Regiment Westelike Provinsie - History

History

Regiment Westelike Provincie (R.W.P) (originally called Regiment Westelike Provinsie), is one of eight Afrikaner-oriented Traditional Citizen Force infantry units raised by the Union Defence Force on 1 April 1934, as part of a programme to rebuild the UDF after the Great Depression.. It was based in the country town of Stellenbosch, 45 km outside Cape Town, and recruited its members from the surrounding districts of the western part of the Cape Province. At that time, Citizen Force service was voluntary.

The new Regiment lost no time in ensuring that the inner man was cared for and in 1936 the first specially bottled R.W.P brandy was produced. The much honoured tradition of toasting the Regiment and dignitaries in pure, undiluted R.W.P brandy is still in in use today.

The National Party-voting Western Cape districts generally did not support South Africa's involvement in World War II. In spite of this R.W.P was able to muster enough men who were willing to go on active service. The Regiment mobilized on 1 September 1940 and became No. 12 Armoured Car Company, South African Tank Corps. After months of training in this new role, No12 Armoured Car Company was amalgamated with No. 11 Armoured Car Company (RSWD) Regiment Suid Westelike Distrikte, to form 5th Armoured Fighting Vehicle Regiment, South African Tank Corps. The Regiment moved to Egypt in September 1941 but was disbanded on 13 October 1941 after arrival. The personnel were used as reinforcements for depleted armoured car regiments already operating in the Western Desert with whom they participated in many of the well known battles in North Africa like Sidi Rezegh, Bir Hakeim, Knightsbridge, Gazala Line, El Alamein.

On the disbandment of the South African Tank Corps early in 1943, former R.W.P personnel were absorbed into the Royal Natal Carbineers and Imperial Light Horse and soon adapted themselves to tank warfare, serving with distinction in their new units with the 6th South African Armoured Division in Italy.

The Regiment was presented with a Regimental Colour by his Majesty King George V1 during the visit of the Royal Family to South Africa on 31 March 1947.

The wartime Prime Minister Gen Jan Smuts accepted the appointment as Colonel-In-Chief of the Regiment from 17 September 1948.

In 1949, R.W.P itself was converted to Armour, and it was renamed Regiment Onze Jan, after 19th-century Afrikaner political leader Jan Hofmeyr, in 1951.

From 1952, Citizen Force recruits were chosen by ballot rather than volunteering.

When the Army was re-organised for internal security duties in 1960, ROJ was converted back to infantry and was renamed Regiment Boland. R. Bol later moved to Paarl and, after the introduction of National Service conscription (in 1968), it formed a second battalion in Worcester on 1 September 1970.

The two battalions were separated in April 1974. 1 R. Bol resumed the original title Regiment Westelike Provinsie and moved to Cape Town, while 2 R. Bol remained in Worcester as Regiment Boland. The only remnant of their association is the similar cap-badges of the two Regiments.

In 1983, R.W.P adopted the Dutch spelling of "Provincie" because it regards itself as the successor to several short-lived volunteer units which existed in the Stellenbosch and Paarl and neighbouring districts in the 19th century, when Dutch, rather than Afrikaans, was the prevailing language in those areas. (See below for a list of those units.)

R.W.P served in the Angola campaign in 1976, and carried out several tours of duty in the Border War in South West Africa. It was also deployed on internal security duties in the Townships during the 1985-90 State of Emergency.

Military service has been voluntary again since 1994.