Sunday, 22 May 1859
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 22 May 1859.
Although Doyle is best known for his writing of the Sherlock Holmes crime novel series, he also spent time in South Africa during the Second Anglo Boer War.
Doyle was a trained medical doctor, who had graduated from Edinburgh University in 1881.
Thanks to his qualifications, Doyle was sent to South Africa in 1900 to serve as a medic for the British troops during the Second Anglo Boer War.
In 1902, Doyle wrote a pamphlet on the war called The War in South Africa: Its Causes and Conduct, which responded to all the charges levelled against the British for their conduct during the war.
Doyle defended the British position in the pamphlet, and this work became so popular that he was knighted in October, 1902.
Doyle also wrote a book called The Great Boer War, which he compiled from information he obtained from personal interaction with both British and Boer soldiers.
Although the accuracy of this work has been questioned, Doyle attempted to table all those wounded or killed in the war before he left South Africa, which no doubt serves as a valuable reference point for history researchers.
Sunday, 22 May 1859
The author of Sherlock Holmes and field doctor in the South African War of 1899-1902, Arthur Conan Doyle, was born at Picardy Place, Edinburgh in 1859.
The son of Charles Altamont Doyle and Mary Foley-Doyle, he studied medicine at Edinburgh University where he graduated as a doctor in 1885.
After graduation Doyle practiced medicine at Southsea near Portsmouth in Hampshire until 1891.
During the South African War, Doyle served as a doctor in a field hospital.
It is during this period that he wrote The Great Boer War. In 1902 Doyle returned to England.
On 7 July 1930 Doyle died of heart disease.
Friday, 22 May 1959
Chief Albert Luthuli, President General of the African National Congress (ANC), led the Defiance Campaign in 1952, a non- violent protest against the pass laws.
Yet all these were menacing to the apartheid government hence they gave Luthuli many banning orders.
In consequence Luthuli was first banned in 1952 for two years; the ban was renewed in 1954 when he was confined to the lower Tugela area.
Again in 1959 he was banned for a further period of five years which would be renewed.
Despite of the banning orders Luthuli decisively continued with his political activities until his latter days.
Additionally Luthuli’s five year ban expired in 1964, immediately he was served with a new and stricter order.
Friday, 22 May 1970
In May 1970, the British government requested that the English Cricket Council reverse its decision to invite the South African cricket team on tour.
This was as a result of the reaction caused by the all-White composition of the South African team among the anti-Apartheid activists and countries that were opposed to the Apartheid government of South Africa.
For example, Peter Hain led a campaign called Stop the Seventy Tour.
The campaign threatened to disrupt any matches played during the tour.
African and Asian countries also threatened to boycott the Commonwealth Games that would be held in Edinburgh in the same year should the South African team be allowed to be a part of that tour.
The English Cricket Council subsequently withdrew the invitation on 22 May 1970.
Wednesday, 22 May 1996
Former South African Defence Force (SADF) Chief Tienie Groenewald was acquitted by the Durban Supreme Court on all charges related to the 1987 KwaMakhutha Massacre.
The KwaMakutha attack, in which thirteen people, mostly women and children, were killed and several injured, was launched on the house of United Democratic Front (UDF) activist Bheki Ntuli.
Groenewald was acquitted together with other members of the SADF and Inkatha Freedom Party members such as M.Z. Khumalo.
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