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loading and unloading supplies from German freight ships in the port of Tobruk. With his pre-war experience and exposure to explosives, while unloading cargo from a German freight ship in the Tobruk harbour on 21 July 1942, Maseko got three of his fellow prisoners to distract the German guards while he got busy below deck making a bomb using his pre-war mining experience. Using ammunition from which he extracted the cordite and a long fuse, Maseko put together an improvised explosive device which he stashed among jerry-cans of gasoline in the ship's hold. While he and his fellow prisoners were taking the final load off the ship, Maseko lit the fuse and then left the ship. The ship was destroyed in the explosion and the subsequent fire. The next day, the POWs were questioned about smoking while on board ship – to which they answered that cigarettes were forbidden and were not included in any rations, which could not be disputed by their
Italian captors.
384:, who painted Maseko's portrait, later claimed that Maseko had been nominated for the Victoria Cross for valour, but a senior military officer had vetoed the recommendation of giving such an honour to a black man, and he was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry instead. This unsubstantiated claim was repeated in 2021, to support an unsuccessful petition to the British government asking for Maseko to be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. However, the records at the United Kingdom National Archives tell a different story. They reveal that Maseko had actually been recommended for the
333:
436:
applicable to whites. Most
African ex-servicemen who had cherished high hopes of their post-war world were disillusioned when they could not find employment based on the new skills they had acquired in the army and that the standard of living to which they were accustomed while members of the South African forces were no longer applicable. For Maseko and members of the NMC, post-war South Africa was very much the same as the pre-1939 South Africa.
440:
435:
After the war, like many other demobilised soldiers, he gained little recognition in the world of civilian life. In addition, the
Apartheid-based general rule governing pension awards was that Coloured pension scales should amount to three-fifths and African pension scales to two-fifths of the rate
287:
The
Germans separated their prisoners by race. The white troops were sent to POW camps in Europe, but the prisoners of colour were retained in Italian POW camps in Africa where they were forced to work as manual labourers under horrific conditions. Part of the prisoners' forced labour involved
291:
Maseko later escaped from the
Italian POW camp in Tobruk and walked for three weeks through the desert and enemy lines to El Alamein. In October 1942 he joined in the defeat of his German and Italian captors as a stretcher bearer with the
45:
374:
In carrying out this deliberately planned action, Job Masego displayed ingenuity, determination and complete disregard of personal safety from punishment by the enemy or from the ensuing explosion which set the vessel
366:
For meritorious and courageous action in that on or about the 21st July, while a
Prisoner of War, he, Job Masego, sank a fully laden enemy steamer - probably an "F" boat - while moored in Tobruk Harbour.
457:
His death certificate gives his age as "+/- 30 years", which suggests that he was born around 1922. If so, he would have been about 20 years old at the time of the act for which he was decorated.
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Maseko was struck and killed by a train on 7 March 1952; at the time of his death, he was so poor that his funeral was paid for by borrowed and donated funds. He was buried in the
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This he did by placing a small tin filled with gunpowder in among drums of petrol in the hold, leading a fuse therefrom to the hatch and lighting the fuse upon closing the hatch.
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He gained fame by his actions in sinking a German vessel with a milk can while serving as a POW stevedore in Tobruk harbour, for which he was awarded the
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The King has been graciously pleased to approve the following award in recognition of gallant and distinguished service in the Middle East:
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As with fellow service members, Maseko would have been awarded the following service medals in addition to the
Military Medal:
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473:, near Springs, has a primary school named after him, as is the main road linking Springs to KwaThema. In 1997, the
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253:. After completion of basic training, he was sent to North Africa to join the 2nd South African Division.
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308:(MM) for his actions in Tobruk on 11 March 1943. The award was later bestowed on him by Major-General
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772:"How an artist's myth led the Daily Mail and BBC to get the story of Corporal Job Maseko wrong"
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Creating/Curating
Cultural Capital: Monuments and Museums for Post-Apartheid South Africa.
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492:. It is unclear why the defence force spells his surname as 'Masego' rather than 'Maseko'.
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558:"Imagining National Unity: South African propaganda efforts during the Second World War"
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280:. The garrison included 10,722 South Africans of the 2nd Division (of which 1,200 were
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708:"The incredible true tale of Job Maseko – The man who sunk a ship whilst a prisoner"
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J.C. von
Winterbach, Scott Sutherland, Mike Bersiks, Rex Barret and Barry Cooper,
581:"The WWII POW Who Sank A German Ship With A Milk Tin! | War History Online"
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as awarded to Maseko. The citation incorrectly referred to him as Job "Masego"
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753:"Recommendation for Award for Masego, Job Rank: Lance Corporal Service No"
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for gallantry, and the citation was upgraded to an immediate award of the
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Captives
Courageous: South African Prisoners of War in World War II
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331:
845:"A pair of boots and a bicycle : the story of Job Maseko"
643:
The Observation Post | South African Modern Military History
536:"Soldiers without reward: Africans in South Africa's Wars"
358:
No N 4448 L/Cpl Job Masego (sic) - Native Military Corps
833:
List of decommissioned ships of the South African Navy
446:
similar to the South African vessel named after Maseko
884:
In Enemy Hands: South Africa's POWs in World War II
273:surrendered the Tobruk Garrison with 32,000 men to
222:. He was one of many Allied troops captured by the
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976:South African military personnel of World War II
906:. South Africans at War. Johannesburg: Ashanti.
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488:. In 2019, Regiment Noord-Transvaal was renamed
300:. After El Alamein, he was transferred to the
991:World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
8:
656:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/2/1/72/htm%7C
624:
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499:made a documentary about Job Maseko and the
245:Before the war, Maseko worked as a miner in
986:World War II prisoners of war held by Italy
867:Andrew Mohudi, Sam Police and Koos Williams
726:
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312:while in Italy with the armoured division.
206:(?1922 – 7 March 1952) was a South African
16:Black South African soldier in World War II
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503:called "A Pair of Boots and a Bicycle".
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304:and was gazetted as a recipient of the
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564:vol. 38, n.1, Cape Town, January 2012.
692:"6th South African Armoured Division"
477:renamed the missile attack craft SAS
7:
804:"Page 3404 | Supplement 38663"
672:"Page 1177 | Supplement 35934"
501:South African 2nd Infantry Division
302:6th South African Armoured Division
294:1st South African Infantry Division
271:South African 2nd Infantry Division
265:on 21 June 1942 when Major-General
220:South African 2nd Infantry Division
133:South African 6th Armoured Division
129:South African 1st Infantry Division
125:South African 2nd Infantry Division
786:"Page 327 | Supplement 62529"
14:
732:"Do you know who Job Maseko was?"
347:. The citation reads as follows:
966:Recipients of the Military Medal
495:In 2007, South African director
996:Escapees from Italian detention
887:. Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball.
579:Hemmings, Jay (10 April 2019).
228:surrender of the port of Tobruk
981:South African prisoners of war
770:Plaut, Martin (23 July 2022).
343:Maseko was decorated with the
1:
930:A pair of boots and a bicycle
310:Francois Henry "Frank" Theron
971:South African Army personnel
956:People from Springs, Gauteng
452:Payneville Township Cemetery
540:SA Military History Journal
298:Second Battle of El Alamein
170:Second Battle of El Alamein
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534:Mohlamme, JS (June 1995).
454:in Springs, South Africa.
444:Sa'ar 4-class missile boat
49:Painting of Job Maseko by
42:
604:Horn (2015) citation 188
315:He attained the rank of
902:Leigh, Maxwell (1992).
461:Honours and recognition
165:Second Battle of Tobruk
1001:South African escapees
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257:Surrender and sabotage
757:The National Archives
628:Maxwell (1992) p. 160
556:Suryakanthie Chetty,
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349:
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282:Native Military Corps
251:Union of South Africa
216:Native Military Corps
174:Italian Campaign WWII
107:Native Military Corps
76:Union of South Africa
881:Horn, Karen (2015).
425:Africa Service Medal
386:British Empire Medal
319:during his service.
51:Alfred Neville Lewis
490:Job Masego Regiment
465:In his honour, the
269:, commander of the
792:. 11 January 2019.
475:South African Navy
448:
431:Life after the war
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152:Clayden's Trench (
72:Springs, Transvaal
894:978-1-868426-52-2
214:, serving in the
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354:MILITARY MEDAL
345:Military Medal
337:Military Medal
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328:Military Medal
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317:lance corporal
306:Military Medal
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241:Before the war
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735:. Retrieved
711:. Retrieved
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639:"Job Maseko"
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588:. Retrieved
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212:World War II
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143:World War II
139:Battles/wars
95:South Africa
84:South Africa
69:7 March 1952
18:
951:1952 deaths
946:1922 births
847:. WorldCat.
808:The Gazette
790:The Gazette
737:10 December
713:10 December
677:The Gazette
616:Horn (2015)
590:10 December
410:Africa Star
380:War artist
940:Categories
507:References
485:Job Masego
415:Italy Star
284:members).
199:Job Maseko
91:Allegiance
31:Job Maseko
855:Footnotes
512:Citations
420:War Medal
230:in 1942.
471:KwaThema
467:township
362:CITATION
101:Service/
927:Video:
375:alight.
296:in the
247:Springs
226:in the
210:during
208:soldier
80:Gauteng
910:
891:
562:Kronos
323:Awards
181:Awards
160:Gazala
154:Sollum
148:Bardia
103:branch
922:Media
78:(now
61:?1922
908:ISBN
889:ISBN
739:2023
715:2023
592:2023
546:(1).
483:SAS
224:Axis
121:Unit
113:Rank
66:Died
58:Born
481:as
469:of
942::
806:.
788:.
755:.
723:^
699:^
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641:.
621:^
609:^
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569:^
560:.
544:10
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520:^
392:.
249:,
237:.
203:MM
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74:,
36:MM
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