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4. Return to South Africa, O.T.C. and Searchlights

Eventually in September of 1941 the 16th Field Co returned to the Union.

Our sea trip back to Durban from Masawa was uneventful but on arrival in Durban the plans of certain of our troops for self-enrichment suffered a catastrophic collapse. They had come across a cache of thousands of Maria Theresa dollars, which was the only medium of currency in Abyssinia any thing for sale by the Abyssinians was in these dollars, and had secreted this cache in the trucks loaded on our ship in the door panels, the tires, anywhere they could be hidden. During the trip the pet company baboon had discovered some of the dollars and played with them on deck where the MP's found them. On docking the trucks were taken over by the Customs and pulled apart. Goodbye to the dreams of riches!!

On return from a short leave to the main camp of the Engineers at Sonderwater I found myself rated as a 'an experienced Sapper' and nominated to attend an Officers Training Course at Roberts Heights, now known as Voortrekkerhoogte, as a replacements for the expected casualties in the 6th Division then about to leave for the 'North', but in the interim employed as an instructor. I was allocated to instruct in 'Pick amd Shovel Drill' and one of my groups happened to be a bunch of qualified Engineers who had been 'conscripted', and included the City Engineer of Johannesburg, Major Schwrerer amongst others, all of whom were accommodated in the Officers Mess!

In due course we assembled at the Heights on Course 1111R with members made up of Sappers, Gunners and Signallers. We were given the works through the standard attempt by the Permanent Force Instructors to bring aspirant Officers to heel. Running to all sessions, hours of marching and counter marching on the parade ground at which we were hardly the pride of the Heights, and of course preparation of our barrack rooms for inspection which included polishing the floors, polishing any thing that could possibly be polished, even the light sockets and switches, not to mention our boots and making our beds up in true army fashion. In between we were given some army training, little of which really equipped us for our future as Officers! At the end of the course the Instructors were truly glad to see the last of us because all of us had seen field action, which they had not, and we were not exactly amenable to their attempts to impose on us. One instructor gave us great amusement in describing the effective use of the Boyes Rifle against the Italian tanks in the swamps (pronounced with a long "a") of East Africa.

While we were Cadets we all were sent to Spitskop, which had by then become an established training camp. Training was also given in "eating iron drill" to prepare us for formal mess dinners. At that time the formal mess dinner procedure had the toast to the King given by the Mess President, followed by the toast to the Governor General given by a junior officer, with the toasts alternating monthly in English and Afrikaans. On one memorable occasion the Mess President did his part in English and Jimmy Coulter as junior officer followed with " Here, die Algemene Handelaar". That was the match, which set off an unbelievable evening.

After the Course there were not the expected jobs for us. I was posted to the Anti Aircraft Searchlight Battery at Cape Town, and first went through a Course in Searchlights at Ottery near Cape Town. On completion I joined the Battery with Headquarters at the old Beer Factory at Woodstock with responsibility for the lower peninsular searchlight sites. I was accommodated at Pollsmore Camp and shared an office with the area Sports Officer, Eric Rowan.

Life was very enjoyable as a young Search Light Officer in the Cape Peninsular, with relatively light duties by day, and trips around my sites ranging from Rosebank Common, Laingsburg Road, Muizenburg Drift Sands, Zeekoevlei, Rocky Point, Kommetjie and Wynberg at night under black out conditions on a Harley Davidson motor bike usually under misty conditions with shielded lights. I still had plenty of time to go dining and night clubbing with the girl, who was at the Castle on radar, as my visits had to start late at night.

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