Morbut
I know there was heavy artillery on Robben Island to protect the bay. Was there anything else? Were the girls operating the gun or were they administrative? Where or what is Morbut, D.L. means what? Lastly, can anyone help with filling in the address?
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I collect Robben Island. I believe that the Pretoria PS are doing a Zoom Meeting (or have recently done one) where Robben Island was the subject. (Correctly speaking it should be 'Robben Eiland' and 'Seal Island'!)
To the matter in hand. Your cover is addressed to ADEN. I imagine that it also had a harbour defence battery. There is a Fort Morbut in Aden. Forts have guns. Guns need gunners. 'DL' must be an Aden reference.
Your cover is from SA Women's Auxillary Army Services. Nice fanciful thought about her manning the guns .... but I would say that she is definitely NOT a gunner. What is her rank? Gunners are GNR (private) & Bombardiers are BDR (corporal), thereafter you can't tell. Below, see cover from Cape Corps gunner (rank on reverse) to Cape Town.
I have several covers sent by girls based on Roben Eiland. The gunners were men from the Cape Corps. I doubt the girls would have been allowed near the 3 x 9.2" guns in the De Waal battery. It's a big gun with a shell too heavy for most men to hold. And a helluva BANG. I imagine it took three men to load the gun, two carrying the shell in a cradle and another to push it into the breech. I doubt they fired the guns very often. I am not saying women can't do this work - they can - but back then unless you were a Soviet, they didn't. The girls may well have been doing related jobs like look-outs in OPs, range-finding, radio-ops, degaussing, etc., etc. The degaussing refers to exploding enemy magnetic mines by creating the false impression of a ship passing by or not exploding it. Again, dangerous work.
I'm guessing but it appears that your letter's recipient possibly served on Robben Island as a gunner, met the girl there and then.... he was transferred to Aden. Clearly, war in Cape Town and Aden was Hell!
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Steve, Thanks, I did think it might be Aden (which I also collect) but I didn't know there was a Ras Morbut! in Aden. The cover gets better by the minute, now did it get wet on the way over from Robben 'Island' (sic) (Maybe that was so they didn't have to two cancellers - puts a new meaning into bilingualism) or did it get wet in Aden?
Depending on the time of year, it can be a very choppy ride between Cape Town and Robben Island. There is every chance that if they weren't taking precautions with the mail, it got a bit of a soaking. Usually it was just a large motor launch that made the crossing.
I attach a postcard of HMS Hyancinth, flagship of the Cape Station, when she was Flagship of the East India Station. She is visiting Aden. I am wondering if Ras Morbut is the white building on the headland? Probably not.
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Steve All I can find image wise is this painting of Little Aden Fort and Ras Morbut which could mean it was a high point suitable for a heavy gun.
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