Conclusiones

Brink, p171

420

the walls.421 This, the troops were informed, was what awaited them if they were to seek out the women of ill repute in the city’s brothels. This macabre ploy was quite effective initially and many troops felt put off from sex for life.422

Avoiding the red light districts, as a matter of choice was not in itself too difficult and many Springboks enjoyed the officially sanctioned activities quite frequently. What proved to be a culture shock was how the young Egyptian boys offered up their sisters for sexual innuendos to the soldiers. Very often the troops would be confronted by a dirty youngster yelling ‘Hey George, you want to fuck my sister? She is black on the outside but white on the inside, just like Queen Victoria?’423 Private Holland remembered how, while traveling by rail to Cairo, they witnessed a young Egyptian boy throwing what was probably his sister to the ground and pretending to have intercourse with her shouting at the soldiers ‘hey George, gibbet money I fuck my sister’.424 For many South Africans this was unbearably distressing and it continued to bother them until long after the war.425

With some men seeking out places that were likely to have them end up with some sort of malady depicted in the hygiene museum, others were content with the officially sanctioned activities while on leave. A short bus ride from the station would take the men to one of several houseboats on the Nile. Here their first night would be spent consuming copious amounts of liquor and food they have last tasted in the Union. The cabins with hot and cold water, comfortable bunks with sheets and carpets almost made the troops forget about the war.426 A definite must-see while in Egypt were the pyramids of Giza. Long before the arrival of the Victors of East Africa, the local population were already exploiting the ancient pharaoh’s contribution to the tourism industry and arguably most South African servicemen toured those ancient landmarks. Many a postcard featuring Springboks and pyramids reached the Union from 1941 onwards. Another thing to do while in the Middle East was to ride a camel. Soldiers would be photographed on its back, smiling nervously, and the folks back home would have some idea of the marvellous time their relatives or loved ones were having while they, unlucky people, were worrying themselves silly about him ever coming home again.427

During their first visit to those ancient cities the men would join organised tour groups only to avoid them and their greedy inadequate guides on following trips.428 For many of the

421 _{NCA, J. Holland, Sharia el Bherka a.k.a. Berka Street.}

422

Interview: Watt McEwan. 2003.http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/sound/brothels-in-cairo. Megan Hutching.

423

Interview: Various members of the Natal Carbineers – M. Coghlan, 1991, Pietermaritzburg.

424

NCA, J. Holland, Memories of the Middle East: June 1941 to April 1943.

425

Interview: Danie de Waal – G. Bentz, 15 March 2011, Saldanha.

426

NCA, J. Hurley Diary, 13 July 1941, NCA, H.G. Symons Diary, 31 August 1941.

427

NCA, J. Holland, Memories of the Middle East: June 1941 to April 1943, Riding a Camel.

428

deeply religious Afrikaner Springboks it was a true pilgrimage to visit the Middle East. The places mentioned in the Bible including the River Jordan, where Abraham wanted to sacrifice his son and the spot where Elijah was fed by ravens impressed them at a deeply religious level.429 The men of 1st Brigade were not all equally religious and many gave in to temptation quite easily. Alcohol being the easiest and safer to indulge in causing the MP’s literally having their hands full with intoxicated servicemen trying to forget the horrors of the battlefield or relieve the boredom of the frontline. Since the troops risked life and limb in the desert, many felt that they were in their rights to visit whatever establishment they wished and often left without paying, shouting as they ran away that the Eighth Army would pick up the tab. Restricting access to bars and clubs did not solve the problem as troops would either become intoxicated at their various units or requisition alcohol from the locals.430

Figure 4.4: Four Carbineers doing a bit of sightseeing the local way.431

429

J. H. Harmse to his parents, 10 July 1943, Letter part of a private collection in the possession of Mrs A.C. Bentz, Vredenburg.

430

DOD Archives, Adjutant General Vol 1, Box 843, File128/35/1/188, Brothels and Contraceptives and Sex Education, Report on Venereal Disease and Pregnancies amongst WAAS and WAAF.

431

Operation Crusader

Since arriving at Matruh in July the Carbineers did their fair share of digging, spent several days sightseeing in Egypt’s ancient cities and conducted weapon drills on an almost daily basis432 but very little training for mobile warfare. Then on 22 August, to their dismay, the SA division commanders were summoned by Lieutenant General C. Auckinleck, Commander in Chief Middle East, and informed that they were to be used in forthcoming operations.433 The concerns Brink had while his brigades were at Matruh were by then in some way remedied. His men were rested and sufficient numbers of motorised transport had arrived to facilitate the commencement of training for mobile operations at battalion level. His manpower woes were solved by the inclusion of Coloured and Non-European troops. Their quality, however, was of such a standard that they were almost undeployable without further intense training.434 Nevertheless, each platoon had Non-European and Coloured troops as drivers and four Non-European stretcher bearers.435 With further reinforcements arriving from the Union, the Carbineer’s strength was brought up to 775 men of all ranks. Some reorganisation also took place with armoured cars replacing the Vickers platoon at regimental level.436 In spite of some organisational changes and an increase in lectures about desert navigation, the statistics of enemy activity was made known as August came to an end. The Carbineers survived forty six air raids in which 500 bombs were dropped and resulted in five men killed and twelve wounded. Private Hurley and others wondered whether it was worth it.437

On 17 September 1941, C Company conducted its first tactical exercise in which the infantry operated with armoured cars to ambush a fictional enemy supply convoy.438 A whole month then passed before all four companies conducted their first regimental exercise with attached artillery and anti-tank troops on 9 October.439 The period in-between was spent in the usual fashion of digging defences and providing guards to safeguard supplies on the docks. If selected for the latter activity one was expected to engage in a fair amount of pilfering and share the spoils with the rest of the platoon, provided you didn’t get caught and ended up under close arrest.440 Rumours then began circulating again of either a

432 _{As reflected in the Routine orders published during the period at Mersa Matruh. DOD Archives, War}

Diaries Box 220, May and June 1941 Routine Orders.

433

J.A.I. Agar-Hamilton and L.C.F. Turner, The Sidi Rezeg Battles 1941, p85.

434

J.A.I. Agar-Hamilton and L.C.F. Turner, The Sidi Rezeg Battles 1941, p85.

435

M.S. Coghlan, Shrapnel, Sand and Stukas: The Carbineers in the Western Desert, 1941-1942, p4.

436