Today we pause to mark Remembrance Day — a solemn moment when people across the globe, here in South Africa included, honour the men and women who bravely served during wartime. Among the stories of courage is that of one South African soldier whose act of bravery in 1941 stood out so strongly that even the enemy recommended him for a medal.

In North Africa, during the ferocious fighting around the Battle of Sidi Rezegh in November 1941, many soldiers from the 5th South African Infantry Brigade found themselves captured by Axis forces. A large number of these men were loaded onto the Italian cargo‐ship MV Sebastiano Veniero (originally named Jason) for transportation towards prisoner‐of‐war camps — only for the ship to be torpedoed by a British submarine on 9 December 1941.

One of those captured was Lance Corporal Bernard ‘Bernie’ Friedlander of the 3rd Battalion, Transvaal Scottish Regiment. According to multiple accounts, after the ship was hit and started to sink, Friedlander stripped, entered freezing waters and swam ashore carrying a rope—it took him around ninety minutes to reach the rocky Greek coast.

He then helped fix a cable from ship to shore, which allowed nearly 1 600 fellow prisoners to escape via the lifeline he had established. Remarkably, a German officer witnessed his heroism and submitted a recommendation that he be honoured.

Listen to the report by Al Prodgers here:

In July 1945 Friedlander was awarded the British George Medal — one of the highest honours for civilian and military gallantry — in recognition of his extraordinary self-sacrifice.

As we reflect today, we honour Bernie Friedlander and countless others who faced unimaginable peril — men and women who stepped beyond the call of duty in times of great crisis. Their legacy lives on.

Sources:

• Karen Horn, “’A sudden sickening sensation’: South African prisoner-of-war experience on board the San Sebastian, December 1941”, Historia Vol 63 No 1 (2018) – https://doi.org/10.17159/2309-8392/2018/v63n1a6 SciELO+1

• “Bernard Friedlander – George Medal”, JWMWW2 – https://www.jwmww2.org/en?pg=Bernard_Friedlander_George_Medal מוזיאון הלוחם היהודי במלחמת העולם ה – 2

• “Fact file: Transvaal Scottish”, DefenceWeb – https://www.defenceweb.co.za/resources/fact-files/fact-file-transvaal-scottish/ defenceWeb