1900 – Music in the Public Gardens

112 days since the beginning of the Siege of Kimberley

Despite months of shelling, shortages and uncertainty, the people of Kimberley continued to find moments of normality wherever they could. Winifred Heberden recorded attending a concert in the Public Gardens, where the Combined Bands entertained residents. Among the highlights were the Kimberley Highlanders, whose pipers marched around the gardens playing stirring Scottish tunes whenever the other bands paused. The concert provided a welcome escape from the daily realities of siege life and demonstrated Kimberley's citizens' determination to maintain morale even under the most difficult circumstances.

Did You Know?

Music played an important role during the Siege of Kimberley, with military bands frequently performing concerts to lift the spirits of both soldiers and civilians.

1920 – The First Attempt to Fly from London to Cape Town

On 4 February 1920, one of aviation's greatest challenges began when four aircraft departed England in an ambitious attempt to complete the first flight from London to Cape Town.

The First World War had transformed aviation. Aircraft had become faster, more reliable and capable of covering far greater distances than ever before. The British Government hoped that air routes would one day link the far-flung territories of the British Empire, making communication and travel dramatically quicker than by sea.

Initially, officials viewed the privately organised expedition with considerable scepticism. Once the journey appeared likely to succeed, however, the British authorities quickly lent their support. The expedition proved to be far more difficult than anticipated. Mechanical failures, harsh weather and primitive airfields took their toll. Every one of the four aircraft that left London was eventually lost somewhere in Africa.

Among the pilots were Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Pierre van Ryneveld and Captain C. J. Q. Brand. Their determination became legendary. After crashing one aircraft, they continued the journey in a replacement machine. When that aircraft was also lost, they borrowed another aircraft from the newly established South African Air Force and finally completed the journey to Cape Town. The flight demonstrated both the enormous possibilities and the immense challenges of long-distance aviation during its pioneering years.

For Kimberley, the story holds special significance. Only three days earlier, on 1 February 1920, Sir Pierre van Ryneveld had been appointed the first Director of Air Services when the South African Air Force was officially established. The foundations of that air force had been laid at Alexanderfontein, just outside Kimberley, where Cecil Compton Paterson had trained South Africa's first military pilots before the First World War. The London-to-Cape Town flight, therefore, forms another chapter in Kimberley's remarkable aviation heritage.

Did You Know?

The Pioneers of Aviation Museum at Alexanderfontein, just outside Kimberley, stands on the site where South Africa's first military pilots learned to fly. It commemorates the beginnings of the aviation story that led to pioneers such as Sir Pierre van Ryneveld.