Item 02: John Duncan McRae diary, 11 December 1916-9 February 1917 - Page 7

[Page 7]

Dec 11 (contd.)

After Arriving at Cape Town, we stayed on board for a few hours, and were then granted leave from 2 – 11 and had a fine time ashore. Alan & I went for a long walk right through the city and beyond it into the oak groves beyond the houses and well up to the foot of Table Mountain. We then returned through the lower quarters of the city and there we walked through the middle of the dirty narrow streets and all the blacks, half-castes etc. sang out to us, and the little piccaninnies flocked round for our smiles & pennies and screeched out 'Australia' etc. etc. all of which gave us great enjoyment.

After a snack for tea we took a 6d. tram & went about ¾ hours' ride round the suburban quarters. On the tram an elderly lady presented us with a newspaper & a bag of biscuits; we ate the latter almost before we got back to the ship. The people are very kind here as elsewhere, and the silver-leaves which I sent home were given me by a little English boy who stood down at the P.O. for that specific purpose. Cape Town is noted for this kind of leaf.