Mike the Warthog

Former South African Navy (E1 - O5) Ret
Divide et Impera

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

Tea party photoshoot I had with my daughter just before I cleared out of the #SANavy.

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

@BDliveSA

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

#Lohatlha 1980

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

Savimbi has large numbers of SAM-7s
The Star's Africa News Service
Large quantities of SAM-7 anti-aircraft missiles are among Unita's sophisticated arsenal.
Mrs Doreen Mutschmann, who recently spent five weeks in Angola, said in Johannesburg she saw Unita guerillas being trained to use the deadly missiles.
"All the training is given by Unita officers. At no stage did we see foreign instructors," she said.
Her five weeks in Unita-controlled territory were spent in areas south of the Benguela railway.
"In an area we visited they are growing tobacco for the troops," she said.
In bush hospitals some operations are carried out by Unita's medical personnel.
"We saw an appendectomy being done in one such hospital," she said.
Unita has many captured Soviet trucks but the rebel leader, Dr Jonas Savimbi, travels around in a Range Rover.

[The Star 26 October 1982]

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

General Gerhardus Hendrik Gravett dies 26th October 1900
Gerhardus was born in Alexandria in the Cape and was one of several sons of the 1820 Settler who moved to the Transvaal and were living in the Heidelberg/Boksburg area. He was the great grandson of George Gravett, who arrived in Algoa Bay on the barque Brilliant , then married local girl Anna Adriana Woest. Gerhardus’s brother Willem Hendrik owned a farm just north of the Suikerbosrand at Tamboekiesfontein. One of his uncles was also farming close to Heidelberg at Schoongedacht. But of all the Gravetts in the area, Gerhardus Gravett was the most prosperous. Besides several houses in Georgetown, Germiston, Gerhardus also owned a large smallholding at Klippoortje, Germiston, where he grew maize and raised cattle, and he was the owner or part-owner of a number of other farms in the Free State and Cape. He held several prospecting claims. Several of Gerhardus’s business ventures were done in partnership with his younger brother Willem Hendrik. Besides farming, Gerhardus’s primary business was as a cartage contractor and money lender. His business had premises at the Germiston coal yards, and for the times was very modern in 1899, G H Gravett contractors not only had a telegraphic address, but also a telephone, which was a rarity in the Transvaal at the time.
When war broke out in October 1899, Gerhardus Gravett fought for the Boers, first as a Veld Cornet, then later as a Commandant and finally as Combat General in overall charge of the Boksburg Commando. Both Gerhardus, his first son Christiaan and his brother Willem joined the Boer commandos, and so did several other Gravetts from the area.
Willem was captured by the British, on 16th November 1899 and was sent into exile on St Helena.
After the Siege of Ladysmith was lifted on 28/2/1900, the Boers retreated through northern Natal, back into the Transvaal.
It was at this stage that one section of the Commando under General G H Gravett moved to fight in the Cape Colony. He served with distinction on the Colesberg front, where he was elected field cornet. He was later promoted to commandant.
Later, as the Cape and Orange Free State front collapsed, Gravett took his men back by way of the eastern Orange Free State to the Transvaal to rejoin the rest of the Commando, which had remained active in the Transvaal.
He took part in the Battle of Donkerhoek in June 1900. His men were known as Gravett’s Guinea Fowls. He was heavily involved in the Boers’ attempts to prevent the British capture of the Eastern railway line. In August 1900 he participated in the Battle of Bergendal and was promoted to a fighting general in charge of the Boksburg Commando. The Boksburg Commando had been mobilised on 27 September 1899 and was made up of 1,050 Boers and about 300 black agterryers.
On about 12th October 1900, Gerhardus Gravett was wounded while on commando near Roosenekal.
The Boer forces were fighting a rear guard action and he suffered serious shrapnel wounds while standing next to one of the last artillery pieces of the ZAR State Artillery.
His comrades brought a Dr Neethling to attend to him but without medicines the doctor could not do much, and Gerhardus Gravett contracted bronchitis. He died on 26th October, aged 42. and was buried at Roossenekal on 26 October 1900.
Deneys Reitz, was probably one of the last to see the General alive. Reitz mentions him in his book, "Commando."
His remains were later reinterred here. at the Primrose Cemetery in Germiston. He left a wife, Petronella (nee Oosthuizen,), and five children

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

SA Naval Heritage Day-by-Day.
26 October:

1938
The ‘erection’ of 9.2-inch gun, registered number 23, on a Mk VII mounting began on 26 October on the hillside above Simon`s Town. The mountings were tested, as was usual, by firing the guns under controlled circumstances on 10 July 1939 and 10 July 1940.

1941
As the result of a report received regarding a Vichy French convoy, Operation BELLRINGER, a joint operation with RN and SDF ships and SAAF aircraft, is set in motion. After being found and shadowed for some days the ships of the convoy are stopped by HMS Devonshire and escorted into East London and Port Elizabeth Harbours. SDF ships participating were HMSA Ships Southern Barrier, Nigel, Florida, Terje, Steenberg and Stellenberg. On 18 November, the Director Seaward Defence receives a message from Defence Headquarters that reads:
“The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have cabled the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in the Union asking that their appreciation may be conveyed to the Union authorities of the valuable co-operation of the Seaward Defence Force and the South African Air Force in the successful operations which resulted in five Vichy ships being brought into Union ports. The C-in-C of the Union Defence Forces (Field Marshal Smuts) in acknowledgement of his appreciation of the receipt of this message wishes to add his congratulations to all those who took part in this operation as does the Chief of the General Staff.”

1942
The American MV Anne Hutchinson is torpedoed by U504 thirty miles from East London. Three boatloads of survivors are rescued by HMSAS Africana and, after she breaks in two, the forward half, which remains afloat, is towed into harbour by HMSAS David Haigh.

1942
The whaler Helier I is commissioned as HMSAS Standerton for war service as an anti-submarine vessel.
1961 HMS Amphion (S43), after breaking away from PEX 61, enters the Selbourne Dry-dock to have a shaft gland repacked as well replacing fairing plate fore end and pressure hull to externals. Whilst in the dry-dock, HMS Amphion`s ships badge is painted on the side wall of the Selbourne Dock. (Photo)

1971
The second Daphné class submarine, SAS Emily Hobhouse (Lt Cdr L.J. Woodburne) sails from Toulon, France, on her delivery voyage escorted by SAS President Steyn (Capt E.W. Jupp).

2001
The keel of the second Valour class frigate SAS Isandlwana is laid at the HDW Yard in Kiel, Germany.

PHOTO.
HMS Amphion badge on Selbourne Dock wall

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

26 Oct 1991 : - The SA Air Force celebrated 21 years of service of the SA-330 Puma at a function held at Air Force Base Swartkop.

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

@WmJRossHoefling Good morning Ross

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

26 October 2026
Today in History

1652
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The morning at the Cape is described as pleasant. The wind is described as directionless.
An enormous walrus spent some time in the bay that day.
The Commander of the Cape, Jan van Riebeeck, wrote that they fired a cannon shot at the animal from the bastion, the Reijger.
The shot hit its target, but without any effect, as the animal calmly swam out of the bay before the sloop could reach it.

Sunday, 26 October 1653
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The weather during the day is described simply as pleasant.
The corporal who had arrived at the fort the previous day, together with three other soldiers and a cow, was roused early that morning. Shortly after his early meal, he departed with the others. Two additional men were sent along, together with sufficient provisions.
The corporal received a verbal order to convey to Van Harwarden.
Van Harwarden was to abandon the pursuit if, by the time they arrived, they had still not made contact with Harry.
The group could also end up travelling too far away from the fort. The provision of food and other supplies could eventually turn into a logistical nightmare.
For the reasons mentioned above, it was decided to abandon the pursuit.
Later, towards the end of the afternoon, a cow belonging to the stolen herd calmly walked back to the fort of its own accord.

1654
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The entries for 26 and 27 October 1654 were recorded together under the same date in the diary.
The weather was pleasant and warm over the two days. The wind blew moderately from the west.
Towards dusk, presumably on the 26th, the wind changed direction and began blowing from the south-southwest.
With this favourable wind, the Roode Vos, a galjoen, spread her sails and departed for Dassen Island.

1655
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The early morning twilight brought a clear, bright-blue day to the Cape.
The wind blew moderately from the west.
During the course of the day, the sloop returned from Robben Island.
All instructions had been carried out, and a report was sent stating that there were 144 sheep on the island, several of which were pregnant.
Crew members from the ship Arnhem came ashore and reported that the ship's bowsprit had been badly damaged. Precisely what had happened was not recorded.
The Commander undertook to investigate the matter personally the following day.

1656
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The entries for 25 and 26 October 1656 were recorded together under the same date.
Tobacco seedlings were planted in the Company's gardens that day. The seedlings had been grown from seeds sown at the Cape.

1657
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The weather is briefly described as unpleasant.
The south-southeast wind had been blowing continuously for the preceding few days, and the inattentive were literally blown off their feet.
Considerable damage was caused to the crops and fruit orchards. According to the diary, the windbreaks made from stacked branches had been of no help. The hospital roof was blown off.
Leendert Cornelis became a Free Burgher that day. Cornelis had applied for permission to saw timber beams and planks at Bosheuvel at his own expense.
Bosheuvel (Bosbergen) was approximately a three-hour walk from the fort and was visited by the Commander that day.
An additional 20 morgen of agricultural land was also granted to him. His wife would join him later, travelling by ship from the Netherlands.
History was also made that day when the first pineapples were planted.

1658
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The day dawned cloudy, with a moderate westerly wind.
Two enslaved people, one man and one woman belonging to the Free Burgher Steven Janssen, escaped during the night. The two stole a pistol and clothing.
The enslaved man belonging to Leendert Conelissen, who had escaped shortly beforehand, was recaptured. One enslaved person died during the day.
The Shappenjacht returned from Saldanha Bay at around ten o'clock that evening.
A letter was handed to the Commander. In brief, it thanked the fort and its personnel for the provisions supplied. Approximately 113 sailors were still ashore and ill. A request was made for the Free Burgher Jurrien Janssen to accompany the West Vriesland to the Cape, as he knew the coastline well.
The letter had already been sealed when a westerly wind began to blow.
The officers of the West Vriesland decided to take advantage of this favourable wind and depart for the Cape.

1659
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The morning at the Cape is described as pleasant. Towards dusk, the south-southeast wind began to blow with tremendous force.
The Shappenjacht arrived safely in Table Bay during the morning.
It carried a quantity of eggs, dried fish and birds. (I assume the birds had been salted.)
A meeting was held at the fort during the day concerning the miller, Wouter Mostert.
The matter related to a meeting and decisions taken on 27 August 1659.
In short, the work on the mill had been completed, and it could now operate using water instead of oxen and/or horses.
Mostert, however, decided to transfer ownership to the Company. The man had simply concluded that the debts incurred for the construction and repair work on the mill were not worth the trouble.
The account amounted to 218 guilders, 11 stuivers and 2 penningen.
The Commander and everyone present agreed that the mill should be leased to Mostert.
A further decision was taken to construct a stone-and-timber structure to protect the mill from the elements. Construction was to begin as soon as possible, with the costs to be borne by the Company.
Mostert was formally warned in writing that he would be held personally responsible if the mill caught fire.
Flour milled by Mostert was to be supplied at a fixed price, as follows:
- Two stuivers per pound by weight of wheat.
- One stuiver per pound by weight of barley.

Wheat and barley supplied by the Company were to be weighed beforehand and sealed with the Company's monogram.
Containers whose seals had been broken were not to be accepted and had to be transported to the fort with their seals intact.
Any deviation from the above provisions was punishable by a fine of up to 28 reals, or even more. Regular inspections would be carried out from time to time by the Fiscal.
Mostert would, of course, be remunerated for his services and bound by a contract to provide them.
(The account above covers several typed pages and has been translated and shortened to the best of my ability. This particular mill was erected beside the Liesbeek River and should not be confused with the later Mostert's Mill of 1796 on the Welgelen farm, Mowbray.)

1706
The Lords XVII decided on this day that they would no longer support further immigration to the Cape.
Later, in 1820, Britain would once again begin a large-scale immigration programme.

1813
Johanbes (Jan) Henricus Lamberttus Kock was born.
He is remembered as a Voortrekker commandant of the Transorangia who helped draw up the provisional peace treaty following the Battle of Majuba.
He was also a member of the Transvaal Volksraad.
Lamberttus left the Colony from the Graaff-Reinet district, in the Agter-op-Sneeuberg ward.
He owned three farms, namely Kraanvogelvlei, Klein-Tafelberg, and a valuable arable farm between Graaff-Reinet and Colesberg.
(To date, I have been unable to find a picture of the man.)

1835
From the recollections of the Voortrekker J.H. Hatting during the Great Trek.

1840
Shortly after crossing the Umzimkulu River, Andries Pretorius sent a delegation to Faku.
The delegates included Jan Meyer, Koos Groenewald and an interpreter. The group was to establish from Faku precisely where the boundaries of his territory extended.
Pretorius wanted to prevent Faku's boundaries from being violated. Faku was also to tell the delegates where Ncapaye could be found.

Wednesday, 26 October 1836
From the diary of Louis Tregardt.
Louis wrote that Carolus worked on his flintlock rifle again that day.
Pieta and Danster arrived at his parents' encampment and stayed with them for a while.
(Danster was an employee of Tregardt.)
A wolf (probably a leopard) caught a sheep from the kraal. A dog was bitten to death by the “wolf”. Pieta used the dog as bait for the “wolf” in a trap.
A head of cattle also died that day.
Three lambs that had been weaned were left outside the kraal the previous night.
A jackal caught one of the three lambs.

Thursday, 27 October 1837
From the diary of Louis Tregardt.
As usual, the Tregardt party set off early.
They trekked that day to a point just before Witrivierspoort.
In the late evening twilight, a “tiger” (probably a leopard) caught a goat together with its kid. The head of another kid was badly bitten, but the animal was still alive.

Thursday, 26 October 1837
Kerkenberg
The Reverend Erasmus Smit describes how a thunderstorm “struck” those present at Kerkenberg.
(One can imagine how the people must have felt, with only an ox-wagon canvas and/or a tent between them and the elements of nature.)
> “Today we had a very terrible thunderstorm here. God protected us and showed mercy to our souls, preserving our lives.
> Never in my life on earth have I heard such heavy, prolonged and loudly crashing claps of thunder.”
Later that evening, it began to rain, and there was also hail.

1838
There are no entries in the diary of the Reverend Erasmus Smit up to and including 28 October 1838.

1860
The first weather service was established in South Africa.

1864
General Arnoldus Slabbert Lemmer was born on the Buffelshoek farm in Klein-Marico.
He took part in both the First and the Second Wars of Independence.
He was a qualified teacher and later also served as a tax collector and magistrate at Zeerust.
After the war, he was also a member of the Transvaal Legislative Assembly.
During the 1914 Rebellion, he fought on the government side with the rank of brigadier-general.
He died in June 1944.

Thursday, 26 October 1899
Anglo-Boer War
Day 16 of the war.
- General Yule, on the British side, arrived in Ladysmith from Dundee after a march of 95 km with 4,000 men.
- General de la Rey arrived in Taung.

Friday, 26 October 1900
Anglo-Boer War
Day 381 of the war.
- General Hendrik (Gert) Gravett died near Roossenekal on this day. This followed his being mortally wounded by shrapnel on 12 October at Witpoort, Mapochsgronden. Deneys Reitz was with him in his final moments.
- General J.B.M. Hertzog attacked Koffiefontein. Captain Robertson was in command. The attack was repulsed, after which General Hertzog began a siege. (Koffiefontein, like the town of Mafeking, began printing “siege money”. The money was really more of a novelty than anything else and was sold to collectors.)
- General French arrived in Heidelberg from Barberton. Along the way, he lost 320 horses, 1,230 oxen and 55 ox-wagons. For all his trouble, he captured only nine Boers, while another 49 voluntarily surrendered to him.
- Captain Leo Pokrofksky, a volunteer from Russia, attacked Wasbank railway station. The station was burned down and a number of horses were captured.

Saturday, 26 October 1901
Anglo-Boer War
Day 746 of the war.
- Colonel Benson was involved in a battle with Commandant H.S. Grobler near Rietkuil on the Steenkoolspruit. Two British soldiers were killed. Shortly afterwards, Benson became involved in another skirmish with Commandant W. Steyn at Mooifontein in the same area.
- Major-General Wilson ordered pro-Boer residents of Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp to be placed in railway carriages ahead of the locomotives. In this way, he hoped to put an end to the derailment of trains.

1927
On 26 October 1927, General J.B.M. Hertzog officially announced Parliament's adoption of the Flag Act of the Union of South Africa.
As a result, South Africa's own national flag was officially brought into use on 31 May 1928.
The ceremony began with a ceremonial flag-raising in front of the Parliament Building in Cape Town, as well as at other government institutions throughout the country.

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

LEST WE FORGET
On 26 October 2026, let us pause to remember these young men from our Generation who answered the Final Roll Call.

26 Oct 1968:
65720187N Able Seaman Johannes George Christiaan Small from SAS Kimberley was accidentally killed while on board the ship when a battery case exploded, killing him instantly. He was 18.

26 Oct 1973:
70409073N Signaler Petrus Johannes Pienaar from 2 Signal Regiment collapsed and died from heat exhaustion while undergoing Basic Training. He was 18.

26 Oct 1977:
Two members of Regiment De Wet were killed instantly when they accidentally detonated a South African manufactured Claymore Directional Fragmentation Anti-Personnel Mine near Elundu. The casualties were:
66381237BT Rifleman Antonie Michael Jacobz. He was 27.
71442438BT Rifleman Lodewicus Johannes Oberholzer. He was 22.

26 Oct 1985:
85072270CK Rifleman David Bowers from the 1stBattalion South African Cape Corps was accidentally killed after being struck in the head by a bullet resulting from an accidental discharge of a fellow soldier’s rifle during musketry training at the Touwsrivier Training Area. He was 20.

26 Oct 1985:
78910742SP Lance Corporal Paulo Muido from 32 Battalion accidentally drowned while swimming at Buffalo Base. He was 34.

26 Oct 1987:
83069799BW Private Charles Matthew Dirkse from 5 Maintenance Unit died of heart failure in Oshakati Hospital as a result of a blood clot on the lung. He was 29.

26 Oct 1990:
81324592BT Private Dirk Cornelius Pieterse from 31 Field Workshop Squadron sustained severe neck injuries in a military vehicle accident on 17 October 1990 when one of the vehicle tyres suffered a blowout, causing the vehicle to overturn 35km from Vryburg. He was airlifted to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria where he sadly succumbed to his injuries in 26 October 1990. He was 25.

26 Oct 1997:
Sergeant Colin James Dodd from 7 Medical Battalion Group was accidentally killed by a Hippo while busy with high-altitude parachute training at Hells Gate near St Lucia. When he was driving back to base after an exercise, the vehicle broke down so he ran back to the Base to get assistance. Unfortunately, he accidentally encountered a Hippo with her calf and was immediately attacked by the animal and killed. He was 24.

26 Oct 2000:
92690403PF Rifleman Ephraim Conright Mabaso from 7 SAI was killed while travelling as a passenger in a military vehicle that overturned at Lydenburg. He was 32.

† Their names and sacrifices have not been forgotten †
All posts Credit Col (rt) Graham du Toit.

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

Today, October 26:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1862: David Begg, this vessel foundered about 150km south of Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape. The crew was reportedly picked up by the Countess of Yarborough and they alleged that the captain intentionally scuttled the vessel. More research is needed to determine this vessel’s story accurately.

1873: Lord of the Isles, this sailing brig wrecked on the East Bank of the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape. It is believed that the brig had been captured by the French, but the English crew managed to wreck the vessel to stop the French from using it.

1877: Mabel, this wooden sailing barque wrecked on Back Beach in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal after its cables parted during an east-north-easterly gale. Four lives were lost during the wrecking.

1878: Alma, this sailing schooner’s cables parted in a south-westerly gale and it was driven ashore to become a wreck near the Gqunube/Gonubie River Mouth at Gonubie in the Eastern Cape.

1942: Anne Hutchinson (pictured below), this steam-powered American liberty/merchant ship was attacked by U-504 about 100km east of East London in the Eastern Cape. At 18:38 two torpedoes were fired but the Anne Hutchinson just turned in its zig zag course and these missed. Sadly, five minutes later, at 18:43, two torpedoes struck the number 4 hold. The explosion destroyed the propeller, the ship’s electrical system, and killed three men who were sitting above the hold. The bulkheads around the hold however held and despite the hold flooding, the disabled ship remained afloat.

The 54 survivors abandoned ship in four lifeboats. The coup de grâce was fired at 19:28 and as search lights appeared in the area, the U-boat disappeared. Three of the four lifeboats were picked up by a fishing vessel and landed in Port Alfred the next day. The separated fourth lifeboat was picked up by the Steel Mariner and the survivors were landed in Durban two days later. The Anne Hutchinson however remained afloat and on the 29th of October, the armed trawler HMSAS David Haigh and a harbour tug attempted to tow the abandoned ship. This was unsuccessful because of the extra weight of the flooded hold. The decision was made to cut the vessel with dynamite in front of the flooded hold and to tow just the fore section back to port. This was successful, with the aft section sinking (according to some accounts as far west as Plettenberg Bay) and the fore section arriving in Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape on the 1st of November.

The master was found to have breached Admiralty regulations as he had left behind confidential papers. The remainder of the fore section was stripped and then scuttled in Algoa Bay by the SA Navy from the Humewood battery as target practice.

1954: Richard Bennett, this motor-powered fishing vessel was scuttled by gunfire off Robben Island from the De Waal Battery by the SA Navy in Table Bay in the Western Cape.

1983: Barge 7, this hopper barge was scuttled by minesweepers of the SA Navy south of Cape Point in the Western Cape.

1995: Lotus, this trimaran sailing yacht capsized with the loss of one life during a storm off Plettenberg Bay. It washed up and wrecked at Oubosstrand near Tsitsikamma in the Eastern Cape.

[Darren Olivier @darren_olivier]

Some great photos have been released of a SAAF Rooivalk at the Dragon Peaks Park camp in the Drakensberg, for the first time in quite a few years.

The camp, in which crews train in high-altitude mountain conditions, featured 3 A109s, an Oryx & BK117 in addition to the Rooivalk.

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

@davies_JAK @HoneyBadgerDTNS
Did you make a friend?

Beer & an egg!!!!

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

@WmJRossHoefling Good Morning Ross

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

Cape Coloured Corps Recruitment station, 1914
On the 25 October 1914, the first recruitment station opened at City Hall in Cape Town for Cape Coloured men wishing to serve. The City Hall was so overwhelmed with applicants that it later required police assistance to control the crowd.
Recruiting stations were later opened in Stellenbosch, Worcester, Port Elizabeth, and Kimberley to name a few, all with similar levels of high interest by the Coloured population.
The Cape Corps was generally expected to undertake non-combatant roles such as transport, pioneers, and guard details.

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

SA Naval Heritage Day-by-Day.
25 October:

1939
The trawler HMSAS Crassula (T19) is commissioned as a mine sweeper for war service.

1957
SAS Natal (Lt Cdr J.C. Walters) is recommissioned after her conversion to a Hydrographic Survey vessel.

1974
The second version of the submariner’s qualification badge, an outline of a Daphné class submarine surrounded by a laurel wreath and cut through centrally with a trident, is issued for the first time to replace the original badge.

1981
SAS Frans Erasmus (Lt Cdr H. Bester), lying 24nm off the coast 85nm north of Beira, acts as a navigational marker for a SAAF C-130 tasked with dropping a raiding team from 5 Reconnaissance Regiment tasked with destroying two bridges over the Pungwe River, inland.
On 29 October after the successful attacks on the bridges, two 4RR barracuda boats from SAS Frans Erasmus recovered the 5RR members from the Pungwe River mouth at Beira. Details of Operation FORCE 1 can be found in the book ‘Iron Fist from the Sea’.

2000
SAS Outeniqua (Capt G. Knox) develops a list to starboard which increased to 19 degrees shortly after leaving the dry-dock. (Photo)

2010
Lt K.P. Hughes hands command of SAS Tern to Lt K.R. Mabuse.

2008
SAS Spioenkop (Capt C. Manig) arrives in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The first South African warship to visit this nation.

PHOTO.
Outeniqua listing heavily to starboard

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

In the early hours of Sunday morning (2am) 22 Oct 1899 the British forces withdrew from Dundee.
The decision had been taken to abandon the town, as the Boer shell fire from Mpati mountain dominated the town.

Civilians, led by the Town Clerk, Francis Birkett, also left the town in the middle of the night to join the British forces on their forced retreat march to Ladysmith.

The British forces left their stores, and a handful of medical staff with their unburied dead and their wounded. Their abandoned stores and ammunition were looted by the Boers, who occupied the town for the next seven months – renaming it Meyersdorp in honour of Lukas Meyer.

The British force, guided by Colonel Dartnell of the Natal Police, headed away from Dundee along the old road to Helpmekaar, which ran along the base of Indumeni mountain and then descended the Biggarsberg via van Tonder’s Pass into the Wasbank valley and to Ladysmith. They took this circuitous, 70-mile cross-country detour to the south-east to avoid the direct, main road south, due to the Boer occupation of Elandslaagte. The column, accompanied by a two-mile-long transport wagon train, moved through Blesboklaagte and then down the narrow and steep Van Tonder’s Pass. This was the most concerning part of the journey, as they feared being ambushed by a Boer force inside the pass.

After safely clearing the mountain passes, they marched southwest through rain and mud, reaching the Waschbank River on Tuesday morning, 24 October. The river came down in a sudden flash flood just after the main column had crossed theriver.
As the exhausted men, and the civilians who had met up with the British column, covered the final 30 miles of open country toward Ladysmith, Free State Boer commandos moved to intercept them.

To protect the retreating column, Lieutenant-General Sir George White launched a diversionary attack from Ladysmith, fighting the Battle of Rietfontein on 24 October, and sent a men to escort the retreating column into the Ladysmith, which they reached on 26 October 1899.

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

25 October 2026
Today in History

1652
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
Dense fog enveloped the surrounding area during the early hours of the morning.
Shortly after daybreak, however, the fog “burned off”.
A light north-westerly wind began to blow later in the day.
During the late afternoon, an enormous shoal of harders (mullet) swam into the bay. Within a short time, approximately 500 had been caught and served to the inhabitants of the fort for supper.

1653
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
A glorious, sunny day.
Shortly before dusk, the guards on the bastions raised the alarm, reporting that three soldiers who had been part of the expedition against Harry were approaching.
The three arrived at the fort shortly afterwards, accompanied by a cow.
According to their account, Harry had been prepared for them and had posted sentries. In other words, the detachment was still on its way to “False Bay” when the sentries raised the alarm.
Nevertheless, the camp was visited, and it was there that the cow was found tied to a post.
Corporal Jan van Harwerden then sent the cow to the fort under escort and also requested additional provisions.
Meanwhile, Van Harwerden and the others continued to follow Harry and the stolen cattle.

Sunday, 25 October 1654
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
Daybreak brought a westerly wind.
The crew of the Swarte Bul was brought ashore. Some of the men drew their last breath during the journey. According to the diary, even more members of the crew had fallen ill overnight.
The medical staff and the inhabitants of the fort did the best they could with the resources available to them.

1655
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The morning brought a warm, pleasant day to the Cape. The wind was described as little more than a breeze, blowing from the west.
The carpenter and the mason arrived from Robben Island aboard the sloop.
The two men had helped construct a cellar where cheese was to be made.
According to them, however, the ewes were producing too little milk to make cheese properly.
The problem, they explained, was that the available milk had to be shared with the lambs. As a result, the lambs’ condition began to deteriorate.
Commander Van Riebeeck wasted no time. He dictated a letter ordering cheese production to cease and the milk to be reserved for the lambs.
Christoffel Mulder, who had been responsible for making the cheese, was also ordered to return to the Cape, since he would obviously no longer have any work to do on the island.
The sloop carried the letter back to the island later that same day.

1656
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The entries for 25 and 26 October 1656 were recorded together under the same date.
Daybreak at the Cape brought a pleasant day, with a light breeze from the south-west.
A sailor named Abel Sjours was baptised that day by the minister Bernardus M. Brochbron.

1657
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
For some reason, no entries were made in the diary that day.

1658
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
This was the first occasion to date on which the Commander of the Cape, Jan van Riebeeck, recorded that the sun had been scorching. According to the diary, the wind had barely stirred.
A slave belonging to the Free Burgher Leendert Cornelissen escaped during the night.
Cornelissen was known for treating and caring for his slaves well. According to the other slaves, the man had long threatened to escape and murder Cornelissen.
The Commander immediately drafted a document and sent it to the Free Burghers, warning them to remain alert and exercise caution.
Eleven sheep were traded with the Cochoquas that day, to everyone’s satisfaction.
Three sheep were caught and killed by a lion near the grain store, in full view of the herdsmen.
The lion was described as exceptionally large.
A pleasant, cool north-westerly wind began to blow towards dusk, and it rained during the early part of the night.

1659
From the diary of Jan van Riebeeck.
The weather is described simply as pleasant, with a moderate wind blowing from the south-south-east. No incidents are mentioned.

1746
Swellendam was founded.
The Governor-in-Council at the Cape officially granted permission for buildings to be erected on a previously selected piece of land.
On 26 October 1747, the Political Council officially approved the name Swellendam for the area that would become the town.
Swellendam is the third-oldest town in South Africa. It was named after the governor, Hendrik Swellengrebel, and his wife, Helena ten Damme.

1795
Colonel Robert Gordon, aged 57, a well-known explorer of South Africa’s interior, committed suicide.
This followed his failure to prevent the British occupation of the Cape.

1835–1840
The recollections of Voortrekker J.H. Hatting during the Great Trek.

1840
After receiving information that Ncapaye was responsible for the persistent theft of livestock, Andries Pretorius decided to launch an expedition against him.
The commando consisted of approximately 400 Voortrekkers and 60 Cape-wagons.
(According to D.W. Kruger in Geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika (History of South Africa), the commando consisted of 260 men.
The livestock thefts mentioned above had occurred particularly during September 1840.
According to this source, Ncapayi was widely known for murder and robbery.
Ncapayi was the chief of the Baca people and lived in the upper reaches of the Umzimvubu River. The Pondo people under Faku, as well as the Hlangwini under Fodo, frequently suffered at Ncapayi’s hands.
According to Binckes in The Great Trek, a man named Gert Rudolf was sent to Faku to get to the bottom of the matter. The commando consisted of 260 men and 50 Cape-wagons and departed from Pietermaritzburg on 26 November 1840.)

1835
Alida Maria Uys, wife of the well-known Voortrekker leader Petrus “Piet” Lafras Uys, was arrested on this day at their farm, Brakfontein, on the Kromme River.
(The farm was approximately two days’ ride on horseback from Port Elizabeth.)
The charge had been brought before the local magistrate under false pretences by a disgruntled employee of the farm. The truth eventually came to light, and Alida was acquitted.

Tuesday, 25 October 1836
From the diary of Louis Tregardt.
Carolus spent the day continuing work on the stock of his flintlock pistol.
The river was also running strongly that day.
The lambs and cattle were on the opposite side of the river.

Wednesday, 25 October 1837
From the diary of Louis Tregardt.
Carolus and Louw returned to the encampment shortly before dusk. For some reason, Carolus was in a bad mood.
He merely greeted those present and walked over to his wagons. Louw did the same, and I would not be surprised if the two had quarrelled.
The sun had already set when Louis walked over to Louw’s wagon to find out what was going on.
Louw explained that they could travel along the river, but that in certain places they would definitely have to clear a path.
From what he said, they had reconnoitred a distance of approximately six skofte (stages of travel).
Louw mentioned that, where they had turned back, the end of the mountain and its ravines was still nowhere in sight.
The pass where they had turned around had also appeared rather narrow to him.
(According to Punt’s Trichardt se laaste skof, this narrow pass was approximately where the Steelpoort River flows into the Olifants River.)
Louis questioned him about the grazing farther ahead and whether there was any game.
According to Louw, the grazing was good, and they had seen a herd of buffalo.
Carolus shot two geese and an impala.
However, he wounded a striped-cross kudu (probably a nyala), as well as an impala.

Wednesday, 25 October 1837
From the diary of the Reverend Erasmus Smit.
Kerkenberg
Twelve men ate the root of a wild plant found in the surrounding area.
It tasted sweet, but made the men terribly ill.
They were given milk to drink, which also helped induce vomiting.
Afterwards, they slowly began to recover.
Several men also returned to working on the road down the mountain.

Thursday, 25 October 1838
From the diary of the Reverend Erasmus Smit.
Several families joined the laager late in the afternoon with their wagons. Among them were the widow P. Maree, Coenraad Pieters, a member of the Neethling family, and a few others.
Good news was received from Port Natal, although the Reverend does not specify exactly what the news was.
The diary merely records that the Lord had been good to them.
According to J.C. Visagie’s Voortrekker Stamouers, P. Maree was actually Paulus Marè.
I believe this was the Marè referred to by the Reverend, since Visagie writes that the family arrived at Sooilaer towards the end of October 1838.
Paulus Marè died at Liebenbergsvlei, shortly before Kerkenberg. Apparently, a heavily laden Scotch cart carrying orange saplings ran over him.
He succumbed to his injuries 14 days later.
The same source states that Coenraad Lucas Pieters left the Colony around 1837. The identity of his trekking party is unknown.
However, long before the Great Trek, Pieters had already allowed portions of his livestock herds to graze along the Riet River alongside the migrating farmers.
The Neethling family is more difficult to identify, particularly because only the surname is given. There were six Neethling families who participated in the Trek.

1838
The great and well-known Voortrekker leader Louis Tregardt died on this day at Delagoa Bay.
Louis was born on 10 August 1773 in the Kango ward (“Oudtshoorn”), in the Swellendam district.
He was baptised at Drakenstein, Paarl, on 10 April 1783.
As early as 1779, at the age of 17, Tregardt bought the farm Goedgenoeg from his father.
On 4 November 1810, Tregardt married Martha Elizabeth Susanna Bouwer.
Ten children were born of the marriage, of whom only four reached adulthood.
In 1828, Tregardt rented land in Gcalekaland from Hintsa. His eldest son, Carolus, settled there with 1,300 head of large livestock, 8,000 head of small livestock and 33 horses.
Louis put his plans in order in 1834 and left the Cape Colony.
The Gariep River (Vaal River) was crossed in the early summer of 1835, after which the party travelled slowly northwards through what is now the Free State.
Although the trekking party of Lang Hans van Rensburg had been known to him for a long time, it was only from around present-day Standerton that the groups began travelling together, at least for periods. From there, they travelled towards the Strydpoort mountain range, where their paths diverged.
Tregardt continued from there to the Soutpansberg, arriving in May 1836.
The Tregardt party remained at the Soutpansberg for some time. They built thatched houses, ploughed and planted crops, and even established a school.
Because of, among other things, a lack of provisions, the party left the Soutpansberg in August 1837 and travelled towards Delagoa Bay.
Louis Tregardt’s epic trek across the Drakensberg began around November 1837 and took just over three months.
Delagoa Bay was reached in April 1838.
When one reads Tregardt’s diary, one cannot help but take one’s hat off to the man.
He was not democratically elected, yet everyone, including the Indigenous people, looked up to him.
He knew what it meant to give advice, offer encouragement and persuade others, and to bury children and loved ones in the wilderness. He often spent nights alone in the open veld.
He was also a good judge of character and frequently had an instinctive feeling about when they might be attacked.
His attentiveness to nature, his surroundings and even the weather is evident throughout his diary.
On the other hand, he also had a good sense of humour and enjoyed making fun of people, particularly Botha.
A memorial wall commemorating the Tregardt trekking party was unveiled in Maputo on 12 October 1968.
At the top of the wall are the words:
“In honour of Louis Tregardt and his people. The tamers of the bush.”

1854
The siege of Makapan’s Cave began.
The siege lasted a total of 25 days.
Makapan was a chief of a different complexion from the surrounding area.
Together with another local chief, Mapela, he was held responsible for the gruesome murders of 23 white people.
The victims’ bodies were horribly mutilated, and Hermanus Potgieter — brother of the Voortrekker leader A.H. Potgieter — was flayed alive.
This is also the origin of the Moorddrift Monument, just outside “Potgietersrus”.
During this period, Paul Kruger, then 29 years old, performed a heroic deed by retrieving the body of Piet Potgieter, who had been shot dead in front of the cave, while shots were being fired at him.
This act is depicted at Church Square, at the Kruger Monument.

1859
Middelburg, Transvaal
The Volksraad of the South African Republic (ZAR) decided to establish a town known as Middelburg, Transvaal.
The name Middelburg was officially approved on 29 March 1860.
The town was originally laid out on the farms Klipfontein and Keerom. Later, however, the decision was made to establish it on the farm Sterkfontein.
Sterkfontein belonged to Lodewyk de Jager. The purchase price for the land was two water erven and R45 in cash.
(Around the time of its establishment, the town was also known as Nazareth.)

1881–1886
The establishment of the town of Pietersburg was officially approved by the Volksraad on this day.
According to Nienaber in the South African Place Names Dictionary, General P.J.J. Joubert selected the farm Sterkloop as the site for the town.
The farm on which the town was laid out was purchased from its owners, G.L. Emmenis and H. Venter, for R3,000.
According to another source, Commandant Swart Barend Vorster was the person who wanted to establish the town.
Approval was indeed granted in 1881, but because of a dispute between three parties, the actual establishment of the town did not begin until 1886.
The dispute mentioned was between the inhabitants of Eersteling/Eerstegoud, Houtbosch and Smitsdorp. I do not know the precise nature of the dispute, but if I were to guess, I would say it had something to do with the farm Sterkloop.

Wednesday, 25 October 1899
Anglo-Boer War
The 15th day of the war.
- Mafeking was bombarded with artillery before daybreak. General Cronje waited until 11:00 before beginning the battle. Republican forces advanced to approximately 1,000 metres from their objective, where they became pinned down. Robert Baden-Powell had armed people of a different complexion in the town to make up for the shortage of numbers. Although Powell did not record this, it was these people who helped repel the attack.
- Commandant-General P.J. Joubert sent a telegram to the widow of General Penn-Symons expressing his condolences.
- In Natal, Field Cornet Piet Kruger shot dead an Indigenous spy named Chere at Kgalekop.

Thursday, 25 October 1900
Anglo-Boer War
Day 380 of the war.
- The sixth day of the fighting around Frederikstad.
Approximately 100 burghers occupied Frederikstad’s dam, from which the town obtained its water.
At daybreak, a British detachment arrived with mules to collect water. An order to surrender was ignored.
Some of the people of a different complexion fled, and the battle began.
General Barton sent in a single detachment of troops, which was naturally too small.
Shortly afterwards, he realised his mistake and sent in another five detachments.
Meanwhile, General de Wet attacked the main force at the town.
At the last and most critical moment, Colonel H.T. Hicks arrived from Welverdiend station with reinforcements and saved the day for General Barton.
The battle was subsequently lost.
General de Wet withdrew into the Free State, while General Cilliers withdrew towards Klerksdorp.
Captain Cilliers, a great-grandson of the Voortrekker Sarel Celliers, was among those wounded.
General Barton refused to allow the Republican forces’ doctor access to the battlefield and the wounded, claiming that the burghers had allegedly fought under a white flag.
- General J.B.M. Hertzog attacked Jacobsdal.
Reinforcements were sent from Modder River, bringing the battle to an end.
- Western Free State, Damplaas: A commando under Commandant C.C.J. Badenhorst attacked a British patrol of 30 men and freed two elderly burghers.
- President Kruger arrived aboard the Gelderland at Dar es Salaam.
- Britain annexed the Transvaal goldfields.

Friday, 25 October 1901
Anglo-Boer War
Day 745 of the war.
- Colonel Remington received information that the ZAR government was at Schimmelhoek, near Ermelo. He set out with 2,000 well-armed soldiers and eight cannons.
However, he encountered the force of General Chris Botha, who had 300 men in the area.
This skirmish alerted the ZAR government, enabling its members to escape.
Commandant Operman subsequently continued to play cat and mouse with Remington’s force.
- Approximately eight rebel commandos assembled at Kloudkraal, near Calvinia, to hold a council of war.
Manie (S.G.) Maritz was appointed Assistant Chief Commandant-General, with approximately 500 men under his command.

1901
The heroic deed of Kosie Briedenhann during the Anglo-Boer War
Young Kosie was a 16-year-old penkop (a young Boer fighter) during the war.
This brave young fighter was killed in action on this day.
His story is reminiscent of that of Dirkie Uys at Italeni.
Kosie was already safe when he noticed that Commandant Visser was struggling to mount a frightened horse.
Without hesitation, he galloped back and helped the commandant onto the horse.
Kosie Briedenhann, however, fell beside the horse, shot through the heart.
Honour to this brave boy, who gave everything that day for what he believed in.
Tell the young about him…

1914
During the Rebellion, commandos occupied Koppies in the Free State. Jopie Fourie and his brother joined the commandos.

1918
Tobias Ballot Muller died.
He is remembered, among other things, as the first minister to preach from the pulpit in Afrikaans.

1949
A commando of Rapportryers departed from Cape Town on the third of 15 routes.
Their purpose was to carry written greetings from various towns to the Voortrekker Monument.
They were travelling towards the monument’s inauguration in Pretoria on 16 December 1949.
They arrived in Pretoria on 14 December.