Page 46 - Bulletin 11 2007

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motor car and proceeded with the routine checks of passengers, as well as inside and under-
neath the vehicle generally. An impatient passenger, tired of the waiting, eventually

exploded: “Damn you, I’m the Mayoress of Cape Town!” which she was: Mrs Anna
Thorne. They knew this but were having a bit of fun. Another element of fun was to swim

out to the stranded Clan Stuart, a collier which brought in Welsh coal for the RN ships,

which had gone ashore in a south-easter on 21 November 1914, but was still in good
condition in 1917. (Lawrence, 2001). (Figs. 1.27 & 1.28).

These were the times when the patriotic maxim “Fear God and Honour the King” still held

good. Harry Lawrence, along with many other scouts, hoped to see active service at the
Front. To fire the scouts’ enthusiasm there was a regular column in the local newspapers

containing accounts from the war fronts, particularly the Western Front. Many of these

were written in enthusiastic school-boy language which grossly misrepresented both the
front-line horrors and the emotional trauma suffered by men exposed to them.

Troop comforts and convalescence

Immediately after the war started various fund-raising initiatives were launched for the
purpose of caring for the sick and wounded, support of wives and families of those on war

service, and relief of general distress caused by the war. The Mayor’s Fund, launched early
in September 1914, was one such and by the end of August 1915 over £88,000 had been

collected. A depot was established at the City Hall for collecting suitable literature for the

large numbers of troops in the Peninsula generally. In September 1915 a more co-ordinated
and nation-wide effort got underway when the SA Gifts and Comforts Organization

Committee commenced its work. Its tasks were to ensure the supply of gifts and comforts
for SA Forces whether serving in Africa or Europe; similar assistance to the Imperial

Government for the Empire Forces; and collecting and transmitting funds subscribed by the
public for equipment for the Overseas Contingent. For efficiency, each province was