James Houston McMillan, I

"South Africa, Church of the Province of South Africa, Parish Registers, 1801-2004," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-23611-40909-60?cc=146... : 2 July 2014), South Africa > Cape of Good Hope > St John, Matatiele, St Stephen > Baptisms 1892-1901 > image 56 of 121; William Cullen Library, Wits University, Johannesburg.

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James helped his father on the farm Ashton for a while and later farmed Swindon in the Creighton area. James named the farm after a small town in England that he stationed at during the First World War. After his marriage to Joan he bought the farm Vlei Villa.

I remember a gentile man, good in all respects, too kind for his own good (by his son James).

His father Richard farmed horses (amongst other stuff), His brother David & his dad Richard would drive the horses over the Berg to Johannesburg to sell on the Reef. The trip was one week each way.

He Passed, what is now grade 12, which in those days was a good education. He joined the Royal Naval Air Service in WW1 and served as an Aircraft Mechanic in France. In those days the radial engines were lubricated by a total loss system using Castor Oil, this resulted in a varnish build up in the engines which had to stripped down and washed with petrol after 12 hours of running. The job was to strip one 9 cylinder radial engine wash it, repair if necessary and re-assemble, remount, & have it ready to fly by dawn, every night.

He also said to me that they would grow their own patch of dagga to sell to the blacks when their stuff ran out in the winter. Man that sounds like good economics to me. (They probably sampled a bit to check it out as well, I know I would have).

Many a good story he told me about those times. When he returned, he rode in those times, what was probably the fastest machine on the roads at the time, a Red Indian Motor Cycle, better than the Harley, who later copied the Indian design. He later farmed at Vlei Villa in Chreighton and sired 6 children, His wife Joan died. He met with a woman who's husband had committed bigamy and had divorced him. They accidently (now how is that possible) sired my sibling Penelope Tieneker, but in those days the trauma of having an illegitimate child was a serious thing, hence she was given up for adoption, we never met until 50 years later. I think we both felt cheated, I know I did.

He had an immense knowledge of all sorts of things, radio and etc..

He once mentioned to me that he had lived in the best time it was possible to be born in, he saw from the ox wagon to man on the the moon. (These heart to heart talks were not often, he was a very private person).

He died peacefully aged 78 at Sea Park.

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