To Dar-es-Salaam

There was no chance of leave in the UK once war started so when Helen and Cecil were able to get away from Zanzibar for a break they flew to Durban. By that time the Japanese were in the war and were operating submarines down the coast so the flying boat in which they travelled was also used to spot any ships in trouble in the Mocambique Channel.

The African Mercantile was very short of staff as many of the younger men had been called up. Cecil's job was a reserved occupation so, although he wanted to join up, permission was refused. So AMCo moved him to the busier port of Dar-es-Salaam and he ran the Tanganyika office almost single-handed. Helen joined him in Dar at the beginning of February, 1943, and they lived in the big bungalow in Upanga Road, above. Within three weeks of her arrival Helen had become secretary to the Governor, Sir Wilfrid Jackson.

All the Europeans were involved in the local Defence Force. Because Cecil had a big Mercedes car he had to report at headquarters and be ready to drive people around. It couldn't have been a worse choice as he had no sense of direction and driving in the dark with hooded headlights made things even worse. Despite this, he was a sergeant. I have his insignia - see earlier post here.

Cecil was deeply moved by the loss of many ships and captains he knew. Helen's work at Government House included the decoding and typing of the weekly review of the war's progress sent out by cable from the Colonial Office. This gave news of ships' losses, the effect of the bombing raids on the UK, and, at that time, details of the progress of the war in the desert in North Africa.

Helen became pregnant shortly after arriving in Dar but went down with malaria. The Government doctor came to see her and, although she told him she thought she was pregnant, he was adamant that she wasn't and injected her with quinine. As a result she had a miscarriage and lost the baby. In her 'Life' she wrote, "I always feel that first pregnancy was the daughter Cecil always wanted."