CHRONOLOGY OF RHODESIAN WAR

1890 - Cecil Rhodes BSA Company sends the Pioneer Column to Mashonaland.Dr. Leander Starr Jameson is appointed "Administrator" by Cecil Rhodes.

1893 - White Pioneers attack Lobengula's Ndebele impi in Mashonaland and rout Lobengula.
1895 - Matabeleland and Mashonaland are united under the name of Rhodesia by the white settlers.

1896 - Chimurenga 1 the Ndebele uprising. Whites living in the districts are attacked and murdered. This uprising spreads to Mashonaland. Uprising crushed by Pioneer forces.

1923 - BSA Company rule of Rhodesia is terminated by Britain which annexes Southern Rhodesia as a British Colony and establishes a white locally elected Government.

1930 - Land Aportionment act established which divided Rhodesia into black and white areas.

1953 - Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is established.

1955-60 Black African Natiolisim agitation is stirred up in Rhodesia

1961 - Edgar Whitehead introduces establishes emergency legislation to deal with growing African Nationalist agitation in Rhodesia.

1962 - ZAPU led by Joshua Nkomo is banned. The newly formed Rhodesian Front Party defeats E.Whitehead in the general election.

1963 - ZANU is formed by Sitole and Mugabe and breaks away from ZAPU. Faction fighting begins between these groups.

1964 - Ian Smith becomes leader of the Rhodesian Front. A white referendum votes 10-1 in favour of Rhodesia becoming independant from Britain. African Nationalist leaders are detained without trial.

1965 - 11 November Ian Smith announces that Rhodesia had declared Unilateral Independence from Britain. A State of Emergency is declared.

1970 - Rhodesia becomes a Republic and has a new constitution which reserves fifty out of sixty six seats for whites and protects racial zoning of land through the contriversial Land Tenure Act.

1971 - Sir Alec Douglas Home and Ian Smith agree to a new constitution.Bishop Abel Muzorewa forms the ANC.

I left Fort Victoria High School and started my working life.

1972 - The Pearce commission reports that settlement terms are unacceptable to Africans.

The Bush war begins in the north -east of Rhodesia. I joined the Rhodesian Air Force on 2 August at New Sarum Air Force Base just outside Salisbury.

Three years of heavy recruitment of blacks to ZANLA and ZIPRA follow with relativley little visible conflict in the country.

1975 - Mocambique gains its Independence from Portugal and the new FRELIMO Government gives active support to ZANLA Forces.

Mugabe evades Rhodesian Security forces and arrives in Mocambique.

1976 - The Rhodesian conflict escalates with casualties rising sharply. Mocambique closes its border with Rhodesia. South Africa pressurises Ian Smith into accepting Majority rule in a meeting with Kissinger.

The Geneva Convention convened by Britain ends in a dismal failure.

The Patriotic Front is formed by Nkomo and Mugabe.

1977 -The USA Carter Administration headed by Andrew Young insist that there would be no settlement in Rhodesia without the Patriotic Front's participation.

The Rhodesian Action Party a right wing party is formed after a revolt within the Rhodesian Front Party, Ian Smith still manages to win the August election convincingly. Smith rejects Anglo-American constitutional proposals and begind talks with Muzorewa and Sitole in -country.

1978 - The Bush war escalates. Muzorewa, Sitole and Chirau sign the Salisbury Agreement with Ian Smith on 3 March and a multiracial Transitional Government is established. Rhodesians launch cross-border raids into Mocambique and Zambia. Smith visits USA. Britain fails to convene an all party conference.

1979- The PF boycott the internal election which had a 64 percent turnout of African electorate. Muzorewa wins and becomes Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia. Margret Thatcher wins the British election but refuses to recognise the Zimbabwean Rhodesian election results. The Commonwealth Conference is held in Lusaka: Britain convenes an all part conference in London. An agreement is reached by all parties. Britain assumes direct rule in Rhodesia in December, Lord Soames is made Governor.

1980 - ZANLA and ZIPRA insurgents assemble in Assembly Points. Mugabe rejects Nkomo's offer to run the PF jointly. Mugabe wins fifty seven seats for ZANU PF in the General election.

18 April Zimbabwe gains Independence. 30 April I terminated my service with the Air Force and became a civillian.