Rear Admiral Stephanus Cornelis Biermann (9 December 1918 – 18 February 2003) was a South African Navy officer.

Early life

Biermann's father, joined the Orange Free State postal service at the age of 12 and later joined the SA Railways and Harbours as a telegraphist. Biermann was one of four children and received his schooling at Jan van Riebeeck High School in Cape Town. His brother Hugo reached the rank of admiral in the South African Navy.

Naval career

Before the outbreak of World War II he was a teacher at Highlands North High School in Johannesburg. This gave rise to his nickname "Chips" after the schoolmaster Mr Chips. Chips, along with his brothers Phillip and Hugo served on minesweepers during World War II. He served aboard HMSAS Natal and took part in

Operation Zipper During World War II, Operation Zipper was a British plan to capture either Port Swettenham or Port Dickson, Malaya, as staging areas for the recapture of Singapore in Operation Mailfist. However, due to the end of the war in the Pacific, it wa ...

in the Far East. After the war he returned to teaching but rejoined the Navy as an officer and commanded the Naval Gymnasium, including the

South African Naval College The South African Naval College provides naval officer training to the South African Navy and is one of three officer training institutions within the South African National Defence Force, the equivalent of the Air Force Gymnasium and the Army G ...

Death

Biermann died at the age of 84 at a retirement home, Silvermine Village, near Cape Town.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biermann, Stephanus South African admirals Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II People from Johannesburg 1918 births 2003 deaths Alumni of Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck