Jeppe Boys remember heroes of two world wars

The annual Jeppe High School for Boys Remembrance Service took on special significance this year as it marked the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I on November 11, 1918.

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Close attention was also paid to the stories of those who lost their lives in the world wars.

The story of Jeppe Old Boy Robert George Hamilton, who died in World War II, was told.

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The guest speaker was journalist Fred Khumalo, who recounted the fate of the SS Mendi, the ship that was sunk in 1917 with 600 black South African soldiers on board.

The story of how Hamilton sacrificed his life to save others was related by Travis Kroggel.

Hamilton was a Jeppe Boy who attended the school from 1936 to 1940.

He was born on May 23, 1923, and attended Jeppe Preparatory. He lived at 4 Medusa Street in Kensington.

Hamilton joined the South African Air Force (SAAF) straight out of school and obtained the rank of second lieutenant in the 31st Bomber Squadron.

According to museum records, in the late evening of August 14, 1944, Hamilton and other members of 31 and 34 Squadron took off on a supply-drop mission for Warsaw and reached the city just before dark. While flying in the vicinity of the Cathedral, the plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire.

After the cargo was dropped over Grzybowski Square, the commander of the plane, Capt Jack van Eyssen, seeing the damage to the plane, decided to head to the areas occupied by the Russians.

During this time, two crew members were hit by bullets and killed. The second engine started to burn over Skaryszewski Park and the decision was made to abandon the plane.

Four crew members managed to parachute out of the plane, but it was losing altitude very quickly, dropping from 1 000 to 400 feet.

People on the ground noticed that the plane was in trouble and tried to steer it away from a built-up area towards an open park, away from civilians.

After the plane was redirected, co-pilot Hamilton and first pilot van Eyssen jumped from the plane.

Hamilton’s parachute took longer to open than expected and, given the low altitude, he fell to his death.

His body and those of his fellow two pilots were buried close to where their plane crashed in a forest called Józefów, just outside Warsaw.

Their bodies were later transferred to the Rakowicki Cemetery in Krakow.

During the Warsaw Uprising, one of the troops of the Polish Scout was based in the same forest. This troop later built a monument to honour the South African pilots who assisted in the Warsaw Uprising. They even renamed their troop the Robert George Hamilton Scout Troop because he made the ultimate sacrifice to save civilians.

The monument marks the exact spot where the SAAF Liberator crashed in flames at midnight on August 15, 1944.

Khumalo shared the moving story of the 600 black South African soldiers who sank with the SS Mendi and their role in the war. He commented that their story had not been shared often enough.

“The story of World War I has been told so many times. However, as with many instances of history, the story of World War I has pockets of hidden moments. Moments which, when we consider them in more detail, add a layer to the bigger story of the war. Stories of valour and heroism that were never fully acknowledged,” said Khumalo.

He said the story of the sinking of the SS Mendi had been told through oral history, which inspired him to research the story and write a book.

“A particular part of the SS Mendi history inspired me to want to revisit this story, to celebrate the valour of these unsung heroes. My novel Dancing the Death Drill tells the story from the perspective of one of the survivors. The book does not pretend to be a straight-ahead historical text. I use the Mendi as a springboard from which I launch a conversation on pockets of history which had to be hidden,” explained Khumalo.

The book is currently being taught in the English department at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Father Anthony Egan shared a scripture.

“Commemorating those who were killed in various wars is not glorifying the war. The aim is to honour the sacrifices made. It is right to acknowledge those who died, but the real aim is to ensure that these things don’t happen again,” said Egan.

The Payne Hall was decorated with items detailing the history of the war and photographs of the fallen soldiers.

Wreaths were laid at the War Memorial on behalf of various organisations associated with the school, and at the Scottish Horse War Memorial on the ridge, marking the school’s commitment to the Kensington community.

• Information contained in this article was obtained from saafmuseum.org.za and Jeppe High School for Boys Museum Archives pupil register.

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