Holistic History May 2023 – To Be a Soldier

You are cordially invited to both sessions of the Holistic History Society online meeting scheduled for Sunday, the 21st of May. The meeting will feature an interview with a Boksburg resident and historical novelist, Joy Kearsley, about her debut novel, To be a Soldier. To be a Soldier is set during the Peninsular War and […]

Queen Elizabeth II – Aiding The War Effort

Queen Elizabeth II – How wartime helped define her life of service Many veterans have been paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II at her lying in state. As sovereign she was head of the armed forces, but her association with the military began much earlier, in wartime. When World War II began in 1939, […]

“The Queen is Home”

Her Majesty died peacefully at her beloved Balmoral Castle on 8 September 2022, meaning she spent her final days in Scotland. This historical outcome is fitting not only due to the location of Her Majesty’s death but also her relationship with the Scots that spans both her heritage and personal life. Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, […]

Why we wear the Purple Poppy!

“Have you ever gotten exactly what you wanted? It’s hard to imagine that any PlayStation 5 on Christmas morning could beat a pack of cigarettes showing up when you’re stuck in the trenches, but add to it that it’s delivered by an adorable dog. That’s what the soldiers of the 11th Engineers were treated to […]

Pipe Major Alexander (Sandy) Grieve D.C.M and the Lament of Deville Wood

Alexander “Sandy” Grieve was a South African soldier of the great war. He was born in Scotland at Largo in Fife, in 1869.As a young man he joined the British army as a professional soldier and served in the Royal Highlanders, the Scottish Regiment, better know as the Black Watch. It was as a British […]

Operation Savannah – a Rifleman’s View: January to April 1976

by Ray Matthews As part of the continuous military training in the South African Defence Force (SADF) which was required of white, male South African citizens in terms of the Defence Act of 1957 I had, prior to 1975, been on two three-week camps. A member of the 1st Battalion, the Transvaal Scottish Regiment, my […]