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The couple’s daughter Molly was 38 when her father died and she lived at Kent for another 50
years before moving to a retirement home. (Fig. 3.38).

Like her father, Molly had a long life of service. Her career is a reminder of how Simon’s Town

and indeed the Navy changed over this period. She started work at Simon’s Town before the war,
employed by the British Navy until 1957 when headquarters were moved to Youngsfield. Here

she was Lady Welfare and Transport Officer. The job entailed dealing with the transport

arrangements and settling-in problems of the many officers and men and their families who were
sent to South Africa by the Royal Navy.

In 1967, back in Simon’s Town, she was PA to the Commander of the Royal Navy base – a very

senior position. Her skill and dedication were recognized in 1974 when she was one of very few
South African women to be made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). Molly’s

medal was presented to her by the British High Commissioner. This was a major achievement
that must have been the talk of Ladan Road and the whole of Kalk Bay.

When the Royal Navy Headquarters closed in 1976 Molly was put on a Royal Navy pension

after 38 years’ service. At age 58 she was persuaded to become PA to the Chief of the South
African Navy in a ‘temporary’ position. She finally retired 15 years later aged 73 in 1990.

Molly was not a person to sit around idle, and was involved in the Kalk Bay community for

years. She was a Methodist and among other things was a teacher at the Methodist Sunday
School.

Conclusion

Ladan Road in 1915 did not exist as such and there was only one house, that of Frances Moore.
By 1930 all the plots had been developed – representing a remarkable surge in investment and

building in Kalk Bay. So much has changed in the 100 years since these houses were built but,

like many of the smaller streets in Kalk Bay, the fabric has barely been altered.