ASWAAS

 

THE ARTILLERY SPECIALISTS WOMENS' ARMY SERVICE OR A.S.W.A.A.S.

 

JUNE

1941 The Coastal Artillery decided to recruit women to man coastal batteries. For 3 months, 10 women from Cape Town and 10 from Durban trained, mainly at Simon's Town. At Scala, above Lower North Battery guns, a battery observation post and an underground plotting room had been installed.

Upon qualifying some A.S.W.A.A.S. manned Scala and others were sent to Robben Island. For the first time in South Africa, guns were fired at an unseen target. Cross bearings were transmitted by telephone from the battery observation posts to the plotting room, where they were con- verted using the Fire Direction Table, into range and bearings. Corrections for travel and ballistics were added and then transmitted electrically to the guns. (Training of additional recruits was continued on Robben Island.)

JUNE

1942 All A.S.W.A.A.S. were permitted to wear Artillery badges and buttons, a privilege very highly prized by all, as an indication that their acceptance into the Artillery was now complete.

JAN

1944 Trainees began to be instructed on the batteries themselves.

JAN

1945 A course in field artillery was conducted for A.S.W.A.A.S. in Simon's Town. A battery of field guns was taken to Scala where gunners were trained. Regular shoots were con- ducted at Klaasjagersfontein. After the end of the war, batteries began to close down gradually. A.S.W.A.A.S. began to be transferred to other W.A.A.S. units, or returned to civilian life. By September the whole unit had been disbanded

 

POSTINGS

1942 By the end of the year A.S.W.A.A.S. had been posted to Scala, Simon's Town; Robben Island Battery; and First Heavy Batteries Wynyard; Docks; Lion; Apostle and the Fire Command Posts. They were also in- stalled at Port Elizabeth and East London, where they manned several of the outlying B.O.P's.

1943 At the beginning of this year A.S.W.A.A.S were posted to Bluff Battery in Durban and to Cornelia on Robben Island, which guarded the Blouberg Channel and where the girls on course did their Close Defence Training.