75 years today since peace in Europe was declared

Of course on the side of the Allies it was Victory in Europe – or VE Day as it is now referred to.  I wasn’t born (just) yet and my parents were in Johannesburg, South Africa.  There was no conscription in South Africa – in fact it was touch and go whether the Government would stay neutral, support Germany or Britain and the Allies. Although South Africa was constitutionally obliged to stand with Britain there was strong opposition from the anti-British, Nationalist pro-Afrikaner party who were in support of Germany.

When Jan Smuts became Prime Minister he immediately joined with the Allies and declared war against Germany. However, John Vorster and other members of the pro-Nazi Ossewabrandwag strongly objected to this and actively sabotaged the Smuts Government.  Smuts jailed its leaders, including Vorster for the duration of the war. I mentioned Vorster in particular because he was Prime Minister 1966 – 78 and subsequently President!!

South Africa may seem a long way from the European conflict but it was important to protect the Cape sea route and further, bordering South Africa, what is now Namibia was a German protectorate. 

Although there was no conscription thousands volunteered including my father who was a surgeon. He served on the British hospital ship, AMRA, a converted troop ship: the SA government had taken over the running expenses of this ship and it was present at several of the landings in the Mediterranean. Over 300,000 volunteered, from all races. 

Here is a photo of my father.

South Africa had its own version of the Home Guard and here is my late father-in-law with Number One Husband in Upington, a town in the Northern Cape, between the Orange River and the Kalahari Desert.