Forums

• Patron - £25.00/year

See all Subscription Plans

• 
  The French Navy in Djibouti

  By No one · Posted 22 minutes ago

  Dear Gentlemen,   The Jules Verne was a workshop ship of the French Navy, named in honor of Jules Verne. Commissioned in 1976, she was withdrawn in 2009. Her home port was Djibouti from October 7, 1976 to November 30, 1997. She was featured on the 10 000-Djiboutian francs banknote.   French ship Jules Verne (A620) - Wikipedia Histoire du BAP Jules Verne (netmarine.net) (4 pages in French)   The insignia of the BAP* Jules Verne F.I.A Ed.Lyon: *Bâtiment Atelier Polyvalent / auxiliary - maintenance - repair ship       - Tape de bouche 'Marine en Mer Rouge et Golfe d'Aden' / tampion or tompion 'Navy in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden'     The insignia of the Marine en CFS 4e ESC.VP* *4ème escadrille de vedettes de port / 4th squadron of port launches is assigned to the naval command in Djibouti and consists of VP 9 (ex HDML 1127), VP 16 (ex HDML 1139)         - sticker 'Saphir II':     Mission Saphir II: After a referendum on 8 May 1977 (98.8% of "yes"), the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became independent on 27 June 1977 under the name of the Republic of Djibouti while the French fleet, during Operation Saphir, deployed up to 17 ships in the area, including its Clemenceau aircraft carrier relieved by the Foch, the largest fleet deployed by France in this region, since the Second World War II. Saphir II had to ensure the integrity of this territory at the time of its independence.   Yours sincerely, No one
• 
  My new EK1

  By VtwinVince · Posted 2 hours ago

  Wow, the condition is exceptional.
• 
  19 MARCH 1902 - NEAR LYDENBURG (“BEN TOR” BLOCKHOUSE)

  By archie777 · Posted 4 hours ago

  “The Campaigns and History of the Royal Irish Regiment from 1684 to 1902”, p360-1:   The dynamite episode occurred two months later. Among the blockhouses held by the Royal Irish was one, named by the troops Ben Tor, which stood on a kopje so thickly covered with big boulders that the sentries could not watch all the approaches to it.   The building was of stone, roofed with sheets of galvanised iron; and on the night of the 18th of March it was held by a non-commissioned officer – Sergeant M’Grath – and nine private soldiers. A   bout two o’clock in the morning of the 19th, the two men on sentry outside the blockhouse heard sounds which they rightly interpreted to be those of approaching feet. While one remained on the lookout, the other crawled into the blockhouse and reported to Sergeant M’Grath, who immediately stood to arms and manned his loopholes, but almost before the men were in their places, a bomb was hurled on the roof, which unfortunately being flat, not sloping, afforded the missile a secure lodgement.   In a second there was a tremendous explosion: the blockhouse was wrecked and every man of the garrison dangerously or severely wounded, except the sentry outside who escaped all injury.  After capturing this man the Boers waited for some minutes to see if anyone was still on foot; then, satisfied that no resistance was to be expected, they rapidly looted the blockhouse and decamped, fortunately without finding the boxes of reserve ammunition hidden under the sheets of galvanized iron which formed the beds of  the garrison.   Beyond stripping some of the wounded, the burghers did their victims no harm, and sent off the uninjured soldier to summon medical aid from Lydenburg. By dawn a detachment of troops, a doctor, and an ambulance were on the way to Ben Tor, where, says one of the officers, “the place was like a shambles – too horrible to describe.”   As soon as the wounded men had been  removed, the blockhouse was rebuilt and greatly strengthened.
• 
  19 MARCH 1902 - GARIES VICINITY

  By archie777 · Posted 4 hours ago

  A patrol left Garies on 18 March 1902 and during an engagement at Brandy Wyn’s Kop, Lieutenant Charles Darter was killed in the “the Gorge”… after the engagement they encamped in the gorge and buried Lieutenant Darter at 12pm.   On 19 March 1902 they were nearly surrounded at Rietkloof by the Boers, who failed also to occupy Brandy Wyn’s Kop.   Captain Montagu led the Cape Police to capture a kopje occupied by the Boers;  he was successful with no one being hit.   The Boers were unable to bottle up the column. The column retired from Brandy Wyn’s Kop with the assistance of Lieutenant Maddison, who held the pass in advance of the withdrawal.   Captain Montagu and his men covered the retreat. Sergeant Bidmead was mortally wounded and Corporal Kenney slightly wounded.   At a subsequent time, Commandant de Villiers told Major Cobbe that he thought the attack on the Kopje one of the smartest things he had seen. Garies was reached but Sergeant Bidmead died.  “O’Okiep” by Brian Kieran, p.46
• 
  11 MARCH 1902 - SPION KOP POST / TAROSFONTEIN

  By archie777 · Posted 4 hours ago

  “On the night of March 11, 1902, at Spion Kop near Van Wyk’s Rust, about 100 Boers attacked a post held by Sergeant Horace Saxby, a former member of Strathcona’s Horse, with some troopers of 1/A Troop.   As the Boers advanced under the cover of heavy rain and mist about 11pm, Saxby had his men ready and lying down at their posts.   When the alarm was given, they were able to beat back the first rush. A close-range fire fight went on for fifteen minutes, then the attackers retired to the foot of the kopje where the fort stands. Firing continued until about 4.30am when the Boers departed, having lost one man killed and two wounded.   The South African Constabulary had no casualties. Captain Charles Rowe reported that Saxby and his sixteen men defended a position that he considered required a garrison of not less than fifty men.   He credited Saxby’s constant presence, cheeriness, and movement from point to point for much of the success. Saxby and one man effectively defended the only road onto the kopje.” SAC Journal, Vol 1, No 1, page 6: made available by the late Mrs. Audrey Portman.