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Fort Beaufort, Amatola District, Eastern Cape

Fort Beaufort is situated in the Eastern Cape Province. The town is surrounded by magnificent mountain ranges and it is known for it's infamous Citrus Farming. Fort Beaufort is a short way away from Hogsback, Grahamstown, Fort Hare University, East London and Port Elizabeth Fort Beaufort was founded in 1822, when a frontier post was established by Lt. Col Scott. The British army occupied Fort Beaufort until 1870. The Historical Museum, Military Museum and Martello Tower attest to the Town's military past and had a population of 25,668 in 2011. The town was established in 1837 and became a municipality in 1883. The Martello Tower in Fort Beaufort is a little garrison dating back to the nineteenth century during the Napoleonic Wars. Many Martello’s were built in several different countries, with two of them being in South Africa. The Fort Beaufort Martello is the only one in the world that was not built near the sea. Usually a Martello tower has two levels and is about 12 meters high and consists of a battalion with an officer and 15 to 25 men. This round structure was made of think stone walls with a flat topped roof with space for artillery that had 360 degrees movement in order to protect the fort. Martello’s became outdated when powerful rifles weaponry came into use. In Fort Beaufort, The Martello was flanked by another building which has now become a museum displaying military items and exhibiting a wealth of history. Fort Fordyce Nature Reserve, just 25 kilometers from Fort Beaufort, between the town and Adelaide - has as its main purpose the conservation and protection of the scarce Dohne Sourveld, the surrounding Afro-Montana forests and the biodiversity of the area. It is a wonderful place to visit if you’re even vaguely a horse lover or rider. All of your nature and game viewing can be done on horseback, including guided tuition from some very knowledgeable horse handlers, so if you weren’t a horse rider before, you will certainly know more about horses once you leave. The reserve is also a wonderful base for hiking and bass fishing is very popular. This is a fascinating place to visit with lots to see and discover and will make for a great day out.
Geolocation
26° 32' 56.4", -32° 43' 41.52"
References
http://southafrica.co.za/fort-beaufort.html https://www.sa-venues.com/things-to-do/easterncape/martello-tower/ https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fort+Beaufort
Further Reading
https://www.hikingsouthafrica.co.za › 6 Days or More

Armistice day 11th Nov 1918

at 11am on the 11th November 1918 a truce between Germany and the Entente powers came into effect
At 11am on the 11th November 1918 a truce came into effect between Germany and the Entente forces. This was supposed to be the war that 'ends all wars'. Yet by 1919 there were still between 20 and 30 wars being waged around the globe. According to Col Lionel Crook from the SA Legion there were 18500 military casualties from South Africa in this war. The 1884 Berlin Conference was an attempt to divide up Africa among the respective colonial and imperial powers. By the start of the 20th Century the entire world had been divided up among them.

Wonderboom National Airport, Tshwane

Wonderboom Airport, is located north of Pretoria, South Africa. The airport handles general aviation flights and passenger services. The Wonderboom Airport was opened in 1937. Built on a Wonderboom farm, it was used temporarily for military training during World War II. The airport has been extensively extended, with a new terminal building and hangars being constructed as well as the runway being extended in 1965. This extension led to the Airport being able to receive its first Boeing 737 in 1982. Wonderboom was originally only an airstrip owned by the Pretoria Municipality. The Pretoria Light Aircraft Company (Pty) Ltd was formed in 1937, and drew up an agreement with the Municipality for the use of the property. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality spent R 165.5 million on upgrades to the airport in anticipation of passenger flights. The airport would initially be able to cope with 450 departing and 400 incoming passengers per hour. The City of Tshwane believed that there is a market for passenger service, mainly Pretoria residents that do not wish to commute to OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg; an estimated 25% – 30% of passengers using O.R. Tambo are Pretoria residents.
Geolocation
28° 12' 43.2", -25° 39' 25.2"
References
https://showme.co.za/pretoria/tourism/wonderboom-national-airport/ https://wonderboomairport.co.za/
Further Reading
https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/crisis-at-wonderboom-national-airport-embezzlement-broken-hangars-and-the-missing-r3m-lift-20191108 https://web.facebook.com/Wonderboom-National-Airport-478578262297032/

Soldiers without reward- Africans in South Africa's wars

SS Mendi- source John Gribble collection
Military History Journal Vol 10 No 1 - June 1995 (incorporating Museum Review) SOLDIERS WITHOUT REWARD Africans in South Africa's Wars by J S Mohlamme Introduction and background To recount the part played by the African peoples of South Africa in the wars that have been fought by South Africans, one has only to turn back the pages of early South African history, for since those early years until the present Africans have played a by no means insignificant role. From the earliest times, the white people of South Africa have been in the habit of drafting Africans under their sphere of influe