The sergeant who appeared to live in the small prefabricated box at the gate was actually a staff sergeant, the rank they gave you in the Permanent Force of the SADF when you had been there long enough to prove you were useless at absolutely everything. He was lanky and clumsy and grizzled by too much sun. His face was a Martian surface of craters and broken veins.
He hated soutpiele, moffies and kaffirs, but not always in that order. Since he wasn’t technically allowed to shoot any of them, he shot everything else, gemsbokke, blesbokke, springbokke, impala, eland, warthogs, baboons, leopards, kudus, klipspringers, dassies, ratels, bushbabies, fish-eagles, cormorants, leguans, mongooses, jackals, hyenas, vultures, crocodiles and caracals.
If you want to know why there was so much game around Greefswald in 1971 you only have to open Google Earth and go to 22 degrees 12’55 South and 29 degrees 21’35 East. The thing that looks like a black mamba is the
Most of the year the
But look at the vast uncultivated tracts of bush and scrub north of the
Every now and then, during the course of that year, the big brass would come from
I’ve look very hard at the image on Google Earth but I can’t make out any signs of the camp. The resolution is desperately poor, like my memory.
Who will help me describe it?
10 comments:
I had two spells there in 1970 when I was in 4 Field Regiment SA Artillery. We were still busy building the bungalows from cement-filled sandbags and digging pinkish gravel from pits to maintain the roads. I wired the camp using my mess knife and rolls of insulation tape!
Now and then we would take a rotation of building/repairing to do COIN Ops.
Although we worked our butts off, it was a great life. The camp was on the top of a ridge which ran north towards the borders, with the ground falling away steeply on three sides, so we had terrific views into Rhodesia and Botswana, especially from the OP. Often when I had a chance I would go out into the bush and just enjoy the quiet and beauty of the place, always on the look out for the snakes and the baboons! I also went up Mapungubwe once, even though it was out of bounds.
We tried to dam the Limpopo once, how dumb was that! But they were still good days.
Spent a camp there with the Jocks two PFS'with us Cpl Louis Heckroodt and Capt Struwig, our oc was Maj Grigoratis and Neville Bennets the CSM.Struwig and Heckroodt used to sneak out at night and shoot Impala with the R1 for biltong.We had in those days really tough okes from the south to mind two names I remember were Loxton and Haines these oaks were rough.Often wonder if the Jock (TRANSVAAL SCOTTISH)badge we built on the way to the back area where the corrugated iron hut was ever survived.
Like Duncan, I was there with 4th Field in 1970; it was exactly as he describes; my additional memory was being there when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon - it was a beautiful clear night. On one exercise I lost a compass - worth a month's pay; I had to go out by myself armed with my R1 and climb over successive "ou klip" ridges in search of the compass, but to no avail.
i spent about 7months there from oct/nov 71 to mar/april 72.the training was hard but bearable
the view out from the observation post over then ,s.rhodesia and botswana was amazing
many exagerated accounts of how it was have been given
i was there because my attempt to get posted from valhala air force gymnasium to durban =backfired.we had 3 different commanding officers and sets of n.c.o,s during that period
the last of these was a major kruger who have me my army knickname=GENERAL smiler
sure ,that stint has left its scars ,but it was also an incredible experience
which some sadly missed ,even though there,one day i may try to give the full account of it all from a perspectives not clouded by hatred self -pity or glory hunting
the general =antonius smink
In 71 4SAI sent a contingent to surround the camp in an attempt to prevent the flow of maryjane into the camp. Highly unsuccessful. After three days our rats were depleted and we had to go into the camp for supplies. It was evident they knew our exact positions from day one. One camper held a bayonet to my stomach and you'll pap lekker corpie. Another one said leave the corpie alone he's a mate of mine. Thanks Alan/Shrimp old schoolmate. It later transpired that Levin's helicopter pilot was supplying the weed!! We even guarded the chopper that night. Go figure.
robert what part of 1971 are you referring to? i was there from sept/oct 71 to march/april 72
during this time the limpopo came down in FULL flood ,yet 2 of men swam it to score booze etc from the locals in rhodesia[then] unfortunetly being intoxicated one of them ran into difficulties on the way back and because he held onto a bottle,needed rescuing by the water tiffys.he was off course arrested by the camp m.p. fortunately thanks to falk drinking the evidence in front of the duty lieutenant, he was dealt with lightly.=the whole company did extra P T
i could write an intriguing book on that episode far different to the vendettas of the whiners
I cleared out of 4SAI in October so that would've been in August/September. The Limpopo and Shashe were dry as a bone. The guys claimed they would piss in Rhodesia, shit in Botswana and wipe their asses in SA. My lasting memory of Greefswald was the guys wore only takkies no boots. Never figured out why.
William Versfeld Australia: I spent some time there whilst in the army and the place was breathtakingly beautifull. Heard a lot of stories from the development days that would make your hair raise. Hated the amount of Muggies in the area and we had some Ostriches as pets. The Klipspringer and weaver birds nests right in front of the HQ still vivid in my memory. Must have been around 1978 or abouts. A lot of trees were tagged with their common and scientific names. Had a scare from a Leopard at the entrance gate that still gives me shivers. We slept in the "biltong hokke" My troops hated to do patrols or manning OP posts due to the Muggie pests, had one cock a rifle on me when I insisted he had to go. Took some balls to get him to comply without showing fear. The saving grace was being able to go for a swim in the pool, suck a few beers and watching the sun set from the massive rock the pool was carved in.
Hi to all. I was there the last 3-months of the July ‘71 intake i.e. from around end December / beginning January till March/April). Some names / mates from memory are: Barry Pretorius, Gogsy Madeira, Cecil Davenport, Clive van Druten, Danny Hartslief, Stretch (can’t remember his surname) and many others. I was known to some as Gerrie (or Ginger to others). Don’t remember any of the people who had rank. (Taken away from Grootfontein South West / Namibia, flown to Pretoria, taken to 1-Mil to “talk” to Levine). I vaguely remember some of the great scenic parts the guys here speak about.. My email address is
glub.nz@gmail.com
should any of the old boys want to make contact. Best regards to all.
SHAUM MANNING 1972 TO 1973 Remember it was a kak place at first but got better as time went on Cool memories Met loads of good oaks I was there with my twin brother Rory Manning Cant rember all the names Nalsom Dilina oak from durban One oak drank pool assid rushet to hospital one oak cut his baby toe off to go to medics sick bay scored him self a stash of pills sold and traded them We all had our owne away to trade good old times fun times learnt a lot of life skills CAN carry on but will get my self in kak enjoy hit to all the oaks that where thete
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