s Month, we were pleased to have lady speakers for the 31 August RPC meeting.
In session 1, Anne Samson presented on the formation and early service of the South African Military Nursing Service 1914-1918.
Before the outbreak of World War One there was no South African Military Nursing Service. The South African Medical Corps had only come into being in 1913 under Major Stock who focused on getting the medical foundation sorted before expanding into other areas such as nursing.
On 14 August 1914 Matron Elizabeth Creagh was appointed to form the South African Military Nursing Service. However, the outbreak of war ten days earlier and the decision to invade German South West Africa meant there was no time to form a unit, so use was made of clause 121 of the Union Defence Act allowing volunteer services to be used.
Adverts were placed on 26 August 1914 and over 100 nurses applied. They served in various hospitals and on the Hospital Ship Ebani. After South West Africa, the nurses were discharged and had to reapply for later service.
In September 1915 the Military Nursing Service was designated a Contingent and authorised to consist of 250 members. This was soon exceeded during the war as female nurses were required to replace men for the Western Front.
Creagh, herself, was to serve in SWA and in Europe during the war. Initially women were not permitted to serve in East Africa but later 174 trained nurses were permitted to serve in that theatre. Karen Horn noted that 81 South African nurses served with the Red Cross in Europe, including Betty Freund and Frances Schreiner (the SA High Commissioner to London’s daughter and Olive Schreiner’s niece). Both published their experiences, Frances under her married name of Lyndall.
The shortage of nurses resulted in Creagh requesting that military hospitals become training hospitals – contracts needing to be negotiated separately with each province. Probationary Nurses had to serve three months in South Africa before they could be sent overseas. The exact number of women from South Africa who served as nurses in the First World War is not known as many paid their own passage to Britain to enlist in the different services: QAIMNS, VAD, Red Cross (including the French Red Cross), St John Ambulance, Scottish Women’s Hospital. Not all obtained permission from the Military Matron to do so.
Using names of nurses identified by Kathleen Satchwell, the talk concluded with an overview of service by the following nurses, many of whom are remembered on a memorial in St Mary’s Anglican Cathedral, Johannesburg, the memorial being funded by the National Council of Women. Kathleen Satchwell found the memorial and started investigating the nurses in 2010. The information used in this talk is a combination of material from Kathleen’s online searching, personal medal cards at SANDF Doc Centre and other sources: Margaret Smith Dewar, Dora Bernstein, Pauline Paff, Hilda Arnott (Bettles), Dorothy Andrew, May Flanagan, Constance Addison (died Gallway Castle 12 September 1918); Dorothy Bolus (died Kenilworth Castle 4 June 1918); Marguerite Ersksine; Kaloola (Monica Gertrude ‘Kate’) Beaufort.
In all, 500 South African women served in the South African Military Nursing Service of whom 14 lost their lives. There is much more to research on the South African female nurses in World War One.
Sources:
Neville Gomm: Military History Journal Vol 1 No 2 -June 1968 Some notes on the South African Military Nursing Services
Graeme Fuller: KZN 2017 Newsletter
A recording of Anne’s presentation is available in the SAMHS Zoom library
In session 2, Anne Irwin gave a short presentation entitled Hidden Histories which highlighted the need for digital preservation of places of military historical significance, such as graves, cemeteries, monuments, forts and battle sites. She paid tribute to those who have contributed to this valuable project and made a call for further contributions from members all over the country.
A recording of Anne’s presentation is available in the Zoom library
SAMHSEC meeting 14 September 2026
Speaker and topic to be advised; please see below.
SAMHSEC Requests the Pleasure of your Company to talk about military history on 28 September 2026
RPC meetings are opportunities to share your knowledge of a military history subject or book with fellow military historians. Presentations should last approximately 15 minutes to allow time for sharing the pleasure of one another’s company. You can do any number of RPC presentations per year. Please contact André at andrecrozier@gmail.com if you want to share your knowledge.
Hidden Histories progress report
The following have been added since newsletter 263 August 2026:
Anglo Boer War (Rand Regiments) Memorial
Bedford Cenotaph
Cape Town Labour Corps Memorial
Consolidated Main Reef Mines & Estates War Memorial
Fort Beaufort War Memorial
Graeme College War Memorial
Heidelberg ABW Burger Memorial
Port Elizabeth ABW Concentration Camp Memorial
Port Elizabeth Cenotaph
Robertson War Memorial
Saint John the Evangelist Church, Bathurst
Saint Thomas Anglican Church, Rondebosch War Memorial
South African Heavy Artillery Memorial Cape Town
South African Heavy Artillery Memorial (75th (Natal) Siege Battery)
Braamfontein Cemetery ABW Memorials
Lt George Ross, Transvaal Scottish
John Francis David Shaul VC. MSM
Captain R.V. Gorle, VC
Fort Selwyn
Thanks to all who have contributed already and call to arms for those whose contributions are yet to come.
This is the captain speaking
We are experiencing a speaker drought!
We always have a reserve speaker on stand-by in case a scheduled speaker cancels at short notice, but we have had to call on our reserve speakers disturbingly often of late, not because of short notice cancellations, but because no-one has offered to speak.
Average attendance of our meetings is steady in the mid-thirties, so interest in our meetings there appears to be. But there can’t be meetings without speakers!
Our limit has been one main lecture per speaker per year to allow as many of us as possible opportunities to share our knowledge. In view of the current speaker drought, we have relaxed this restriction to encourage speakers to come forward.
Please contribute to SAMHSEC’s continued existence by contacting André at andrecrozier@gmail.com to share your military history knowledge with fellow historians.
SAMHSEC
Chairman: Malcolm Kinghorn culturev@lantic.net
Secretary: Stephen Bowker stephen@stephenbowker.co.za
Speaker coordinator: André Crozier andrecrozier@gmail.com
Scribe: vacant
Field trip coordinator: vacant