Not many Caledonians can claim having met royalty, let alone having a prestigious medal pinned to their chest by a king, but this is exactly what happened to World War II veteran Captain Canzius van Blommestein when he received the coveted Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) from King George VI on 31 March 1947 at a ceremony at Voortrekkerhoogte (now named Thaba Tshwane).
Pieter van Blommestein, who has a long and interesting history with Caledon (“Heidehof – ons het daar gewoon”, Hermanus Times, 28 June 2023) told Hermanus Times this time aroundabout his uncle’s life and his remarkable achievements during the Second World War.
“Canzius was born in Caledon on 13 December 1918. He was my father’s youngest brother. He matriculated when he was not yet 17 years old, and instead of joining the family business he worked at a local bank in Caledon. In January 1940, at the age of 21, he enlisted as a volunteer for the Allies and went by ship from Durban to Mombasa in East Africa,” says Pieter.
Canzius initially joined the 12 Bomber Squadron as a gunner, but later progressed to observer (navigator) in various other squadrons. While in East Africa he got badly burnt in an accident on the ground, and spent some time in a hospital in Nairobi before returning to South Africa. Once recovered he went back to North Africa for active duty, which included Egypt, Sicily and Italy. He was in Italy when the war ended in 1945.
As Canzius never resigned from his job when he volunteered to join the Air Force he returned to Caledon to work at the bank, who then wanted to transfer him to Johannesburg. He had been away for five years and wanted to spend time with his family, so he resigned from his job and joined his elder brother Pietie’s business in Hermanus.
Apart from the coveted DFC Van Blommestein was awarded numerous other medals, namely the 1939-1945 Star, the Atlantic Star, the Africa Star with clasp, Italy Star, Africa Service Medal and the War Medal 1939-1945.
An extract from The London Gazette of 21 August 1945 reads: “Now on his third tour of operational duty, Captain van Blommestein has throughout displayed great determination and devotion to duty and has set an inspiring example to all.”
Although the DFC had been awarded to him in 1945, it took some years before it was officially handed to him by King George VI in 1947.
Canzius’s medals went missing, but Pieter, who is passionate about family history, managed to get them back via an interesting detour, the details of which he does not wish to disclose.
The flight logbook was also missing, but Pieter’s cousin Wybo van Blommestein found it in the old butchery in Hermanus and handed it to Pieter.
When asked whether he remembered his uncle Canzius, Pieter replied: “I was eight years old when he died, but he would regularly come and visit his father in Caledon. My sister and I would pop around to Oupa’s house and see him there. I also remember he had a very nice car, a two-door Pontiac with a hard top.”
. Canzius van Blommestein died in Cape Town on 13 April 1956.
