Page 296 - Il Mediterraneo quale elemento del Potere Marittimo - Atti 16-18 settembre 1996

282 THEAN D. POTGIETER

SOURCES AND AVAlLARLE MATERIAL

The South African Military archives depot, directorate documentation servi-
ce, Pretoria (Mad)

In generai the Second World War archives are easily accessible and well orde-
red. The navy archives are arranged in the following groups: The most importane
as far as the Second Wotld War archives is concerned, is the Seaward Defence
(SD) Group. This group deals with the entire war. Beside numerous reports and
documents dealing with operational aspects, it also contains materia! regarding the
organisational and personnel matters, but pays scant attention to technical mat-
ters. The Naval Ships Logbooks are unfortunately incomplete. Although the Sea-
ward Defence Force and the SA Naval Forc~s Archive Groups deal mainly with
the Second World War, documents in these groups contains predominantly admi-
nistrative, financial and personnel information; and do not have much materia!
on operations matters.
The Personnel Filès, also in the custody of the South African Military Archi-
ves Depot, are very complete. But during a ''thinning-out" process, all routine do-
cuments were removed from the files of non-permanent members. These files ha ve
thus the bare necessities on them, but sufficient to be able to piece t~gether the
specific member's war-time career. The archives of the Secretary for Defence, which
addresses policy matters particularly well, is extremely voluminous,. containing ar-
chives from 1912 to 1966: and this enormous group is not arranged chronologically.

Department of Defense
Generai Orders. 99/77. Battle Honours for the SADF. 17 June 1977.

Nava/ Ships Logs
Box 14 HMSAS Bever.
Box 50, Box 52. HMSAS Gamtoos.
Box 115, Box 117. HMSAS Protea.
Box 15 O. HMSAS Southern Maid.
Box 216. HMSAS Parktown. Loss of the HMSAS Parktown, 24 June 1942.

Seaward Defence (SD)
SD3 Batch I. A/S Vessels and Equipment.
SD3 Batch II. A/S Vessels.
SD3/13. HMSAS Southern Maid and Floe.
SD3/15. Batch I. AIS Vessels detached for Generai Duty.
SD3/15. Batch Il. Releasing of Vessels for Service with RN.
SD3115. Batch II. Volume 2. Four A/S Vessels detached for Generai Duty.