My father had served in the Army in World War 2 and had been a POW for the duration after being captured at Sidi Rezegh. An uncle of mine had died during his military service in World War 2, and my grandfather was a Delville Wood survivor. My brother had served his national service in Lenz about 6 years before I went in. I had heard much before I went in from everybody, and of course they were all out to paint this very grim picture of what it was really like. They were often correct too. I also had this book which you could buy at the CNA about National Service. it came out every year and told you the whats and wherefores. It was mostly propaganda and painted a very distorted view. By the end of 1981 I had served with 3 SAI, 11 Commando, 1 SAI and 61 Mechanised Battalion Group.

Did you have any desire to evade it, by going overseas or any other means?

Yes, although going overseas or to university was not something we could afford. I wanted to try get into Atlas Aircraft Corporation as an apprentice, at least you were posted close to home. I even went for the interview. I think I messed up on the ink blot test though.. all those blots of ink looked vaguely like blots of ink. Another possiblity was failing Matric but my father had just lost his job and things were dicey at home.

What preparations did you do in the weeks and days prior to reporting for national service? Efforts to get fit enough …?

A few of us took to running around a local park in the months before we left, but we also had to study for our matric exams and so that idea soon went down the drain. There was a huge list of stuff to buy though and getting it all took much effort. All manner of things were recommended; washing powder, pegs, soap, brasso, chain and locks, a radio, writing materials, toothpaste, an iron etc.

What took you by surprise, either (a) positively or (b) negatively.

Once I arrived the thing which got to me was for the next 2 years I would have to stand inspection... And I could not leave until it was over in 2 years time. I was also surprised by the sheer brutality of some of the people as well as the stupidity of the whole system. The old phrase of "move camp 2 inches to the left" was a reality. I hated mixing with some of the really coarse elements, and communal showers were lousy. Positive aspects? I dont know.. maybe the cameraderie.. and the sheer fact that many of us hated it and had that much in common. I think that most positive aspects would appear after we were finished. Most ex soldiers did better at work and at studies, had more self discipline and were better employees. Those who had not had their lives destroyed of course. Unfortunately we also tended to be foul mouthed, moody and often very unfeeling.

How did your basic training differ from what you had expected?

The endless mindless drilling around like an automaton... we never understood half of what this was in aid of. Everything was all in Afrikaans, so we spent much time guessing what they were saying. We were chased everywhere and it all seemed like a heap of crap to us. Nobody ever tried to instill unity in us, they tried to shove it down our throats. Shooting was never taught to us, it was seen as an opportunity to fuck us around. Nobody bothered teaching us how to shoot properly, I would have thought that was one of the most important things to teach a soldier. We also carried a water bottle wherever we went because of a fear of heat exhaustion. It was a welcome relief to us. I never expected the "lectures" though, subjects like camoflage, map work, first aid, We endured these in agony, sitting in our webbing, weighed down by that helmet, trying desperately to stay awake. I know everybody said to us that basics was bad.. but that 2nd phase and Tein ops was worse.

How did your basic training differ from what you believe other people in other units did?

I only found this out when I met guys from other camps in Kimberely. For starters our inspections were laid out differently and our webbings were made up differently too. They seemed to have had it much easier than we did, and anybody that came from Pretoria was considered slap. We had had to redo basics in Kimberley to make us all the same level. But the 2nd time around it was much easier because were were fitter too. Coming from infantry we were also tougher and looked down at the guys from tiffies or signals. We saw ourselves as an elite. The old maxim of "agter elke bokkop is daar 'n fokop" did not apply as far as were were concerned. Later, in mechanised infantry we looked down upon normal infantry.

What did you enjoy - hate - find interesting?

I was brought up in a city, so the bush was totally foreign to me, and every day we would march off into the bush and get fucked around in it. I loathed the dust and trees and no toilets, I hated having to squat behind a bush. I also hated being treated like an idiot and being discriminated against because I spoke English. I hated the arrogance of the PF's because I knew that most were hasbeens anyway, that was why they had joined the army. The food was grotesque, the endless chasing around, the abuse.... it was all so needless. I am sure had they treated us as human beings they would have achieved much more.
There was a lot of theft in the army and you could not leave anything unlocked because it would be swiped. Often you had your suspicions who was responsible but could do nothing about it. If it was somebody in your bungalow then it was even worse because you were saddled with them. The only thing you could do was catch them in the act and take them to the MP's.
There weren't too many distractions... I think we all enjoyed sitting around talking kak the most and comparing notes on our lives. Occasionally we would have these mock parades... and everybody joined in, mocking our favourite hated NCO. Of course letters from home were welcome.. we read them avidly, but all guys dreaded the "Dear Johnnie" the most. I had many pen-pals, girls who I never met who I exchanged letters with, once I left the army I lost contact with them. It was also nice to read a newspaper because the world carried on around us. Mostly we never had time to do much because we seemed to spend most of the time getting fucked around and getting ready for inspection. There were no TV's or movies in Potch, although we did get to go to Church at another camp. There was a young CPSA minister who had fire and conviction, he was also an NDP so he was on our level. The NG Kerk dominees tended to drone on and on and tried to justify the military through religion. Once we had a concert but we all spent too long trying to keep awake. To phone home we had to get a "phone pass", usually only 30 minutes and most of that we spent in the queue at SAWI where the phones were. It was nice to hear a familiar voice though. You did make good friends, guys who you would pour your heart out to, and who would be there to talk to. We would compare notes on our families, education, homes, thoughts and dreams. At the end of the day we would be depending on each other. I always found weapons fascinating and loved to look at other units and see what equipment they had. Once a Ratel stopped in Potch and we had a good look at it, it was so different to seeing it had it been at the Rand Show. I would have enjoyed shooting too, had it not been more of a torture. They used shooting as an excuse for an opfok, rather than an opportunity to develop our skills. I also enjoyed hearing many of the 2 liners stories of the border war, but very few ever took the time to talk to us as soldiers.
I am sure most of us hated PT and the 2,4 the most, in Potch we were unfit... and they hammered PT into us. Initially we had PT clothes and it was rough and we suffered. Usually your platoon leader took PT but occasionally we had the PTI who was great. He hammered us but he did not fuck us up. When he was finished you were too.... The 2,4 was agony the first time we ran it.. it just went on and on and never ended. Later into basics we did battle PT with boots and browns and then we really suffered. Skaap dra and baba dra, pushups and situps, endless running around trees and buildings. All the chasing did raise our level of fitness though and eventually it became easier so they just pushed us harder.

Any humorous moments or events?

On the funny side I remember us doing the "verberging en vermoming" one day and one guy plucked a very conspicuous bush and used that for cammo.. he was the only one in the whole company and when we treed aan he stood out like a sore thumb. The CSM was livid and we spent the rest of the day paying for our sins. When we got back to base finally we had to make sure we removed every bit of "Black is beautiful" because it could spread like wildfire. The one guy did not wash the inside of his staaldak strap and the next day was instantly camoflaged. We were forever playing practical jokes on each other.. shaving cream was the most loved. A bit in a hand or cheek of a sleeping buddy was hilarious. We often used to kill ourselves with laughter at the most stupid things. Of course somethings just happened. Guys would collapse on their beds after training and fall asleep still wearing their kit, or would fall asleep while cleaning the floor. We would watch each others heads drooping from a lack of sleep knowing that he would be rudely awakened by a Cpl with a rifle butt on the helmet. One bungalow took one of the troops kas, trommel and bed (with him sleeping in it) and carried it out to the parade ground and set it up there.

Any interesting or bizarre people you met?

We did have one guy in the bungalow with us.. he had had 5 distinctions in school and was very bright, however he struggled with the army. He was just not army material. He could not even tie his boots properly and the NCO's and other guys made his life miserable. Yet, he was always the first one up and he worked very hard at inspection even though it never helped much. He transferred to Kimberley with us and later ended up as a clerk there. There were usually one or 2 guys who did not shower and often they would be taken and scrubbed by their bungalow mates with brooms.

How did you get to do this training - you applied?

A few weeks into basics a colonel from "Burgersake" popped in and explained to us the benefits of going to Intelligence School in Kimberley. It sounded really good, a quick language, drivers and burger sake course, rank and then posted off to an area to assist the local population. Needless to say I signed up. The Colonel disappeared and we heard nothing further after that.

What made you apply for this training.

It sounded like a good way to spend our time in the army, it did sound like it had merit. It also meant getting out of Potch which I hated with a passion. There were not too many options if you were in infantry, the only others who would come around were the Dog School

What did the course involve?

When we arrived at Kimberley we had the shock of our lives. Firstly we had to redo basics, then we would go to the bush for 1 month to do 2nd phase, platoon weapons and Tein Ops. After that we would return to Kimberley, complete Tein Ops and then start a language course for 3 weeks, then a drivers course of 2 weeks, then do vasbyt and finally burgersake or an intelligence course. Some would end up as 1 liners and others as loots. Those who did not make it would be RTU-ed

How well was it structured and taught?

We were the 2nd intake to the fledgling Intelligence School and things were disorganised. We initially had NDP instructors to take us through basics. 2nd Phase was to be taught by PF's and they would get black instructors to teach us the language course. Naturally the army did not plan any of this properly. Our drivers course had 3 learners licence books for a whole company

What did you like - hate - find interesting?

The camp was huge and had these big hangers for bungalows, each could sleep 3 platoons and there was no privacy at all, they were also like fridges and winter was on its way. The bathrooms were totally inadequate. The food was served in a huge mess with 16 to a table, unfortunately there was just not enough and while it was an improvement on Potch it did not satisfy hungry troops. The instructors were sadists, there is no other word for those PF's we had. We did 2nd phase at a piece of bush called "Duncan" which was about 20 kilo's from Jan Kemp Dorp. It was cold, dusty and just bush. We had no hot water, the food was too little and they treated us like shit. The platoon weapons phase was interesting, we learnt how to fire and maintain the World War 2 vintage Bren guns, Star 9mm pistol, Uzi submachine gun, the rifle grenade, and hand grenade. Unfortunately (or was it fortunately?) I had injured my knee in Potch so was admin duty for the time we were there. I also had had my ears damaged early in Kimberley and this prevented me from taking part in shooting. The Tein Ops was geared towards border duty but was not as clear as what we would do on the border later on. They covered riots and civil unrest too, but it did not really encompass what would soon be happening in the country.
We hated the cold, it was freezing in Kimberley most of the time. We hated the endless inspections and opfoks. Fortunately we were able to go into town on a Saturday morning and the camp had a movie house. Our passes ran from Thursday afternoon till Tuesday morning once a month. And we went on one almost a week after we arrived. Kimberley would have been a nice camp had it not been for the PF's.

Any humorous moments or events?

One Saturday nite they were showing the movie "Night Wing" which is all about vampire bats. We were sitting in suspense when all of a sudden a real bat flew into the movie house and we had such a fright we nearly all ran out thinking that the bats had arrived.
When we were doing 2nd phase in Duncan I saw what I assume was a ghost. I was standing beat in the canteen tent, just inside the door. It was freezing cold and I was struggling to keep awake. I became aware of somebody standing in the other doorway of the tent. It was just a black figure without any noticeable features. I could feel myself getting colder. I cleared my throat but it did not do anything. I was out of there like a shot! I went and fetched the other guard and we both went there and had a look but there was nothing there. The next morning I bumped into another guy who was standing guard at the ammo tent. He told me that while he had been standing a strange object had appeared over the tent, causing it to shake and move even though there was no windl! He was also scared witless. We questioned all the guards, none of them had been anywhere near the canteen or ammo tent.
Our tent was the last in the electrical wire which joined our tents to the generator and they did not have a fitting for us to have light with. Consequently cleaning your rifle was difficult because there was no light. One night I left a piece of prestik in the breech. We used this stuff to clean all the nooks and crannies which we could not reach otherwise. That morning at rifle inspection our dear loot threw a cadenza when he spotted it. He also threw my rifle into the road and chased me off to the tent to clean it or else!! Luckily I was admin duty or I would still be doing push ups! All that fuss over a piece of prestik, It was not as if I could use my rifle, it had not worked since the day I had got the thing! After it had bounced down the road I think the barrel got bent as well. I never did get to shoot with that rifle, I always had to borrow somebody else's.
When we were practising for the big passing out parade the platoon commander warned us that anybody who fainted in the squad would be kla-ed aan. During the parade he started to sway and eventually had to go down on his haunches to avoid fainting. I bet he could feel the silent laughter burning holes in his back. Ironically he was actually one of the few decent officers at Kimberly.

Any interesting or bizarre people you met?

Cpl Bosman was one of the PF instructors there. When we left for the bush he came along as our platoon leader. He was a total sadist and made us hate him through and through. He used to play Pink Floyd on his hifi at night as he got drunk. He did however stand up for his troops and backed us when anything was wrong. While we did the language course he went to do a quick refreshers course and emerged as a 2 pip loot.
The RSM was huge and round... he had an incredibly squeaky voice too and when we were practising for A Companies passing out parade he had to drill the whole battalion, the column being 5 companies in strength. Needless to say nobody could ever hear him.

Is there any story to how your got this posting?

What were your duties?

What were your duties?

We were divided into the platoons, I was allocated the position of skutter 4, section 3 of platoon 6, B Company. We went straight into training from here, the company had to do evaluation before going up to the border, we were horribly unfit after our time in heaven and I found it really tough going to keep up. Being strangers to the company made it even harder because the guys looked down their noses at us. Oddly enough, in spite of this we were still trained infantrymen and a lot of what went on around us, while geared towards a mechanised environment was quite familiar. I remember very little about the first week at De Brug. I know it rained a lot and I spent lots of time stumbling around in the dark and digging lots of holes. We did plenty shooting which was not good for my ear problem. We returned to the base for the weekend and went back to the bush afterwards. The time in camp was spent cleaning and washing our gear and being fucked around by the sadists of 1 SAI. On our return to the bush it was back to work again. The evaluation commenced and lasted a week. We really suffered with the endless rain. It was so bad that much of the many evolutions were cancelled. I do remember running the 3,6 and making an L shaped trench and not waking up through a mock mortar attack. The rain jammed my rifle and wet my boots thoroughly. It was misery city at de Brug. We went on pass and in early December handed in our gear so that we could leave for the border.

Describe your journey, arrival and orientation.

The drivers and gunners left a week before we did for the border. They were supposed to prepare the vehicles on the border for when we arrived. It was rumoured that we were going to Oshivello and would be based there. But then again the army thrived on rumours. The next week we were sans vehicles and we started preparing to go. We spent some time in the bush and then came back into camp to hand in our non essential bits and pieces, have injections, medicals, haircuts and do paperwork. Naturally there were guys who would try to scare us with stories and bad things but we all just grunted vas and made the best of it. Soon we were at the airport and then onto the flossie en route for SWA. The flight took about 2,5 hours and we were jammed in like sardines. Then we descended and landed at Grootfontein. The back of the plane opened and for the first time we saw and felt South West. We had arrived! We all piled into what we later found out was called a "Kwe Voel", basically a mine proof Samel 100. With this we headed out to the great unknown. We still did not know where were were off to, all we did know was that it was Northward and very hot. After a while we stopped at Lake Otjikoto which was used by the Germans as a munition dump during the war. Very nice curiosity if I may say so. Then we continued our journey, arriving at Owambo Hek later that day. Once past this gate you were officially in the operational area. This was the place where all the trouble occurred. We drove on for about 18 kilo's before turning up a white chalk road. This road we would soon come to know intimately and it was about 1,5 kilo's long with a slight incline and a sandbagged gate at the end of it. The place was called Omuthiya and was home to 61 Mechanised Battalion Group.

What did you like - hate - find interesting?

The heat was the worst thing initially, it was hot, very hot and we were soon lathered in sweat. Our tents were stifling hot with concrete floors and proper beds and mattresses. There was no cold water and the sun was blinding. We were told that at 5 in the morning we would do PT, then it was inspection and parade, then training until 11H00 when brunch would be served. After brunch we would continue training until 13H00 and then we had siesta until 15H00 followed by more training until about 17H00. Supper was served at 18H00. It was a long day which would be filled with Tein ops (again). Our webbing had changed somewhat, having sprouted 3 more water bottles, a "soek steek stok", lots of ammunition and 5 magazines. We carried our rifles everywhere and wore bushhats all day. The tein ops was split into different things each day, there were vehicle related drills, ambushes, weapons, patrols, camouflage etc. Each had its own torture involved and each was more hated that the previous one. Our morning sleep was roused at 05H00 and as a platoon we ran that terrible road. It was agony.
It was still quite cool by 11h00 when we had brunch. This was served in the big roofed over mess and usually consisted of viennas, bread, porridge, spick and span,beans and boiled eggs or any combination of them. With only a limited time to eat and lots of pigs around, the queue moved very slowly, what with queue jumpers and inefficient servers. Usually by the time I got to the food there was very little left over and we ended up having to scrounge food from the leftovers from one of the other companies.

Any humorous moments or events?

There were many memorable things that happened to us in that December, not all of it good. I remember the one day were due to go attack an "enemy position" one early morning, so I went to bed early as well. I had just fallen asleep when I was woken up by a commotion in the tent. I was told not to move, there was a snake in the tent. I was stuck in my sleeping bag with a snake in the tent! The guys gathered around trying to figure out what to do. Some suggested shooting it, others wanted to catch it by hand and keep it. Finally someone decided to kill it and the reptile was beaten to death with a Mag butt and thrown away. I think I ran the 2,4 in about 2 seconds that night. We duly went onto our attack the next morning. My nerves totally shot to hell, I had had no more sleep that night and was jumpy as can be. While I waited next to a bush for something to happen I noticed a long thin twig and thought to myself, if that twig suddenly start to move what then? Be damned if the twig suddenly started to slither away. Needless to say I found a new spot very quickly. By the time we finished the attack I was so jumpy that when they fired the flare to signify the withdrawal I screamed out load and jumped over the bush that I was hiding in.
The one night that we chose to do an ambush was the first night that it had rained in ages. We trudged to our position in the dark, arriving I know not when. It was pitch black and drizzling. The section leader told us to watch the road and open fire if anything came our way. We had taken blankets with us instead of sleeping bags and wrapped in this rain soaked coverings we waited to ambush the so called enemy. It was so dark I could not even make the road out. I fell asleep very quickly, only waking up a bit later when the flare went off and and everybody started shooting like crazy. The next morning we went back to camp and only then did I realise that the road was only 4 metres from where I lay!
The first time that we undertook a night march was also a disaster. It was overcast and there was no moon. We trudged on in the night heading on a predetermined bearing. It went on for ages until about 1 in the morning. After a huddled conference the section leader admitted that we were lost! The noise from the camp generator had kept us going, however, once that was switched off we lost what little direction we still had and were really lost! We decided to "stig a TB" and plonk ourselves down to sleep. It was a restless night and a very long one too. However when morning came we were in for a big surprise. We had camped in a clearing which was frequented by elephants and were lucky not to have been sat on! The jumbo troops also provided us with a means of getting back to camp. We knew that one drank water from our pool, so we followed a set of tracks which joined up with a well used path. This path led us straight back to camp where we learnt that we were the only bunch that had not returned that night. Needless to say our section leader had lots of explaining to do.