Never once did my father ever discuss his involvement in WW2 let alone regale us with stories of the war. Today I bemoan the fact that he was not more open & forthright about his participation; any vignette, however mundane, would have provided an insight into what he had to endure, what was risible and what was hilarious. 

Despite the fact that he had contracted polio as a youngster, and hence was technically not eligible for military service, yet he duly and dutifully volunteered. 

Military duties comprise two categories: active service and non-active service. The latter encompasses experiences such as how they survived on a litre of water per day, the scorching heat or the cloying  oppressively, hot southerly khamsin winds. In my father’s case, being an artificer and a driver precluded him from direct contact with the enemy. Nevertheless, all of his other experiences could have provided a valuable peep into a lost world.

This blog is solely based upon his Military Record which Steve Groeneveld, a running friend, has been able to obtain from the military document centre in Pretoria. 

Main picture: Harry Clifford McCleland in military attire

The only “memorabilia” of my dad’s wartime experiences were a number of pieces of military equipment – a hand grenade, a 6-pounder shell and a 25-pounder shell casing – and about a dozen photographs.

While he might never have discussed his wartime activities and experiences, what he was vocal about was his views on war. Sometimes when Blaine and I re-enacted WW2 battles in the backyard, he would make some scathing comment sotto voco about not comprehending the reality of war. I was keenly aware of his abhorrence to war in any form, and hence attributed his unequivocal and unabashed atheism to this fact. What also no doubt contributed to his antipathy to religion was his bitter experiences as a boarder in an Afrikaans Boarding School in Alexandria as a young child. Suffice to say, both were immensely formative periods in his life.  By extension, how could God allow such despicable acts and behaviour? Without it sounding too melodramatic, both episodes in his life were formative.

Personal details:

Force number: 114184V

Name: Harry Clifford McCleland

Date attested: 10^th July 1940 [29 years old]

Unit: 5^th Field Regiment S.A. Artillery [Pretoria Regiment]

Occupation: Carpenter

Religion: Church of England

Date of birth:  15^th September 1911

Medals

1939-45 Star

Africa Star

The War Medal 1939-45

Africa Service Medal

8th Army Clasp

As the original medals have been lost, I am in the process of purchasing replacement medals. Once acquired, I will mount them together with his cap badge in a frame. The ultimate intention is to create a similar montage with my grandfather’s medals.

Initial postings:

• Gunner 5^th Field Brigade, 14^th Battery, Piet Retief on 10^th June 1940
• 114/84 Gunner 14 Battery, 5^th Field Brigade, S.A.A. Piet Retief on 12^th December 1940

Initial promotions:

• “B” Class Artisan at 7/- per diem from 25/5/1941 [FO 8/41/420 M.E.]
• Promoted to Cpl “B” Class Artisan at 10/- per diem from 2/6/1941 [FO 8/41/420 M.E.]

Summary of Movements:

All movements by military personnel were performed in terms of an Order. During this period, two types of Orders were used:

• UO or Union Orders. These were issued in respect of all personnel movements within the borders of South Africa
• FO or Field Orders were issued for all movements in the field of battle. In this case, they were suffixed by an abbreviation M.E. meaning Middle East.

As the military were not permitted to be deployed externally, they had to individually consent to be employed “overseas.” Furthermore, there was a distinction between Permanent Force and Volunteers with the volunteers having a Force Number suffixed with a V.

Date	Particulars
10/7/1940	Attested
2/7/1941	Embarked at Durban per 22 “Delwara” for Middle East with 5 Field Regiment SAA
12/8/1941	Disembarked at Suez
11/12/1942	Embark at Suez (1st SA Division Workshop) ER 154
1/1/1943	Disembark at Durban
9/1/1946	Discharged

Hospital record:

Date	Nature	Location	Hospital	Remarks & references
14/12/1940	Abscess-back	In the Field	A Coy 12 Field Ambulance	Trf to C.C.S. 14/12/41 (H.R. 139)
21/12/1941	Abscess-back	M.E.F.	18th Field Hospital	E.3 (HR 391) Trf to SA Base Hosp 23/12/41
19/2/1943	Circumcision	21 xxxx	No 119 Mil	Class D Med 110/47 return to duty 7/4/43 (14 days SL) Cat  B1 (DD Med 25) 13/4/43

Detailed Record of Service:

Date	Particulars	Reference
10/7/1940	Posted to 4th Battery, Field Brigade	UO 5/40/119
Blank	Transfer from 14th Battery to “A” Battery H.Q.	41/119
2/7/1941	Embarked at Durban per 22 “Delwara” for Middle East with 5 Field Regiment SAA	ER 329
12/8/1941	Disembarked at Suez	F.O. 8/41/420 M.E.
8/5/1941	Attached to Technical Services Workshop Premier Mine from A.T.C at Potchefstroom	UO 19/41/363A
25/5/1941	Taken on strength of “T” Services, remustered and attached 50 Field Regiment SAA	UO 117/41/144
25/5/1941	On strength Technical Service Workshop Premier Mine from XXX Artillery S.A.A.	UO 23/41/363A
25/5/1941	Rxxxxxet Corporal B Class to Acting Lance Corporal	UO 23/41/363A
28/5/1941	Transfer from Technical Workshop G to A.T.C Potchefstroom	UO 22/41/363A
28/5/1941	Transfer from Technical Services Workshop to attached 2nd Division	UO 23/41/363A
2/6/1941	Attached 5th Field Regiment SAA (P.R.) Ex Technical Services Workshops General	UO 30/41/363A
2/6/1941	Promoted from Gxx to T/Corporal (B Class)	UO 30/41/363A
Unknown	Attached to 5 Field Regiment SAA Piet Retief Ex Technical Services	UO 5/41/119
	RECORDS MISSING
14/12/1941	Admin to XXX and placed on General List from 5th Field Regiment S.A.A. F.O. 22/42/420 M.E.]
27/3/1942	On strength T.S.C. General List ex 1 Con Depot	F.O. 114/42/479 ME
27/3/1942	Off strength General List
28/3/1942	XXX List Personnel TSC on posting to 5th Field Regiment S.A.A	FO 17/42/479 ME
22/4/1942	On Strength T.S.C. General List ex 12 Field Ambulance	FO 32/42/479 ME
22/4/1942	Off strength T.S.C. General List
2/7/1942	Posted to 1 S.A. Division Workshops	FO 32/42/479 ME
7/7/1942	Temporarily detached to 1 SA Division Workshop (T.S.C.) from 5 Field Regiment SAA	FO 30/48/420 ME
20/7/1942	Ceases to be attached to 1 SA Division Workshops from 5 Field Battery SAA	FO 30/42/551 ME
20/7/1942	Adm Hosp placed on x 2 List	FO 30/42/420 ME
22/7/1942	Ceases to be attached to 1 SA Division Workshops on being posted to 1 SA Division Workshops xxxx T.S.C. Gen	FO 32/42/551 ME
	RECORDS MISSING
11/12/1942	Embark at Suez (1st SA Division Workshop) ER 154	FO 50/42/581 ME
1/1/1943	Disembark at Durban	UO 1/43/953
1/1/1943	Adv 2nd XXX. On Strength of 1 Medium Regiment. Posted to 2 Medium Battery (Attached personnel)	UO 21/43/120
15/1/1943	Transfer to Technical Services Workshop Premier Mine from 97 Detail Company T.S.C.	UO 8/43/363
11/2/1943	Reclassify from A.I. to D. 23 Force Troops	UO 9/43/953
14/2/1943	On strength 97 Details TS ex 1 Div W/S	UO 7/43/454
15/2/1943	Transferred to 66 Technical Services General Workshop  ex 97 Details TSC	UO 7/43/454
25/3/1943	Sick leave to 7/4/1943 – 14 days	UO 15/43/363A
5/4/1943	Rejoined 5 Field Regiment S.A.A from T.S.C. General List x 4	OO 17/42/420 ME
19/5/1943	To 1 Medium Regiment SAA from 66 Technical Service Workshop General T.S.C. Premier Mine	UO 22/43/363A
3/8/1943	1st Medium Regiment S.A.A. (S.A.H.A.) T.S.C. attached Witbank	DD 88.B.R.
25/9/1943	C/S 40 1st Medium Regiment SAA	UO 47/43/120
4/12/1943	Unfit for draft	DD xxxx 116
8/1/1944	Off strength 1st Medium Regiment SAA (SAHA) to T.S.C.	UO 2/44/138
8/12/1944	Attached to A.T.C. SAA 1st Medium Regiment SAA	UO 9/44/136
17/1/1944	From  ATT ATC (v) SAA Potchefstroom to ATT A&ACTC (v)	UO 14/44/136
17/1/1944	From ATT.ATC (v) SAA to ATT A&ACTC (v) Potch	UO 1/44/1678
18/1/1944	Xxxxx to AIACTC – Potchefstroom	DD (Med) 116
27/1/1944	Class C (CATD)	DD (Med) 74RI
XXXXXXX	Recl B.1. to C	UO 19/44/1698
7/5/1944	Class C	DD Med 116
28/6/1944	From Armt Artificer “B” to Fitter xxxx (Corporal)	UO 156/44/1698
18/8/1944	Posted to A&ACTC (v) Potch	UO 209/44/1678
9/10/1944	Awarded Africa Star and 8 [Army] Clasp  xxx WR 117/17/532(22)	UO 238/44/1678
1/10/1944	Promoted from T/Corporal to T/Sergeant	UO 231/44/1678
1/10/1944	Promoted from Corporal to Sergeant	UO 25/44/1054
8/1/1945	Adm to Military Hospital Potch	UO 8/45/1678
15/1/1945	Discharged from Military Hospital Potch	UO 14/45/1678
Blank	Awarded Africa Service Medal	UO 19/42/698
22/10/1945	On strength 6 Heavy Battery SAA ex Artillery – Armoured Corps transfer Centre – Potch	UO 43/45/141
22/10/1945	CTBA to AIRCTC Potch to 6 Heavy Battery (v) SAA Port Elizabeth	UO 245/45/1678
19/12/1945	On strength Assembly Camp – First City Regiment – Port Elizabeth ex 6 Heavy Battery	UO 35/45/2023
19/12/1945	Off strength 6 Heavy Battery SAA Port Elizabeth to Cxxxxx C xxxx- Assembly Camp Port Elizabeth	UO 49/45/14
5/1/1946	Off strength Assembly Company to Demobilisation Centre for Discharge	UO 4/46/2023
Miscell	Granted 30 days 11/R.S.L. 4/1/1943 to 2/2/1943	UO 1/43/907
Miscell	Granted 7 days extra R/A	UO 7/43/953
Blank	Granted 4 days leave 5/10/1942 to 8/10/1942	FO 41/42/551 ME
9/1/1946	Discharged	UO 4/46/2023

Comment

From attesting on 10^th July 1940 until his final discharge on 9^th January 1946, five and a half years later, Harry Clifford McCleland served his country in their time of need. Notwithstanding that, he never experienced one day of active service where his life was endangered.

In reality, it must have largely been a boring, wasteful period of his life. Most probably on discharge, he would have felt the need to compensate for lost time. That is what caused the baby boom as the post war explosion in births was referred to.

Abbreviations:

Many standard but the occasional idiosyncratic abbreviations are used in the Military Records. This is how they were interpreted.

7/- = 7 shillings

A/L/Cpl = Acting lance corporal

Amb = Ambulance

Armd = Armoured

Art = Artificer

Art = Artillery

A.T.C. = Unknown

Att = Attached

BDG = Brigade

Bty = Battery

Cpl = Corporal

Coy = Company

Demob = Demobilisation

Disc h= Discharge

Div = Division

FO = Field Order

Gnl = General

GNR = Gunner

GUN = Gunner

HB = Heavy battery

Hvy = Heavy

P/Mine = Premier Mine

Prom = Promoted

Reclass = Reclassify

Rej = Rejoined

Reg = Regiment

S.A.A = South African Artillery

SAHA = South African Heavy Artillery

SL = Sick leave

Str = Strength

Temp = Temporarily

Trf = Transferred

UO = Union Order

V = Volunteer

W/S = Workshops

W/Shops = Workshops

XXX = Illegible

Many of the abbreviations used are probably idiosyncratic and were no officially sanctioned. I have included all such abbreviations for the sake of completeness.

Actual military record cards:

XXXX