WAR STORIES AND YARNS
WAR STORIES AND YARNS
Brig Hennie Heymans
Abstract
A look at some history gathered by Hennie Heymans over the years.
Keywords
Albertyn, HP Capt
Baartman, “Doppies” W/O – Great March: WW2
Cele, Bekinkosi Constable – Tobruk veteran
De Klerk, JS Major (WW2)
de Villiers, AJ ‘At’ Maj
Dillon, MJ “Mickey” Const
Earp, Denis Lt-Gen (SAAF)
Ethiopia
Geldenhuis, FJW “Fred” W/O – Parabat
Geldenhuys, JJ “Jannie” Gen (CSADF)
Gold, LG Const – Lauchhamer
Murdered as Prisoner of War
Parabat
Pretorius, CP Maj-Gen
Prince Alfred’s Guard
Rossouw. “Porky” – WW2 Veteran
Second World War
Snyman, LG Maj-Gen MBE (SAP Brigade)
South African Police Brigade
Union Defence Force
Verster, HV “Vic” Lt-Gen (SAAF / SA Police)
I joined the SA Police about 20 years after WW2 and I was trained by many veterans of WW2 in the SAP College. I also served with so many of these fine old veterans who partook in WW2.
To name a few I served with the following veterans
- Const Bekinkosi Cele – Tobruk veteran
- Const ‘Porky’ Rossouw
- Maj ‘At’ de Villiers
- W/O “Doppies” Bartman – Great march
- Capt Albertyn
Since I went on pension, I spoke to the following members of the Defence Force and scanned their photos and wrote about them in the Nongqai:
- Gen JJ “Jannie” Geldenhuys (CSADF)
- Lt-Gen D Earp (SAAF)
- Lt-Gen HG “Vic” Verster SAAF / SA Police)
- Maj-Gen LG Snyman MBE (SAP Brigade)
- WO FJW “Fred” Geldenhuis MM – SAP Brigade & RSM PAG
- Capt HP Albertyn – The Great March
- Maj JS de Klerk
- Maj Gen CP Pretorius
- And many others
I wrote an article on Cost LG Gold (SAP Brigade) – Murdered by the Nazi’s in a German POW Camp and about policemen from the Police Brigade who fought with the partisans in Italy – too many stories to mention. Again, some policemen were murdered by the Germans in Italy – at least two I can think of at the moment.
When I was young, I was too busy with police work and too busy to write down stories. (Oupa Heymans was a boy during the Anglo Boer War, and I neglected to jot his and Ouma’s stories down.)
I can kick myself for not writing Const Cele’s story or Oom Doppies Baartman story. Oom Doppies told me that the Germans has no time for USSR POW’s – The just said: “Arbeit, arbeit!” And if the POW was slow to work, he was shot!
I published memoirs of amongst others Maj-Gen CP Pretorius (via his son Prof Lourens Pretorius) and Capt Alberteyn’s story about their great march from the east to the west just ahead of the advancing Russians.
There are so many anecdotes about the war that gets (or got) lost through time. In the MOTH Club a bank manager told me a member of the SAP Brigade said to all: “Watch I am going to shoot this plane down!” He took aim with his .303 and there was one Luftwaffe plane less!
In Ethiopia Const Mickey Dillon lead the procession when Emperor Haile Selase was welcomed back in Adis Abeba and took his rightful place on the throne.
I sat down with “old men” (and one lady veteran – over a hundred years old – who was a SWAN and died a few months ago) and wrote many articles of their exploits. One old policeman told me he escaped in Italy and fought with the partisans when one day more than a thousand Allied bombers flew overhead.
Oom Fred Geldenhuis (MM & MiD) escaped a few times in Italy. After his last escape they asked him would he go back with a radio and join the Partisans. He agreed the Americans showed him in an office how to use a parachute. A British officer gave him a set of British para-wings (see photo) and said if he could make it alive, he could wear the wings on his upper sleave. (He never wore the wings). He told me jumped on a moonless night and it was quite an experience!
Gen Jannie Geldenhuys phone me one day and said he was looking for a veteran who fought in WW2 and in the Bush War. I introduced him to Oom Fred Geldenhuis. (Note different spelling). He wrote a story about the remarkable personality.
Oom Fred was first in the SSB then in the SAP. He went up North with the SAP Brigade. He was later RSM of 2SAP. He came back to the SAP and when he went on pension when PAG asked him to be their RSM which he did. (He met Princess Margaret twice once during 1947 whilst he was in the Mounted Police and the 2nd time as RSM of PAG). He served with PAG on the border. Gen Geldenhuys wrote an article about Oom Fred.
I met wonderful and exceptional men and one lady! SWAN Marie Sweetnam (born Van Rooyen) she lived to over 100 years and we did a “Special Nongqai” on her SWAN exploits. They all had great stories to tell.
I am ending off with five photos of the late Oom Fred because you might not believe me – some stories are stranger than fiction He was a great hero and a perfect gentleman!
Invested with the MM
His British Wings
RSM of PAG
Meetings Princess Margaret (for the 2nd time).
Hennie Heymans + Gen Geldenhuys + RSM “Fred” Geldenhuis
Lest we forget.
