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A members' afternoon of displays from that vast Continent. A lower turnout than usual, but that did not impinge on the quality and diversity of material on display. Chris Cruttwell commenced with a number of Rhodesia WW1 items covering Bases 4,6&9, the Tanganyika Flotilla and a POW items amongst others. Nick Colley showed WW2 Air Forces training establishments in Southern Rhodesia (of 10 such camps he showed items from 8); Southern Rhodesia Active Service Cards and a single RAF items from the UDI period. Peter O'Keeffe being a member of the Rhodesian Study Circle showed .. Rhodesia ! He started off with items from WW2 Air Force training camps, Internment camps and then showed a large and detailed collection of material covering the Rhodesian Forces from the post-UDI period which saw the country transform from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe-Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. This was reflected in the make-up of the many cachets to be found on Forces mail to denote free postage. He also showed British concession rate cachets used in Zambia. Alistair Kennedy showed his usual varied and multi-national material from the whole region including Boer War, WW1 Rhodesian and Nyasaland Field Forces; mail from Rhodesia up to and during UDI period; 29 Sqn RAF in Zambia, Zambian concession cachets (RAF personnel training Zambian Air Force). Also a selection of items from areas formerly colonies of other European powers: Belgian-Congo, including UN mandate from the various contingents, Mozambique, Angola. Also mail from Rwanda. Bill Collingwood told us the story of the US Forces in Africa - they only went there because the Americans wanted an air route across that continent. The US sent engineering aviation units to replace the grass airstrips with concrete runways. Active units formed the Central African Ferrying Wing and bases included locations in Belgian-Congo, Nigeria, Liberia, Gold Coast and Sudan. Geoff Walters, a guest of Peter and fellow RSC member, showed WW2 related items from Southern Rhodesia, including mail with cachets from various army units in the region. Lastly Michael Dobbs showed FDCs from the UN Indian Contingent in Congo; 1974 commemorative cover from 20 Fd Sqn RE (FPO 443) in Malawi and FPO 444 Zaire River Expedition and a British meter frank from the Commonwealth Ceasefire Monitoring Force in Rhodesia. Lastly he put up a copy of the article by John Daynes on "Rhodesia and the British Forces" which appeared in Newsletter 183 (Spring 1985). |