Every year on February 2nd, the world comes together to celebrate World Wetlands Day, marking the anniversary of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, signed in 1971 in Ramsar, Iran. This global observance highlights the vital role wetlands play in sustaining biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and supporting life on Earth. In 2025, as we reflect on […]
4 January 1948 – Lieutenant-Commander John Fairbairn clambers ashore on Prince Edward Island and claims it for South Africa. Following the occupation of Marion Island on 29 December 1947, Lieutenant-Commander John Fairbairn, Captain of the frigate H.M.S.A.S. Transvaal, is landed by “crayfish dinghy” after being towed by the ship’s motorboat into Cave Bay on Prince […]
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On 29 December 1947 the H.M.S.A.S. Transvaal makes a landing at Marion Island. Lieutenant-Commander John Fairbairn (o/c H.M.S.A.S. Transvaal) and Petty Officer Steward Henry Schott go ashore on Boulder Beach, Marion Island from the ship’s motorboat at 11h32 on 29 December 1947. After building a small rock cairn with a metal Union of South Africa […]
Continue reading "29 December 1947 : Annexation Marion Island"
