General Jan Smuts Regiment

The General Jan Smuts Regiment (formerly Regiment Westelike Provinsie) is a reserve mechanised infantry regiment of the South African Army.

Regiment Westelike Provinsie
General Jan Smuts Regiment
SANDF Regiment Western Cape emblem
Active1 April 1934–1960
1974–present
CountrySouth Africa
Allegiance
Branch
TypeInfantry
RoleMechanised infantry
SizeOne battalion
Part ofSouth African Infantry Formation
Army Conventional Reserve
Garrison/HQCape Town
Motto(s)Non Sibi Sed Patriae – "Not For Ourselves, But For Our Country"
MarchIch hatt' einen Kameraden
Anniversaries1 April (Regimental Day)
Commanders
Current
commander
Lt Col. H.H. Gertse
Honorary ColonelCapt. G.S. van Niekerk (Col)
Insignia
Company level Insignia
SA Mechanised Infantry beret bar circa 1992
SA mechanised infantry beret bar circa 1992
AbbreviationGJSR

History

Origin

Regiment Westelike Provinsie (RWP)[1] was one of eight Afrikaner-oriented Traditional Citizen Force infantry units raised by the Union Defence Force on 1 April 1934,[2] as part of a programme to rebuild the UDF after the Great Depression.

Predecessors

While RWP was only raised in 1934, it regards itself as the successor to several small and short-lived units which were formed in the Western Cape country districts in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. They were:

First Volunteer Movement

  • Stellenbosch Volunteers  formed 1856, disbanded c.1865
  • Worcester volunteers  formed 1856, disbanded c.1863
  • Paarl Rifle Corps  formed 1856, disbanded 1859
  • Malmesbury Volunteer Cavalry  formed 1856, disbanded c.1866
  • Paarl Cavalry  formed 1857, disbanded 1859
  • Paarl United Volunteers  formed 1859, disbanded c.1862
  • Robertson and Montague Rifle Corps  formed 1860, disbanded c.1864

No volunteer units in these districts between 1866 and 1878.

Second Volunteer Movement

  • Worcester Volunteer Rifles  formed 1878, disbanded c.1879
  • Worcester Volunteer Rifles  formed 1885, disbanded 1901
  • Paarl Volunteer Rifles  formed 1885, disbanded 1897
  • Wellington Volunteer Rifles  formed 1885, disbanded 1901
  • Victoria College Volunteer Rifles  formed 1888, disbanded 1899
  • Robertson Volunteer Rifles  formed 1890, disbanded
  • Malmesbury Volunteer Rifles  formed 1892, disbanded 1896.
  • Western Rifles  an administrative grouping, which existed from 1893 to 1908, of the Worcester, Paarl, Wellington, Stellenbosch, Robertson, and Malmesbury units
  • Western Light Horse  formed at Worcester 1903, disbanded 1908
  • Paarl Volunteers  formed 1906, disbanded 1909.

No volunteer units in these districts between 1909 and 1913.

Citizen Force

  • Western Province Mounted Rifles  formed at Worcester 1913, disbanded 1929
  • 1st Western Province Rifles  formed at Worcester 1913, disbanded 1929
  • 2nd Western Province Rifles  formed at Malmesbury 1913, disbanded 1929
  • 3rd Western Province Rifles  formed at Stellenbosch 1913, disbanded 1929

No CF units in these districts existed between 1929 and 1934.[3][4][5]

Garrison

The regiment was based in the country town of Stellenbosch, 45 kilometres (28 mi) outside Cape Town, and recruited its members from the surrounding districts of the western part of the Cape Province. At that time, Citizen Force service was voluntary.

Brandy

The new Regiment lost no time in ensuring that the inner man was cared for and in 1936 the first specially bottled R.W.P brandy was produced.[6]:60 The much honoured tradition of toasting the Regiment and dignitaries in pure, undiluted R.W.P brandy is still in use today.

World War Two

The National Party-voting Western Cape districts generally did not support South Africa's involvement in World War II. In spite of this R.W.P was able to muster enough men who were willing to go on active service. The Regiment mobilised on 1 September 1940[7] and became No. 12 Armoured Car Company, South African Tank Corps.[8] After months of training in this new role, No. 12 Armoured Car Company was amalgamated with No. 11 Armoured Car Company (RSWD) Regiment Suid Westelike Distrikte, to form 5th Armoured Fighting Vehicle Regiment, South African Tank Corps.[9] The Regiment moved to Egypt in September 1941 but was disbanded on 13 October 1941 after arrival. The personnel were used as reinforcements for depleted armoured car regiments already operating in the Western Desert with whom they participated in many of the well known battles in North Africa like Sidi Rezegh, Bir Hakeim, Gazala, and El Alamein.

On the disbandment of the South African Tank Corps early in 1943, former RWP personnel were absorbed into the Royal Natal Carbineers and Imperial Light Horse and soon adapted themselves to tank warfare, serving with distinction in their new units with the 6th South African Armoured Division in Italy.

Post war

The regiment was presented with a Regimental Colour by his Majesty King George VI during the visit of the Royal Family to South Africa on 31 March 1947. The wartime Prime Minister Gen Jan Smuts accepted the appointment as Colonel-In-Chief of the regiment from 17 September 1948.[10]

Remustered and renamed

In 1949, RWP itself was converted to Armour, and it was renamed Regiment Onze Jan, after 19th-century Afrikaner political leader Jan Hofmeyr, in 1951. From 1952, Citizen Force recruits were chosen by ballot rather than volunteering.

During the 1950s and 1960s the Regiment was part of the part-time component of Western Province Command.

With the SADF

When the Army was re-organised for internal security duties in 1960, Regiment Onze Jan was converted back to infantry and was renamed Regiment Boland. Regiment Boland later moved to Paarl and, after the introduction of national service conscription (in 1968), it formed a second battalion in Worcester on 1 September 1970.

The two battalions were separated in April 1974. 1 Regiment Boland resumed the original title Regiment Westelike Provinsie and moved to Cape Town, while 2 Regiment Boland remained in Worcester as Regiment Boland. The only remnant of their association is the similar cap-badges of the two regiments.

Operations

RWP served in the Angola campaign in 1976, and carried out several tours of duty in the Border War in South West Africa. It was also deployed on internal security duties in the Townships during the 1985–90 State of Emergency.

With the SANDF

Military service has been voluntary again since 1994.[6] 71 Motorised Brigade and 9 Division were dissolved in the late nineties and the regiment presently forms part of the South African Army Infantry Formation.

Name change

In August 2019, 52 Reserve Force units had their names changed to reflect the diverse military history of South Africa.[11] Regiment Westelike Provinsie was renamed General Jan Smuts Regiment, and have 3 years to design and implement new regimental insignia.[12]

Jan Smuts, the regiment's honorific, was chosen because Smuts was Colonel-in-Chief of the then Regiment Westelike Provinsie from 1948 until his death. Having served in the Boer War and in both World Wars, the latter of as part of what is now today the SANDF, he was promoted Field Marshal in 1941.

Regimental Symbols

Spelling

In 1983, RWP adopted the Dutch spelling of "Provincie" because it regards itself as the successor to several short-lived volunteer units which existed in the Stellenbosch and Paarl and neighbouring districts in the 19th century, when Dutch, rather than Afrikaans, was the prevailing language in those areas. (See below for a list of those units.)

Insignia

  • Badge : The Unit's Badge consists of a wreath of leaves of the Silver Leaf tree encompassing a kernel of the same tree with the inscription R.W.P Due to an error in the original artwork, the full stop after the "P" was omitted, hence creating a tradition that remains part of the Regimental history.
  • Flash : The beret flash (originally a helmet flash) has horizontal stripes of red over white over black, with a blue diamond on the white stripe: blue and white are the traditional colours of the Western Cape.[13][6]:60
  • Credo : "Loyalty, Commitment, Excellence"
  • March : De Trouwe Kameraad, a Dutch translation of the German Der Guten Kamerad.
  • Anniversaries : Regimental Day (1 April) Gen. JC Smuts Parade (24 May)[6]:61
  • Brandy : R.W.P Brandewyn[6]:60
  • Motto : Non Sibi Sed Patriae – Not for ourselves, but for our country.[6]:68

Previous Dress Insignia

SADF era Regiment Westerlike Provincie insignia

Current Dress Insignia

SANDF era Infantry Formation insignia

Regimental Freedoms

R.W.P has been granted the Freedom of the following Cities:[6]:65

These honours mean that the Regiment may march on foot or mechanised with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed through the streets of Cape Town or any of the Overstrand towns, namely Hermanus, Rooi Els, Pringle Bay, Betty's Bay, Kleinmond, Fisherhaven, Hawston, Onrus, Sandbaai, Stanford, Gansbaai, Uilenskraal Mond, Franskraal, Pearly Beach and Baardskeerdersbos.

Leadership

Regiment Westelike Provinsie Leadership
From Colonel-In-Chief To
1948 Field Marshal the Right Hon. J.C. Smuts, PC OM CH ED KC FRS 1950
From Honorary Colonels To
10 July 1934 Major P. J. Roos (Col) 22 September 1948
26 September 1960 Capt. W. N. Naude (Col) 24 February 1969
30 October 1982 Councillor M. J. van Zyl (Col) 30 November 1997
1 December 1997 Capt. G. S. van Niekerk (Col) Present
From Commanding Officers To
31 May 1934 Lt Col. J. H. Wicht CM 1 October 1939
1 September 1939 Lt Col. G. C. G. Werdmuller 6 September 1939
7 September 1939 Lt Col. C. J. Lemmer 8 December 1939
9 December 1939 Major. M. Versveld 13 January 1940
14 January 1940 Lt Col. C. J. Lemmer 31 August 1940
1 September 1940 Lt Col. H. S. G. Taylor 31 December 1941
1 February 1946 Lt Col. L. Verwoerd 30 June 1947
1 July 1947 Major. G. W. Krige MC 30 September 1947
1 October 1947 Lt Col. L. Verwoerd 21 April 1948
22 April 1948 Major. G. W. Krige MC 11 February 1951
12 February 1951 Cmdt. W. S. Malan 6 January 1956
7 January 1956 Cmdt. F. C. de Goede 6 February 1961
7 February 1961 Cmdt. D. I. Moodie SM JCD 29 February 1968
22 July 1968 Cmdt. J. Kruger 31 July 1971
1 August 1971 Cmdt. E. J. J. Nel 6 June 1972
7 June 1972 Cmdt. A. A. Rossouw JCD 25 March 1976
26 March 1976 Cmdt. A. W. Bester SD SM MMM JCD 01 01 1900[lower-alpha 1]
1 January 1982 Cmdt. G. W. Boshoff SD SM MMM JCD 31 March 1987
1 April 1987 Cmdt. D. J. Holtzhausen SM MMM JCD 2 April 1992
3 April 1992 Lt Col. A. A. Duminy MMM JCD 1 April 1999
2 April 1999 Lt Col. D. H. Saayman MMM JCD 1 April 2000
2 April 2000 Lt Col. J. J. Visser MMM JCD 1 April 2005
2 April 2005 Lt Col. S. E. Pierce 18 August 2012
19 August 2012 Lt Col. H. H. Gertse Present
From Regimental Sergeants Major To
1934 WO1 SH Joubert 1938
1939 WO1 SW Burger 1945
1946 WO1 F Ferreira 1952
1952 WO1 R du Toit 1955
1955 WO1 M Louw 1956
1957 WO1 IM van Rooyen 1964
1965 WO1 L Liebenberg 1968
1969 WO1 H du Toit 1972
1972 WO1 PF de Bruyn 1983
1983 WO1 MP Eagar 1985
1985 WO1 WP van Rhyn 1992
1992 WO1 DR Oosthuizen 1992
1992 WO1 ND van der Walt 2001
2001 WO1 JM Cupido 2005
2005 WO1 T Jordaan 2005
2006 WO1 A Wakies Present

Notes

  1. Later Col. A.W. Bester SD SM MMM JCD

References

  1. C Army/D/PLAN/406/11/2 22 July 1980. South African Army.
  2. "Prestigious Western Cape Unit Described" (PDF). Paratus. Pretoria: 10–11. July 1987. Retrieved 19 January 2015. reproduced in "JPRS Report: Africa (Sub Sahara)" (PDF). Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 16 September 1987. p. 93.
  3. Hulme, J. J., Major JCD (June 1969). "Cape Colony Volunteer Units 1877-79". Military History Journal. The South African Military History Society. 1 (4). ISSN 0026-4016. Retrieved 20 December 2014.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Hulme, J. J., Major JCD (December 1972). "Cape Colonial Volunteer Corps (Part I)". Military History Journal. The South African Military History Society. 2 (4). ISSN 0026-4016. Retrieved 20 December 2014.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Hulme, J. J., Major JCD (June 1973). "Cape Colonial Volunteer Corps (Part II)". Military History Journal. The South African Military History Society. 2 (5). ISSN 0026-4016. Retrieved 20 December 2014.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. Crook, Lionel, Col (Rtd) (1994). Greenbank, Michele (ed.). 71 Motorised Brigade: a history of the headquarters 71 Motorised Brigade and of the citizen force units under its command. Brackenfell, South Africa: L. Crook in conjunction with the South African Legion. ISBN 9780620165242. OCLC 35814757.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Union Defence Force Special Command Order No. 21 (M) 154/51/325/29 25. August 1940.
  8. Union of South Africa Prime Minister's Office 154/51/325/29. 1 September 1940.
  9. Union of South Africa Prime Minister's Office 154/51/325/11. 17 March 1941.
  10. Defence Forces Order No. 4144. Union of South Africa. 5 July 1949.
  11. "New Reserve Force unit names". defenceWeb. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  12. "Renaming process has resulted in an Army structure that truly represents SA". IOL. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  13. Regiment Westelike Provincie Dress Code R.W.P/R406/11/.
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