NATIONAL SERVICE IN SOUTH AFRICA

摘要

In 1967, when the writer turned sixteen, he registered to do national service with the South African Defence Force during 1969. The previous 'ballot' system, whereby one's liability for national service was determined by whether or not one's name was 'drawn out of a hat', had been replaced by universal conscription of all white males. In due course, the writer was notified of his deployment in the Administrative Services Corps, which was a disappointment, as both his father and one brother had served in the Transvaal Horse Artillery.