The Saints has been a massive labour of love. It has been put together inside of two years, when ideally we could have done with at least five. This would not have been achieved without the overwhelming support of ex-members of the battalion, friends of the battalion and military enthusiasts, worldwide. When I first spoke to the author, Alex Binda, two years ago, I had only a vague idea of the scale of the project—vast!
Alex’s task has not been easy. When the last RLI soldiers marched off the Cranborne Barracks parade ground in 1980 and filtered quietly to the four corners of the globe, so too disappeared most of the official battalion records, commando albums and scrapbooks that any military historian would have considered critically important to a documented history of a regiment. Undaunted, Alex put his head down and, through determined badgering of ex-members, associations, museums, military historians and other sympathetic authors, has managed to put together a book that we hope you will enjoy and cherish. Certainly, we are very proud of it. As an author, Alex has grown in stature over the last two years, which has been immensely gratifying to note and we wish him every success with his forthcoming book, Masodja—The History of The Rhodesian African Rifles and its forerunner The Rhodesia Native Regiment. In our daily correspondence with Alex, he has never ceased to impress—with his unwavering enthusiasm, efficiency, dedication and humility. Every task that I’ve thrown at him he has tackled promptly with vigour and with a smile.
Considering the paucity of official records, we have had to rely heavily on input from ex-members in terms of anecdotal and photographic material, which we believe has brought a personal touch to the book—a sense of immediacy. Our aim has been to produce, not a dry historical account of this unique regiment, but something that will grab and hold the reader’s attention, so that he or she ‘feels’ what it was like, fighting in hot, humid bush conditions at close quarter. We have sought to capture that special ethos of a special battalion; that unidentifiable magic ‘something’. In this regard Alex has succeeded admirably.
Several of the listings in the appendices are incomplete, however, with subsequent editions these will be updated as and when additional information comes to light. We also accept that there may be factual errors in the text, which is unavoidable—memories fade and memories differ. Again, we will be happy to make any corrections or amendments in future editions. Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders, however, should any copyright holder come forward who has not been suitably credited, we apologize unreservedly in advance; and we will be happy to rectify the situation in future editions.
Alex has mostly tackled all the thanks-yous in his acknowledgments but there are a few special mentions we need to make:
Steve Crump, one-time Royal Marine and TA Royal Green Jacket, full-time professional fundraiser for a children’s charity in the UK and now a passionate supporter of the RLI, a massive vote of thanks for being ‘our man on the ground’ in the UK and for conceptualizing, organizing and fundraising for, the UK launch of the book in the summer of 2007. To Caro and Brian Laithwaite—our appreciation to you both for your support at the launch and Brian for filming the event.
Thanks to Gen Edwards for the b/w maps and diagrams; and Dr. Richard Wood for the colour maps. Richard is undoubtedly the foremost historian on matters Rhodesia and has been an invaluable sounding board and contributor.
To Craig Fourie, who probably maintains the largest database and repository on information pertaining to the Rhodesian Army, our gratitude to for your ever-ready willingness to assist with our seemingly endless, niggling queries.
In mid-2006, with the production process in full swing and correspondence flying frenetically between the author, ex-members and us, the idea of reviving the old RLI Regimental Association was raised. Tony Young, an ex-Support Commando Australian who has been a prime mover in getting ex-members to march at ANZAC Day, and I decided to see if it couldn’t be done. Today, the RLI Regimental Association is a young, vibrant, growing organization (with around 200 registered members at time of writing). The publishers owe a huge vote of thanks to the (Interim) Executive Committee of Tony Young, Jerry Strong, Digger Essex-Clark, George Dempster and Ian Buttenshaw, for their unstinting encouragement and support of The Saints, not to mention directing this former lance-corporal in terms of military protocol. George and his son Colin can be proud of their efforts in setting up the new Regimental Association website (www.therli.com) which readers are encouraged to check out. Ian Buttenshaw has an unrivalled knowledge of the battalion and his input, particularly in the listings in the appendices, has been invaluable. Likewise, Digger Essex-Clark’s sharp memory of the early days of the battalion’s history.
To Charlie Aust, the last CO—your support and humility have been an inspiration. You’re a good man Charlie Aust!
Craig Bone, international wildlife and military artist, and whose painting graces the cover of this book, has brought another dimension to the book with his evocative paintings and compelling sketches of life in the RLI. Craig and his wife, Anne-Marie, have wholeheartedly thrown themselves into this project. Words simply cannot express the value of their contribution.
Harmon Cusack, professional cameraman and film editor extraordinaire, produced the DVD. It has been incredibly exciting working with Harmon on this project and has certainly has got me itching to get into movie production! His passion for the project is infectious. Thanks to Neil Thain for his input with the script. Thank you to Jon Caffin for tracking down and supplying crucial footage; to Rick Passaportis for digging out his old 16mm films, which proved to be priceless.
The soundtrack to the DVD has been an exciting exercise. Thanks to Charlie Norris for his co-ordination efforts in Zimbabwe. A thousand tatendas to Fraser Mackay for recording and collating much of the musical score in Zimbabwe.
Producing a full-colour book of this nature is not a cheap exercise and, to this end, special mention must be made of those generous people who have paid some scary money by purchasing the special editions on offer. Those who have purchased the Souvenir Sets, as well as those who have contributed to the costs of the launch, are gratefully acknowledged on the Subscribers’ Page a couple of pages on. Your contributions have gone a long way in making this book what it is. Thank you all.
And lastly, I need to express my deepest gratitude to my colleagues at 30° South Publishers—my wife and business partner, Kerrin, and our delightful, long-suffering Jane Lewis. Both Kerrin and Jane were mere babes in arms in the late 1970s and ordinarily the RLI should mean little to them. But somehow it does, and their passion and enthusiasm for The Saints is humbling to behold. Jane edited and proof-read the text; assisted with the marketing and publicity campaign; organized the invitation list for the launch; and made nice tea. Kerrin designed and laid out the entire book; scanned in excess of 5,000 photographs; proof-read the text; conceptualized the marketing and publicity campaign; and made no tea. For both of them, The Saints has been an emotional, and at times traumatic, experience—the lists of the dead, the faces of the dead and the endless photos of dead bodies, have left their mark. You girls have gone above and beyond the call of duty.
Chris Cocks
Johannesburg, February 2007
The Rhodesian Light Infantry Regimental Association
Service with the Rhodesian Light Infantry, the comradeship, the shared stresses and hardships in training and combat, and the shared loss of mates has left an indelible mark on the lives of many who served with the Regiment. The task of Infantry can be expressed as follows:
‘Infantry is the only element of an army that closes with the enemy, man to man, kills or captures him, seizes and holds ground and repels attack regardless of the time, season, weather or terrain. The infantryman’s task is total; there are no limits, other than the capability and endurance of the human body, to what an infantryman is expected to do.’1
There is no doubt that many warriors, who met the demands of Infantry and shared life and saw death together, bond irrevocably, and that after many leave the service, the residue of old comradeships courses through the blood and spirit of those men and their teams. So, the formation of a ‘society’ is as inevitable as life and death itself.
This bond led to the initial formation of the Rhodesian Light Infantry Regimental Association. Time and distance dislocated the bond temporarily, but the spirit of the men and the comradeship of the past inevitably kicked in and the Association has again been reformed.
There is no doubt that some men, through the horror of the ‘kill or be killed’ of combat, unnatural activities in a Christian society, have found it difficult to adjust to normal life and have fallen to the tensions and stresses of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder caused by combat, and experienced the subsequent psychological disruptions to them, their families and friends. The Association hopes that the bonds created by mutual service and past teamwork together, will enable us to help these men by spiritual healing through good humour and the constant support of warm friendship and understanding.
The Association can only prosper and provide value to its members through the sustained effort of those who once served with, or supported, the Rhodesian Light Infantry. The Association has a simple goal:
‘The maintenance of the bonds of friendship, support and comfort, created
by the memory of shared service in the Rhodesian Light Infantry.’
Visit the RLIRA’s website at www.therli.com
John Essex-Clark, Maverick Soldier –An Infantryman’s Story, Melbourne University Press, 1991. p. xiii. |
Alexandre Binda was born in Beira, Mozambique, on Christmas Day, 1945. His father was a Portuguese colonial from Mozambique while his mother was from Gwelo, Southern Rhodesia. Following the death of his mother, Alex spent a number of his formative years in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia. His secondary schooling was at Marist Brothers in Beira and Mount Pleasant High School in Salisbury.
He joined the Rhodesian Army on 25 May 1965 at the age of 19. Although he had attested into the Rhodesian Army Pay Corps, he was to get more operational and combat experience than any of his corps’ compatriots—between 1968 and 1972 he took part in a dozen or so deployments with 1RLI and SAS combat-tracker teams in support of the Portuguese Army in the Tete Province of Mozambique. He was awarded a Military Forces Commendation (the Rhodesian equivalent of a mention in dispatches) for his work on these deployments.
He also served as an interpreter for the periodical sports meetings between the Rhodesian Salisbury Area Headquarters and the Portuguese Zone Operational Tete (ZOT) in Beira. He well remembers on one return journey by bus from Beira in 1969, listening to the moon landing on a transistor radio!
During his 15 years in the Rhodesian Army, Alex did one tour of duty of four years with the Selous Scouts and was commissioned on 23 June 1979. He spent his last year in the Army as paymaster of the Corps Training Depot (CTD) at Inkomo Garrison. After Mugabe’s election victory he submitted his notice and was discharged on 31 August, 1980.
Alex is a keen student of African military history and has written several articles which have been published in the Lion & Tusk, the magazine of the Rhodesian Army Association. This is his first major work along with his recently completed history of the Rhodesian African Rifles, Masodja. He is married to Jane and lives in the north of England.
About the editor
Chris Cocks was born in Rhodesia in 1957. He joined the Rhodesian Light Infantry in January 1976, and served as a junior NCO in 3 Commando 1RLI until February 1979. He first commanded a stick as an 18-year-old trooper, was a troop medic, an assistant parachute dispatcher, and managed 42 jumps. After the RLI, he was a stick leader with the Police Anti-Terrorist Unit (PATU) in the Middle Sabi area on the Mozambican border, until April 1980. He moved to Johannesburg in 1996 and has been in the publishing business since then. He has written three books: Fireforce—one man’s war in the Rhodesian Light Infantry; Survival Course and Cyclone Blues. He is an EXCO member of the newly formed Rhodesian Light Infantry Regimental Association and is the editor of the RLIRA newsletter, e-Cheetah. He is married to Kerrin and has four children.