A day in the life at the University of Pretoria. 04 September 1939

4 September 1939:  SA joins the Second World War (1939-1945). On this “Day in the life of the University of Pretoria”, South African joined the allied forces.

Dr. Vivian Voss © University of Pretoria Archives

Roughly 235 500 South Africans fought in the War. This also included a number of Tukkies’s staff and students. Some, like physics professor Dr. Vivian Voss, also fought in the First World War (1914-1919) twenty years earlier. Dr. Voss (Pictured above) was a student at the Transvaal University College between 1911 and 1913. He also played in the T.U.C rugby team. Dr. Voss was first appointed as the UP librarian before becoming a Physics lecturer in 1920.

The UPA preserves the history of the University of Pretoria. We also have an extensive photo collection. Please contact us  on [email protected] to share your memories of Tukkies or access our collection virtually.