LHR / ILH

[iaindh]

Hi Frank,

Andrew Dinnes, in his book "Border War Badges," has the large ILH badge in AA but he says they were made as Bandsman's badges in the 70's, but made wrongly as they had the Imperial flags not the Republic flags.
Presumably enough were made that there were still some left over for Col Janzen and the RSM to wear as the Colonel also says they were made in the 70's.
The regs were changed that the ILH badge could be worn.

regards, Iain

Originally Posted by Frank Kelley

Hello Iain,
That does rather make one want to ask more questions does it not?
How many badges were made and by who?
Officers and the RSM wear ILH badges? which ones exactly?
Only the RSM and myself wear the large staybright ILH badge? they must have ordered more than two, surely, they cannot be so hard up?
I'd be very interested to know what their dress regs say about ILH badges and buttons and in particular what their officers actually do wear these days and where those badges and buttons come/came from.
All very interesting though Iain, thank you for the update,
Kind regards Frank

[Frank Kelley]

Hello Iain,
Do you know when the regulations were first changed?
I always just assumed they were merely being rather flaunt in the 1960's and were doing so without any authority whatsoever.
Kind regards Frank

[Frank Kelley]

Iain,
I meant to ask you before, have you been to Ellis Park?
Regards again Frank

[iaindh]

Hi Frank,

I have been to Ellis Park but not to check out the battle during the '22 strike where of course the ILH were involved.

I'll try to find out when the regulations were altered.

kind regards,

Iain

[Frank Kelley]

Hello Iain,
Is there any memorial in place regarding those twenty something ILH who were killed there?
I often find it hard to fully understand why those hard line Boers were still unable to accept the Union by that date, given all that had happened in the Great War.
Regards Frank

[iaindh]

Hi Frank,

there is a plaque and a mural at Ellis Park commemorating the Battle there.

Battle of Ellis Park Mural 2.jpg Battle of Ellis Park Plaque.jpg

My understanding is that the strike was about black workers being employed on the mines in place of unskilled and semi skilled white workers.

The 1914 rebellion was a different matter but I believe a lot of the rebel troops involved were just following their Officers orders and had they a choice they wouldn't have got involved.
Louis Botha actually used Loyal Afrikaans Commandos against the rebels to avoid an English / Afrikaans confrontation.

regards, Iain

[sabrigade]

The 1922 strike is a complex story and had varied role-players involved and many of the strikers were ex-servicemen, some who were decorated for their ww1 war service.

Most of the leaders were of British origin.

I have some very interesting related items which I will post under another thread.

[Frank Kelley]

Thanks Iain,
Pleased and relieved to see that there is someone there with a sense of history, yes indeed, capitalism and greed was and remains a terrible thing as far as your average man on the street goes, of course, for some, it was unfinished business.

Events of 1914 were indeed tragic, moreover, they slowed things down a little too, but, the net result was much the same.

Thanks again for the photographs, now then, are you brave enough to pop over to Brixton and take some more?
Kind regards Frank

Originally Posted by iaindh

Hi Frank,

there is a plaque and a mural at Ellis Park commemorating the Battle there.

Attachment 121660 Attachment 121661

My understanding is that the strike was about black workers being employed on the mines in place of unskilled and semi skilled white workers.

The 1914 rebellion was a different matter but I believe a lot of the rebel troops involved were just following their Officers orders and had they a choice they wouldn't have got involved.
Louis Botha actually used Loyal Afrikaans Commandos against the rebels to avoid an English / Afrikaans confrontation.

regards, Iain

[iaindh]

Hi Frank,

I think Brixtons are Brixtons where ever!

The main actions during the strike / revolt were in Fordsburg, Jeppe, Benoni and Brakpan.
South Africa's only tank was brought into use but got stuck in a tramline.

Jan Smuts lost the election in 1924 which was widely blamed on his handling of the strike.

regards, Iain

Originally Posted by Frank Kelley

Thanks Iain,
Pleased and relieved to see that there is someone there with a sense of history, yes indeed, capitalism and greed was and remains a terrible thing as far as your average man on the street goes, of course, for some, it was unfinished business.

Events of 1914 were indeed tragic, moreover, they slowed things down a little too, but, the net result was much the same.

Thanks again for the photographs, now then, are you brave enough to pop over to Brixton and take some more?
Kind regards Frank

[Frank Kelley]

Hello Iain,
I think that the twenty something ILH killed were buried in Brixton were they not?
There is really nothing whatsoever complex about this, it was a very simple cocktail, some very greedy Randlords, your average white mine worker, whose jobs, were, in effect, protected anyway, a dash of communism and of course, the ever present hard line Afrikaner, all made the revolt.
You know Iain, people in Johannesburg, who spent much of their time in the 1960's talking about "the war" were certainly not talking about the Great War or the Second World War!
Regards Frank

[iaindh]

Hi Frank,

I'm not sure where the ILH were buried to be honest.

You are touching on SA's sad history there... When the Nats came into power they changed the school curriculum to their version of the ABW. The rebels of the 1914 rebellion became heroes and it was depicted as an English / Afrikaans event, which of course it wasn't, loyal Afrikaans fought against the rebels.
To this day there are those that don't know the truth and those that repeat, parrot fashion, "the English created concentration camps and the Nazis perfected them......"

regards, Iain

Originally Posted by Frank Kelley

Hello Iain,
I think that the twenty something ILH killed were buried in Brixton were they not?
There is really nothing whatsoever complex about this, it was a very simple cocktail, some very greedy Randlords, your average white mine worker, whose jobs, were, in effect, protected anyway, a dash of communism and of course, the ever present hard line Afrikaner, all made the revolt.
You know Iain, people in Johannesburg, who spent much of their time in the 1960's talking about "the war" were certainly not talking about the Great War or the Second World War!
Regards Frank

[Frank Kelley]

LOL Iain,
You need to speak to every parrot you meet and inform them that concentration camps had already been created before the Anglo Boer War and not by the English!
Regards again Frank

Originally Posted by iaindh

Hi Frank,

I'm not sure where the ILH were buried to be honest.

You are touching on SA's sad history there... When the Nats came into power they changed the school curriculum to their version of the ABW. The rebels of the 1914 rebellion became heroes and it was depicted as an English / Afrikaans event, which of course it wasn't, loyal Afrikaans fought against the rebels.
To this day there are those that don't know the truth and those that repeat, parrot fashion, "the English created concentration camps and the Nazis perfected them......"

regards, Iain

[Frank Kelley]

Hello Iain,
Have you seen any LHR on the streets in Johannesburg this week, wondering if they have or are going to be deployed given the current events?
Regards Frank

[iaindh]

Hi Frank,

the violence hasnt been widespread but the troops were used in raids on mine hostels. These people were using Xenophobia as an excuse to loot.

It seems to be PF Infantry, no armoured Regts used.

regards, Iain

[Frank Kelley]

Glad you are okay, Iain.
Stay safe.
Regards Frank