HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE NON EUROPEAN ARMY SERVICES OUTSIDE OF THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA (PART 1)

Abstract

The Union War Histories Committee was established by General J.C. Smuts in1941, with the purpose of recording the Union Defence Forces' role in the SecondWorld War. The committee, under Colonel (Professor) J.A.I. Agar-Hamilton, produceda large number of manuscripts which deal with various facets and activitiesof the Union Defence Forces. These manuscript histories are in the custody of theDocumentation Service, SADF and provide a fruitful source of information for manyresearchers. The following paper has been taken from a manuscript entitled"Historical Survey of the Non European Army Services outside the Union of SouthAfrica".! Although the manuscript was written from a rather patronising viewpoint,the reader should examine the paper in terms of the context and the times in whichit was written. Sensitivities in this regard have been overlooked in the interests ofmaking available an unpublished manuscript dealing with a topic which has to alarge extent been neglected in South African military historiography.

Keywords

• Union War Histories Committee
• General J.C. Smuts
• 1941
• Union Defence Forces' role in the Second World War
• South African military historiography