Archive for May, 2011
On Sunday 15th May a memorial plaque for the 12th October 1944 missing in action crew of Liberator KH158 of 31 Squadron SAAF was unveiled, in a ceremony high in the Ligurian part of the Apennine mountains, ENE of Genoa, Italy. The plaque is in place on an old “round house” wall in the grounds of a 1944 partisan meeting house, Faggio Rotondo. This is in the vicinity the 1944 partisan supply drop zone area code “Morris ” and near a regular mountain hiking trail.
The ceremony was attended by my family for my father ,F/O T R Millar RAAF-the bomb-aimer, also family of the pilot, Maj SS Urry SAAF , British , Australian and South African Embassy officials in Rome and Genoa plus the Italian Ligurian officials ,Member of Parliament, Mayors from the nearby towns and local people. The event was covered by the Genoan press.
All of this was made possible by an Italian friend who suggested the plaque in remembrance of my father, F/O TR Millar RAAF and approached the local Mayor with his suggestion. He and another friend, who was involved in a earlier air force commemoration, put most of this event together, with input from myself.
Liberator KH158 is still missing but I feel that this plaque is a culmination of 10 years of research into my father’s wartime life and disappearance .Now more local Italian people and officials know about the loss of the plane and one day someone just might find out information about it’s whereabouts .
The crew were –
Maj SS Urry -SAAF
F/O G E Hudspith -RAF
F/O T R Millar RAAF [my father]
Lt GA Collard -SAAF
Lt NW Armstrong -SAAF
2/Lt PJ Lordan -SAAF
W/O LB Bloch -SAAF
Sgt RC Fitzgerald -RAF
Anne Storm (Daughter)
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Tigers in the Park
The Adam Park Project (TAPP) is a ground breaking battlefield archaeology project looking into the wartime heritage of the Adam Park housing estate in Singapore. It is headed up by the Singapore Heritage Society and the National University of Singapore and partly sponsored by the National Heritage Board of Singapore. The project founder Jon Cooper, alumni of the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology at Glasgow University, is now currently managing the project.
A very intriguing query was received from Jon Cooper, in that a badge or brooch resembling the SAAF 32 Squadron Badge had been found.
“I am the Project Manager for The Adam Park Project in Singapore and we have unearthed a brooch, enscribed with the number ’32′ and bearing an uncanny resemblance to the emblem of 32 Sqn SAAF at the site of what was an old WW2 POW camp (see attached image). I have found very little on 32 Sqn’s war time record and was wondering how this badge got to Singapore – can you help? were any 32 sqn men sent to Singapore and ended up as a POW?
The recently upgraded and redelivered Rooivalk attack helicopter participated in the simulated operational exercise during the Air Capability Demonstration held by the SAAF at the Roodewal weapons range today.
The Air Capability Demonstration (ACD) is normally held twice a year in which the SAAF is able to demonstrate its operational capabilities, including co-operation with the others arms of the SANDF. It is also the only time invited dignitaries and guests are able to witness live weapon firing at close range.
Differing from previous years, the ACD did not concentrate on humanitarian missions, but rather on what Chief of the Airforce, Lt. Gen. Carlo Gagiano, described as “speed and dust!”
Proceedings commenced with introductory speeches and background information, followed by 70 minutes of incredible noise caused by the live firing of rockets, mortars, cannon, machine gun fire and the dropping of bombs, all with the continuous clatter of rotor blades overhead.
Read the full article at here.
Gallery with 40 photos can eb viewed here.
(All images by Alan Wienburg)
On Saturday 02 April 2011, Major General Msimang, Chief Director: Policy & Planning from the SAAF Air Command visited the SA Air Force Museum Youth Development Program participants.
He has a great enthusiasm for young people and he greeted and introduced himself to each and every youngster present. He gave an inspiring message to them relating to technical careers in the SAAF and said that he would be following each and everyone’s career in the South African Air Force.
He commended the FSAAFM (Friends of the South African Air Force Museum) for initiating the project and he assured the members of the YDP that it has his full support .
He would be back in the future accompanied by senior colleagues to spend a day with them so that they could experience themselves, the impact of the program on young people aspiring to make the SAAF a career of choice.
SAAF to hold Air Capability Demonstration
The South African Air Force will mark the return of the Rooivalk attack helicopter in style when it hosts an Air Capability Demonstration (ACD) next week. The first of the bi-annual exercises will be held at the Roodewal weapons range on Thursday 12 May 2011.
The Rooivalk has undergone a major revamp by Denel Aviation to bring its structure, systems and avionics up to a single standard acceptable to the airforce. The first five aircraft were handed back to the airforce at the end of March.
Amongst the line-up of participating aircraft are Hawk and Gripen jets, C-130 Hercules, Casa and Cessna C-208 transports as well as Oryx and Augusta A109 helicopters. The demonstration is meant to illustrate the employment of air power by means of academic profiles.
Various simulated exercises which includes a South African Army element comprise scenarios ranging from mortar attacks, light artillery drops, air supplies, counter attacks by jet fighters, photo reconnaissance to fire fighting. A Department of Defence media release states that “this serves as a splendid opportunity for the Air Force to demonstrate its strength and ability to secure the South African air space and the citizens of the country.”
It is also the only time invited dignitaries and guests are able to witness live weapon firing at close range. The Unofficial SAAF Website will be in attendance and will, of course, be reporting on the event with photographs.
The Roodewal Weapons Range is situated in the Northern Province, roughly halfway between Polokwane (previously Pietersburg) and AFB Makhado, near the town of Louis Trichardt.
By Dean Wingrin
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