Military send-off for renowned historian
DURBAN’S citizen military fraternity yesterday bade farewell to distinguished soldier, historian, author and tour guide Ken Gillings who died while snorkelling at Cape Vidal late last month.
Following artillery tradition, Major Craig Nel, the Officer Commanding of the Natal Field Artillery regiment, broke a glass on the fuse of a projectile before announcing “we will remember him”, after which a gathering of his friends and family raised their glasses.
A 25-pounder G1 quickfiring field gun – a weapon that made its mark in the Western Desert during World War II – had been wheeled into the drill hall at the Lord’s Ground Military Base for his wake.
Among those who paid tribute to him in speeches were US Consul-General Frances Chisholm who said inscribed on the cenotaph, over the road from her office, were the words, “tell it to the generations following”.
“That’s exactly what Ken did,” she said.
“He impressed me with his knowledge and his generosity of spirit that moved him to share his knowledge with fellow South Africans and visitors like me from all around the world.” Gillings, a master warrant officer with Defence Reserve KZN, had been the regimental sergeant-major of the Natal Field Artillery.
His friend and former commanding officer from the Defence Reserve, Colonel Pat Acutt, said: “Ken rose to be among the elites of the army. Yet he somehow remained ever, ever humble.”