Yet, angry and sad as I am for the destruction of my own dreams, I look back on my days in Rhodesia as God-given and wonderful. Nobody can take away memories of life in ‘God’s own country’ amongst wonderful people of all races and creeds. Most white Rhodesians, now spread across the world, share this opinion and the vast majority of black folk trapped in Zimbabwe look back longingly to the days they lived under paternal white government. Harold Macmillan’s ‘winds of change blowing across Africa’ have for these unfortunate Zimbabweans proven to be nothing short of winds of destruction.
Twenty years on at the turn of the century, I am sad to say that I realise how successive British governments have continued the downward spiral in which their winds of destruction have turned to sweep across Britain. The deliberate destruction of Britain’s TSR2 bomber development programme by order of Harold Wilson was an early case in point. This really shook Rhodesians because the Labour Government’s order included the destruction of all data, rigs, jigs and moulds. If a British prime minister was prepared to destroy Britain’s lead in world aeronautical affairs thereby creating loss of prestige, loss of jobs, loss of huge foreign earnings and forcing English engineers to move to other countries, it is hardly surprising that he was so hell-bent on meeting other socialist communism wants, including the destruction of responsible government in far-off Rhodesia. For the Conservative Government to follow suit was mind-boggling.
That is all behind us now. President Robert Mugabe is the only one to have benefited from the policy of appeasement. But in Britain the same policy has led to appalling declines such as permitting children to enjoy power over their elders and allowing the finest rail system in the world to degenerate to its present situation. Illegal immigrants are afforded preferred treatment over British-born citizens. Major companies pass business to the Far East to escape disadvantages stemming from ongoing governmental mismanagement of the county’s affairs. Brussels sets the rules for UK trade. The euro might soon replace Sterling thereby destroying British independence and power forever.
I am a Rhodesian, first and foremost, yet I often find myself wondering why I am still proud to be British having seen the destructive forces of misguided rule by successive British governments. My simple conclusion is that, like most Rhodesians, I was brought up to be the royalist I am today. It is the British Crown that anchors us to our history and our successes. British royalty sets us apart from all other nations even though the UK Government and British media find cause to undermine it at every turn. But it seems to me that the unique position the royal family holds in ordinary British hearts is going to make political suicide just a touch too difficult for destructive politicians and pressmen.
Only a substantial change of the direction in political leadership and national thinking can save Great Britain and recover her to her rightful position of strength and selfrespect.
But above all I say, “Please God, save the Queen.”
Glossary
A/S/L Air Sub-Lieutenant
AD Accidental Discharge (of a weapon)
AFA African female adult
AFJ African female juvenile
AFS Advanced Flying School
ALO Air Liaison Officer
AMA African male adult
AMJ African male juvenile
amsl above mean sea level
AP Assembly Point
ASI Air Staff Instructions
ASR Air Strike Report
ATC Air Traffic Control
ATOPS Anti-terrorist Operations
AVM Air Vice-Marshal
B of I Board of Inquiry
BCR Bronze Cross of Rhodesia
BFM Belt Feed Mechanism (20mm Hispano cannons)
BFS Basic Flying School
Bravo Rhodesian time zone (Greenwich Mean Time is Zulu) Earlier hour zone going east is Alpha then Bravo and so on
BSAP British South Africa Policecasevac Casualty evacuation
CFS Central Flying School (RAF)
CMF Commonwealth Monitoring Force
CSIR Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (South Africa)
CSM Company Sergeant-Major
CT Communist Terrorist
DCD Defence Cross for Distinguished Service
DGSS Director General of Supporting Services
DI Drill Instructor
DZ Drop Zone (paratroopers and para-supplies)
EFJ European female juvenile
EMA European male adult
EMJ European male juvenile
FAC Forward Air Controller
FAE Fuel-Air Explosive
FASOC Forward Air Support Operations Centre
FIS Flying Instructors’ School
FL Flight level
FRELIMO Front for the Liberation of Mozambique
GAC Ground to Air Controller
GCV Grand Cross of Valour (Rhodesia’s equivalent to the VC)
GSU General Service Unit (equivalent to RAF Regiment)
GTS Ground Training School
HALO High Altitude – Low Opening (free-fall parachuting)
HF High Frequency (radios)
IF Instrument Flying
ILS Instrument Letdown System
INTAF Internal Affairs
IP Initial Point (starting position of jet run-in to attack)
ITCZ Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (meeting of warm Congo air and polar air)
JOC Joint Operations Centre
JSPIS Joint Services Photo-Interpretation Services
LTT Locally Trained Terrorist
LZ Landing Zone (applicable to helicopters)
MID Military Intelligence Services
MLM Member of the Legion of Merit (Operational or Non-operational)
MNR Mozambican National Resistance
NDB Non-Directional Beacon
OAU Organisation of African Unity
OCC Operations Co-ordinating Committee
OCU Operational Conversion Unity (advance pilot training for weapons)
OFEMA Français D’exportation de Matériel Aéronautique
PAC Pan African Congress
PAF Portuguese Air Force
PATU Police Anti-Terrorist Unit
PJI Parachute Jumping Instructor
PMC President of Mess Committee
PR Police Reserve
PRI Photo Recce Interpreter
PRAW Police Reserve Air Wing
PTC Pilot Training Course