Geoff Bligh

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Biography

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Geoffrey Percival Bligh

14 Jan 1909 – 1990

This biography was compiled in Jan 2021 by Tom and Hilda Bligh from memories, letters, Tom’s notes from discussions with Injy Holmes, Bobs Norton and Hilary Hearn, Geoff’s (called Dad) notes, and histories of WW2. Tom’s contribution is in Italics, Dad’s in non-italics.

Dad’s) parents were Percival Bligh and Daisy Gertrude (Crawshaw). Daisy’s father was W Crawshaw from Mackworth in Derbyshire. He became Chairman and Chief Engineer of the Madras to Delhi Railway Company in India, where he met Percival Bligh born in Kent England in 1869, one of 12 siblings, and the great-great-grandson of Admiral William Bligh of HMS Bounty fame. Percival was in the Royal Engineers in India. Daisy was born in Lucknow, India, in 1885. In 1902, aged 17, she married Percival Bligh, 16 years her senior. In 1904, they had their first child, Phyllis, who died of cholera. In 1908, when Dad was on the way, Daisy was sent back to England, as they felt it was too dangerous for a new-born baby in India. Dad was born, in 1909, in Lilliput, Bournemouth in a large house owned by his father, Percival. He was always pleased about being a genuine ‘Lilliputian’. The house is next door to the Lilliput Sailing Club overlooking Brownsea Island, in Poole Harbour. Daisy and Dad, aged 18 months, returned to India where they travelled around with the Regiment. Dad loved India and could speak Gujarati or as he claimed ‘Badjarati’. All the Indian Rosewood furniture we have was made by a Gujarat family who faithfully followed them round India. Bligh and Crawshaw had silver mining interests in Johor, Malaysia. Percival became a friend of Ibrahim, the Sultan of Johor. While there, on foot, he shot a rogue elephant and a tiger using one of a pair of Lee-Enfield sporting .303s of the Sultan’s, who gave the rifle to Granddad after cutting two notches on the butt.

In 1996 I was appointed an Honorary Professor at the Malaysian Institute of Technology (MIT) in Johor, to help them set up a post-graduate program, and was invited to lunch at the Palace by the Sultana, an Oxford graduate, who was the Chancellor of MIT. After lunch we walked through the museum to have coffee. I saw a picture of my Grandfather with his huge moustache standing next to the Sultan. I pointed it out but, doubting me, they summoned the curator who said, “Oh, that is Lieutenant- Colonel Percival Bligh, a very good friend of your great-grandfather”. I now have the rifle. One thing he remembered of India was going to watch a tiger hunt on an elephant with his mother. The elephant gently lifted me onto the ‘Howdah’ with its trunk. What a thrill. I had my 5th birthday in India and well recall standing with Father watching a British Foot Regiment march by, which they did all over India in those days. I cheered, and the Colonel at the head turned to the Regimental Band and said “Give the kid a tune” which they did! I wish I knew what regiment it was.

In 1913 Percival left the regiment to become the Managing Director for Vickers in India. However, in Feb 1915 he, aged 46, re-joined the Royal Engineers which returned to England, and he spent the next 3 years on the Western Front with the Sappers. In April 1918 he was wounded and sent back home to spend the rest of the war training sappers, until he retired in 1919. Mother and I lived in a rented Vicarage near Hunstanton, Norfolk. This meant that Father could visit us, and we could go fishing and shooting. About this time, I caught my first trout. Then! One evening walking back, Dad handed me his J&W Tolley 12-bore shotgun and I shot a seagull. It was flying but I rather think not very fast. The poor thing was stuffed and put in a glass case labelled ‘Shot by G P Bligh aged 8’. We carted it around for ages.

In 1920 they decided to buy a farm near Cape Town, which they had visited on their way to and from India. They found a rundown wine farm called ‘La Paris’ in Groot-Drakenstein, midway between Paarl and Stellenbosch. They set about rebuilding it, knowing nothing about producing wine.

I was sent as a border to Western Province Prep School (Ted R-C later became headmaster of Wet Pups) until I was 13. All I can remember of note was that I was Rugby Captain and that my best friends were Athelstan Claude Muir Cornish-Bowden and Claude Le Fevre who remained lifelong friends.

In January 1923 I was sent back to England to Cranbrook School in Kent, one of the oldest schools in England having been started by Royal Charter in 1575 signed by Elizabeth Rex. On arrival at Cranbrook, where I spent the next 4years, I was asked if I could shoot. I said yes and that I had a .303 at home for shooting wild pigs and baboons. I don’t think they believed me until I tied 1st place in the School Open with .22’s. To my joy, I then found that if you took shooting seriously, you did not have to play cricket, and that if you took physics and chemistry separately, you need not do Latin. I enjoyed my time at Cranbrook, in fact more than the holidays as I had a cousin, Roy Bligh, farming some 4 miles away. I could get over there on Sundays and shoot rabbits. The holidays were not so good as I spent them with my elderly maiden aunt in Broadstairs overlooking the harbour, next door to Charles Dickens’s house. I loved roaming the coast and fishing but found my aunt austere.

In my last year, to my surprise, I was made ‘Captain of School’ or head boy. Rugby and Shooting were my first loves. I played in the 1st XV and in the Shooting VIII all three years; the only name that appeared on the ‘Honours Board’ three years running. I made enough prize money at ‘Bisley’ to buy a beautiful .22 to bring back with me. Despite every master warning me that I would fail my exams, I got a Distinction in Physics and Chemistry (Oxford and Cambridge Board) but missed a pass in French. I had to pass French in SA to get into University there.

Soon after getting to England, Pam my little sister was born. We did not meet until she was nearly 4, when I got back to SA in January 1927 to spend a happy year working for my Dad on La Paris. Then in February 1928 I started 2 very pleasant years at the University of Cape Town doing a B Sc in Civil Engineering and playing rugger for UCT. At the end of of my 2nd year, in June 1929 I went back to work for Dad, but it was hopeless with the great depression coming on. We were so broke that the best Dad could do was buy me a 2nd class train ticket to Johannesburg and give me a £10 note.

After 3 days looking for a job, Simmer and Jack mine (a New Consolidated Goldfields mine) offered me a job as an ‘Official Learner’ and told me to report to the Office at Milner Shaft. This I did and on being told to enter, I said to the man behind the desk “I am Bligh sir”. He glanced up and said, “I know that, and I am ‘Bell the Bastard’, and you are going to find out why”. I remember him well and even we kids called him Bell the B, thinking it was his name. Actually, he was a very fine man, very strict, made sure you learnt mining and how to stay safe, and became a lifelong friend. Learning mining meant ‘with a shovel’ and putting in timber supports to stop the rock roof from collapsing. Finally, I became assistant to an enormously powerful Pondo ‘Boss Boy’ who taught me how to operate a pneumatic rock drill, amongst much more. After 3 weeks on the drill, my strength had increased, and I felt I could do just about anything.

The ‘Boss Boy’ was Dabula, a chief’s son, who became one of my best friends. Whenever I transferred jobs over the next 41 years, Dabula came too. They worked you extremely hard on S&J, and as you had no hope of getting another job, you were happy to work hard. I was well paid for those days earning £12.10 a month for the first three months and then the princely sum of £15.00. After 2 years I was promoted to ‘Shift Boss’.

Dabula was a friend to the whole family coming to garden and help out every weekend. His name meant “Happy One” in isiMpondo, their language. Dad was the most ‘a-racial’ person I ever knew; he took you for yourself and cared not a jot about race, colour or creed. The Mpondo nation centred round Lusikisiki in Transkei where we had many happy fishing trips. They were well established by 500AD and ruled by a long line of Kings, the present King being King Mangaliso Ndamase. They were never conquered by the Zulus or Xhosas. A few notable Mpondo are Steve Biko, Winnie Mandela, Oliver Tambo, and Miriam Makeba.

By 1933, Father was bankrupt, so I was looking after Mother, Father and Pam in Germiston. KWV the leading SA wine and spirits producer took over the farm. They had provided a substantial loan to allow Dad to develop La Paris.

Grandfather owed KWV quite a large amount of money which was cleared when he was declared bankrupt. Dad insisted on taking on the loan as a moral obligation, even though KWV’s lawyers discouraged him as there was no legal need. They finally agreed, on condition that no interest would accrue. This debt was never mentioned in the family and Dad paid the final instalment in 1965, when Mum and Dad bought their first new car, a VW Combi camper. From 1934 until he died, each Xmas KWV sent him a case of 12 bottles of the best KWV brandy, his favourite tipple, even during the war when he was unable to pay anything.

By 1937 things were pretty grim for Father who had his first stroke; Mother had to nurse him, but he was a tough old bird and very determined. After his 2nd stroke, I took him shooting. He had difficulty walking so we stayed near the car. Two bush doves flew by, going like a bat out of hell, and he got his right and left and said, “Well I can still shoot straight even though I can hardly walk” and then handed me his gun, a beautiful Tolley double barrel shotgun. He died about 6 months later.

After Father died, I took Mother and Pam for 3 months ‘long leave’ to Knysna; while there, I fell in love with Plettenberg Bay which was to play a major part in our future. Mother then took the job of caterer to the Victoria Lake Yacht Club (Germiston Lake), never having worked in her life before. She also ran a boarding house which meant that Baldy Elliot could stay with her, Pam, and myself. I bought my yacht ‘Brunette’, an old and badly kept ‘20-footer’. I was told that she would never be competitive in a race; however, I worked like mad all winter and started the season with a 21minute handicap in a 2-3 hour race. I kept improving and they kept cutting my handicap until I won the last race, the Commodore’s Cup, with a 7-minute handicap. Ted R-C (also on S&J), also had a 20-footer, ‘Monara’, on the lake, in which he and Jack R-C sailed. We became good friends, sailing in summer, shooting, and playing rugger in winter.

It was about then that Pop and his daughter Bess came up to Jo’burg, Bess’s mum Da having died about a year before, and stayed with Jack and Joyce who had married in Oct 1936. I got to know Pop and Bess well by taking them sailing; Bess was a dab hand, having learned to sail at Mullins Camp on the Kariega river. On one shooting expedition, Bess was near me and she stood up to shoot 2 Guineafowl flying way too fast and too high, or so I thought. She brought them down with a left and right, and I immediately concluded that "there is more to this filly than I thought". The next morning, we were to go out after doves before breakfast. When I went to call her, she pointed out that it was pouring with rain, so I sat on her bed and asked her to marry me. Happily, she said “I’d love to”. My wedding present to her was a beautiful 16 bore ‘Imperial Greener’ shot gun. (This was the gun I always used after I turned 8).

In November 1938, I got my Mine Captain’s Ticket and was asked to transfer to Vogels (Vogelstruisbult Mine began production in 1937) a new mine near Springs on the East Rand. The mine manager was Manning Kennedy. When I asked his brother then manager at S&J for a reference, he said “What! You work for that b----- little b------ !!!!”, and so he turned out to be. Vogels was just like heaven after the depth and heat of S&J. Baldy Elliot, Sid Gluts, Dabula and Zakaria his younger cousin transferred with me. I was given a flat in the single quarters.

Bess and I were married in Grahamstown on 20th February 1939 and guess where we went on honeymoon? Plett and Camp among other places. At Plett, Bess caught the only big Black Steenbras in the family, one of 56 lbs. We moved into a nice mine house on our return. Bess was still working for Dr Gear (Middle Gear) at the Chamber of Mines Research Laboratory working on pneumoconiosis. She drove the 7 miles to Springs Station, took the train for an hour and a quarter and then walked the 3 miles to the lab. She said the train ride allowed her to work in peace, but it made an exceedingly long day. We were very happy, despite war clouds gathering.

WW2. I shall fill in background information here and there. Britain declared war on Germany on 3rd September 1939, the day John R-C was born. The SA Prime Minister was J.B.M. Hertzog, the leader of the Afrikaner and anti-British National Party, who wanted SA to become neutral. The NP had joined in a unity government with the pro-British South African Party of Jan Smuts in 1934, as the United Party. A short but furious debate unfolded in South Africa. On 4 September 1939, the Smuts tabled a vote of no confidence and deposed Herzog. Upon becoming PM on Thursday 6th September, Smuts immediately declared war on Germany and set about fortifying SA against any possible German sea invasion, because of SA’s global strategic importance controlling the long sea route around the Cape of Good Hope. Mary Knowling manned heavy Naval guns, and Gill Norton Coastal Radar, through most of the war. Balthazar Johannes Vorster, a future SA prime minister, was a General in the pro-Nazi Ossewabrandwag. He and other members objected to South Africa's participation in World War II and actively carried out sabotage against Smuts' government. Smuts took severe action against them and jailed its leaders, including Vorster, for the duration of the war. Throughout WW2, a total of 334,000 volunteered (211,000 Whites, 77,000 Blacks and 46,000 Coloureds. Blacks and Coloureds were not allowed to carry arms, but did sterling work as mechanics and truck drivers in the front lines, where more than 9000 were killed in action). All the mines had been given permission to release a certain percentage of the miners for service. On 11th Sept, Baldy, Sid and I went to see Manning Kennedy, the manager, to request permission to join up. He refused saying he had already permitted the appropriate number, which it turned out were those he knew were unlikely to volunteer. That Saturday we volunteered and on Monday Kennedy fired us all and ordered us to leave within a week. Bess with our few belongings went to Jack and Joyce while I went off to Roberts Heights near Pretoria to start training. This meant that they received only the very small Army pay throughout the war. Baldy went into tanks, while Sid and I joined the 1st SA Infantry Div with a Regiment of Armoured Cars (ACs). Sid joined the infantry and I the ACs. These were not up to much as they bogged down easily and only had 2 light machine guns. These early ACs were based on Ford, long chassis 3-ton trucks with 2 light machine guns and were 2-wheel drive. They were made in Port Elizbeth. I had great luck. Soon after we started forming the company we were joined by Bobs Norton and two friends. One of these, Injy Holmes, (Tommy R-C, Baldy Elliot and Injy Holmes were my Godfathers) stayed the course with me and we came home together with the 1st SA Div. We left SA 240 men in the company, 4 years later, we took a photo of the company and there were 24 of the originals!! 32 killed, the rest wounded, sick or transferred. After only 3 months training, the armoured car company left for Kenya getting to Mombasa in Dec 1939. There was concern that Italy, which had annexed Abyssinia and West Somaliland, would attack Kenya. We were assigned to the Kings African Rifles, (KAR). We were sent up past Marsabit to the Ethiopian border with lake Turkana on our left. Hot dry scrubby land with not much game. On arrival we had to parade for the brigadier. I was a corporal. On walking off the parade ground, I passed a black sergeant major of KAR, he was spotless and had three war medals from the 1914-18 war. I stopped to talk and asked how we looked. He said, “Sir, I hope you can fight better than you can drill”. East African Campaign. In 1936 Mussolini had Proclaimed that Abyssinia, Eritrea, and West Somalia would become Italian East Africa. On the 1st of June 1940 Italy declared war and had 371,053 troops in IEA with the substantial Red Sea Port of Massawa as a Naval Base. On 17 June they invaded Kenya getting 63 miles in by Aug. On the 11 Aug they invaded British Somalia, on the ‘Horn’ of Africa opposite Aden in Yemen, and the British, hugely outnumbered fought a withdrawal action to Aden on 19th. The Italian Navy, based in Massawa Eritrea, had 2 light cruisers, 7 destroyers, 5 motor torpedo boats, 8 submarines and an old German light cruiser. This meant Italy controlled the Red Sea, a vital supply route for Egypt, since the Mediterranean was controlled by the Axis naval and air forces. In March 1941 the British recaptured British Somalia, and the Royal Navy captured or sunk all the Italian fleet, bar 3 submarines which escaped and made their way to France. This opened the Red Sea as our main supply route to North Africa. Losses: Allied. Of 69,000 (South African 27,000, East African 33,000, West African 9,000) 11,162 killed: Italian. Of 371,000, (Italian 112,700, Colonial 258,300) 17,197 killed, and 249,262 Prisoners of War (POWs). Luckily, there were guinea fowl, the Vulturine which is bigger and rather more handsome than ours. I had a shot gun and plenty of ammo, so I was kept busy supplementing army rations. The Ford ACs proved too heavy and frequently bogged down, having only 2-wheel drive. I was a Lance Corporal by now so had 5 ACs under my command. We adopted a baby Rhino we found starving in the bush, and fed him on powdered milk; he thrived and was most affectionate. We gave him to the Nairobi Zoo when the attack on Italian Somalia started in Jan 1941; this is the reason we were called the ‘Rhinos’. After about three months sitting in the Bush patrolling the boarder, a group of us were sent home by sea to train on the new Mark I ACs. These were a great improvement but were still too heavy and under-armed. The Mark I (MI) was the new Marmon-Herington AC, 4-wheel drive, long wheelbase with 2 Vickers machine guns; called M-H because the 4-wheel drive train was made by the Marmon-Herington Co in the USA. The MI was replaced at the end of 1940 by the shorter wheelbase MII with a Boys 14mm British anti-tank rifle and a Browning machine gun. The MIIIs, short wheelbase arrived in 1941, some of which had the famous Vickers ‘2-pounder’, 40mm, range 1000 yards anti-tank gun. The famous MIV/MIVF all with the 2-pounder anti-tank gun and a heavy machine gun arrived by the Jan 1943. Later versions got to MVIII. A total of 7130 of the MI to MIVFs where built by the end of the North African campaign. All the M-Hs were built by Dorman Long and Jack R-C at the engineering company British Mining Supplies. In April 1940 still in SA, I was given 2 weeks leave so Bess and I rushed down to Haga-Haga, near Butterworth, staying in Injy’s holiday shack. Wonderful. Bess caught a 28 lb Leer fish. (Mum not only caught her fish, but I was conceived!). Then back to Mombasa, landing on 2nd May 1940 to re-join the 1st SA Div, still with the KARs, while our new cars would follow. On the 17th June the Italians invaded Kenya and penetrated 63 miles before we could turn them back. In July, we crossed the Somalia boarder in hot pursuit. Most of this time we spent rushing about the hot and dusty desert interspersed with sharp but short engagements. My last patrol in Kenya was late in 1940. At that time the SA Div and the Kings African Rifles were sitting on the Rana River; our patrol objective was Juba hill about 200 miles behind the front line, well beyond the border of Kenya and Italian Somaliland in semi-desert. It was rumoured that there was a big water hole near the hill at Juba. We knew roughly where it was but even the District Commissioner had never seen it. If it were full, the Iti’s could have built up a depot. I was a lance corporal so had 5 of the old Ford ACs under my wing as our new MIs had not yet arrived. We were told to go and have a look, three SA armoured cars with Bobs Norton (wireless operator), two one-ton trucks and sixteen men, commanded by Lt. Hilary Heard, a splendid chap. We were expected to take three days and had five days rations but were away for fifteen days! First off, the wireless broke down, then it rained, and the semi desert turned to mud. We stuck so badly because the armoured cars were heavy and only had rear wheel drive. One day from 7.00 am to 5 pm we moved the five cars two miles, but in the end, we did find the water hole and it had little water and no Iti’s, so that was fine. Our guide, a tall Somali, left on foot, got tied up with a big bull elephant in musk and had to shoot it. I took Hilary out to see them chop out the tusks and bring them in – big ones – 55 lbs each. We also brough in quantities of elephant steaks which were delicious. We were alright for food and actually brought back bully beef. I had my shotgun and one day we had seven 7 pheasants and 3 guineafowls for the sixteen of us; coffee yes, no sugar, no salt, and no powdered milk. We still had mealie meal and bully beef. The local Somalis killed a calf for us and gave us a young goat which we brought back, and it became the platoon pet. The women and children of the Somalis had never seen a white man. We knew roughly where we were but could not get a move on. On the way back we overtook an old grey headed man, clad in a cotton sheet and carrying a stick. Where was he going? Garissa (our home) which we knew was about 90 miles away. What would he do for water? It had rained down there (he knew). What would he do for food? His friend would give him some when he got there. So, accepting a lift he showed us the way home. The Iti’s had seen us from the air and Rome Radio broadcast that they had captured three armoured cars and two trucks, hence the panic at headquarters. We were pretty thin and tired, but all fit. By the end of August 1940, we reached the Abyssinian border. Much more mountainous country, which was more easily defended so our losses increased, and we advanced slowly. In March 1941, I saw Hummer (Major Humphry Mullins, MC, MBE, SA Sappers) and asked him if he had any news, as I had received no letters since the beginning of June. He had no news, so I still did not know whether or not I had a child. A month later, I got a wad of letters, one saying, “Tom is a month old today, and I have been shopping”, so I had a son, and all was well with Bess. To his great delight, and unknown to Bess, I promptly appointed Injy, Tom’s godfather. Baldy and Tommy R-C had already agreed. Sometime before this, I was promoted Sergeant, pay 7 shillings per day, and I commanded 2 platoons of 9 armoured cars; we had no officers, other than the Company Commander Hilary Heard. Tom was born in Aunt Nonie’s cottage in Grahamstown and there they remained until Feb 42, when they came to Jack and Joyce in time for Bess to start at Medical School at Witwatersrand University. Her fees were paid by an interest-free loan from Dr Gear. She went to Medical School all day, came home to get Tom to bed, and then did Dr Gear’s research work, and wrote to me every week. She kept this up, graduating in Dec 1948 while we were at Vogels. After a month or two we got up into the high plains of Abyssinia still with the SA 1st Brigade who were in the lead. Addis Ababa fell on 16 April and a few days later I got into Addis Ababa on a day’s leave; very friendly people and much rejoicing, but lousy Iti beer. Then we were off again with the Kings Africa Rifles to wipe up a bit of resistance. In the evening before the attack a new KAR Officer (very young) arrived (Roy Hibbing from Lancaster). I was sent for and he was told that he was to go out as a ‘passenger’ in my troop and to learn all he could. We had to attack a low hill fronted by a dreadful marsh, turf about 1” thick over liquid mud. My job was to support the infantry as they took the hill, and then pursue the enemy, in time honoured cavalry fashion. The KAR took the hill, but the Italians counter attacked with six tanks. The KAR withdrew bringing 70 odd prisoners with them. The Colonel of the KAR asked me if I could cause a diversion. Hilary Heard, with four cars and our only anti-tank gun was bogged down way off on the right-hand flank and never got into the show. I got 2 of my 3 cars (one had dropped in the mud on the way in) to less than 200 yards of the tanks and we made enough nuisance of ourselves with our .303 machine guns for the tanks to turn after us. We got out but my second car was hit, no one killed, and so my own car came out with four extra guns (from my two lost cars), two badly wounded KAR chaps and my driver and gunner inside the car, with twelve of us hanging on the outside. My report said the tanks were less than 100 yards away, firing all they were worth by the time we got going again. Fortunately, the Italians never could hit a barn. When we had almost got back to the Colonel, with the extra load we too sank into the mud. I sent the spare crews on foot with the spare guns and the wounded and told the officer boy to go and tell the Colonel that this was his last car, while I tried to dig it out, which we did after a bit. Months later in Egypt, Major (by then) Hilary Heard, Company Commander, very embarrassed, told Hummer that the Officer boy had been given an MC for the action. When I was told, I pointed out that I was not eligible for an MC being a non-commissioned officer, so took it as a compliment for the whole platoon. The Officer boy (Roy Hibbing) later joined the Royal Marines, where he got another MC at the Normandy landings, so he was certainly a good chap. On 6 April 1941, we entered Addis Ababa and the surrender was taken by General Wetherall, and Brigadier Dan Pienaar who commanded the SA Div. On 13 April, General Cunningham sent us under Dan Pienaar comprising 1st South African Brigade and Campbell's Scouts (Ethiopian irregulars led by a British officer), to continue the northward advance and link up with Platt's forces advancing south. On 20 April, we captured Dessie on the main road north from Addis Ababa to Asmara. Lieutenant Colonel Orde Wingate with his Gideon Group pursued the Italians and undertook a series of harrying actions which ended the East African Campaign on 4 June 1941. The North African Campaign. At stake, was the Suez Canal, the vital lifeline for Britain’s colonies and essential oil supplies from the Middle East, and to supply Egypt. On 10 June 1940, Italy declared war, 4 days before the Germans entered Paris. The Axis, (Germany and Italy) controlled the Mediterranean with Italy’s large Navy and the German/Italians had air supremacy. Sicily was only 90 miles from Tunis. General Archibald Percival (good name) Wavell with 36,000 British, NZ and Indian troops faced over 300,000 Italian in Libya and Tunisia, and 371,000 in East Africa. The British line in Egypt was at Mersa Matruh 160 miles from Cairo.

Western Desert first push West. By Sept 1940, the Italians in Libya had advanced 50 miles towards Mersa Matruh. Wavell had been reinforced by half an armoured div but was still heavily outnumbered. By a series of daring raids, the 7th Armoured Div (later the ‘Desert Rats’) advanced to Sidi Barrani capturing 400 guns (artillery), and 40,000 prisoners of war POWs. 3 Jan 1941 the British captured Bardia taking a further 45,000 POWs, 462 guns and 129 tanks. Tobruk was taken on 21 Jan 1941 with 30,000 POWs, 236 guns, 37 tanks, but not much in the way of fuel or stores. The Italians retreated to Benghazi which soon fell with a further 20,000 POWs, 216 guns and 121 tanks. The British, exhausted, with long supply lines and short of fuel and ammo stopped at Agheila. Many units were then transferred for the unsuccessful attempt to save Greece.

Rommel and the Africa Corp landed in force in Tripoli on 6 Feb 1941 and advanced to Agheila. The depleted British Army fell back to Sidi Barrani across the Egyptian frontier, except for the garrison in Tobruk which was to hold out for 241 days before being relieved. Tobruk was the only deep port between Alexandria and Tripoli and was therefore strategically vital to both the Axis and British. On 19 May 1941, we went down to Berbera, British Somaliland, to ship up to Egypt. Berbera is just opposite Aden at the mouth of the Red Sea and they compete for the hottest place on earth. I think Berbera was winning just then at 120 degrees F (49 C) in the shade. They took us two miles out to the Troop ship, in the bottom of open Arab Dhows. The doctor on board was at the top of the gangway sorting out the chaps, first straight to the sick bay, second hosed down on deck to cool off, third okay. I carried four men’s kits (four trips) almost 50 foot up to the deck that day, during which we lost 1 man dead, and ten or twelve very ill; can you believe it. I had just been having my second go of Malaria in EA and only weighed 130 lbs in my army boots, so I suppose there was not much to overheat! Loaded by noon, we set off for Suez. We left our armoured cars, pretty clapped out, and trucks, in pretty good shape, at Berbera to come on later, so when they called for volunteers to go back from Cairo to Suez to drive them up, I volunteered, as I knew Squadron Leader Tommy R-C was stationed near there. My guess came off and I saw Tommy nearly every day for 7 days, swimming and drinking beer together. During this time Tommy took me and Injy Holmes (the 2 friends left of the 5 that started, though the others came back later) flying while he was testing his aircraft for a thirteen-hour flight to Benghazi and back. The plane was one of the famous Wellington, twin-engined bombers made of plywood. I had seen them come home shot to bits and only able to fly 20’ up but still flying. Tommy threw his Wellington all over the sky trying to make us sick and coming home I complained he was flying rather low. He said “nonsense, there are at least two feet to spare”, but he was having to hop over Karoo bushes. On landing he called his mechanic to say she was a bit heavy on the controls; the mechanic replied, “she has a full bomb load on board Sir”. Tommy said, “Don’t try and scare my friends”, so he opened the bomb bay doors and there it all was, ready for Benghazi. When he told Bess about it afterwards (he came to S.A. for a 2-week break), he said “Well if we had hit anything no-one would have known what had happened, Ha, Ha, Ha!” It turned out that our old ACs were left in Berbera to be rebuilt and given to our old friends the KAR for patrolling Somaliland. The trucks had been serviced by the sappers, so we came back to Cairo to pick up stores and continued towards El-Alamein. There we found Hilary Heard with brand spanking new MIII ACs with the new 2-pounder, 40mm anti-tank guns. These had a slightly shorter wheelbase, with better 4-wheel drive and were altogether a much-improved fighting machine. I had been promoted to Squadron Sergeant Major, at the princely salary of 10 bob per day (10 shillings). Hot stuff! This meant I now commanded 3 squadrons, a total of 27 ACs. We were assigned to the ‘Cherry Pickers” part of the 7th Armoured Div, commanded by Lt Col John Combe. (The Cherry Pickers or 11th Hussars was the Regiment commanded in India by my Great Grandfather Colonel Edward Stirling Rivett-Carnac in 1872). Western Desert Second push West. On 15 May 1941 Wavell was sent as C in C Indian Command to face the threat from Japan, and General Claude Auchinleck took over, rebuilding his forces into the 8th Army, consisting of British, Australian, Indian, South African and New Zealand forces. On 18 Nov 1941 he launched a surprise attack ‘Crusader’ from Sidi Barani. With very heavy fighting, they were held up at Sidi Rezegh. The most memorable action of the battle was the 3rd SA Field Regiment, Transvaal Horse Artillery to whom The Cherry Pickers were attached as reconnaissance, on 22-23 November 1941. The South Africans were surrounded on all sides by German armour and artillery and were subjected to a continuous barrage. They tried to take cover in shallow slit trenches only around 9 inches deep because of the solid limestone, and engaged German tanks from the 15th and the 21st Panzer Divisions, the SA gunners firing over open sights until they were overrun. That continued until many of the officers were killed, and the gunners had run out of ammunition. After the Battle of Sidi Rezegh, General Sir Charles Norrie stated that the “South African’s sacrifice and extraordinary heroism resulted in the turning point of the battle, giving the Allies the upper hand in North Africa at that time". This was the largest tank battle ever fought until ‘Kursk’ at the battle of Stalingrad. By the end of the battle, the 8th Army had lost 532 tank, and a great many armoured cars and guns many of which were recovered in the next few days. The 8th Army then advanced driving Axis forces back as far as Gazala just West of Tobruk, relieving Tobruk, after 241 days, on the 27 Nov 1941.

On 18 Nov 1941 Auchinleck launched ‘Crusader’, a surprise attack on Rommel. We went in as recce for the 3rd SA Field Regiment. Before dawn I was well out beyond our line with 6 MIII ACs trying to establish where Rommel’s forces were and in what strength. In the half-light, we were making our way down a wadi when we suddenly came across 3 Jerry tanks with most of the crew still asleep. At less than 100 yards they were sitting ducks for the new 2-pounders and we knocked out 2 almost immediately. The third had got going and we lost one AC to a 75mm shell. Moments later Jerry was hit by 4 of our 2-pounders and brewed up. Two lads got out pretty badly burnt, and a number on the ground had been hit by machine gun fire. I sent Bobs Norton back with our 2 wounded and 4 wounded Jerry in the car, and 9 Jerry hanging onto the outside. We proceeded, soon reaching our observation point, saw what we could, which was chilling, and returned to report to HQ. For the next few days, we were in the thick of it with quantities of iron-mongery flying in every direction. On the morning of the 23rd, my car was hit by a 75mm shell with a terrific bang which nearly overturned the car. It went straight through both sides without exploding, grazing the back of Taffy’s head (Taffy Williams, ex S&J, was Dad’s gunner). He went down like a 9-pin in a pool of blood. Injy, wireless operator, thinking he was dead, immediately took over the gun, but some time later he heard Taffy moaning and bound him up. By midday of 23 Nov the show was over, and we got Taffy to the medics who put in 19 stiches, gave him a handful of aspirin for his headache and we recovered him that evening. Of the 24 ACs we started with, we were down to 11, including mine with 2 d----- great holes in it. The next day we towed 5 more to the sappers for repair. I had never, and wish never again, to see such horror with such an awful stench.

It was Sunday, and that evening we paraded for a service. A company of the ‘Black Watch’ (Royal Highlanders) in full regalia marched past in ‘slow-march’; not a dry eye in the field.

The next day we took a squad out on burial duty. I noticed one group of coloured soldiers (Dad always referred to the Black and Coloured volunteers as ‘soldiers’ and was deeply angered that they were not allowed to bear arms as were the KAR and West African Rifles). After they had lain the body in the grave, 4 stood rigidly at attention with their pick or shovel by their side and saluted, while their leader took a handful of earth and sprinkling it over the body, said with great dignity “Ashes to ashes, weg is jy. Gooi hom aan kerels”. Strangely moving.

We were in Tobruk by the 27 Nov and fought on to Gazala, 30 miles West of Tobruk. Here we remained for about 5 months as recce while the 8th Army reinforced the Gazala line with deep mine fields and fortified defensive boxes. We also went on long sweeps into the desert with the Long-Range Desert Group to attack Axis stores, fuel dumps and airfields. I was lucky to get 4 days leave just then, I needed it, and our cars went in for maintenance. The sappers welded plates over the 2 shell holes which annoyed Taffy who said they had provided welcome ventilation. We were camped right on the Med and the swimming was fine but cold. I wanted to do some fishing, but as there was no bait on the rocks, I tried to talk the Quartermaster into a couple of hand grenades. After quite a battle, he coughed up and with the second, I got into a shoal of 4-8 lb fish like Elf. (These were Atlantic Bonito, Sarda Velox 3-8 Kg). There was a very rough sea running, so only I and Injy could swim. We got out 64, enough for a big supper and breakfast. The Quartermaster suddenly found he could spare another twelve hand grenades, but I had no more luck. After this it was back to the Gazala Line. On one recce Dudley Smith’s AC was hit and he lost about half a pound of Rump steak from his leg to a German 20mm shell. The medics soon had him back to us. Robbie got fed up with the squabbling about who cooked and said, “I’ll cook on condition that the first person to complain takes over.” No one complained for ages and he was getting sick of cooking, so prepared worse and worse meals. In desperation one night, he put a camel turd in the bully-beef stew. Corporal Jones was about to take a forkful when he saw what was in it, and horrified exclaimed “I’m bug----d if this is not a turd in my stew. But I’m not complaining, it is very well cooked”. (This became a family saying if anything was not up to snuff). I had a lot of walking to do as all the armoured cars were spread out 200 yards apart because of air attacks. Seeing a patrol off early one morning I said, ‘Can’t you chaps catch me a motorbike to save me walking?’ That night when they came in, they had a motorbike for me. They had shot the German right out of the saddle. It was a British Norton with a swastika pasted over the British flag. We soon restored the Union Jack, and I rode it up to and during the withdrawal from Gazala. Once when I was off the desert and on to the tarred road, I opened the old bike up, trying to catch my trucks which were faster than the ACs. I came to a burning truck, not one of ours, and asked the driver sitting on the side of the road if he were ok. German fighters were strafing us all the time. We were less than 100 yards away when it exploded and disappeared, the blast knocked me clean off the bike. When I asked him, what was on the truck, he said about 500 lbs of dynamite! The Battle of Gazala and the Fall of Tobruk, 26 May to 21 June 1942. The Axis troops made a decoy attack on 26 May in the north as the main attack moved round the southern flank of the Gazala position. Unexpected resistance at the south end of the line around the Bir Hakeim box left Rommel with a long and vulnerable supply route around the Gazala Line. Rommel retired to a defensive position backing onto Allied minefields (the Cauldron), forming a base in the midst of the British defences. Italian engineers lifted mines from the west side of the minefields to create a supply route through to the Axis side. Operation Aberdeen, an attack by the Eighth Army to finish off the Panzerarmee, was poorly co-ordinated and defeated in detail; many British tanks were lost; the Panzerarmee regained the initiative. The Eighth Army retreated from the Gazala Line and the Axis troops overran Tobruk. Auchinleck withdrew, fighting rear guard actions all the way to the defensive line at El-Alamein, leaving the SA Div, some British amour, and the 11th Indian Brigade holding Tobruk. Totally surrounded, at 9.40 am on 21 June Major General Henricks Klopper surrendered to Rommel. The SA, British, and Indian troops were shocked as they felt they had plenty of fight, supplies and ammo and could have fought on for another week or more, giving the engineers time to destroy the fuel and stores, and for many units to escape. It was not to be, and 33,000 Allies and immense stores and fuel were captured. The second largest surrender of the British Army after the fall of Singapore. “This was one of the heaviest blows I can recall during the war. Not only were its military effects grievous, but it had affected the reputation of the British armies”. — Winston Churchill. The Battle of Gazala is considered the greatest victory of Rommel's career. As both sides neared exhaustion, the Eighth Army checked the Axis advance at the First Battle of El-Alamein. To support the Axis advance into Egypt, the Axis planned attack on Malta was postponed. The British were able to revive Malta as a base for attacks on Axis convoys to Libya, greatly complicating Axis supply difficulties at El-Alamein. Dad escaped from Tobruk during the night of 21 June with 10 of his 13 remaining ACs. Losses in the Battle of Gazala: Allied. Of 110,000 men, 17,000 killed or wounded, 33,000 POWs, and 1188 armoured vehicles. Axis. Of 107,000 men., 6360 killed, 569 armoured vehicles plus 450 trucks, and 113 guns.

After nearly a month, of heavy fighting, we were in Tobruk on 21 June 1942 when the order came to surrender. We were appalled, since we had plenty of stores, fuel and ammo and were certainly far from ready to throw in the towel. At about 7.00 pm that evening I went to see Dickie (Major John Douglas, called Dickie because he was a keen bird watcher, who would stop an entire column to identify a bird). After saluting, I formally asked for permission to break out explaining that we had 10 good ACs full of fuel, food, ammo and fight. He exclaimed “Christ Sgt-Mjr what am I supposed to do! Have a drink”. We sat in silence for quite a while sipping whiskey’s no less! Listening to the sporadic gunfire. He suddenly got up, and shaking my hand warmly said “Geoffrey, I have not heard a word you said. Good luck, I know you will look after the lads”, and as I was about to leave, he said ducking into his tent and coming out with his bird book “Hang on, I won’t need this, and you are getting quite good at birding”. (I have the book). And so, it was that we crept through the mine-fields at 1.00 am, losing 1 car which had its front wheel blown off by an anti-personnel mine, no one hurt, and sallied forth into the desert, with about 15 days’ worth of food. We travelled only at night and spent the days with camouflage nets over the cars and the men in slit trenches, in case of air attack. We looped well away from the coast into the desert. Everyone was pretty trigger happy and we were frequently shot at. One day sitting in a trench with Injy and Taffy, being shelled by Iti’s, a 75mm shell crashed through the trench wall, burying itself into the floor. We all held, what we thought was our last, breath waiting for the d----n thing to explode, which it didn’t. Whereupon Injy started digging it out to see what exactly it was. Taffy and I leapt out and dived into the next trench expecting the worst. When it was all over, Injy came along as pleased as punch with the dud shell whose serial number was the same is his ‘meat ticket’ number (the soldier’s identification number. Injy dragged it all through the desert and brought it home). After that, he became a worse menace, as he claimed that his number had come up, and missed him.

After nearly 6 weeks with no radio, and being shot at periodically, and pretty hungry, we were nearing the South end of the El-Alamein line, and managed to make contact with part of the 2nd New Zealand Div who were well out in front of the line. They radioed our arrival to HQ, and having fed us, asked if we could do some recce work for them. We were with them for 8 days, and finally got back to the SA Armoured Brigade on 8 Aug 1942 with 6 ACs and all troops intact, if a bit skinny. Hilary (Major Hilary Heard, Dad’s commanding Officer) could hardly believe his eyes, and was beside himself; we got wonderfully tight that night. (Tom: On 25 June, Mum received a telegram, when Dad’s name had not appeared on the POW list, nor those known killed at Tobruk, saying ‘We regret the inform you that G P Bligh is missing in action, believed killed’. She refused to believe it, and on 3 Aug 1942 she received another telegram saying Dad was fine). We had just missed the first Battle of El-Alamein, which accounted for so much iron-mongery flying about. Good to be back with our HQ as I had not had any mail for over 3 months. Bess continued with her weekly letters all the while we were ‘lost’ and sent odd tiny photos, and so I was able to build a mental image of her and Tom. 1-27 July 1942 saw the 1st Battle of El-Alamein. Auchinleck had prepared the defences in depth which ran from El- Alamein to the Qattara depression 50 miles South. This is 440 feet below sea level and consists of impassable salt marshes and quicksand. It is only 130 miles from Cairo. The 8th Army stubbornly defended this line, with more mobile engagements, as they dug in and built-up reinforcements. General Sir Harold Alexander was appointed C in C ‘Mediterranean And Middle East’, Auchinleck going as C in C Far East. Lt-General William Gott was given command of the 8th Army on Aug 4th but was tragically killed on the 8th so command went to General Bernard Montgomery. Rommel attacked on 30 Aug but was rebuffed and he finally fell back on 5 Sept.

I was given 5 days leave which I spent in Alexandria and Cairo, where I saw Hummer who told me he had recently seen Griff and Jimmy who were both well. I was back in good time for Rommel’s attack at the end of Aug. The Cherry Pickers were reforming, so this time we reccied for the Kings Dragoon Guards who had the latest American Sherman tanks. Six tanks, our 5 ACs and a few supply trucks slipped through the minefields near the Qattara Depression on the night of Aug 28, unaware of the impending German attack, and worked our way about 50 miles behind the German lines before turning North to harass their supply lines near Mersa Matruh. We caused quite a bit of alarm and despondency and knocked out 3 light Iti tanks and roughed up a convoy of trucks before coming under air attack. On the way home on 3 Sept, we came under sporadic attack by German tanks which were, it turned out, retreating. Both sides inflicted damage. One of my cars was hit in the gearbox, light casualties, and we towed it in.

Second Battle of El-Alamein and the third and final push West. At 21.40 on 23 Oct 1942 under a full moon, The Battle of El-Alamein commenced with a barrage from more than 1000 heavy field guns. The fire plan had been arranged so that the first rounds would land along the 40 mi front at the same time. After twenty minutes of general bombardment, the guns switched to precision targets in support of the advancing infantry. The shelling plan continued for five and a half hours, by the end of which each gun had fired about 600 rounds, 529,000 shells in all. British sappers cleared paths through the minefields, followed by infantry, ACs and tanks. Now that the British had moved over to the offensive, this ‘choke point’ also suited the Eighth Army, whose main strength lay in its artillery and infantry formations, although mobile armoured units had increased in number, quality, and proficiency. Rommel had prepared his defences well by placing a great number of anti-tank guns and sowing hundreds of thousands of antitank and antipersonnel mines along his front to slow any British advance. For a while it seemed that the Axis might bring the British offensive to a halt. The German minefields and accurate antitank fire produced a mounting toll of knocked-out British tanks. But progress by the infantry, British, Australian, Indian, SA and New Zealand Divisions, opened corridors through the Axis defences that the British could exploit. Rommel began the withdrawal of his German units, leaving his Italian allies—who lacked motor transport—to be mopped up. By 4 November, the motorized elements of the Axis were in full retreat, being harassed by the Long-Range Desert Group, and the Desert Rats, all the way to Tunisia. The British victory at El-Alamein was bolstered by Operation Torch, the Anglo-American landings in North Africa on 8 November. The Axis forces were now squeezed in the Allied vice, and their expulsion from North Africa was only a question of time. Losses in the second battle of El-Alamein: Allied. Of 195,000 troops, 4,800 killed, 9,000 wounded. Axis. Of 155,000 troops, 9,000 dead, 15,000 wounded, and 45,000 POWs. The next 6 weeks was hard work bringing endless convoys of food, ammo, guns and material from Cairo in preparation for what was to be a big push. In early Oct our well-loved SA commander General Dan Pienaar came to review the AC Regiment. Spick and span we were too. (Major General Sir Daniel Pienaar fought for the British in both world wars. He was awarded a DSO and 2 bars. On 20 Nov 1942 he was appointed ‘Companion of the Order of the Bath’ (CB) "in recognition of the supreme gallantry and magnificent achievements of British and Dominion Troops and their Commanders”. He was tragically killed in a plane crash on 19 Dec 1942. Dan Brewer, the war correspondent, wrote in an obituary that Pienaar was "acknowledged by all the military authorities...as one of the best fighting leaders the British have found in this war. He was every inch a soldier and a man, and on top of that had a quality not always found in a tough general—he was loved like a father by his men). We were assigned to the 7th Armoured Div as reccy. Early evening on 23 Oct 1942 found us about 2 miles in front of the line supporting sappers who were clearing paths through the mine fields. It was a still moon-lit night, and we were pretty sure something was afoot. There was quite a bit of machine gun opposition but no anti-tank guns, so we had no casualties. At about 10 pm the entire front lit up as the great field guns opened up making the ground shake. They kept up the barrage for nearly 6 hours. (Jimmy Mullins, 1st SA Artillery Brigade, was a gunner in that extraordinary event in which 530,000 shells were fired, more than 600 per gun. The 25-pounder was the major British field gun, Calibre 87.6mm, shell weight 25 pounds. This means that each gun fired over 7 tons of shell in 6 hours. Rex Woods, Royal Sussex Infantry Regiment, was captured by the 15th Panzer Div). We helped transport the 44th Infantry through the mine-field gap, who were followed by our group, the 7th Armoured Div in their new Churchill tanks. For the next week we were in the thick of it again, though we did not see as intense fighting as some. Smoke, dust, and a terrible stench hung in the air. The place was strewn with burning tanks, carriers, wrecked guns, ACs, and trucks. On 3 Nov our company was ordered to Misheifa to join the Cherry Pickers in support of the Long-Range Desert Group, to harass the enemy as they retreated, in hit and run raids during the night, while the Desert Air Force operated by day. This we did all the way back to Tobruk arriving on 8 Nov where we halted to refit. The Battle of Tunisia. By 9 Nov 1942 Rommel had withdrawn into Tunisia and was then massively reinforced by sea and air. General Kenneth Anderson C in C Allied 1st Army (American, British and Free-French) advanced from the West (Operation Torch, having landed in Morocco, N Africa, and Oran and Algiers in Algeria) and Montgomery’s 8th Army from the South East. They faced a formidable force consisting of 2 German armies, General von Arnim’s in the West and Rommel’s Africa Corp in the South. For the next 5 months there was almost continuous, fierce fighting in difficult, mountainous country. The allies slowly pushed the Axis armies into a 100-mile defensive perimeter stretching around Tunis and Bizerte. On 7 May 1943, Tunis fell to the British armoured forces while the Americans and Free French captured Bizerte on 8 May. A general collapse of German resistance followed, with the final surrender on 13 May. Losses in The Battle of Tunisia: Allied. Of 500,000 troops, 76,020. Axis. Of 410,000 troops, 238,000 German and 87,000 Italian became POWs. Tunisia was very different terrain; much hillier and thus easily defended. With many more trees and fertile land, we saw a great many birds. I often thought of Dickie in the bag after Tobruk (Major John Douglas, Dad’s commanding office, captured in Tobruk), who had taught me so much. Bobs Norton had re-joined us, so we were all together again. We entered Tunisia after Medenine and Mareth had been taken and drank Tom’s (Bligh) health on his 2nd birthday in the Port of Gabes on a few days leave. This was the ancient Roman city of Tripolitania and the people were very friendly and welcoming. The next 4 or 5 months were spent slowly slogging our way North with a few setbacks. We saw quite a bit of fierce fighting but thankfully nothing as intense as in the desert, although many others had a rough time of it. This was where Injy lost his ear. We were making our way up a road, not expecting anything and Injy was sitting outside with his legs in the turret with the radio earphones on. I was below helping Taffy sort out the 2-pounder. A machine gun suddenly opened up, 1 bullet taking off the left-hand earphone, and the next skimmed Injy’s right cheek leaving a long cut and removing half his ear. He slipped into the hatch, falling on me and bleeding like a stuck pig. The medics soon had him stitched up, minus the top half of his ear. He of course claimed he was quite safe because his number had already come up and missed him, so he was ok. Jack’s famous MIVs had started to come through by then, so we had a mix of them and the trusty Mark IIIs. We did lose some ACs, still but not as many as in the desert. By the middle of April, we noticed that the Axis were beginning to lose heart and more threw in the towel. On 7 May, we were told that Tunis had fallen and on 13 May we celebrated the Jerry and Iti surrender. We were in the town of El Djem and the next day, rather hung-over, we visited the Roman Amphitheatre which is still largely intact; my one and only cultural expedition. Two days later we were out on a routine patrol totally relaxed. I was sitting on the turret with my legs dangling inside, Injy on the back singing bawdy songs. This is the last I remember. I woke up on the floor in Bob’s car with my head on Injy’s lap on the way to a British Military hospital in Tunis, very sore, unable to move my right leg, and a strong zinging in my ears. The doc told me I was badly bruised, but nothing broken. (this is from a letter to Mum dated 20 May 1943. I never heard Dad speak of this). Bobs Norton told me what had happened. My car was in front as usual with the other 3 fanned out slightly behind when an anti-tank gun fired, blowing up my car. Injy was thrown clear and I was blown out of the turret and landed on my back on the car. Rob and Taffy were killed instantly; their death hurt us all terribly. (Rob van der Walt was Dad’s driver and Taffy Williams his gunner, both having been with him from the start). Before they could get another shot in, the anti-tank gun was totally demolished by 3 of our 2-pounders. I was hobbling about by 20 May and was allowed to sit in the Blues (Wounded) stand and watch the splendid Tunisia Victory Parade march by. Later, Hummer, Bobs, Dudley (Smith) and Injy took me to a pub, but it was not the same, it still hurt dreadfully. So unfair after all that time together, and they were just lads with their whole life ahead of them. We got back to Egypt on 3 July and a week later were on board ship bound for the Union. We were in a fast boat and I worked out we could be home by mid-July, but at Aden we picked up an old crock of a ship, so we only made it by 3 Aug. A day out of Durban, about midnight, we woke up to hear depth charges going off. They told us it was the Navy practising, but I told Injy the Navy is keen but not so keen as to waste depth charges at night, they would want to see if they had got any fish. Next night in Durban the Navy told us that a sub had fired two torpedoes at us, but they had passed between us. We came into Durban steering North! They sent a wire to Bess, as the last I had written was from Cairo and I beat that letter home. We left for camp at Pietermaritzburg where we had to march 2 miles again for the people; they were good and had stacks of lovely sandwiches and gallons of tea! for us. Three days later we arrived in Jo’burg which was fine; as soon as we were off the train, they marched us to the Wanderers grounds, then only about half a mile away, told us your folks will be sitting under your surname letter in the stands, and there under ‘B’ were Bess and Jack! Tom, two and a half, had been left at home. We arrived at 3 Urania Street, and Joyce told Tom to run to Dad. Bess bent down to pick him up, but shaking his little head, he ran past her and straight into my arms. What a welcome! The next day, Saturday, we borrowed Jack’s car and drove over to Germiston to see Mother. Sunday, we went to see Taffy’s parents in Germiston for lunch, and then on to Brakpan to see Rob’s parents. They were all so brave and so pleased to see us. I think it helped me as much as them. We had 3 weeks leave before I had to report back. After the few days it took to get over another attack of malaria, Bess, Tom and I went down to Grahamstown and Camp. With Jimmy, Arthur, and Jill we had Camp to ourselves. It was this time at camp that I got my 28lb Leer onto the Fish Tent. I did not sign up for the 6th S.A. Division as my old O.C. Major Hilary Heard wanted me for instructing. So, after a few courses on Tanks, we went to Pietersburg to form a Field Training Unit. Our second week there, I had to drive an armoured car over rough roads for about 12 hours, as we were short of drivers, and I put my back out again. They put me into hospital at Middleberg but could not treat me. Bess came to see me, and they transferred me to Jo’burg where Dr du Toit, a back specialist, took me in hand. The X-rays showed that I had indeed cracked a vertebra. He put me in a pink fibreglass-like plaster which could be unstrapped. After two months in hospital, I was discharged, but could no longer go on active service, so, I went back to instructing until the end of the war. Luckily, this time because of my mining experience, I was teaching demolition to sappers and commandos at Modderfontein Dynamite Factory. Bess and Tom moved from Jack and Joyce to Mother’s boarding house, just over the hill in Germiston, so I was on hand to take Bess to hospital when Hilda was born on 22 Nov 1944 (22-11-44). My sister Pam was married to Trevor Philips and had Mike, one year younger than Tom. Trevor was in Italy with the SA Airforce, so Pam and Mike lived with Bess, Tom and Baldy Elliot in Mother’s boarding house. I was on 10 days leave at Bushman’s river with Bess, Tom and baby Hilda, when we celebrated ‘Victory in Europe’. A few weeks later, my back was worse, so it was back into hospital with Dr du Toit, who made a new, and much better corset which helped greatly. The army released me on 20 July 1945, and Goldfields Head Office asked me to come back to Vogels, which had a new Mine Manager, Jo Steinople, a thoroughly decent chap. So, there we were, in our old house, and me, now a Mine Captain back underground, 5 years and 10 months later. Dabula and Zachariah were there to meet us, not having met Tom or Hilda. Even in the new corset, my back was a problem underground. Mother lived with us to look after Tom and Hilda while I was at work, and Bess at Medical School. Later, happily, Goldfields asked me to set up the Goldfields Training Centre at Spaarwater. This was nice, I liked it, Dabula and Zachariah came from Vogels to the centre, it was an Underground Managers post, and my back got better. For the first 5 years, we stayed in the Vogels house. We then moved to Dunnottar which is very close to Dunnottar Hospital where Bess was Chief Medical Officer and Superintendent, and it was only 5 miles from Spaarwater. After 8 years at Spaarwater Training Centre, I asked to go back on production, and was transferred to Vlakfontein Mine less than a mile from Dunnottar, as Underground Manager. We moved to a nice mine house on Vlak, where we remained very happily, until we retired to Plett in 1970. Dad and Mum were wonderful parents. Their great love of the outdoors meant that we often went camping, fishing, and shooting. Dad was also a keen woodworker, so we built many projects together; some of the most memorable were a terrific Tree House in a huge gum tree with a long ‘Foofy-slide’, the ‘Water With-it’ for Camp, ‘Tigger’ an 11 foot ‘Cadet’ sailing dingy for 2, and our 1st ‘Bounty’ a splendid 20-foot boat we used on the Keurbooms river and for going to sea at Plett. One advantage of the mines was 35 days leave per year, 10 of which could be accumulated for a maximum of 6 months ‘long leave’. We often had 2 holidays per year. The first a week on the Wild Coast which then was truly wild, fishing with Dabula and Injy, at places like Haga Haga, Hole-in-the-wall, Black Rock, and Mgazi Mouth, where Dabula taught us how to catch ‘Scotchman’. Come Christmas, 4 weeks split between Camp, Storms River or Plett. The only buildings at Storms River were 2 small wooden huts which belonged to the Tzitziikamma Forestry Department, whose director was in Dad’s Armoured Car company. He thought Dad was one better than Father Christmas and gave us the use of the 2 huts for a month each year. Ted, Hannetjie, Steyn and Dinkie stayed in one. We in the other, sometimes with Pam, Trevor, Mike, and Ann Phillips. There was plenty of crystal-clear, cold water in the waterfall above the tiny beach for drinking and showering. Occasionally a forester would come down to fish on a weekend which caused great excitement. What a place for a holiday. The road was too steep to get out, so they sent a huge forester tractor to pull each car up the hill. We did this for quite some years until Mum, Ted and Jack bought a small, corrugated iron shack in Plett. Dad and Mum built a new house, ‘Back of the Moon’, on Rosheen Crescent, on the outskirts of Plett, in 1958. For quite a few years Hummer and Kay rented it before building their own house just down the road. Dad and Mum retired to ‘Back of the Moon’ in 1970, though Mum then worked as a GP in Plett. They had a wonderful time there. In 1982 they, with 2 mining friends started the Formosa Garden Village into which they moved. In 1982 Dabula died and Mum and Dad drove up to Lusikisiki for the funeral. Zachariah, with snow white hair, welcomed them. His whole family made a great fuss over them. Dad said Dabula was one of the best friends he ever had. Dad died, holding Mum’s hand, in 1990, aged 81, having been married 51years. Injy Holmes, my Godfather and the last of the 5, came. We chatted for a long while, and he said, “You know Thomas Tom, there was not a man-jack of us who would not have followed your Dad into the jaws of hell itself, without hesitation”.

From notes made by Bess's brother Jack Rivett-Carnac: -

Soon after Bess began work at the Medical Institute she met Geoff Bligh who was a friends of Ted’s, they were both Learner Officials at the Simmer and Jack Mine, and this ‘boy meets girl’ ended in the inevitable wedding. Ted, who had by this time married Hannetjie and Bess and Geoff all ended up living and working on Vogelstruisbult Mine, where They were both first Shift bosses and then Mine Captains. During this time Jack and Joyce were living in Germiston and they all foregathered and spent many happy weekends together at the Germiston Lake Club. Then came the war and both Geoff and Ted joined up - Geoff in the Armoured Cars and Ted in the First City, while Bess and Hannetjie, Tom, Hilda, Steyn and Diana plus Hannetjie's dog Mischief all came to stay with Joyce and me at 3 Urania Street. It was during this period that Bess decided to try for her MD and started at Wits, under very difficult conditions got through her second and third years (they let her off first year because of her B.Sc.) During this time time I was, as an Engineer, engaged in munition production and working pretty long hours. I came back one evening and Bess met me at the door to tell me that she had just received one of those dreaded telegrams reading “Regret to inform you that your husband Geoffrey Bligh is reported missing, believed a prisoner of war.” I was stunned and apparently the only thing I could think of saying and did say was “Good” at which Bess burst out laughing. I was and still am always pretty tongue tied, but I think this was probably one of my worse faux pas. Bess was wonderful during that period, as was Hannetjie later when Ted was captured at Chusi. Geoff fortunately was only missing for a couple of weeks. He was on the Bengazi run in the Western Desert and of course had a pretty tough time, but as I wasn’t in the army I cant really talk. (Note: Dad was always very self conscious about the fact that he had not been able to join up, he was needed to make munitions and later tanks for the armies.) Eventually peace came and Geoff and Ted both returned and went back to mining at Vogels. By this time Hilda and Tom were both at early school going age, but Bess decided to continue her degree at Wits, doing the last two years commuting from Vogels, which was the other side of Springs. I think it says a great deal for both Bess and Geoff’s characters that she was able to continue with her degree. For Bess it meant getting up with the mosses, getting Geoff off to work, doing the housework, seeing to the children’s breakfast, then driving into Springs where she left her car. Taking a train to Park Station in Johannesburg (Some 35 Miles), catching a tram up to the University, (about 1.5 miles), attending lectures - and then doing it all in reverse at the end of the day. After coming home she had to cook supper, bath the children, put them to bed and then do her own swatting. It is true that Geoff's Mom, Granny Bligh, did stay with them for periods and it is also true the Tom and Hilda - according to rumour - managed to bunk school most days. (One wonders if this accounts for their above average academic ability later in life, or alternatively how much better they might have done had they attended school regularly!) But the point of the story is that I think it illustrates Bess’s sheer grit and determination and Geoff’s patient and understanding approach to life. Geoff progressed through life to Underground Manager - loved by all - his main interests being shooting and fishing. Bess progressed with him - her interests being her children and her work. She ended up being Chief Superintendent at the Far East Rand Hospital (ie Head of the Hospital) also loved and admired by all.

Sources

Notes from my father Arthur John (Jack) Rivett-Carnac

• Family records