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Olive lived in Cape Town, and was only twelve when the war started. From her house, she could see the ships and convoy entering the bay, from Britain. This was a weird and wonderful sight, ships of Queen Mary and Elizabeth, which transported troops to Egypt and India. Potchestroom, outside Cape Town, was the base for the troops, stationed there during the war. The Naval base, which still exists, Simons Town, the English navy was based there, they had a dog mascot, to this day the statue of the dog stands to greet the navy.

Everyone who had a car would go down to the dock gate and line up the cars. As the troops came off, people took the soldiers home, packed in their cars! The soldiers stayed maybe three or four days. On arrival her mother would clean all their clothes, and they all had a bath, for it had been weeks on the sea. They all had a good meal, and little party with friends and their guests. They would alternate between relatives’ houses. Families would correspond with the soldiers from South Africa, sending knitted socks and such; they held help groups to knit items to help them out as they had few possessions. People were kind and generous to the newcomers.

The train that took her to school was the same that went to Potchestroom and Simons Town, so they would meet the soldiers and sailors, and took some air force boys home. One of her sisters married one of them during the war. Came over to England in the war in a convoy, many south African girls married the English men, though returned home because they couldn’t cope. Her sister did not though and is still living in England. Her brother was only seventeen at the beginning in medical corps, all of which went to Egypt, and also Italy. Her uncle was in the desert campaign.

One day they received the belongings, identification, and treasures of a Canadian soldier. He died and had had no family. As the last address on him was theirs, they received the items. Olive’s father had seen him wondering through District Six and took him in, so it was very sad when the news came. He came from Montreal, her mother continued to write until the surprise arrival.

Olive, and her family wrote, and sent parcels to their families, to let them know they were safe from the Germans and Japanese. She made quite a few pen friends, and is still in contact with one! When she arrived in Britain stayed with pen friends. She stayed in Sandy Hills, Glasgow, with friends the Patterson. Her initial impression was the hundreds of chimneys, and terraced houses, ruined slums, a huge contrast to life in South Africa. Met up with a friend who the looked after in South Africa, who had since been to India with the air force. On the way to Manchester, they had their clothes and things stolen! You see things were rationed and it was very hard to get hold of such items, people were living in poverty, their homes were ruins and people were desperate.

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