St George's Park History

Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Social Functions

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Probably the most impressive and colourful ceremony of the opening day of the Liberty Cavalcade on July 29, 1943, will be the presentation of  “Wings” to the cadets of the South African and Royal Air Forces who have been passed out.

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Liberty Cavalcade on July 29, 1943

The ceremony will take place on the arena at 4pm and it will be the first occasion on which the general public will witness such an important and impressive ceremony by Prime Minister Jan Smuts, who will pin the brevets on the uniforms of the successful candidates in his capacity of Commander-in-Chief of the Union Forces.

The participating units will form up in a hollow square of airwomen and airmen. In the centre of the hollow, lined up in front, will be three squads of successful trainees as follows: SAAF Air Gunners from Port Elizabeth. RAF Air Navigator Cadets from Port Elizabeth. RAF cadet-air bombers from Port Elizabeth. Behind these will be lined up squads of cadets who are still under instruction. All cadets will be under arms.

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Prime Minister Jan Smuts

Attending the parade will be the brass band of 42 Air School, Port Elizabeth, and the bugle band of the Air Force Station, Driftsands, who will play the general salute in honour of the Prime Minister and the march past. These events will take place in the following order: The Prime Minister arrives, general salute with band; he inspects the parade, march past, advance in review order, general salute with band, presentation of brevets, march off with band.

On the arrival of the Prime Minister on the dias the officer in charge of the parade brings them to “present arms” and gives them the general salute.

Air Commander LG Croke, CBE, will ask the Prime Minister to inspect the parade. After this all the cadets will march past and they first return to the formation. After this the order is “advance in review order,” they are played forward by the band, and another general salute is given.

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Then follows the actual pinning on of the brevets which will take from 15 to 20 minutes. In the final stage the successful cadets are marched off and the remainder of the cadets come to the “present” as a mark of courtesy to them. Then the whole of the hollow square are marched off.