A HISTORY OF MILITARY NOMENCLATURE IN SOUTH AFRICA 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.