Page 114 - QDG Volume 9 No. 5

112 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
1 Special Service Battalion
– Unity and Fire
On 1 May 2023, 1 SSB, celebrated its 90th
year of existence.
1 SSB is not only a training (internal)
Regiment, but mainly responsible to
deploy inside the borders of the Republic
of South Africa and at the various borders
and border posts between RSA and his
neighbouring countries, like Lesotho,
Zimbabwe and Transkei.
The unit had 2 full companies and a
tactical HQ deployed at Musina from
March 2024 until September 2024. It was
a very successful deployment in terms
of all the contraband and stolen vehicles
and weapons and ammunition confis-
cated.
At the end of April to 6 May 2024, 1
SSB were part of the larger military exhi-
bition at the BloemShow (annual show in
Bloemfontein, Free State). This show is
the largest agricultural and cattle show
and exhibition in South Africa. Large
numbers of civilian members visited the 1
SSB exhibition and were very impressed
with the standard of our Prime Mission
Equipment as well as the professionalism
and expertise of the Communicators.
In South Africa, on the 18th of July, it is
a day dedicated to former State President
Nelson Mandela, and the custom is to
spend 67 minutes on charity or commu-
nity duty. Members of 1 SSB participated
in cleaning parts of the central business
district (CBD) of Bloemfontein, by means
of putting on coveralls, protective gear
and gloves and picking up litter and
filling refuse bags and place them on
central pick-up points for the Municipal
trucks to load and dispose of it.
For the 50th year of existence, the
command cadre launched various
projects in 1983 to celebrate and
commemorate this milestone in the
units’ history. One of the projects were
using spend cartridges of the 7,62mm
Browning machine guns and melt and
mould it into ten ashtrays. As time went
by, these ashtrays “disappeared” from
the units Bar and the last ashtray went
“missing” in 1996. A project was launched
by Major Martin van Wyk (Unit Second
in Command) and Captain Johann
Prinsloo (Communication Officer) to
revive this tradition. Spend cartridges of
the Eland 90mm Armoured Car and the
76mm Rooikat Armoured car was send
to a nearby foundry, which melted these
cartridges and moulded 10 ashtrays from
the original mould!!
1 Special Service Battalion is the
oldest full time force in the South African
National Defence Force. This proud unit
is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
David Madolo and Master Warrant
Officer Andy Mafata. The members of
1 SSB is very proud of their unit, their
heritage, their customs and traditions
and the black beret and badhe with the
spray of 3 King Proteas.
JP