Bernie Ashlin (in the middle of this photo) was born in Cape Town on 16 Feb 1948. He achieved a BSc in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Cape Town in 1973. He worked at Metal Box in Epping until 1992 and was then Managing Director of Cape Manufacturing Engineers Ltd until 2006. He did his national service in the State President’s Guard in 1967-8 and then posted to the Cape Town Highlanders in July 1969 with the rank of corporal. He was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel commander of the CTH in July 1989 and retired in April 2000. He came out of retirement to command the Reserve Force Base at Fort Ikapa in 2004. On 10 Nov 2012 Colonel Bernie Ashlin handed over command of Fort Ikapa to Lt-Col Stephen Pierce. The letters after his name are MMM (Military Merit Medal) and JCD (John Chard Decoration). The last has a Bar for 30 years.
The photo, taken in 2012, shows Colonel Ashlin in the middle, wearing staff officers’ service dress with red banded cap and red flashes on his lapels. His replacement as commander of Fort Ikapa, Lt-Col Stephen Pierce, is on the left being congratulated by Lt-Col Johan Conradie.
