When the Union Defence Forces were formed in 1912 just before the start of the First World War in 1914, the Defence Act made provision for a South African Aviation Corps.

The official Military Art Collection which depicts South Africa’s involvement in the Second World War (1939 - 1945) was placed in the care of the DNMMH in 1953.

After the Second World War (1939-1945), the Union Defence Forces (UDF) continued to use mostly British and American equipment acquired from Britain and the American via the Lend Lease agreement.

The events of the Anglo-Zulu War, especially those that included Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, still captivate both the British and South Africans alike.

The word “askari” is usually used to describe the majority of black African soldiers who were recruited by European nations from the time of the European colonisation of Africa up until the political decolonisation of African states. 

2021 saw a sudden influx of press activity about one of these war heroes: Lance Corporal Jacob (Job) Masego, who won the Military Medal (MM) for his brave act of blowing up an enemy ship in the Tobruk Harbour in

An innovative Job Maseko manufactured a long fuse from string and cordite and attached this to a jam tin that he had filled with more cordite obtained from cartridges, which could be picked up in the trenches and sand.

Umkhonto we Sizwe | Spear of the Nation (MK), armed wing of African National Congress (ANC) South Africa, recently marked their 60th anniversary on the 16 December 2021.

The visible difference in our skin colour has brought about a painful past, filled with discrimination and pure discontent amongst the human race.