Page 22 - Bulletin 11 2007

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including Mrs Louis Botha (wife of the Prime Minister), General Sir James Wolfe-Murray
(General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Africa) and Brigadier-General C. W.

Thompson GOC, Cape District. It was sent to GSWA in December 1914. (Bisset, pers.
comm.).

The coastal batteries were manned by the Royal Garrison Artillery and Cape Fortress
Engineers, who were raised on 7 September 1914 and given the task of manning all the

fixed defences of the Peninsula. Restrictions on access were experienced by the civilian
population and Col. Fowle recorded: “Lovers’ mountain strolls and, later, moonlight motor

movements, were partly curtailed.” (Fowle, 1919: 21).

Forming and training the Active Citizen Force & Defence Rifles Associations

With South Africa’s entry into the war the Defence Act of 1912 was invoked and

volunteers were called for for service beyond the borders. Recruiting posters, based on the

familiar one of Kitchener, soon became common throughout the country. (Figs. 1.8 & 1.9).
Volunteers flocked to the colours and training got underway. Battle practices and

manoeuvres with blank ammunition were carried out on the heathlands at Pollsmoor, on the
Cape Flats, and at various beaches. Route marches with full kit to various parts of the

Peninsula were a normal part of the training. (Figs. 1.10 – 1.12). Later on during the war
Kalk Bay - Muizenberg formed its own DRA Commando. (Table 1).

The most important first task for the Union forces beyond the Union’s borders was the
conquest of GSWA. On 6 August 1914 the Union Government had received an important

request from the British Government concerning the German wireless station in Windhuk.
This series of 350 ft high structures was the second largest wireless station in the world and

could maintain direct contact with Berlin in good weather. There were also smaller ones at
Swakopmund and Luderitzbucht and via all three Berlin could maintain contact with its