Page 129 - KBHA BULLETIN 6

time too. A big effort was the Seaside Splash at Muizenberg, which consisted of a funfare,

stalls, and various side shows which I remember enjoying greatly. This event was opened

by Queen Frederika of Greece who, with her family, was given temporary shelter for the
duration of the war by South Africa.

There seemed to be endless numbers of street collections for the various organizations for

the war effort, when the local women of St. James would “catch” all those going for trains
at the station. Woe betide those who put a tickey in the box instead of a half-crown! My

mother seemed to collect quite often. Some were doubtful when Soviet Russia was

included as a recipient of such funds. In my diary of January 1944 I noted that I took part
in a collection for the National War Fund. Also that month I mentioned buying a Union

Loan Certificate which was another method of helping the war effort.

The S.A.W.A.S. was a very effective organization. My mother, and her friend Ethel

Holiday, used to go regularly to help at the Soldiers’ Club which was housed in the Park
Hotel, Muizenberg. Here they made beds and helped with the household tasks, and served

lunches for the thousands of men who were passing through the Cape via Simon’s Town or
Cape Town harbours, especially later in the war. Their daughters were allowed to become

Junior S.A.W.A.S. and help too, but were limited to serving lunches.

Rosemary Holiday and I were very intrigued by the British soldiers who had until then led

rather insular lives and were not at all used to travelling abroad, and many were homesick.
At 14 or 15 years we were closely chaperoned as waitresses. We were, at that time, Girl

Guides belonging to Miss Steytler’s group at her house opposite Kalk Bay harbour, and
our two hours per week helping at the Club were counted towards our war workers’

badges. We would also claim time spent in knitting socks or balaclavas for soldiers, at a set

time apiece. Miss Steytler’s mother would test us “turning the heel” to see that we did this
properly.

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