SOUTH AFRICAN ARMY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20136, 4 January 1940, Page 4

SOUTH AFRICAN ARMY

RUSH OF VOLUNTEERS NEW CITIZEN FORCE LOYALTY OF NATIVES (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 9 a.m. RUGBY, Jan. 2. A survey of military preparations in South Africa, made officially in the Union, states that the Union’s neW Citizen Army is making remarkable progress. Reports from town and country in all quarters of South Africa reflect the enthusiasm with which volunteers are coming forward. A single example is the Botha Regiment, which had risen from a peace-time strength of 400 to a war-time strength of over 900, and the formation of another battalion of this regiment is in progress. New units are also being formed in such typically rural areas as Messian. Barberton and Verefiging. A spirit of cordial co-operation dominates all activities, the survey continues, and any sectional differences have been set aside. Everywhere the fact is appreciated that all are South Africans and complete unity is expressed in the common cause. Lie Given Nazi Propaganda

The survey points out that the lie is given to the Nazi propagandist insinuations that discrimination against Afrikaans-speaking members of the defence force obtains, by the fact that by far the larger number of senior officers permanently serving in South Africa’s Army are men bearing Afrikander names, and they, like officers bearing English names, are bilingual. The anxiety of the native peoples to participate in the defence of South Africa was expressed at a recent meeting in Pretoria of the natives’ representative council, the most important organ of native opinion in the Union* During the meeting one delegate summed up the position as follows;—* “Since the war broke out every African organisation that has held a meeting has expressed its unswerving devotion to the King and. his Government in the Union. An account recently appeared in the press of how the native employees of a big concern in the Transvaal have started a fund to buy a warship for Britain, and this, I am convinced, is typical of what the people throughout the Union are feeling.” TERRITORIAL UNITS FORMATION IN INDIA FIVE NEW BATTALIONS (Reed. Jan. 4, 9 a.m.) NEW DELHI, Jan. 3. The Government has authorised the formation of five new battalions of territorials under the expansion plan announced after the outbreak of war.