ORAFs Newsletter, 16 March, 2017
Eddy Norris
Native Commissioners and Dignitaries.
Thank you to all who wrote in regarding the above. I had a good response and have sent an addition to this NL out separately due to the file size. It is approximately 5.6MG in size.
Southern Rhodesian Air Force Query.
David Lee forwards - Good Morning from Australia
I am now in Oz but previously lived in SR between 1955 and 2001. My hobbies include Postal History and, - from a collection of envelopes posted (and usually censored) - I am trying to tell the story of the SRAF from August 1939 when the Unit went to Kenya until about mid-1940 when No! Squadron became 237 (Rhodesia) Squadron and the RATG scheme began thus replacing the SRAF training scheme at Belvedere.
I have been lucky so far in that events are recorded and documented well but I have hit a block in one case and wonder if your organisation is able to provide any details. On page 60 of Beryl Salt's magnificent book 'A Pride of Eagles' she records that the SRAF training scheme ended with the pass out of a group on 30 April 1940 in anticipation of the opening of the RATG scheme. To avoid a gap in trained crews between the last personnel from the SRAF training and first from the RATG training, about 40 trainees were sent to the UK and 'a number' were sent to the RAF No4 Training School at Habbaniya in Iraq.
This is the only reference I can find to a group going to Habbaniya and I wonder if details may be available from your resources. I can find nothing in the 'Stories' section of your web site nor anywhere else from Google. I was lucky that a friend lent me Beryl Salt's book and he has articles written by Charles Meredith. Otherwise books on this period are impossible to find in Australia - for example NV Phillip's book or the War History may have some reference but I can't find those here.
What I'm looking for especially is how many men went, and when. What training was given, when was it complete, and where did they go at the end of training, Plus, of course, anything else (such as names) that may add to the story.
Is there any possibility your organisation can assist me? I w
ORAFs writes - If anyone can assist Dave or point ORAFs in the right direction in helping Dave, please write to me at ora...@gmail.com Thank you.
Contact Sought.
Frans Meyer is requesting contact details for Nicki Jordaan who served in the Equipment Branch for many years. If you could assist please let me know at ora...@gmail.com
( I may at time ask for folks contact details which are already part of orafs and this is due to the way contacts have been stored - some email addresses differ from surnames thus making it hard for me to search for persons).
The Cockpit evolution.
Rex Taylor commented on the link in last weeks NL regarding the evolution of a cockpit - The pictures showing the cockpit evolution is fascinating.
Charles Lindbergh's cockpit is possibly the beginning of the "black Ball" turn-and-slip instrument that is not phased out yet!
WWII, the 1040's, would appear to be the standardisation of the scientific and "ergo-friendly" order of the flight instruments. I find it significant that the same "order of scanning layout" is continued in the "glass instrument panels" of most of this millennium's cockpits.
What isn't shown (yet?) is the appearance of an armchair for the pilot and a single old-fashioned switch, ergo-scientifically positioned for the pilot's finger, on one of the armrests! It will be labelled "OFF and GO" in Mandarin!
Thanks Rex - love the ast paragraph!
31 PTC Reunion.
I have just read about the Reunion of the members of 31 PTC, with great pleasure. If at all possible, could I ask you to forward Greetings and Compliments to all those attending the Reunion; I was one of their Instructors at 2 GTS (F) in Thornhill 40 years ago. Should any one of them wish to re-connect after all this time, I am on Facebook.
Sgt (Ret) Tony Munnik.
Thank you Tony. If anyone would like to contact Tony via email, please write to me at ora...@gmail.com and I will forward you Tony's details.
The Cape AFA Friday Night Social.
Tony Cowell
We had a good attendance to our social last Friday and Mark Jackson was relieved of his fire fighting duties to be able to attend this time!
L-R; Tanny Palmer, Biran Daykin, Conrad ?, Pete Honeywell, John Ness and Richard Palmer. Photograph courtesy Johnny Ness.
L-R; Brian Daykin, Conrad, Pete Honeywell, John Ness, Buzz and Tanny Palmer. Photograph courtesy Johnny Ness.
L-R; Dick and Caretha Randall, Julie and Geoff Simpson (seated) Alistair Horn and Mark Jackson. Photograph courtesy Johnny Ness.
L-R; Johnny Ness, Buzz and Tanny palmer, Karl Lawrence, less Friggins and Mick Dunwell. Photograph courtesy Johnny Ness.
L-R: John Bulpitt, Charmaine Jackson, Alistair Horn, Marlene Micklewood, Mick Dunwell. Photograph Johnny Ness.
Mkwasine Estate Sale in Triangle 1973.
I am a student in the Netherlands, and I am researching on water infrastructure and water management.
My focus is on the Lowveld sugar cane estates. However, there is information cannot get my hands on and through your website, I thought you might help me with the following:
Why did the government sell Mkwasine Estate Triangle in 1973?
When Triangle bought Mkwasine did they buy together with the conveyance canal from Manjirenji dam?
Our annual rugby match against the Lowveld, circa 1970, was held at the Triangle Club.
We travelled down by train on the Friday from Gwelo, disembarked at Mbizi Siding, and were transported by cars to our respective accommodation by the ever-hospitable residents. The tactic of the opposition was to gather us all together at the Club that evening and feed and water us, and then filter away early, and unobtrusively, to get a good night’s sleep, leaving the Air Force team to continue the party. We all got to bed close to midnight.
The last thing we wanted to do the next day was to play rugby, and we were still nursing our sore heads as we were about to run onto the field in the afternoon.
We had the better team and were sure of winning, but it could easily have gone the other way had it not been for our own tactic…
Someone, probably the captain, Gordon Wright, had organised with the One Squadron CO to have a working Saturday with Monday off, so that they could perform a flypast before the game.
As we were about to run onto the field we heard that all too familiar ‘Blue note’ that the Hunters make when running in low level at full power. Five Hunters in line astern came across the field from behind, doing about 450 knots, and certainly not above 30 feet. Grannies fainted, kids were screaming and dogs scuttled off into the undergrowth. At the party afterwards the losers came to us in the club and stated that they had had high hopes of beating us, up until the time the Hunters came across, after which , they said, there was no way they could have won. Happy days.
A trip to the Comores Islands by Phil Tithers
In September 1972 Colin Wetherall, Peter Woolcock and myself, Joined a tour group to the Comores Islands.
These Islands are situated in the Indian Ocean more or less halfway between far Northern Mozambique and the Northern tip of Madagascar.
Quite a few of the other people in the tour were wealthy business families, but being good Rhodesians they were in no way snobbish, a good thing too as our little Airforce group were inclined to be quite festive!
How we got onto this trip I can’t remember, possibly via the Sub Aqua club or perhaps Peter had some connections in high places.
Grande Comore is the largest of a group of four major islands Grande Comore, Moheli, Anjouan, and Mayotte - which was a French dependency at the time, complete with a Naval base and Foreign Legion detachment.
There was a distinct ‘African – Arabian’ feel about Grande Comore.
It did however have a very easy going and friendly atmosphere at the time that we were there.
It’s a very pretty place with fantastic scenery, and huge coral reefs in the clearest water I have ever seen apart perhaps from that at the Sinoia caves.
While snorkeling and scuba diving off shore one could clearly see the sea bed and rocks, perhaps a hundred feet below us, so clear it was, that I often had the feeling that I might fall to the bottom and be smashed on the rocks! – Serious brain confusion !
In the shallower waters the coral was so profuse that there were tunnels under the coral in the gaps between the ridges. The fish were also in huge numbers and variety, especially big groups of Barracuda.
Onshore the vegetation, Fauna and Geography were very different to the Africa that we knew. In the early evening huge colonies ‘Flying Foxes’ – a giant Bat were out in flight, again another of those "Am I seeing things?" moments.
The hotel had an absolutely French influence,
The restaurant was open air and very cleverly situated at the end of a small rocky pier jutting out from the hotel into the bay, the gentle Sea breeze blowing onshore, made meal times very comfortable and created an atmosphere of absolute luxury.
I can honestly say that the food was the best I have ever eaten. However as anyone who has eaten in ‘French territory’ knows, the meals- apart from breakfast, last for ages, with a long wait between courses.
We drank and smoked between courses to pass the time, and one evening after waiting for a good deal of time for the ‘Cheese board’ to arrive , I drunkenly decided to be a bit waggish and said to the waiter loudly in a strong Lancashire accent “ Gaston wots appened tut fromage? ”
-“Garcon, what has happened to the cheese? ” – the poor waiter naturally looked confused and Peter Woolcock (who probably learnt French at School) nearly fell out of his chair laughing. The Cheese board arrived shortly afterwards!
We all had individual Chalets, with a low wall and open air on three sides. the ceiling was made of a beautiful patterned orange cloth which undulated with the breeze; it was so relaxing to watch during the afternoon ‘Siesta’- which was almost compulsory after the two hour gastronomic delight called lunch.
I think the French surpass any other nationality for relaxed elegance and quiet luxury, even in primitive surroundings - I am not surprised that many other nations find them snobbish - it sometimes seems that they have a right to be.
When we weren’t out diving, eating or resting, our little Airforce group went into Moroni (the tiny capital of the Island) for entertainment.
After all the luxury we felt the need to ‘slum it’ for a while and found the not unusually named
‘Cafe Du Port’ in the dock area.
It was obviously a sailors and dockworkers drinking den, but as it was mid morning we had the place to ourselves. The drinking commenced and soon we were misbehaving.
Some bright spark (probably Peter) came up with idea of crushing the aluminium beer cans with our heads while the empty cans were resting sideways on the table.
It was going quite well until the can that Peter was to crush, rolled sideways while he was bringing his head down- I think the table came off better than Peter).
One evening we left a hotel just outside Moroni to return to our own hotel.
As we were travelling in the taxi we saw to our right what we thought was a big bushfire on the slope of the islands big mountain - It wasn’t a bushfire but was in fact a huge lava flow from the Volcano!
We drove past the lava flow which hadn’t reached the road and got back to our hotel.
The townsfolk were naturally very concerned, and I believe that the French naval detachment from Mayotte were at the ready offshore, to evacuate people if it was deemed to be necessary.
I think it was the next day when the wealthier people in our group decided to hire a Dakota Aircraft to observe the volcano from above – they invited us to join them for free as there were plenty of seats to spare.
On researching this event - assuming the information is correct, La Karthala (the Volcano referred to) erupted .On September 8 of 1972.
Prior to this, the eruption previous to the one that we saw, occurred in 1965, and the next recurrence took place in 1977.
The mountain is 7,746 feet high, which is quite impressive considering that its base is close to sea level.
The most recent eruption of this Volcano took place in 2007.
(Source for eruption dates ‘Global Volcanism Khartala), Comores Islands
Information from the Internet, regarding the Eruption that took place during our visit I believe is as below :-
"Karthala . . . started new eruption 8 September 1972. Rapidly built up cinder cone at northern end caldera close to Porte D'Itsandra. Still quite active with boiling lava lake. Early flows emitted about 2,300 m above sea level rapidly reached altitude 1,500 m and stopped. Further yet narrower flows presently running over early ones. No immediate danger foreseeable for either capital city of Moroni or airfields."
Photograph courtesy Ant Went.
Photograph courtesy Ant Went.
First Friday evening of each month.
Contact Johnny Ness and or Tony Cowell for details
Contact Cheryl Grover for details
First Friday evening of each month.
Contact Johnny Ness and or Tony Cowell for details
Contact Cheryl Grover for details