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SOUTH AFRICAN ARMS AND ARMOUR SOCIETY / 2004 ANNUAL PROGRAMME I have
pleasure in confirming our programme for the 2004 calendar year. Our
membership fees are R150 per annum and our financial year runs from I July
each year to 30 June of the following year. Our event
fees for all our meetings are R10 for SAAAS members and R25 for visitors and
members of other societies, which include tea or coffee at interval. Possible
changes to all our meetings will be confirmed progressively through the
year. During our social meetings, we
screen documentaries and feature films and hold lectures and discussions,
which are closely related to arms and armour, warfare and important related
historical events. Edged
weapons, antique and fine sporting firearm collectors as well as individuals
and organisations with a keen academic or cultural interest in arms and
armour are cordially invited to join SAAAS without any special qualification
as to their collector’s status.
Modern military and other firearm collectors wishing to join SAAAS may
be requested to demonstrate to us their “bona fide” status as firearm
collectors. At the end
of our official meetings and workshops, we offer the service of
identification and evaluation of condition of “collectable” arms and
armour submitted to us for examination.
This service is offered free of charge to attending members and
visitors by prior arrangement only.
Please phone Dawn Harvey in order to make the necessary arrangements
on (011) 487-1704 or e-mail us at arms_and_armour@xsinet.co.za Arms refers to all arms, from prehistory to
the present day and relevant projectiles Armour refers to all types of armour, from
prehistory to the present day, excluding modern bulletproof vests. Collectable
arms and armour refers to all arms and armour of obvious
and significant artistic, commemorative, cultural, historical, technological
and thematic importance or of investment value. OFFICIAL MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS AND SOCIAL EVENTS COMMENCE AT
16:30 FOR 17:00 AT THE AUDITORIUM OF THE WAR MUSEUM, SAXONWOLD. Sunday 25
January: Social Event - “Hiroshi Inagaki’s “Samurai
Banners”. An epic samurai film,
“Samurai Banners” is set in 16th century Japan, a country torn by war as
rival nobles battled to gain supremacy over the land. This tale of ritual swordsmanship and
advanced warfare, strange love and political intrigue is dominated by the
towering presence of the great Toshiro Mifune as a lone, battle-scarred
warrior determined at any cost to see his country united once more. The Japanese title of this movie is
“FURINKAZAN” which refers to the Kanji characters on the banner flown by the
Takeda clan. It describes the
military strategy of the clan’s leader, Takeda Shingen - (FU) swift as the wind, (RIN) quiet as a
forest, (KA) aggressive like fire and (ZAN) stable like a mountain. The story is based on the real life of
Yamamoto Kansuke who was also the author of a classic treatise on military
strategy. The movie reaches its
climax at Kawanakajima, the scene of one of the most famous battles in
Japanese history. It was there that
Kansuke made a military blunder of catastrophic consequences that nearly
spelled doom for the Takeda clan. Colour,
Japanese language, English subtitles.
Running Time approximately 167 min. Sunday 29 February: 1. Brief discussion of current SAAAS affairs and related matters. 2. Workshop – Heat Treatment Workshop
leader(s) – Paul Kosta This year, Paul will elaborate on the make up of “fighting metals” and how they are perfected and treated, in order to become effective weapons. No doubt emphasis will be given to the make up of Japanese swords, considering that these were the most technologically advanced weapons for their time ever made. Sunday 28
March: Social Event - Akira Kurosawa’s film “Kagemusha - The Shadow Warrior”. This is a dramatisation of the events leading to the battle of
Nagashino and ends with the actual battle.
The battle of Nagashino in 1575, was an event of tremendous historical
importance, as it is considered to be the first “modern battle” in
history. Oda Nobunaga’s farsighted
approach to the sophisticated use of firearms resulted in a battle, which
remained an unsurpassed classic example of modern strategy and tactics, up
until WWI when many things changed due to the extensive use of machine guns. Sunday 25 April: 1. Brief discussion of current SAAAS affairs and related matters. 2. Workshop – Arms Collecting Workshop
leader(s) – Nikolaos Othonos This year, Nikolaos will try to put arms and armour collecting, into perspective both from a national and an international point of view and also elaborate on the importance and intricacies of arms and armour collecting. It has been forgotten through the centuries, that all collecting started and is based on arms and armour collecting. Unfortunately, it has also been forgotten over time that an arms and armour collector carries an immense cultural and historical responsibility, which is not only measured in the light of his predecessors or peers, but his lifetime pursuit will continue being judged against the efforts of all future generations. From a practical point of view, we will discuss the social and financial considerations associated with arms and armour collecting. Sunday 30
May: Social Event - “Roman Invasions - The Roman Invasion of Britain”. In 55BC the ambitious Julius Caesar,
Emperor of Rome, turned envious eyes towards the mysterious isle called
Britain. Within a few short years,
the mighty Roman war machine had tamed the Celtic tribal society and
transformed it into a province of the Roman Empire. Using accurate reconstructions and re-enactments the Campaigns
series brings alive the decisive moments from some of the most significant battles
in British military history. Narrated
by Brian Blessed with introduction and analysis by Dr David G Chandler, the
Head of the Department of War Studies at Sandhurst. Running Time approximately 55 min. Plus “Hastings 1066 - Tapestry of a
Battle” The story of a
day that changed the nation. The
great battle fought near the English town of Hastings on October 14th, 1066
was perhaps the most significant in English history. The bloody victory won that day by Duke
William of Normandy over Harold II of England was to change the destiny of a
nation forever. For, at the end of a
day which saw the most savage fighting, the sun set not only on the dead and
wounded which littered Senlac Hill but also on the entire Anglo-Saxon way of
life. Featuring spectacular,
atmospheric reconstructions and re-enactments plus the powerful imagery of
the Bayeux Tapestry. “Hastings 1066”
explores the dramatic story behind the most famous date in our history. With
introduction and analysis by Dr David G Chandler, the Head of the Department
of War Studies at Sandhurst. Running Time approximately 55 min. Sunday 27
June: AGM If a member has any topic that he would like to be raised at this
meeting, please contact Dawn Harvey as soon as possible and not later
than 14 June, 2004 in order for us to
make the necessary arrangements.
Telephone us on (011) 487-1704 or e-mail us at arms_arm_armour@xsinet.co.za. Sunday 25
July: Social Event - Sergei Eisenstein’s “Battleship Potemkin” Sergei
Eisenstein created the modern cinematographic film language as we know of it
today. That language was the daring
collation of images as a series of
montages to create narrative flow. Furthermore, for first time in the history
of film, it created a feeling of intimacy between the viewer and the
characters. This intimacy was
heightened for dramatic effect by Eisenstein’s creation of close-ups and
varying camera angles on the subject matter.
“Battleship Potemkin” takes place during the tumultuous events of the
1905 Russian Revolution, the first revolutionary effort against the Czarist
regime and the one that led to a grudging acceptance of a constitutional
monarchy by the autocratic Romanov dynasty.
This attempt to transform the decaying Russian state ultimately failed
due to the ability of the monarch to dissolve the Duma anytime he chose to do
so, and veto any legislation that this parliamentary body proposed. The Potemkin figures into this series of
events because the sailors aboard the ship mutinied and threw their support
to the revolutionaries. Nothing much
happened after this event, as the sailors eventually docked the ship in
Constanza, Romania and surrendered the boat in exchange for refuge. In the hands of master propagandist
Eisenstein, however, the Potemkin incident morphs into a major event that led
to the eventual abdication of Nicholas II In 1917. Eisenstein seems to get most of the story straight: a piece of
maggot infested meat serves as the final indignity to the sailors of the
Potemkin. Under the leadership of one
of the men on the ship, Vakulenchuk, the men protest to the captain about the
squalid food. The result is
Vakulenchuk’s death and the revolt of the sailors. Seven officers die in the mutiny and the ship sails to Odessa,
the Russian port on the Black Sea. There, the martyred Vakulenchuk’s body lies in state where
thousands of residents turn out to pay their respects. The people supply the sailors with food
and the ship starts to sail off.
Unfortunately, the regime sends in soldiers to quell the crowds gathering
to see the dead sailor. Shots ring
out, and thousands die under Czarist rifles.
In the movie, the Potemkin retaliates by shelling the opera house in
the city, supposedly the headquarters of the murderous soldiers. At this point, Eisenstein goes completely
outside of the historical record by showing the Potemkin taking the offensive
against the entire Black Sea fleet.
Even more remarkably, the Potemkin convinces the fleet to join them in
the revolt! Running Time approximately 140 min. Sunday 29 August: 1. Brief discussion of current SAAAS affairs and related matters. 2.
Workshop – British Infantry Swords Workshop
leader(s) – Martin
Lewer-Allen Martin’s outstanding presentations on British military swords are always one of the highlights of our annual programme. This year Martin will elaborate on one of the most interesting and basic aspects of British military swords, the infantry swords, as related to all infantry units. Sharing his vast knowledge on the subject is an event we all look forward to and not to be missed by any of our members or our friends. Sunday 26
September: Social Event - ““Zulu Wars”. John Hurt
narrates this meticulously researched documentary series recounting the
struggles of the Zulu nation. In the
early 19th Century, Shaka Zulu rose from obscurity to unite, through bloody
conflict, a group of South African tribes into the Zulu Kingdom. But this empire, which sprawled across
southern Africa, was to be threatened by both internal strife and the forces
of the Boers and the British Colonial administration. The names of Blood River, Rorke’s Drift,
Isandlwana and Ulundi were to become carved into the annals of military
history. These three films feature
superb battle reconstructions, filmed entirely on location, together with
expert historical commentary. Running Time approximately 156 min. Sunday 31 October: 1. Brief discussion of current SAAAS affairs and related matters. 2.
Workshop – To be Confirmed Workshop
leader(s) – Terence Lee
Willson Sunday 28 November: Social Event - ”To be Confirmed” Important
notice All our workshops may be altered at any
time, on short notice, in order to accommodate and take advantage of the
presence and availability of overseas visiting and other occasionally
available experts in the fields of arms and armour, military history and
warfare. In addition
to our scheduled programme for the year, we will also hold a number of
specialist workshops, during which specific aspects of arms and armour will
be examined and discussed in great detail.
Attendance at these workshops will be by special invitation only
therefore, individuals with specific interests in certain aspects of arms and
armour should communicate their specific interests to us, in order that we
may plan our invitations for our specialist workshops accordingly. For
additional information please contact Dawn Harvey on (011) 487-1704 or e-mail
us at arms_and_armour@xsinet.co.za Regards Nikolaos Telephone :
+27-11-487-1704 Facsimile :
+27 11 487-1722 Address : P O Box 914, Houghton, 2041 |
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