General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Rudolph Christiaan Hiemstra (10 March 191226 July 2007) was a South African Air Force commander who served as Commandant General of the South African Defence Force.

Military career

Hiemstra joined the South African Air Force in 1931. He did not serve in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

because of his political opposition to South Africa's involvement in the war and was transferred to the

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, from which he returned to the defence force when the National Party government came to power in 1948. Hiemstra was

Military Attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

in Sweden, France and the United Kingdom. Among other appointments, he was officer commanding

2 Squadron SAAF 2 Squadron is a squadron in the South African Air Force which was formed in 1940. The squadron has a long history, having been involved in every single combat action in which the SAAF has taken part. During the Second World War it made a name for ...

, ''The Flying Cheetahs''. Hiemstra served as Adjutant General, interrupted by his attendance at the Imperial Defence College, as

Inspector General An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...

from 1959 to 1960, as Deputy Commandant General from 1961 to 1965, and as Commandant General of the South African Defence Force from 1965 to 1972. In 1966, the Commandant General was appointed Secretary for Defence over and above his appointment as head of the South African Defence Force. In May 1967, the dual title of Commandant General and Secretary for Defence was dispensed with by the elimination of the title "Secretary for Defence". The Commandant General, as permanent head of the Department of Defence as well as of the South African Defence Force filled the post of Commandant General, which post embraced the functions signified by the former dual title. At the same time the rank of Commandant General, instituted in September 1956, was changed to that of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Awards and decorations

In 1960, Hiemstra was awarded the Star of South Africa for exceptional services. He was also awarded the Southern Cross Medal and appointed a Knight of the Order of Prince Henry from Portugal. * * * * *

Death

Hiemstra died on 26 July 2007, aged 95, in 1 Military Hospital in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

. He was survived by six children, sixteen grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Among his influential brothers were Dr Louis W. Hiemstra, who made his in mark in the field of

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

, and

Judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

Victor Hiemstra of Pretoria.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hiemstra, Rudolph 1912 births 2007 deaths Afrikaner people South African people of German descent South African Air Force generals