Following the British declaration of war against Germany on 4 August 1914, South Africa consequently was part of the conflict due to her status as a dominion within the British Empire. Although with significant levels of See more

After the formation of the Union of South Africa, in 1910, Jan Smuts placed a high priority on establishing a unified military force that would be … See more

As the South African War had ended just twelve years previously in 1902, and with the memories of the suffering experienced by some Afrikaners in See more

Organisation
The Union Defence Act of 1914 forbade the deployment of the UDF outside of South Africa and its immediate surrounding … See more

After the establishment of the Union, the first South African government was formed by the South African Party (SAP) which won 67 of the 121 parliamentary … See more

On 7 August 1914, three days after the declaration of war, Britain requested that South African troops capture the three German wireless communication stations at See more

As early as 1912, the Union Defence Force established a flying school at Alexandersfontein, near Kimberley, to train pilots for the proposed South African Aviation Corps … See more