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""He was the outstanding fighter pilot of the 1939-1945 war. His inspired leadership, added to his gunnery and implacable determination, made him second to none, a fact acknowledged by us all. Sailor was perhaps, a man more than any other, that could say in all truth: 'I Fear No Man'."" Air Vice Marshall Johnnie Johnson, CBE DSO DFC, WW2 Fighter Ace Adolph Gysbert Malan, universally known as ""Sailor"", is regarded as one of the very greatest fighter pilots of the Second World War. As Graham Jooste's detailed, compelling and timely biography reveals, Sailor began life on a South African farm before joining the merchant navy. Even before the war, he quickly distinguished himself as a pilot. He would go on to play a vital part as one of the ""Few"" during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, when the outcome of the whole war hung in the balance. While the bulk of the book rightly concentrates on Sailor's wartime experiences, Graham Jooste also details his political involvement in post-war South Africa, at a time when, to his horror, the ruling National Party had embraced an openly racist ideology and began to implement the country's notorious Apartheid system.
Luck matters. Life is chancy. Springbok legend, war hero, thriving businessman - that was JJ Kitchen, known to all as Kitchen Boy. His was a life as large as a sports stadium, as thrilling as baling out of a burning war plane. Now he lies dead in his coffin in a Durban cathedral and his life is relived as funeral goers remember a glowing Natal childhood, the thunder of the rugby field, the joy and sorrows of family. But at the core of the man remained, to the end, the memory of WWII and how it could reduce even the bravest of men. The funeral draws to a close, but in the hearts of one of the pall-bearers, Kitchen Boy's shameful secret lives on.
The second Boer War is the most important war in South African history; indeed, without it, South Africa would likely have not existed. But itÕs also one of the least understood conflicts of the era. Over a century of Leftist bleating and insidious, self-serving revisionism, first by Afrikaner nationalists and then by the apartheid regime, has left the layman with a completely skewed view of the war. Incredibly, most people will tell you that the British attacked the Boers to steal their gold, and that when the clueless, red-jacketed Tommies advanced under orders of bumptious, incompetent British generals they were mowed down in their thousands. Others think of the conflict in terms of ÔBr...
On August 1st, 1901, a new government was installed in the Netherlands, formed by Antirevolutionary Party (ARP) leader Abraham Kuyper. The culmination of decades of relentless effort, it represented a new departure in Dutch politics: a government explicitly invoking the Christian revelation as the basis for its policy. “Revelation over Reason!” had been the battle cry of the campaign, and the majority-Christian Dutch electorate had answered the call. But would the policy results of this Christian coalition government answer to such a high ideal? This was the question posed by P. J. Hoedemaker shortly after the coalition’s accession to power. In a series of lectures entitled A State wit...
To many people, especially those driving along the N1 national road at high speeds, the Karoo represents nothing more than a monotonous, hot and arid landscape to be passed through as quickly as possible. But in this vast, open region, history is everywhere, if visitors would only look for it. And that is exactly the purpose of this book: to point out all the many places, buildings, objects and associated personalities of historical interest in the Karoo. The Karoo has been the world of travellers, writers, statesmen and scientists, figures as diverse as Olive Schreiner, Rudyard Kipling, Winston Churchill and Dr Chris Barnard. It has also been the scene of serious conflict, of which the many...
The Extraordinary Book of South African Rugby will hook any rugby fanatic. Packed with facts, stats, quotes and anecdotes, from the comical to the controversial, this collection celebrates the rich history of South African rugby. This extraordinary book will run fans through the most enthralling stories to come out of South African rugby, including: How Manie Reyneke was late for his wedding reception after playing a club semi-final; the 90-metre penalty by Oostelikes; how the first Springboks to travel by plane limped over the ocean on three engines; how Kimberley travelled 60 hours by mule wagon on their first tour to Cape Town; how Springbok Andy MacDonald killed a lion with his bare hands; the spectator tackle that cost Western Province the Currie Cup; Paul Roos' weekly 260 km cycle to Pretoria to play club rugby.
On his way into Parliament on 2 February 1990 FW de Klerk turned to his wife Marike and said, referring to his forthcoming speech: 'South Africa will never be the same again after this.' Did white South Africa crack, or did its leadership yield sufficiently and just in time to avert a revolution? The transformation has been called a miracle, belying gloomy predictions of race war in which the white minority went into a laager and fought to the last drop of blood. Why did it happen? Professor Welsh views the topic against the backdrop of a long history of conflict spanning apartheid's rise and demise, and the liberation movement's suppression and subsequent resurrection. His view is that the ...
By far the most comprehensive account of the Hollander volunteers' participation in the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa.