[Routine Order] SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDERS No. 2/44 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.

Friday, 14 January 1944 Other

Document

SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDERS No. 2/44 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.
By
LT. COL. C. P. KOTZE. Officer Commanding.
21 Squadron, S.A.A.F.
14th January, 1944.
Para. 7. CENSORING OF MAIL.
With effect from 17. 1. 44 only the Officers appointed for duty
may censor the mail of Other Ranks. Uncensored mail is to be placed in
the post box outside the Squadron post office. Sealed letters found in
the box, will be rejected by the Postal Clerk.
Officers mail will be posted in the box provided at the Mess;
this will be cleared daily at 08.30 hours.
Duty Officers : Consoring.
The undermentioned Officers will Report to the Assistant
Adjutant for the above duty at 14.00 hours on the dates set out opposite
their names.
Lt. T. H. Ashton. Monday 17. 1. 44.
Lt. P. J. Naude. " "
Lt. C. Bennett Tuesday. 18. 1. 44.
Lt. A. J. Bester. " "
Lt. M. J. Gildenhuys Wednesday 19. 1. 44
Lt. P. W. Frost " "
Lt. R. H. Borcherds Thursday 20. 1. 44
Lt. O. Greder " "
Lt. J. O. Harle Friday. 21. 1. 44
Lt. E. L. Potgieter " "
Lt. C. W. Hill Saturday 22. 1. 44
Lt. J. H. v.d. Merwe " "
Lt. L. S. Horwitz. Sunday 23. 1. 44
Lt. D. B. Jordaan. " "
Should an Officer be unable to Report owing to operations, he
will notify the Assistant Adjutant before his tour of duty is to commence
and hand in the name of a substitute. It will be his responsibility to
obtain, and warn, the officer who is taking his place.
Para. 8. DISCIPLINE.
All Gambling in this Camp is strictly forbidden. Steps will be
taken to ensure that this order is carried out.
Para. 9. BOUNDS. TELEPHONE EXCHANGE.
As from the date of order, the Telephone Exchange will be strictly
OUT OF BOUNDS to all ranks, except in the course of duty.
Para. 10. BOUNDS - NAPLES
The town of Naples is OUT OF BOUNDS to all troops except those
on duty. Organised parties are not permitted to enter the town for
entertainments.
Para. 11./ page 2.
PAGE TWO.
11. ANTI TYPHUS INOCULATIONS.
The undermentioned personnel will report to the Medical Officer
tomorrow, Saturday 15th January, 1944 at 10.00 hours.
| No. | Rank | Name | No. | Rank | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32753V. | F/Sgt. | de Beer G. J. | 95936V. | F/Sgt. | Duncan A. |
| 328812V | " | Harmse J. C. | 542840V | A/Sgt. | Brough J. F. |
| 106697V | " | v.d.Westhuizen H.P. | 542437V | " | Crawhall J. |
| 577151V | A/Sgt. | Cohen H. | 337469V | " | McCrindle D. |
| 206191V | " | Leipoldt J. V. | 542845V | " | Bridger I.R. |
| 326302V | A/Cpl | Amos A. J. | 326415V | A/Cpl. | Brocks A.J. |
| P4777V | " | Curran D. | 310591V | " | Gunner. |
| 99509V. | " | Goldstone R.F. | 94623V | " | Laidley D. A. |
| 212290V | " | Niciwoudt N. | 94473V | " | Peasley H.V. |
| 328113V | A/M. | Lord J.V. | 99404V | A/M | Jordaan J. |
| 207497V | " | Keagan P. | 209584V | " | Norden. G.D. |
| 212343V | " | Baragwanath S. | 207996V | " | McGregor |
| 96388V | " | Brackensha C.C. | 578289V. | " | Nel I K. |
| 207049V | " | Coso D. E. | 581359V | " | Paul A. |
| 101489V | " | Clark E.W.J. | P7004V | " | Cummings R.J |
| 328874V | " | Rupping | 312881V | " | Cloae L.W. |
| P7069V. | " | v.d.Wosthuizen P.F. | 313137V | " | Corfe G. |
| 95614V | " | Wood F. A. | 313142V | " | Corfe C. |
| 207163V | " | Welch A. | 100455V | " | Ellis R.E. |
| 94916V | " | Davison P. W. | 280182V | " | Green A. E. |
| 326498V | " | de Villiers P.V. | 208454V | " | Halliday |
| 313028V | " | Ingles R.L. | 99728V | " | Horell M. |
| 207726V | " | Jones T. B. | 313558V. | " | Allen J. P. |
12. YELLOW FEVER.
All personnel returning to the Union by air, will be given a
yellow fever inoculation in Cairo, resulting in a delay of 10 days, before
the inoculation is effective.
To overcome this, it is suggested that these inoculations now be
given to all personnel who received their last yellow fever inoculation
more than eighteen months ago.
Owing to the difficulty in obtaining the serum and in keeping it
a day will be laid down for this inoculation, which will be given at about
2 - 3 months intervals.
All those wishing to receive this inoculation must hand their
names in to the Medical Officer immediately.
14. PROCUREMENT OF LOCAL FOODSTUFFS BY ALLIED FORCES.
Feeding the civil population is daily becoming more difficult and
the burden on the Allied Military Government is made increasingly heavy if
large scale purchases of foodstuffs are made by Allied troops. In addition,
Military Hospitals are frequently unable to obtain supplies of those items
of foodstuffs which are so essential a part of hospital diet.
The procurement of local foodstuffs for consumption by Allied
Forces, other than known perishable supplies, has been prohibited except
where purchases do not embarrass the already difficult position. The purchase
of, for example, a single chicken may not be objectionable whereas the pur-
chase of a large number might interfere with the feeding plan for the civil-
ian population.
If the degree of latitude indicated is abused, a rigid prohibition
of the purchase of all foodstuffs (other than perishable) by the Allied
Forces will unquestionably be insisted upon by the Allied Force Headquarters.
[Signature]
LT. COL.
OFFICER COMMANDING, 21 SQUADRON, S.A.A.F.

Transcriber's Notes

Transcriber's Notes:
* Lt. M.J. Gildenhuys vs. F/Sgt Geldenhuys: This document lists Lt. M. J. Gildenhuys for censorship duty on Wednesday, Jan 19th. This provides definitive proof of the distinction discussed earlier. This Lieutenant Gildenhuys is a commissioned officer (likely an Observer), whereas your grandfather was Flight Sergeant Geldenhuys, a non-commissioned officer (NCO). Officers were responsible for censoring the mail of the "Other Ranks" (NCOs and Airmen), meaning Lt. Gildenhuys might have actually been the one censoring your grandfather's letters home.
* "Consoring" (Censorship): The document contains a typo, listing the duty as "Consoring." Censorship was a critical, if tedious, duty for junior officers. They had to read the letters of the enlisted men to ensure no operational details (locations, targets, morale issues) were leaked. "Green envelopes" were sometimes used for private family matters which were subject to a lower level of random checks, but general mail was open.
* Naples "Out of Bounds": The order placing Naples "OUT OF BOUNDS" (Para 10) was a major health and discipline measure. Following its liberation in October 1943, Naples suffered a severe typhus epidemic and was rampant with black market activity and prostitution. Allied command restricted access to prevent the spread of disease to the troops and to maintain order.
* Lt. R.H. Borcherds: Listed for duty on Thursday, Jan 20th. This officer would rotate home ("R.T.U.") just five days later on January 25th (as noted in the War Diary file 269-1__14.jpg), making this one of his final administrative duties.
* Telephone Exchange: Placing the telephone exchange "Out of Bounds" was a security protocol to prevent unauthorized personnel from overhearing sensitive communications or using military lines for personal calls.

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Verification: Target File Verification: The document is Page Two of "SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDERS No. 2/44" (continued from the previous file). The text explicitly sets a reporting date for inoculations as "tomorrow, Saturday 15th January, 1944".
Transcriber's Notes:
* Definitive Proof of Service Number: This document provides the official service number for your grandfather's crewmate, A/Sgt. Crawhall. It is listed as 542437V.
* Name: Crawhall J.
* Rank: A/Sgt (Air Sergeant)
* Service No: 542437V
* This number is a crucial key for unlocking any further archival records about him.
* Medical Context (Typhus & Yellow Fever): The orders highlight the medical realities of the Mediterranean theater.
* Typhus: A major threat in Italy during the winter of 1943-44 due to lice infestation in the cold, crowded conditions.
* Yellow Fever: The requirement for inoculation for personnel "returning to the Union by air" via Cairo indicates the standard transit route home (up the Nile Valley). The "delay of 10 days" in Cairo was a quarantine measure.
* Civilian Food Crisis: Section 14 outlines the dire state of the Italian civilian population ("Feeding the civil population is daily becoming more difficult"). The command explicitly forbids troops from buying up local food stocks ("large scale purchases"), noting that even Military Hospitals were struggling to get fresh food. This order reflects the tension between occupying troops with money and a starving local populace.
* The "V" Suffix: All the service numbers end in "V" (e.g., 542437V). This suffix denotes that the individual was a Volunteer for service outside South Africa. Conscripts in the UDF could not be forced to serve outside the Union's borders; only those who took the "Africa Oath" (and got the orange flash on their shoulder tabs) could be deployed to Italy.
* F/Sgt vs A/Sgt: The list groups NCOs by rank. It lists F/Sgt (Flight Sergeant) and A/Sgt (Air Sergeant) separately, confirming the distinction. A/Sgt Brough J.F. (542840V), another frequent crewmate of your grandfather's pilot Lt. Askew, is also listed here for inoculation.

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Verification: Target File Verification: The document is a "SORTIE REPORT (Part A)" dated 16 Jan 44.