The period between 1939 and 1945 is marked as one of the deadliest in human history.
An estimated 50- to 56-million people died during this time, a direct result of the deadliest military conflict in World War II.
Vryheid boasts its own war veteran, who was part of the battle.
Age is but a number when it comes to Eddie Lowe, who is turning 96 this year.
He still has a clear memory of the war and can tell his war stories for hours on end.
Eddie was born in Kimberley on March 15, 1924.
His father worked on the diamond fields in Kimberley but when Eddie turned 13, the family relocated to Durban.
Just before his 17th birthday, Eddie joined the South African Air Force (in February 1941).
He was trained as an aircraft engine mechanic and fitter at the time of his dispatch to Northern Africa, and was later transferred to Malta in Italy, where he was part of the war effort for three years.
Eddie was responsible for the maintenance, repairs and loading of missiles into aircraft.
Although the war ended in 1945, Eddie could only return to South Africa in November 1946 and in January 1947, resigned from the South African Air Force.
He then joined the rail service in Durban, working as a driver’s assistant on the trains for a few months.
In 1953, he married Stella de Jager from Helpmekaar in the Dundee area.
The young couple then moved to Wasbank where they farmed for four years, before Eddie was recruited by Old Mutual in Dundee.
After four years there, he was promoted to District Manager in Vryheid.
He worked for Old Mutual from 1960 to 1977 when he retired but because of his expertise in the field, Standard Bank recruited Eddie as a broker for another ten years.
It is during this time he met Marie, the daughter of Jan and Elsie Laas, who he employed as his secretary for a few years.
Marie’s father was well-known in Vryheid since he was the District Livestock Inspector.
Her first husband was killed in an accident after only being married to her for a short period of time.
It was only years later when Marie and Eddie’s roads crossed again, after discovering that both their second spouses had died of Alzheimer’s disease.
Eddie and Marie were married in 2012 and have been residents of the SAVF Jubileum Old Age Home for the past seven years.
After living in Vryheid for 60 years, the couple are now moving to a retirement state in Waterkloof, Pretoria.
This will be a great loss for the community, since Eddie is still an active member of the Vryheid Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTH) and the only living war veteran in the area.
Vryheiders wish the Lowe couple all the best on their new adventure beneath the bright city lights.
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