A HISTORY OF MILITARY NOMENCLATURE IN

N.M. COWLING*

INTRODUCTION which the British Army and other mili- tary forces made on South African no- Military nomenclature is an important menclature. It is advisable to discuss dimension of military culture and re- the influence of British traditions if one ceives a high profile in some armed is to determine whether or not the forces, while in others it is a relatively guardians of nomenclature in South Af- low priority. In South Africa nomencla- rica managed to distance it from these ture played a very understated role for roots and assume a predominantly a long period but was accorded a South African orientation. Research on higher degree of importance over the points such as these will eventually past fifty years. In order to understand help to outline the true tradition of no- the motivation and pattern of the menclature in the SADF. trends in military nomenclature in South Africa, it is essential to acquaint one- 1912-1947 THE UNION DEFENCE self with the policy of the South African FORCE Defence Force which has regulated and determined the provision of names With the establishment of the Union De- since 1912. Although the history of no- fence Forces (UDF) in 1912, two military menclature in the Defence Force traditions - those of the British Army touches on politically sensitive issues, and the armed forces of the Boer Re- one should to bear in mind that, like publics - were united, although the Brit- most things, the provision of names ish tradition remained dominant in the and titles does not take place inside a UDF. When the UDFwas formed in 1912 vacuum. The nomenclature policy has under the South African Defence Act therefore always been susceptible to (No. 13 of 1912), it was small and con- the political climate, which has often sisted mainly of Active Citizen Force determined the direction it has taken units with a small Permanent Force in South Africa over the past eighty staff. The need for a nomenclature years. policy was almost non-existent as most of these units, and the buildings they The history of nomenclature in the were stationed in, already had names. SADF is not as well documented and There was also no need for the naming clear cut as one would like it to be. of armaments, vehicles or vessels as This situation is due to two factors. these were usually manufactured out- Firstly, there is a shortage of both pub- side South Africa. Whatever the no- lished and archival sources; and sec- menclature policy was which the UDF ondly, the fact that a written and set applied prior to World War One, it ap- policy was only compiled and issued pears to have been based upon the by the Defence Force for the first time name provision principles of the British in 1984. As a result of these draw- armed forces. Nomenclature in the backs, research on the subject is both British Army was a relativley simple time consuming and difficult. The aim process whereby a regiment was of this paper is to outline the trends of named after the district in which it was military nomenclature in South Africa raised. After receiving a geographical since 1912 and to discuss the metamor- and numerical designation regiments phosis of the nomenclature policy cur- were then accorded either a func- rently in use within the SADF. In order tional title or a royal title or both. For to ascertain a complete picture of mili- Example : The Queen's Own Cameron tary nomenclature in South Africa, it is Highlanders or the Somerset Light In- also necessary to discuss the impact fantry (Prince Albert's).'

Maj. T.J.Edwards: Regimental Titles- A brief sketch of their evolution. (The Army Quarterly and Defence Review. vol XXViI. No 1.Oct 1933). pp.58-77

Militar;a 23/3 7993 In South Africa, prior to 1910, the British Army followed the traditional policy of colonial secretary, Lord Elgin, con- naming regiments by incorporating veyed the necessary instructions from their geographical and functional de- the King concerning regimental titles tails.4 For example : the 7th District Ri- and distinctions to the Army. These fles established in 1914 were named procedures, which were prescribed at the "De Hoogeveld Schutters" and the a time when South African units had 9th Infantry established in 1917 were been linked to the British Army, were called "The Peninsula Rifles".5 This identical to the ones later followed in method of naming units had started the UDF.2 This instant British recipe in- during the previous century with the herited by the UDF, obviously reduced Volunteer Settler regiments and Boer the need for the creation of a new no- Commandos. The senior officers in the menclature policy in South Africa, and UDFapparently considered this to be a as a result not much was done to con- good system and applied it with gusto struct one. If an application for a to almost all the new units that were name was neces- formed. Regiments sary, the function in existence prior appears to have to the founding of been handled by the UDF were al- the office of the lowed to keep Adjudant General, their original titles. who did all the However, notable necessary adminis- exceptions in this trative work, be- case are the offi- fore sending it to cial units and the Chief of the corps of the General Staff for former ZAR and approval.3 OVS republics. These were ab- When World War sorbed straight in- One broke out, the to existing UDF re- UDF had only been giments and, as a in existence for result, lost their ti- two years and was tles and often their hard pressed to original functions. mobilise and pre- The Sfaafsartillerie pare for war in the of the two Boer time available. Republics provide The resulting situa- a good example, tion meant that both were ab- nomenclature was sorbed into the put onto the back Brigadier General J.J. Coll,ver, Chief of Defence South African 6 burner as the more Staff. Mounted Rifles. pressing priorities of war came to the fore. As a result Following World War One, the UDF un- any nomenclature policy which might derwent a process of rationalisation, have been in the pipeline was shelved. while at the same time establishing the During World War One a number of South African Air Force (SAAF) and the units were raised in order to bring bri- South African Naval Service (SANS) in gades up to full strengh but the UDF 1923.7 Despite the fact that these new did not go to a great deal of trouble to services must have created a growing find fitting names for them. Instead the need for a nomenclature policy, noth-

2 Archive of the Secretary for Defence (hereafter DC). Box 27. File DC 549 Honorary Distinctions and Titles to Estabilished Units. Minute dd 26 April 1907. Lord Elgin to Lord Knutsford. 3 Col. J.A. Combrinck and L.Jooste: Beleid van Naamgewing in die SAW (Annual of the Names Society SADF 1991), p.23. Maj T.J. Edwards: Regimental titles (Army Quarterly and Defence Review, vol XXVII. No 1. October 1933), p.58-71. 5 DC, Box 27, File 594 Honorary distinctions and Titles to Estabilished Units. Minute dd 28 July 1914, Prime Ministers office to the Secretary of Defence for the Minister of Defence; and DC. Box 148, File 5397. Establishment of the 9th Infantry. Minute Af5397 fA dd 21 June 1917, Adjudant General to Quartermaster General. DC. Box 180, File 8468 Absorption of the Staatsartillerie (ZAR & OVS), dd 12 May 1914. G.N. 17 of 1923 (Government Gazette No 1289 dd 26 January 1923).

2 Mi/ifaria 23/3 7993 ing concerning the formulation of such of the General Staff was fully occupied a statement appears to have been with urgent war matters.11 done. A possible explanation for this lack of action may be the continuing Although the new numerical system rationalisation. From 1922, the UDFwas became widespread across the globe, cut and reorganised annually and it should be pointed out that at the ter- when the Great Depression started in mination of hostilities units usually re- 1929, even the Active Citizen Force verted back to their old names. The (ACF) units were disbanded. Whether reason for this being that most of the there was actually a need for a no- serving units in the UDF were intensely menclature policy at that stage, or in- proud of both their regimental tradi- deed, anyone to execute it, is ques- tions and their individuality. Further- tionable. When a slow rebuilding of more, most of them had affiliations the UDF did occur in the late 1930s, it with British and Commonwealth reg i- involved the re-establishment of de- ments.12 Any UDF policy which could funct units and, as a result, there was have interfered with the regimental still no pressing void regarding name situation was consequently viewed as provision which anyone felt obliged to unfavourable as it would have caused fill. The primary military name change a huge outcry from the ACF and over- of the decade did not even originate seas regiments which maintained South from within the UDF, but was, in fact, African connections. The UDF could instigated by the Minister of the Interjor not afford to create dissatisfaction in 1938. The occasion arose during the where the ACF was concerned, as the Great Trek centenary celebrations Force constituted the bulk of the Ar- when Roberts Heights was renamed my's strength and the Defence hierar- Voortrekker-hoogte. Even then, the chy was still keenly aware that it was Post Office did not change the name reliant on the services and goodwill of of its depot in the Heights until it was volunteers in the event of trouble. ordered to do so in 1948.8 The confu- Nevertheless by this stage, a fledgling sion that this caused explains why, in nomenclature policy had begun to later years, military name changes take root. were co-ordinated with the National Place Names Committee. Following the end of World War Two and the subsequent demobilisation By the onset of World War Two, the situ- afld rationalisation of the UDF, the ad- ation had changed slightly, and the ministration and organisation of the UDFwas moving towards a more mod- Defence Force improved dramatically. ern method of naming units. Those es- This led to name provision being tablished in the 1930swere seldom ac- placed on a firmer footing as a new corded long elaborate designations. procedure for nomenclature was out- Instead, their names were functional lined. The new directions applying to and brief, such as the 7th Field Ambu- name provision which had been formu- lance SAMC or Regiment Botha.9 The lated were finally that prospective new trend was a result of the UDFreor- names had to be appropriate and not ganisation during the late 1930s, when already in use within the UDF. The a decision appears to have been overriding consideration as far as taken to simplify the numbering system names were concerned, was that they after the brigade group areas had should increase the esprit de corps of been redivided.1o On the administra- a unit.13 It would not be long, how- tive side, the only change made was ever, before the UDF and most policies the transfer of the approval function to concerning the armed services in South the Deputy Chief of Staff as the Chief Africa were to change drastically.

DW. Kruger: The making of a nation, a history of the Union of South Africa (Johannesburg 1969), p.192. 9 Archive of the Adjudant General (hereafter AG 3). Box 190. File 369/1/9 Circular dd 23 October 1934, Office of the Adjudant General; and Archive of the General Officer Commanding, Union Defence Force (hereafter GOC), Box 5. File49/1 Circular dd 29 August 1934,Office of the Adjudant General. 10 GOC, Box 5, File 49/1 Circular dd 11 May 1935, Officer Department of Defence to Officer Commanding Brigade Sections.

II Coi JA Combrinck and L.Jooste : Beleid van Naamgewing in die SAW(Annual of the Names SocieN SADF1991),p.23. 12 AG(3) , Box 133. File 47/1 Minute A/ADM/12 dd 25 February 1958, Adjudant General to Officer Commanding Wits Command.

13 Col JA Combrinck and L.Jooste: Beieid van Naamgewing in die SAW(Annual of the Names SocieN SADF1991).p.24.

Militaria 23/3 7993 3 THE POST WAR UNION DEFENCE major role in formulating the guidelines FORCE 1948-1957 and procedures which eventually led to the official policy still in use today.15

Shortly after the Second World War, Erasmuswas determined to establish a the National Party came to power by South African character in the UDF. winning the 1948 general election. The During this process, especially during history of the armed services in the pe- the period 1948-1955, he introduced riod after the Nationalist takeover is several far-reaching changes into the mostly controversial. Some people Defence Force. It was thus not very view it as a time of very positive devel- long before the new nomenclature opments in the UDF, while others be- policy received a thorough test run lieve that some of the developments and many prestigious old units were were counterpro- threatened with ex- 14 ductive. It was tinction at one time no secret that or another (these many senior offic- units were both ers in the UDFhad English and always been Afrikaans medium). strong supporters The cause of the of General Smuts rash of changes and the United during the late fif- Party; and as a ties was twofold. result, the De- Firstly the reorgani- fence Force was sation of the De- viewed as a tar- fence Force neces- get for change, in sitated structural order to bring it adjustments while more into line with secondly, there was the aims and ide- a conscious effort als of the new on the part of some government .. people to rid the UDF of any charac- One of the areas teristics which were in which changes obviously British in were made, was orientation. This in the composition naturally included and nature of mili- the names of cer- tary name provi- tain regiments. sion; this was pri- marily due to the Adv F.e. Erasmus, the first Nationalist Minister of The reorganisation fact that there Defence. of the UDFincluded. were those who the expansion of were of the opinion that the UDF was the Citizen Force, something which too anglicised and that some sort of a greatly affected regimental titles. language balance had to be Erasmus decided to admit the old achieved. One of the obvious ways in Commando units to the UDF as fully which to achieve such an objective fledged Citizen Force units and this was to review the UDFsnomenclature created problems as far as the dupli- policy; and it consequently was not cation of names was concerned. 16 much of a surprise that the new Minis- Many of the Commandos integrated ter of Defence, F.C. Erasmus,took such into the Defence Force had identical a personal interest in the creation of a designations to some of the Afrikaans nomenclature policy. Erasmus recog- medium regiments, and, much to the nised the importance of names in the chagrin of the older units, it was them, UDF, far more so than any of his not the Commandos who had to re- predeccesors had done and played a place their regimental titles. This deci-

1. E.P. Hartshorn: Avenge Tobruk (Cape Town 1960). pp, 207-225; and J. Barber and J. Barratt: South Africas Foreign Policy- The search for status and security 1945-1988 (Johannesburg 1990). p,58.

15 Col JA Combrinck and L.Jooste : Beleid van Naamgewing in die SAW (Annual of the Names Societv SADF 1991). p.24.

4 Militaria 23/3 7993 sion was not only perceived as being In the long term, most of the units en- highly unfair, but the units were further joyed moderate success in re-acquir- angered by the new names allotted to ing their original names in view of the them. Most of the new regimental protests received by the Commandant names had a geographical origin as in General of the SADF. The argument the examples shown below. against the geographical names was

Original Title New Title

Regiment De La Rey Regiment Wes Transvaal Regiment Gideon Scheepers Regiment Groot Karoo Regiment Hendrik Potgieter Regiment Mooirivier

Understandably members of these units that they had created a lack of tradi- felt that Erasmuswas trying to curry fa- tion and esprit de corpS.21 Although vour with the Commandos, as he had most people viewed this specific not only allowed them, as newcomers, excercise as a complete waste of time to keep their names but the new on Erasmus' part, the unsuccessful names chosen for the regiments were name changes had at least one posi- uninspiring and unwanted. I? tive side effect, namely, that the name provision process would no longer be Initially English medium units did not unilateral but would from then on be suffer the same fate, although in later conducted by liaising with all the par- years many of the regimental titles ties concerned in an effort to satisfy all would be altered. Generally the crite- aspirations as far as possible. rion applied when naming a unit was based on the home language of the A further development during this pe- majority of the members of the unit. riod which was to have far-reaching During this period there were only a effects was the new Defence Act few English medium units which had which was passed by Parliament in their names changed, the most nota- 1957. This Act laid the foundation on ble being the Cape Field Artillery which which the SADF is currently based and became Regiment Tygerberg.18 How- also gave rise to a period of extended ever, certain units became increasingly growth for the Military. Two other im- isolated because of their foreign portant aspects of the new law were names and customs, which were the transfer of Simonstown Naval Base viewed unfavourably in the Defence from Britain to South Africa and the Force after the Nationalist takeover. changing of the Defence Force's name Many regiments also lost their affilia- from the Union Defence Force to the tions to overseas units as the Minister of South African Defence Force on De- Defence was no longer prepared to al- cember 1, 1957. These changes her- low more ties to be renewed.19 One alded the dawn of a new era for the result of the discontinuation of the affil- SADF and subsequently for those who iation system, was that English medium bore responsibility for the nomencla- units had less of an excuse to hold on ture programme.22 to British customs and names and many of them consequently found 1958-1975 EXPANSION AND themselves becoming the victims of en- MODERNISATION forced titular changes in years to 20 come. South Africa became a republic on 31

16 DC (GP 3). Box 180.File823/1/2 Further Defence Amendment Billdd 19April 1961,Act No. 44 of 1957. 17 E.P.Hartshorn: Avenge Tobruk (Durban 1968), p.218.

18 Archive of the Minister of Defence - Botha Collection (hereafter MVB), Box 152,Memorandum dd 10June 1966,Name changes in the Citizen Force in 1959/1960.

19 AG (3), Box 133,File47/1 Minute HGS675dd 21 January 1957,Chiefofthe General Staff to the Adjudant General; and AG (3), Box 47, Minute dd 31 January 1959to Army Chief of Staff. 20 AG (3), Box 133,File47/1 Minutedd 31 March 1958,Adjudant General to Commandant Generai; and AG (3), Box 133, File47/1 Minute dd 31 January 1959,Adjudant General to Army Chief of Staff. 21 MVB, Box 152,Memorndum dd 10June 1966,Cabinet Sub-committee memorandum. 22 J. Barber and J. Barratt: South Africa's Foreign Policy. (Johannesburg; 1990), p.58.

Militaria 23/3 7993 5 The SA Navy Strike Craft are named after previous South African Ministers of Defence.

The SAAF Cheetah. Usually aircraft are named after birds or antelope.

6 Militaria 23/3 /993 The name Rooikat was chosen for this armoured vehicle after the Army's application to name it Cheetah was turned down.

The Mfezi is a mine protected ambulance in service with the SAMS.

Militaria 23/3 7993 7 May 1961, and withdrew from the Brit- growth of the SADF ensured that what ish Commonwealth later in that year. remained was so limited that it be- The ensuing developments brought a came insignificant. The SADFs reor- myriad of changes although they were ganisation and expansion in the 1960s probably quite different to what Harold resulted in further developments in the Macmillan had envisaged when he nomenclature policy. A system of made his famous "Winds of Change" compulsory National Service for all speech in Cape Town a few months White males, initially lasting the dura- earlier.23 The country's new republi- tion of one year, was introduced in can status brought with it a new system 1968. This naturally increased the size and new values, which did not revolve of the Force quite considerably and, as around Britain. Naturally certain Eng- a result, additional bases and training lish medium units were affected by the grounds had to be built to accommo- new political situation, as the nomen- date the new troops. These develop- clature programme had to be adjusted ments had repercussions which af- to ensure that it remained politically fected the outdated military nomen- correct, within the country's new re- clature policy. Consequently those re- publican system. sponsible for nomenclature were struggling to function effectively given Most of South Africa's renowned volun- the additional new workload. The situ- teer regiments had connections with ation was further compounded by the the British Monarchy through their regi- worsening security situation outside the mental titles, and as soon as the transi- Republic's borders. South Africa be- tion from Union to Republic was com- came embroiled in a low intensity' war plete, the respective units were or- in SWA/, a war which would dered to drop any regal inflections endure for almost two decades.26 The from their names. Despite the fact that border war further increased the pres- some of the regiments concerned sure on the staff responsible for the managed to procrastinate for some name provision portfolio. They had to months in an attempt to avoid the in- contend with a policy based upon a evitable, all the necessary changes structure which had been designed for were made by the end of 1961.24 a small peace time military.

A few examples of the regiments which The sudden spate of military growth in were involved are: the late 1960s and early 1970s meant

Union Republic

The Royal Natal Carbineers Natal Carbineers The Imperial Light Horse Light Horse Regiment The Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles Cape Town Rifles The Queen's Own Cape Town Highlanders Cape Town Highlanders

The Minister of Defence personally ap- that it was no longer only units which proved these changes, although a fur- had to be named but buildings, bases, ther application had to be made to training centres and streets as well. the British Monarchy for permission to The overriding consideration when ap- have all the Royal titles removed from pointing names remained their effect the names.25 These changes ushered in on unit pride and morale.27 Practical a new era for the nomenclature pro- needs, however, demanded that the gramme in the SADF. Suddenly the SADFs policy on nomenclature be ex- Military had been purged of the re- panded and adjusted to enable it to maining vestiges of British colonialism adapt to the new and greater de- as far as possible, and the future mands being made upon it. A new

23 J. Barber and J. Barratt: South Africas Foreign Policy (Johannesburg 1990), pp.66-83. 24 MVB, Box 152,Defence Memorandum dd 10June 1966,Memorandum on the name changes of Citizen Force Unitsin 1959/1960. 25 Archive of the Chief of the Army General Staff, Artskool, Box 153,FileG/SD/l3/4/l Circular dd 7July 1961,Commandos, Unit Colours, Flags and Badges. 26 H.R.Heitman and P. Hannon: Modern African Wars - (London 1991), p.5-13. 27 Col J.A. Combrinck and L.Jooste :Beleid van Naamgewing in die SAW(Annual of the Names SocieN SADF1991),P.26.

8 Militaria 23/3 7993 addition to the policy was the catego- placed in April 1974 when the four arm rising of names in order to prevent du- staff structure was introduced into the plication and maintain consistency, In SADF, The responsiblity for the entire other words, categories were set up nomenclature programme was then from where names could be chosen, transferred to Chief of Staff Logistics,28 but each category was reserved for a different purpose, For example, one Although a need for firmer guidelines could not select a name for a ship and a set policy continued to exist, the from a category earmarked for subma- nomenclature programme proved rines and so forth, Themes and not the easier to administrate once it was co- names themselves, were provided in ordinated by one section, This situa- the categories so as to allow for a cer- tion was aggravated by the escalation tain measure of flexibility, For instance of the Border War, as South Africa be- the SA Navy's Strike Craft may be gan to mount cross-border raids into named after previous ministers of de- in order to combat the in- fence. creased guerilla activity in that coun- try.29 This became evident through As in the days of the UDF, Section Per- SWAPO infiltration into SWA/Namibia sonnel was made responsible for the and attacks on the local population. administration and co-ordination of As the war escalated, so too did the the programme in 1974, The office of size and needs of the SADF and Chief the Minister of Defence continued to of Staff Logistics was hard pressed to remain involved as they authorised the ensure that the nomenclature pro- naming of units, bases and training gramme functioned efficiently. For centres while the office of the Quarter- those involved with name provision, it master General was also drawn into became clear that even further adjust- the process as it was responsible for ments and advances, in addition to naming buildings and streets, This those recently added, would have to rather decentralised system, was re- be made if the portfolio was to be

28 Col JA Combrinck and L.Jooste :Beleid van Naamgewing in die SAW(Annual ofthe Names Society SADF1991),p,26, 29 HR, Heitman and P, Hannon: Modern African Wars (London 1991). p,l,

Militaria 23/3 7993 9 managed in an orderly fashion. This SADF made the 1977 SADFO redun- belief was increasingly justified in the dant, long term, as the Border War continued to intensify and South Africa embarked Two important organisational changes on its first venture into the realm of ad- in the Defence Force in 1979 took the vanced weapons production. Military to its highest strength ever, thereby creating an immediate need 1976-1989 - THE ARMSCOR ERA and use for the new nomenclature policy. In January 1978, National Serv- In the latter half of the 1970s, South Af- ice was increased from a period of one rica faced a worsening security sce- year to two years; and in July of the nario, both internally and externally, following year, a fourth arm of service - and by 1976 the Defence Force was the South African Medical Service once again preparing to expand. (SAMS) - was added to the Defence 32 Chief of Staff Logistics, which already Force A weakness which soon be- had a problem administrating name came apparent was that the 1977 no- provision efficiently at its current levels, menclature policy had failed to incor- decided to make the name provision porate military areas into its guidelines. task easier and more regulated. The The solution to this problem was pre- fruits of the logisticians labour ap- sented almost immediately with the is- peared in 1977 in the form of a South sue of a Policy Directive from the Chief African Defence Force Order (SADFO) of the SADF entitled "Name provision entitled "A policy in connection with for military areas, buildings and the naming of buildings and streets in- streets", which specifically addressed side military areas".30 Although a great the existing gaps of the previous deal of effort had been put in to the policy33 It would not be long however, name provision portfolio in the years before the policy had to be updated after 1950 this SADFO was the first poli- yet again, this time in order to incorpo- cy statement ever written for name rate weaponry, provision. The issue of the SADFO pro- vided nomenclature with an official The Armaments Corporation of South status and placed the programme on Africa (Armscor) was established in a sounder footing. Unfortunatley the 1976, in an effort to ensure that South policy in itself was rather limited and it Africa was not left defenceless by the was primarily concerned with the nam- mandatory 1977 Arms Embargo, im- 34 ing of buildings and streets. Ironically, posed by the United Nations Once these two areas did not even feature full time production was under way, in name provision during the days of Armscor not only gave South African the UDF and early SADF. Chief of Staff industry a shot in the arm, but pro- Logistics had based the new policy on duced a formidable range of high the 1967 Defence Force Order that mili- quality weapons and vehicles which tary areas had to be named after were uniquely suited to the SADFs op- 35 South African military figures from the erational requirements As most of period prior to 1945. As in previous no- Armscor's products were manufactured menclature orders, the guidelines in under contract to the SADF, responsi- the SADFO instructed that duplication bility for naming Armscor's products fell had to be avoided, but added that so to the Defence Force. Initially, a writ- too did names which could be of po- ten directive concerning the arms no- tential embarrassment to the Defence menclature policy did not exist. Instead Force.31 Unfortunately for the archi- the responsibility for naming products tects of this policy, it was not long be- fell to the different arms of service and fore the speed of developments in the was not co-ordinated through Chief of

30 South African Defence Order (SADFO) 4(4(77. HSL(3(22(2, Beleid ten opsigte von naamgewing von geboue en strate binne militre gebiede. . 31 SADFO 4(4(77. HSL/3(22(2, Beleid t.o.v, naamgewing von geboue en strate in militere gebiede,

3) Maj Gen D.P. Knobel: Die huidige Uniform, Kentekens en Vaandel von die Suid Afrikaanse Geneeskundige Diens. in Militere Geneeskunde in Suid Afrika 1913-1918, (Pretoria; 1983). pg, 109. 33 C SADF Policy Directive 4(35(79. (HSL(40 1(1(3(4 dd 31 October 1979). Naamgewing aan die Militere gebiede en strate.

3.j J. Barber and J. Barratt: South Africa's Foreign Policy (Johannesburg 1990). p.335; and R.H. Heitman: South African Arms and Armour (Cope Town 1988). p.14. 3' C. Bishop and I. Drury: The encyclopedia of military power (London 1988). pp. 68.98.148.266.304.

10 Militorio 23/3 1993 Staff Logistics. While this system al- Caracal, only at the eleventh hour to lowed for flexibility and choice, in the change tack and decide that Rooikat long term it led to confusion and com- was acceptable after allY petition. Such incidents led to the realisation By 1983 problems had begun to that the armaments nomenclature emerge. Occasionally a name would policy had to be centralised, struc- be proposed which did not fall into the tured and bound by rules. Chief of suggested category for that particular Staff Logistics was given the task of de- type of product. This invariably led to signing and finalising a policy, but be- a problem as a conflict of interests fore anything had been completed, would arise. A case in point is the inci- the nomenclature portfolio was trans- dent over the use of the name Chee- ferred from Chief of Staff Personnel to tah. The South African Air Force had the MIB, known today as Documenta- been allocated two categories from tion Service. The MIB in conjunction which to choose names for their air- with the four arms of service rounded craft, ie birds and antelope. However, off a policy and issued it under a new the SAAF applied to have its new up- directive, (C SADF Directive 2/7/84), on graded Mirage III fighter renamed the 1 Nov 1984 under the title "Naam- Cheetah. The motivation for this gewing in die SAW".38 The new Direc- choice was partly due to the fact that tive was an attempt to fulfil the needs Armscor had given the aircraft that of the Defence Force as far as was name during its production phase and, possible. The new directive was con- furthermore, the Air Force wanted the cerned not only with armaments but use of this name as it held a link with also with the whole question of military the famous 2 Squadron, better known nomenclature. The directive discussed as the Flying Cheetahs.36 It was there- was everything from street names to ri- fore decided to allow the SAAF to use fle names. While the Directive re- the proposed name with the proviso placed the 1982 SADFO it nevertheless that this exception would not create a incorporated most of the important el- precedent. In the meantime, the SA ements of its predecessor, and is a far Army had also applied to name its new more comprehensive policy statement. armoured car the Cheetah. This appli- As far as the new armaments regula- cation was in line with the suggested tions were concerned, the Directive is- category for armoured vehicles, but sued a full set of categories so that all was turned down in favour of the SAAF of Armscor's products were incorpo- receiving the use of the word. The rated. More importantly, it stated that name Rooikat was then suggested to all proposed products had to be the Army instead, by the Military Infor- named prior to them entering produc- mation Bureau (MIB). The Army, how- tion in order to avoid nicknames being ever, passed over Rooikat in favour of given to the products which then stuck the name Mamba. Thistoo was denied and eventually usurped the official as it had been decided to reserve name.39 The 1984 directive also pro- snake names as a category for the posed guidelines for the naming of SAMS (the name Rinkhals had already units, based upon the principles used been reserved for a new ambulance). in the past, and highlighted the policy The reason for this decision was due to for name provision inside military areas. the symbolic link between the medical Another important step was the coordi- profession and snakes, which is em- nation of military nomenclature from bodied in the snake and staff emblem 1984 with nomenclature in civilian ar- of the SAMS. It was thus felt that the eas. In the case of street and military SAMS had a certain claim upon a cat- residential areas which fall outside mili- egory pertaining to reptiles. Alterna- tary camps and bases, approval for tive names were then suggested and proposed names now had to be the Army eventually settled for gained from the Place Names Commit-

36 AMI/ARG 401/1/3/4. File: Logistic services, Name provision ofprojects, Enc 2, Minute dd 31 October 1985,SAAFHQto Chief of Staff Logistics; and AMI/ARG 401/1/3/4, Enc 4, Minute dd 17January 1985,SAAFHQ to the MIB, CSL. 37 AMI/ARG 401/1/3/4, File: Logistic Services - Name Provision of Projects. 38 C SADFDirective 2/7/84, dd 1 November 1984,Naamgewing in die SAWeermag. 39 Col JA Combrinck and L.Jooste :Beleid van Naamgewing in die SAW(Annual of the Names SocieN SADF1991),p.28.

Militaria 23/3 1993 11 tee of the Department of National Edu- cent and notable change in the no- cation. Upon obtaining the required menclature policy of the SADF. The permission, the names then become task is been carried out by the Directo- listed as official place names in the Re- rate Language Services and is a natu- public of South Africa.40 ral result of the observation that the SADF will become increasingly multira- Although the C SADFDirective may ap- cial in the future.41 pear to be very rigid in its control of military name provision, it has allowed The project is not as uncomplicated as for more flexibility and initiative than is it may seem as great care is required. at first realised. Applications for names Before Directorate Language Service outside of prescribed categories are was directly involved in nomenclature, always considered and approved if the situation arose where in certain deemed suitable, In 1984 the nomen- cases words were chosen from Black clature function of the Defence Force Languages to use as names for certain became the sole responsibility of areas or items and have miscarried, Louise Jooste of SADF Documentation For example a new SAMS ambulance Services, who has updated the policy came into service in 1987 and it was annually, Under her guidance the decided to name it the Mfezi which is policy has matured into a comprehen- the Zulu name for Rinkhals. There was sive system allowing for pragmatism some resistance to this name from out- while, at the same time, maintaining side the SAMS as another ambulance uniformity and serving the needs of the also used by the SAMSwas named the Defence Force. Rinkhals, Despite the protestations, the Medical Service was insistent on using The 1980s may rightly be considered a Mfezi and announced the arrival of the decade of continuous growth and new ambulance via a press confer- progress for the SADF. The period ence, Unfortunately for those who had could also be viewed as a time in supported the use of Mfezi, once the which name provision was at last laid vehicle was put into service in the op- down in a comprehensive and fixed erational area it became a veritable policy. Ironically, just as nomenclature white elephant in some cases as Black had been geared towards serving the troops absolutely refused to be trans- needs of the larger self-sufficient SADF, ported in the ambulance.42 It became the end of the decade brought notice- apparent that the word Mfezi had able cuts in Defence spending, The negative and evil connotations which process of rationalisation which began extended beyond the normal human in the late 1980s was due to two rea- fear of poisonous reptiles, Incidents sons, the termination of hostilities in Na- such as these highlighted the need for mibia and secondly, in view of the language experts to be consulted, This worsening economic situation in South is why Directorate Language Service Africa, Notwithstanding these set- began to play an important role in the backs, name provision in the Defence nomenclature process. A further Force continued to play an important project has been launched by Directo- role inside the Military and in the proc- rate Language Services through which ess, adapted itself towards the chang- alternative names in Black languages ing scenario in South Africa. are being provided and then adver- tised. It is hoped that programmes THE SADF AND NAME such as these will lead to increased un- PROVISION IN THE 1990S derstanding and communication be- tween the different population groups A current effort by the Defence Force in the SADF,43 to find and implement acceptable translations from English and Afrikaans On a more familiar front name provi- into Black languages, is the most re- sion continues to be needed in the De-

40 Col J.A. Combrinck and L,Jooste :Beleid van Naamgewing in die SAW(Annual of the Names SodeN SADF1991).p,28, 41 Maj D, Vorster: Naamgewing in Afrikatale in die SAW (Annual of the Names SodeN SADF 1991). pp.8-9. 42 AMI/ARG 502/2/1, File: Organisasie beheer benamings en herbenamings van hoofkwartiere en eenhede, Enc 10, Minute dd 26 August 1987,SAMSHeadquarters to Chief of Staff Intelligence. 43 Maj D. Vorster: Naamgewing in Afrikatale in die SAW (Annual of the Names SodeN SADF 1991), pp.8-9.

12 Militaria 23/3 7993 fence Force and the policy still fulfils its had become politically tainted to a regular role as the offical military no- certain degree, In later years, how- menclature policy in South Africa, ever, it would emerge that the compe- tition between the two language CONCLUSION groups had unwittingly reached an equilibrium and fused together to form South Africa has a heterogenous mili- a unique South African tradition of mili- tary culture which developed from a tary nomenclature, blend of French, Dutch, British and Afri- can influences. Over the years these The international isolation of South Af- influences have combined with the rica which began towards the end of fighting traditions of the Boer Com- the 1960s had surpsingly positive ef- mandos and the spirit of the Settler vol- fects on name provision in the SADF, unteer regiments to form a unique mili- One of the results of isolation was the tary character, The nomenclature of growth of an indigenous arms industry, the South African Defence Force re- almost every armament which has ever flects this rich and varied heritage, been produced by Armscor was named by the South African Defence Military name provision in the South Af- Force. Factors such as this have pro- rican Defence Force is a relatively vided for a large degree of uniformity young tradition which was derived in the SADF nomenclature policy, To- from a number of influences, Initially, day, very few armed forces can claim name provision in the South African that their nomenclature programmes armed forces played an extremley un- reflect the military cultures of their derstated role, The original name pro- countries better than the SADFs pro- vision programme in this country, which gramme does, barely even existed, was not specifi- cally designed for the Union Defence The path along which military nomen- Force, but was based upon the rem- clature in South Africa has developed, nants of the name provision policy of was laden with pitfalls, many of which the British Army, This unsatisfactory had negative influences upon name situation persisted for a very long time provision during the tradition's forma- and only began to change when Ad- tive years, Name provision was initially vocate F.C. Erasmus became the Minis- viewed as a necessary evil and it was ter of Defence in 1948, Erasmus ac- relegated to an extremely minor role in corded name provision a degree of im- the Defence Force. By contrast, in portance and designed a programme later years, nomenclature was per- which lifted the portfolio to an official ceived to be a convenient instrument level for the first time, Due to the effort of change and was used as such for a made to move away from the British short period. Eventually name provi- tradition of military nomenclature, sion in the SADF was accorded a role name provision in the SADF began to in its own right and the value of the acquire a South African orientation to- nomenclature programme gradually wards the end of the 1950s. Following became appreciated, By the end of the first few years of official name pro- the 1980s, nomenclature in South Af- vision the programme earned a certain rica had evolved to the extent where it amount of notoriety in some circles not only increased the esprit de corps due to the manner in which it was of the Defence Force but, in addition, used, Just as the policy had been too would be increasingly used as an aid anglicised during pre-Nationalist rule it to improve military communications became a political tool under F,C, and labour relations in the South Afri- Erasmus, can Defence arena,

This early beginning for military nomen- clature in South Africa did not bode * N. M, Cowling is attached to the well for its future prospects, The no- Documentation Service, and adminis- menclature programme constantly ap- trates the SADF's Nomenclature portfo- peared to be fraught with strife and lio.

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