Rhodesian Birth & WW II

My forebears arrived in South Africa between the 1820’s and 1850’s. They were British stock with one French great-grandfather from Bussy en Othe outside Paris.

Before World War II, my parents moved from South Africa to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) where I, and my sister, Helen, were born at the “Lady Chancellor” on North Road, Salisbury.  Salisbury (now Harare) was a wonderful small British capital colonial city of great charm.  Many citizens endeavoured to make a good contribution to the British Empire’s war effort.  My father worked as an Electrical Engineer, and my mother was a home maker.  We lived at 10 Routledge Street, which was located near the #25 Empire Elementary Flying Training School at Belvedere Airport.  The “Tiger Moth” trainers seemed to fly non-stop and the air smelled continually of aviation gas.

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Baby Pam in Father’s arms 1941              Mothers's arms at Christening 

WW II

My father knew Rhodesia well as he had travelled there often with his father (Arthur E. Val Davies) who was the Consulting Electrical Engineer responsible for the design of the first major electric power stations in Rhodesia. Father worked for Johnson & Fletcher and worked with many of the miners on small mines in the Gatooma and Gwelo area. He was called up for weekend and after hours training and duty and served with Southern Rhodesia Light Battery as a rifleman and gunner until he was demobbed in 1946.

1942 No 6 Platoon Rhodesia Rifles. Father H G Val Davies top row second from the right.

Southern Rhodesia Light Battery C Troop 1943. (My father HG Val Davies is second row, fourth man from the left)

My father died in 2001, and our family has kept his historic awards.