Springkaan Masemula attested on 20 January 1941 in the Native Military Corps at the age of 24.
("SPRINGKAAN" MEANS "LOCUST" IN AFRIKAANS!)
He was attested as a Private and was allocated the force number of N 12389. He listed his mother, Honiga Masemula as his Next of Kin. An inhabitant of the Pretoria District, Masemula's religious denomination is stated as Anglican.
Masemula disembarked in Suez in North Africa on 15August 1941. Masemula was awarded 10 DAYS FIELD PUNISHMENT on 5 January 1942 for contravening the Military Discipline Code.
On 1 April 1941, Private Masemula was transferred to the 2nd South African Police Battalion and was later transferred to the 1st Battalion on 24 April 1941. The South African Police had sent a Brigade to North Africa that consisted of two Infantry battalions and a motor cycle contingent. The 6th or SAP Brigade formed part of theTobruk garrison and was called the 6th Infantry Brigade Group.
At 09HOO on the 2lst of June 1942, General Klopper surrendered Tobruk to General Rommel and 10 722 South African and 20 000 British soldiers were captured.
1200 of theSouth Africans captured were members of the Native Military Corps.
"It was a combination of shells, Stukas and Panzers. By 8 A.M. the infantry was through"
A GERMAN PARTICIPANT IN THE ASSAULT ON AND CAPTURE OF TOBRUK
After the surrender of Tobruk, Masemula was one of theSouth African soldiers listed as MISSING BELIEVED P.O.W. On 24 August 1942, Masemula's status as a P.O.W. was confirmed.
On 22 July 1942, Masemula and Private Tshaka escaped from Tobruk, an action in which both soldiers were awarded IMMEDIATE awards of the Military Medal for gallantry in the field. They had only reached their own forces lines on 18 August 1942. The immediate award was personally approved by Field Marshall Alexander, Commander in Chief of Middle East Command in a "MOST SECRET"citation.
After recovering from this ordeal, Springkaan was transferred to the 206 Motor Transport Company on 19 October 1942. Despite being a decorated "war hero", Masemula had 15 days' pay deducted from his salary for contravening sections of the Military Disciplinary Code. He returned to the Union of South Africa on 11 January 1944 and was discharged from the NMC on the 2nd of August 1945.