RESISTER MAGAZINES 1986/87

JOURNAL OF THE COMMITTEE ON SOUTH AFRICAN WAR RESISTANCE

RESISTER was written and produced by
COSAWR in Britain, and contributions were received from COSAWR in the Netherlands.

COSAWR is an organisation of South African
 war resisters and supporters who have gone into
 exile as a result of their refusal to fight for apartheid.

NOTE TO READERS IN SOUTH AFRICA

"All issues of RESISTER are banned for distribution and import. This does not prevent possession of an individual copy. However some issues are independently listed in  the Government Gazette some months after publication as being banned for possession." c.1980's

Whilst the young men of South Africa
 were fighting the "commies"
on the SWA/Angola border during the 80's,
a campaign of conscription resistance was being
orchestrated back in the Republic.

I doubt whether the SADF
national service "troepies" had any idea
that paralel to their efforts, a number
of young men opposed military measures
as a solution to the problems of South Africa.
A small group standing up and
refusing to defend apartheid.

The RESISTER was printed in the U.K.
and illegally being circulated in South Africa.
So were Playboy magazines -
Even some issues of Scope, and Scope was
printed IN South Africa !!

Subscription form at the back of the magazines

August/September 1987, no 51

OPERATION BUTTERMILK/DAD'S ARMY MOBILISED

Dec 1985/Jan 1986 no41

THE SOUTH AFRICAN KILLING MACHINE

BATTLING TO SAVE APARTHEID

No date

SOUTH AFRICAN TOWNSHIPS

BATTLEGROUND OF APARTHEID

February/March 1987

"Don't go now...."

FROM THE PLAY:

SOMEWHERE ON THE BORDER

"HOU MY VAS KORPORAAL"

James Phillips aka Bernoldus Niemand

SUE LUND

 STILL DETAINED

"Undefeated?

Shocked and disorientated.

On 5 August 1987 two Cape Town conscripts delivered a letter to the local SADF headquarters, it outlined why they and 21 others refuse  to do military service.

The 23 issued a collective statement setting out

 their reasons: (in no 52 Oct/Nov 1987)

Cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro

Author Mark Behr 

also the late Dr. Ivan Toms

Ben Schoeman (grandson of NP cabinet minister)

and others

OPERATION BUTTERMILK

"DAD'S ARMY"

Cartoon by the late

Derek Bauer

U.S. WAR AID

ALAN HAINS CAMPION K.I.A.

WW1 KILLED IN ACTION - FRANCE 1917

With the passing of war veteran Harry Patch , 0n July 25 2009, went the last living breath of WW1.

Alan Campion also blew out his last breath having done his bit for his country - Unfortunately he never lived long enough to become a war veteran.

He was killed in action on the battlefields of France on May 9 1917, aged 18.

After having successfully served with the Donkey transport section of the South African Service Corps in German South-West Africa, he embarked with the 1st South African Brigade (4th Regiment S.A.I.) for the shores of France in December, 1915. He never returned home, now lies buried in Bay 10, Arras Memorial in France.

ALAN HAINS CAMPION

The dreaded rubber stamp

"KILLED IN ACTION"

on his medal index card

His next of kin received this

large 12cm heavy bronze

"DEATH PENNY"

with the accompanying letter

on Buckingham Palace letterhead

with printed signature of King George V.
"HE DIED FOR FREEDOM

AND HONOUR"

"I JOIN WITH MY GRATEFUL PEOPLE

IN SENDING YOU THIS MEMORIAL

OF A BRAVE LIFE GIVEN FOR OTHERS

IN THE GREAT WAR."

Vera Churchill WW2

WW2 medal pair to Vera Churchill whom I believe to be a direct relative of Sir Winston Churchill. She got married to Derk Johannes Mooi in the late 1940's since her medals, which were issued in the early 50's, were named to her married name. According to archival records she and D.J. Mooi were divorced in 1964.

I am interested in her connection with Winston Churchill. This next photograph is inscribed in her own hand on the front..."To Mummy, Daddy & Winston - Love Vera". I assume this "Winston" could be her brother who carries the family name. I have yet to confirm beyond doubt her relation to the great British statesman - Winston Churchill.

56145 PTE. VERA CHURCHILL

W.A.A.S.

She must have been in the Union for a number of years since she was fluent in Afrikaans.

1939-45 War Medal & Africa Service Medal

W56145 V. MOOI (neé Churchill)

1950's HUNK

I think my father, Boet Vorster was a bit of a stud in the 1950's whilst studying at the University of Durham... Newcastle-upon-Tyne was his home from 1953 - 1958.

He used the opportunity to tour the UK and Europe on a student's budget and certainly never lacked female company ! A few pics included !

The picture below was taken and printed in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

I think the following two pictures were taken in Austria.

SWA - Angola campaign

Artist's impression of my "heroics" during the South West Africa/Angola campaign (1966-1989)

WATCH IT..SOMEONE'S OVER THERE FIRIN' INTO THE COMMIES !

The "real" story was captured in this illustration...I never want anyone to think that all I did on the "border" was consuming gallons of Castle Lager at 30 cents a tin...or..daily bribing the cook-on-duty to slip kilograms++ of prime T-bone out of the mess, straight to our braai.
I served my time with Air Force OPS/INT at Ondangwa and Oshakati(1980/81) where much was expected from us...Call it the "brain" of the campaign. While the sun was shining, the "brain" functioned reasonably well - BUT...As the big orange globe faded over the western horizon of Ovamboland...Our troop of highly trained national servicemen sprung into action.
I don't want people to think that we gobbled down many, many bottles of Bailey's Irish cream liquer because we enjoyed it...Au contraire...We were bravely fighting-the-fight to keep vast quantities of contraband reaching the Republic.
At the time it was illegal to import Bailey's Liquer into South Africa ..... something to do with the then laws regulating the alcohol content of liquers - Somehow our beloved Bailey's didn't "qualify".
We lost that particular battle...Soon after, Bailey's was available in all liquor stores !!

The following picture was taken in 1981 at OSHAKATI outside the Air Force Intelligence room. We often worked in civilian clothing, particularly at OSHAKATI which was

predominantly an Army Base.

Mike Spilkin & me - With the Pretoria "snor".

Schalk Vorster - Somewhere on the Border 1980/81

Next pic taken at Oshakati in 1981.

Ondangwa

A letter sent to my family back home in 1980 bearing the cachet of 95 TACTICAL AIRFIELD UNIT at ONDANGWA, S.W.A.

And the CENSOR cachet on the reverse.

Home for a break during 1980.

With my father at our house in Arcadia, Pretoria.

After my tour of duty I thought that I might not see this part of the world again. The official way of returning home from the border was via air with the "Flossy" (C-130 Hercules or C160 Transall). I was desperately looking for an alternative means of transport.
Three of us grabbed an opportunity to purchase a pale-blue mid-70's model Audi A80 from an Air Force Major based at Oshakati. We decided to pool the purchase price of R1600 and the arrangement was that upon our arrival in Pretoria, whoever then choose to keep the car would buy the other "partners" out. Hence the start of a 2 600 km N/S journey through South West Africa !
We were warned not to take a camera with. (We were stopped & our car searched 3 times between Oshakati and the exit of Ovamboland at Oshivelo !!). I however had one of those small format cameras (Kodak 110 Instamatic) with me and we anyway took a few pics of our trip.
I also remember picking up a small tortoise from next to the road neat Otavi in northern SWA and bringing it all the way back to Arcadia, Pretoria with me. He/she was subsequently named "Otavi" and lived in our garden for many years afterwards.

Jumbo & I refuelling out of a can somewhere in the middle of SWA. (Namibia)

The water tower at Oshakati

Road out of Oshakati

Ondangwa coming up on the left
with one of the large 75mm AA

guns mounted on a tower.

The aircraft revetments visible at Ondangwa Air Force Base.

One of many military road blocks en route (Near Oshivelo)

Still in Ovamboland near Oshivelo

Lake Otjikoto

I was born in Oudtshoorn and hence had to take a pic of this memorial plaque.  J.S. Cook who drowned in this lake 54 years earlier was also from Oudtshoorn.

"In loving memory of our beloved son Johannes Stephanus Cook b.16 Dec. 1903 at De Rust, Oudtshoorn Drowned in Lake Otjikotto on 16 Oct, 1927

while swimming with his friends. His body was never found"

************

Ribbon colours of the PRO PATRIA Campaign Medal.

My girlfriend Marlise Basson also left me during my time on the border. Fortunately the SADF recognised my sacrifices and awarded me with this Pro Patria campaign medal. I don't think many were awarded - My brother in law has one, I also know my friend Mark in London received one of these medals. I reckon no more than a dozen or so were issued !
A preciously rare medal ! ;-)