1919 in South Africa

	1919 in South Africa
1916 1917 1918 « 1919 » 1920 1921 1922
List of years in South Africa

Events

April

• 23 – The Potchefstroom Teachers' College opens its doors.

September

• 3 – Jan Smuts becomes the 2nd Prime Minister of South Africa.
• 17 – German South West Africa is placed under South African administration.

November

• 7 – Inspired by Cape Town's daily Noon Gun Three Minute Pause, King George V institutes the Two Minute Silence, to be observed annually at the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month.^[1]

Births

• 8 December – Mary Benson, activist and author, is born in Pretoria.

Deaths

• 19 March – Jack Hindon dies in Pretoria at the age of 44.

Railways

Railway lines opened

• 9 January – Natal – Deviation from Umlaas Road to Pentrich, 19 miles 19 chains (31.0 kilometres).^[2]

Locomotives

Two new Cape gauge and one narrow gauge locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways (SAR):

• The first of sixty-seven Class 12A 4-8-2 Mountain type locomotives.^[3]:55
• The first ten Class 16C 4-6-2 Pacific type passenger steam locomotives.^[4]:92–93
• Three Class NG G11 2-6-0+0-6-2 Garratt articulated steam locomotives on the Avontuur narrow gauge line through the Langkloof, the first Garratt locomotives to enter service in South Africa.^{[3]:105–106[4]:123}

References

1. Royal Canadian Legion Branch # 138."2-Minute Wave of Silence" Revives a Time-honoured Tradition. Accessed on 5 June 2014.
2. Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 188, ref. no. 200954-13
3. Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. ISBN 0869772112.
4. Durrant, A E (1989). Twilight of South African Steam (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, London: David & Charles. ISBN 0715386387.