The data for this book was mainly gathered in the 1977 to 1982 and I would like to thank my then wife Wendy for her patience during that time. When I started to compile this book I joined four libraries, all in Gauteng, South Africa, they were the municipal libraries of: Kempton Park; Benoni and Boksburg, the fourth was the company library of the Atlas Aircraft Corporation, for whom I worked. The company library was able to find books for me from all over Southern Africa through the inter-library service. The company library was also able to locate books, which could not be loaned out, so I travelled to Johannesburg library on a few occasions to gather information, which I had deemed necessary. It did not end there; every time I was introduced to an elderly person I made it a point to request an audience with them for some time in the near future, the information locked up in people's heads is unbelievable and would have died with them, had I not requested their help in answering my many questions. The data then lay dormant until 2009 when something prompted me to complete the book. The collating of the data collected in the 1977 to 1982 into the chapters now found in this book, and finding the missing data (that not found in the 1977 to 1982) was very time consuming therefore I would like to thank my current wife Palesa for her patience, as I spent many hours on the internet between 2009 and 2010 when the text of the book was completed
All the sketches in the book were hand drawn by Martyn John West unless otherwise stated, getting them onto my computer gave me problems I had not anticipated, 90+% of the drawings, were drawn between 1977 and 1982, the white paper was no longer white. To scan them onto the computer and lose the cream background meant sacrificing the quality of the lines on the drawings. With the low quality drawings on the computer I set about going over the lines of each drawing using my mouse, to get around my now old shaky hand, I zoomed to 5 times the size on the computer screen, doing this part time took three more years, the completed book being finally finished in January 2014.
To all the elderly people I interviewed between 1977 to 1982 and to the various friends and colleges have encouraged the completion of this book I thank you, they are not acknowledge individually as there are literally hundreds of them never-the-less, thank you.
This book is intended to be a survivor's reference book, but could also be used by someone with a particular hobby or interest.
