Port Elizabeth Archives - Page 8 of 14

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Advent of Bioscope

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 13 March 2017 3 Comments

The fact that just over a year after Cinématographe was invented in 1895, it was demonstrated commercially first in Joburg and then in Port Elizabeth, is indicative of the pervasive nature of technology. Moving pictures had finally been invented albeit without embedded sound.

In spite of these restrictions, people flocked to witness the latest invention which, like all pioneering devices, would be used both for good and ill. Think of Geobbels, the Communist states and even Donald Trump with his fake news.

Long known as bioscopes but in the modern parlance these places of entertainment with their huge screens are called movie houses or just movies.

Main picture: A little crowd gathering outside the theatre that became the Grand

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Water, water, everywhere but……..

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 10 March 2017 0 Comment

In the annuals of history, one of the key criteria for the establishment of a town was a ready water supply. What this meant in reality was that towns were located on a perennial river with a persistent strong flow. Not so Port Elizabeth. This problem was to bedevil its development over the years.

Where did Port Elizabeth obtain its water supply from, especially in the early years?

Main picture: On this puny stream, grandiloquently called Shark River, that supplied Port Elizabeth with its first piped water

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Great Gale of 1902 -The Southeaster’s last Hurrah

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 10 March 2017 7 Comments

Port Elizabeth is renowned for its shipwrecks. The most calamitous ones were as a consequence of south-easterly gales in Algoa Bay. They are a poignant reminder that in the face of on-shore winds, sailing vessels in the roadstead and at the mercy of the elements, frequently lost their anchors and were driven ashore. An additional problem was that some ships were in poor condition with rusted cables and other defects.

The most disastrous gale in South African maritime history was the gale of 1902 resulting in the destruction of 21 ships, numerous lighters and other small craft and the loss of 38 lives. The curve of the Bay towards North End is often referred to as the “bight”, an old English word. The North End bight was a notorious graveyard for wrecked ships. And 1902 was no different.

Main picture: On the morning of 2nd September 1902, North End beach was strewn with ships

Port Elizabeth of Yore: What Happened to the Baakens Lagoon?

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 9 March 2017 2 Comments

Like many of the rivers in the Eastern Cape, the Baakens River also originally possessed an impressive lagoon. Old photographs and paintings show it being used for leisure activities such as boating.

What eventually happened to this splendid lagoon?

Main picture: Baaken’s River looking up from the mouth in 1860 with Fort Frederick atop of the ridge. This expanse of water to the north of Union Bridge does not form part of the lagoon as it is a shallow expanse of water subject to the vagaries of tides and the strength of the river flow.

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The First Settler ship “The Chapman”

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 8 March 2017 13 Comments

Whereas the Aussies refer to the Chapman as the Convict vessel, South Africans refer to her as the Settler ship, one for confinement and the other for release.

This is fascinating history of the 70 years service to colonialism of this renowned ship and some of its crew. Apart from trading and conveyance operations, it was also fitted out with guns for two periods of its life and was engaged in naval warfare.

Main picture: A model of the Chapman

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Second Great Trek

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 7 March 2017 3 Comments

From only representing 3.9% of the white population in Port Elizabeth in 1904, the great influx of Afrikaners from the rural areas in the early part of the 20^th century resulted in their share of the white population increasing to 29.2% in 1936 and 44% by 1970.

Over 70 years, Port Elizabeth was transformed from an English town into a South African town.

Main picture: Piet Retief Monument in Summerstrand

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Town in its Fifties (Circa 1860/70)

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 6 March 2017 0 Comment

Unlike humans, turning fifty did not imply that Port Elizabeth was approaching middle age. Instead, it was still an age of exuberant growth and limitless possibilities, as it was now the largest port in South Africa, volume-wise. It would take another century for old age, tepid growth and decline to set in.

This description of Port Elizabeth in its teenager years is fascinating and is taken from a thin unnamed booklet entitled “between 1860 and 1870.”

Main picture: The North Jetty

Port Elizabeth of Yore: A Town at War during World War II

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 3 March 2017 2 Comments

Maybe the battlefields were thousands of kilometres distance, yet far-off Port Elizabeth was affected in numerous ways from the mundane to the deadly. Apart from the direct effect on the town, numerous of its citizens, such as my father and many of my uncles, volunteered for active service.

The focus of this blog is on Port Elizabeth itself, both as regards military establishments, training and enemy actions.

Main picture: The Fortress Observation Post at Seahill, Cape Recife

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Fort Frederick-The Unbloodied Sentinel

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 2 March 2017 7 Comments

It is fair to say that the establishment of Fort Frederick was more a response to political tensions in Europe than to local enmity between Dutch frontiersmen and Xhosa tribesmen. While the later upheavals arose as the vanguard of the Dutch boeren [Afrikaans boere] approached the advancing Xhosa tribesmen, the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 had plunged Europe into a protracted period of war.

This blog traces the fascinating history of Fort Frederick from its inception until the present time.

Main picture: Fort Frederick dated 12 March 1905

Port Elizabeth of Yore: PE’s Machine Gun Section in WW1

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 27 February 2017 1 Comment

As all Regiments in the Union were disbanded for the duration of WW1, this applied equally to the Prince Alfred’s Guards. On being notified of this decision, at the insistence of some Port Elizabeth citizens, a complete machine gun section of twenty-two men was privately formed. The story which follows is taken from a souvenir brochure entitled “For Remembrance” published after the cessation of hostilities.

This is a commemoration for the bravery displayed by all of these men and especially to the five who paid the ultimate price.

Main picture: Inside view of a WWI trench at Massiges, northeastern France

The Opinion Pieces are an eclectic bunch on current affairs & history often with a human interest aspect. The Movie/DVDs reviews are mainly on documentaries with a smattering of movie reviews.

Tag Archives: Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Advent of Bioscope

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Water, water, everywhere but……..

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Great Gale of 1902 -The Southeaster’s last Hurrah

Port Elizabeth of Yore: What Happened to the Baakens Lagoon?

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The First Settler ship “The Chapman”

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Second Great Trek

From only representing 3.9% of the white population in Port Elizabeth in 1904, the great influx of Afrikaners from the rural areas in the early part of the 20^th century resulted in their share of the white population increasing to 29.2% in 1936 and 44% by 1970.

Over 70 years, Port Elizabeth was transformed from an English town into a South African town.

Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Town in its Fifties (Circa 1860/70)

This description of Port Elizabeth in its teenager years is fascinating and is taken from a thin unnamed booklet entitled “between 1860 and 1870.”

Port Elizabeth of Yore: A Town at War during World War II

Maybe the battlefields were thousands of kilometres distance, yet far-off Port Elizabeth was affected in numerous ways from the mundane to the deadly. Apart from the direct effect on the town, numerous of its citizens, such as my father and many of my uncles, volunteered for active service.

The focus of this blog is on Port Elizabeth itself, both as regards military establishments, training and enemy actions.

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Fort Frederick-The Unbloodied Sentinel

Port Elizabeth of Yore: PE’s Machine Gun Section in WW1

This is a commemoration for the bravery displayed by all of these men and especially to the five who paid the ultimate price.

From only representing 3.9% of the white population in Port Elizabeth in 1904, the great influx of Afrikaners from the rural areas in the early part of the 20th century resulted in their share of the white population increasing to 29.2% in 1936 and 44% by 1970.

Over 70 years, Port Elizabeth was transformed from an English town into a South African town.

This description of Port Elizabeth in its teenager years is fascinating and is taken from a thin unnamed booklet entitled “between 1860 and 1870.”

Maybe the battlefields were thousands of kilometres distance, yet far-off Port Elizabeth was affected in numerous ways from the mundane to the deadly. Apart from the direct effect on the town, numerous of its citizens, such as my father and many of my uncles, volunteered for active service.

The focus of this blog is on Port Elizabeth itself, both as regards military establishments, training and enemy actions.

This is a commemoration for the bravery displayed by all of these men and especially to the five who paid the ultimate price.

From only representing 3.9% of the white population in Port Elizabeth in 1904, the great influx of Afrikaners from the rural areas in the early part of the 20^th century resulted in their share of the white population increasing to 29.2% in 1936 and 44% by 1970.