Letters home from a son in wartime, ....... a family meal in faraway Durban

Roger Hall, 1939 aged 17

In 1941, somewhere near Basra my uncle Roger wrote a long 24 page letter to my grandmother.

It was handwritten and brought home by a friend.  It was the first real contact that my grandmother had had since he left Britain by convoy for South Africa, the Suez, and the war in the Mediterranean.

Last week his letter described the journey to South Africa.  They arrived in Capet Town in February 1941 and on the 11th on his birthday they docked at  Durban.

"Two days from Cape Town we entered Durban Harbour on my birthday February 11th.  I was also paid for the first time here 10 ⁄- in English money.  The day after we changed it, and were allowed a shore from 12.00 hours to 23.00 hours.

I went ashore, walked around a bit, took a couple or so photographs and had a good meal.  

I had exhausted a good deal of my 10 shillings when I was picked up.  

Just you listen. I was standing on the corner of some main thoroughfare and a Buick limousine slide up, and the occupant; - one of the most charming girls I’ve ever seen asked me “Would you feel insulted if I asked you to dinner?”  Mother, she could have insulted me anyway she liked.  

Anyway I remarked I should be delighted to be insulted, I climbed in, away went, right out to the outskirts of the city, incidentally picking up two friends of mine on the way, Dinner!! Mother, that meal after 5 weeks on the boat was ambrosia – served by a butler and two man servants.  

Just think, this girl, her sister, her father and mother, - all these in evening gowns and a dress-suit for the father, sitting down with us in Khaki shirt and shorts, stockings and sandals – it must have been a sight!  

Durban Town Hall Februray 1941

After dinner we sat and drank iced lager – their whiskey was too strong for us – listened to the radio – danced - I learned on the boat a bit, at least, and finally got driven back to the docks with an urgent invitation to be picked up next day. 

Hastily I borrowed some of the ready and the next day after that we had a repeat performance we went  to the flicks the last. 


Kinder folks and  more hospitable I have yet to meet.  I was very sorry to leave them, and if Chris  was to be believed  – personally I doubt it – she was broken hearted anyway someone will mend it for her.

Durban was a very modern city – square concrete buildings, wide streets, well paved too, a lovely sea front to the city, traffic lights, it was wizard."

Pictures; Roger Hall, Durban Town Hall by Roger Hall, from the collection of Andrew Simpson