Page 21 - Bulletin 11 2007

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wire entanglements between, stretching from Glencairn, just north of Lower North Battery
in the valley where the fish oil factory would later be established, across the mountains to

the Atlantic coast near Kommetjie. These were manned by ACF troops. Those on duty on
this line were issued with live ammunition and warned that spies and saboteurs were about.

They were, consequently, jittery. One night a sentry, hearing a noise and receiving no reply

to his challenge, fired a shot. Soon the whole line was alive with firing until an officer
brought matters under control. An inspection next morning revealed the intruder to have

been an unfortunate cow which had been dropped with a shot between the eyes! (Levyns,
1984).

A number of check-points were established, one just past Noah’s Ark Battery at the road

down to Boulders Beach, and another at Glencairn station. There may have been one at

Kommetjie, although there was no formal road running south at that time. All entering
traffic – road and rail - was subjected to checks and everyone required passes and permits.

At Glencairn every arriving train would be met by a sergeant and four soldiers. Two would

check the undercarriage from the seaward side and also see that no one alighted from that
side; the others would check the passengers from the platform side. Thereafter the train

would continue through to Simon’s Town. (Godsiff, undated).

Elsewhere on the Peninsula, particularly at Table Bay, various guns and batteries were set

up to repel any seaborne or air attacks. During these early months rumours that aeroplanes
from GSWA had been seen flying over the Cape Peninsula greatly alarmed the civilian

population. Investigations revealed that the enemy aeroplanes were, in fact, hawks.
Nonetheless, it may well have been these fears which resulted in Capt. C. L. Gransden,

Inspector of Ordnance Machinery, and his personnel converting two 15-pounder BLC
(Breech Loading Converted) field guns into South Africa’s first anti-aircraft guns. Capt.

Gransden was not entirely satisfied with the first gun and so developed an improved

carriage for the second gun which later became known as “Skinny Liz”. This gun was
tested at Simon’s Town in September 1914 in the presence of a distinguished company