Swedish Sojourn

During a visit to Pretoria in 1992, the oldest retired Foreign Affairs diplomat, the 93 year old Mr Ted Eustace, then living in Zimbabwe, was interviewed by Rina Steenkamp for the Meintjeskop Courier.

Mr Eustace, who had postings in Rome, Stockholm and Kenya before the Second World War and later in Washington and Brazil, describes his experiences in Stockholm from 1937.

Our predecessors, Mr and Mrs Frans du Plessis, kindly stayed over for a couple of days, before their departure, to brief us on some important matters. I had not before been a Charge d'Affaires ad Interim. I needed to understand what our relations would be with our Berlin Legation, where our Minister, Dr SFN Gie, and his wife had been stationed for several years. He was also the SA Minister Accredited in Stockholm hence my title had "interim" linked to it. I also wanted to know how far we would come under the Berlin Legation. All these things were satisfactorily explained. Dr Gie and hs wife were most highly regarded and our relations with Berlin were not over complex.

The staff at the moment was limited to one secretary a Swedish girl, with an English mother who, in addition, was also the interpreter and general factotum. She had been on the staff for several years. Two Attaches were to arrive and proved to be Bob Kirsten, whom I had met in Pretoria and knew well, and Mr DC van der Merwe, who had been with me in Rome.

The really important thing for me to do was to meet a Mr Josef Soderquist, who ran an import/export company of his own in Gothenburg. He had been for 2 or 3 years the agent of both the Deciduous Fruit Board in South Africa and of the KWV - our big wine and spirits concern, with HQ at the Paarl. Mr Soderquist had close relations with the big Swedish shipping company "Transatlantic" that had a sizeable fleet of steamers that plied back and forth to Australia and South Africa. He had several times been to South Africa, and had brought parcels of deciduous fruit to Sweden to test and distribute to Swedish and Norwegian fruit importers. They, the importers, were both delighted with our fruit standards, and were anxious to import in big quantities, as Scandinavia badly needed more imported fruit for the winter months.

Mr Soderquist came to see me very shortly after my arrival in Stockholm. We got on very well together and made up our minds to make further approaches, both to the Swedish and Norwegian Governments, to get them to increase their imports of our fruit in a big way. Transatlantic was very co-operative, agreeing to increase their refrigeration holds in their ships when needed, for our fruit.

In our approaches to the two Governments, we also planned to seek permits for the import of SA wines and spirits. I was prepared to work hard on the problem of imports of South African products but both Mr Eric Louw , our Minister in Paris, and Mr Frans du Toit, our Senior Trade Commissioner in London, had warned me that I would have great difficulties.

Diamonds, gold, wool, mohair, and some other products were sold in London, and it was then the policy not to upset such sales. I had been connected in a small way with the early efforts to find markets for our platinum but, when we actually were ready to sell, it was found that using London as our selling market would get lots of support from at least one very important and big agency.

I tried to find out if Sweden would buy our periodic surplus of yellow maize, but was told over and over that, when importing such grain, only white maize was imported, as it was rated as the better grain for cattle feeding in winter.

Dr and Mrs Gie duly paid their official visit to Stockholm. It was their custom to come annually. They stayed at the delightful Grand Hotel, which is on a peninsula in the heart of the city. They had a very busy time, visiting most of the Heads of Mission resident in Stockholm, doing duty calls on senior members of the Foreign Office and holding two largish dinner parties, and a big cocktail party. We were included for the three parties. How kind they were and how knowledgeable he was. They gave us quite a lot of their time, telling of conditions in the Germany of 1937 and we recognised, both of us, that even if we did not see them often, we would be very glad to work under them.

Also in January, Irene and I were invited to a ball for the Royal Family given by an ancient association whose habit it was to show special courtesies to the Royal Family. The ball itself was very well done. The dance floor was somewhat overcrowded but all seemed to be really happy, even at a ceremony staged specially for Sweden's Royal Family. We knew nobody, as we were such newcomers but the newly married Eustaces were glad to dance together. I recognised that a waltz was about to be played, so rather grabbed Irene, to get to the floor before it was overcrowded. We had danced round the dancing floor a couple of times, when one of the dance officials touched me on my arm – “Sir, I don't suppose that you understood what was just announced in Swedish. This dance is being reserved specially for the Royal Family!" As can be imagined, we left the floor immediately and made our way back to our seats without very much fuss!

In February, Irene and I made an official visit to Oslo. It was, of course, mid-winter and Oslo itself was under a great depth of snow. Our Honorary Trade Commissioner looked after us in some pleasant detail and I visited the Foreign Office, talking over trade matters that affected both of our countries paid a short call on the British Minister, the Swedish Shipping Company, and we were invited to have afternoon tea with the Crown Princess.  That struck us as a bit unusual, but the Princess could hardly have been more friendly.

We grabbed a couple of hours away from duties to watch an incredible sight – a ski-jumping contest. Even in the intense cold our mouths were wide open at the simply unbelievable jumps. They seemed highly dangerous but we saw no accidents at all.

Here I must note that traveIling from Stockholm, at night, was the best of train journey that we had ever done in our lives - the de luxe Continental trains.

I gave an interview to a Swede who, over the phone, said that he wanted to get details on SA minerals. Actually, he wanted particulars on our chrome ore. I turned up our Year Book - a most useful reference book that should be in all our libraries. From this I gave him data and suggested that, if he did not know how to purchase some chrome, he had better consult his Swedish Legation in Pretoria. I forgot the matter, as he did not strike me as a businessman. A couple of months later the Transatlantic shipping people phoned me. They had been asked to book shipping space for a consignment of 2000 tons of our chrome ore. Should they agree to accept the booking? I told them I would give them an answer later in the day. I phoned Frans du Toit in London about the matter. He laughed at me, or the stupid Swede. True, our chromes had a high percentage of chrome in them but they also had a big percentage of iron in the ores, which, thus far, no one had been able to eliminate. Our chrome ores were, thus far, virtually of no value. I suggested to the shipping company that they refuse to book space for the load of ore. A Iittle later, the Stockholm University asked me to procure about 5 tons of the mineral for them to experiment with. I heard nothing more from them but had been advised that the 5 tons of are had actually been received by the University.

Another request for an interview was received, but from a much more important personage - a highly regarded Swede, who was actually the Honorary Netherlands Consul-General. Dr Uggla was his name. He had been a member of the Skandinaviska Corps - 350 Scandinavians who formed their corps and fought for the Boers during the Anglo Boer War, as it is called. Not long after, they took up duty in the Northern Cape. They were surrounded by the forces under Lord Roberts and had to surrender to a much larger force. There had been some firing, in which there were some casualties; but they surrendered and were interned or imprisoned. Some years after the War had ended, the United Kingdom had issued medals and decorations for all the Boer forces and these were duly distributed. But the Scandinavians were not included in the distribution. Dr Uggla asked me if I thought that, late though it was, I could attempt to get medals for the 132 Corps members still alive.

I promised to approach General Hertzog himself and, somewhat to my surprise, the General saw to it that the 132 medals were sent to me for distribution. Their addresses were carefully recorded. How gratif ied Dr Uggla was. I had two functions arranged, one in Stockholm and one in Oslo. My wife pinned the medals on the chests of the old ex-volunteers and on the bosoms of two old ladies, who had been nurses in the Corps. Drinks were served and a general confab resulted, about their decision to show the Boers that all of them felt that the Boers undoubtedly had "right" on their side.

A couple of months later, Dr Uggla came to see me to congratulate me on the Swedish Decoration that was about to be presented to me. He was dumbfounded when I told him, as I had to, that South Africans were prevented from accepting foreign decorations. He had a bit of awkward explaining to do to the Swedish authorities, for which I was sorry.

I had soon after my arrival called on the British Minister in Stockholm. He mentioned that the British Ambassador in Rome had sent him advice to expect me, as I had been posted to Stockholm. He and his wife were really very kind to us – fellow Commonwealth colleagues.

The Stockholm Harbour Master phoned me early one morning to say a steamer belonging to the Transatlantic Company had arrived that morning with a big consignment of SA fruit, but some 2000 trays of peaches and plums had been found to be inedible. The peaches when opened, showed a browning around the pips and the plums showed a skin that had small bladders on them. The

Harbour Master wanted to destroy the fruit. Had I any objections? I phoned Josef Soderquist about the matter. He assured me that he too had been warned by the Harbour authorities who, he assured me, were in the right. They must be allowed to destroy the fruit. I gave my consent, for what it was worth and let the Minister in Berlin know. I later heard that such plums and peaches had also been condemned in the London Docks. South Africa House and the DFB then consulted a science section in the Cambridge University about the problem. The fruit farmers in the Cape had made up their minds to cut down the period between picking the fruit and chilling it in the ships' holds. This period had been cut by 24 hours and that was the cause of the deterioration of the fruit.

March 1937

Our staff was increased by the arrival of Bob Kirsten and his newly wedded wife. I had known him in Pretoria. In May of the same year DC van der Merwe, from Rome, reached us and then we, more or less, made up a full team.

Irene and I paid our promise visit to Gothenburg to have further talks on fruit and wines with Mr Soderquist, and then I also got to meet the Chairman of Transatlantic, the shipping company that brought our fruit to Sweden. We had a further bit of real excitement -three days' yachting in the Soderquists' family yacht in the Gothenburg archipelago, sleeping on the island with a most interesting fishing family with two children, as is the Swedish custom. The husband had been a fisherman going with a smallish group of fellow fishermen to the East Coast of Canada, to catch cod, a fish that had good sales in Sweden. What remarkable and fine people they were, poor but proud with good reason.

We had that summer also to visit Berlin officially, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Hitler's Berlin was most interesting. There was a lot to admire but also much to feel highly nervous about. It was good to meet Dr and Mrs Gie again and my colleagues with whom I nominally worked.

The British Minister, Sir Michael Paloiret, approached me for help. They only had one child, a son at school in London who had just been hospitalised with a burst appendix. His condition was grave. Lady Paloiret had that morning flown to London. But the minister and his wife were to entertain the Swedish Crown Prince and Princess at a big dinner party that was to take place three days hence. Would I agree to agree to Irene,my wife, acting as his hostess at the function? Irene quite naturally agreed to help out.

The party started out, the guests all being offered the usual sherry and then they all moved  into the Long dining-room, arm in  arm.   Irene leading with the Crown Prince. When all were seated, soup was to be handed round a favourite soup in Sweden in those days - spinach with a raw egg floating in the middle of the plate. The butler started by leaning forward to place a plate of soup in front of the Crown Prince when a waiter passing behind him bumped the butler in his rear. The soup cascaded in part over the Crown Prince's chest and his decorations, and then on to Irene's wedding dress which she was wearing for the special occasion. The Prince reacted immediately, asking the people at his end of the table to carry on as though nothing had gone wrong. He then turned to the butler - "Please go back to the kitchen, get a bowl with warm water in it, plus a clean cloth and come in normally and without fuss, then wipe Madam's dress and my uniform". This was done without any fuss at all, so much so that the host, Sir Michael, noticed nothing wrong.

Irene thanked the Crown Prince with real gratitude for so ably tackling what could have been a real disaster. The dinner party went on completely normally which seems incredible. As Sir Michael did not onany occasion mention the mishap to Irene, we had both to conclude that he was completely ignorant of what had happened at the other end of his dinner table.

Irene was able to have her frock dry-cleaned and, as usually happens with a wedding frock, it was later worn on several occasions in our rather formal life. Pretoria agreed that our Legation should make periodic official visits to Finland. We had in mind that South African fruit should also be sold in Finland, and Soderquist had in fact been active soon after. I went to Helsink i, by air and on my arrival I made a courtesy visit on the British Minister. I was more than a little shocked when he refused to see me! I had by letter warned him that I would pay my visit. A couple of days passed when the First Secretary of the British Legation came to see me in my hotel. It seemed that the Minister had had second thoughts or had consulted London and had been told that in refusing to see me, he had behaved wrongly. His attitude was that he had been

acting as the representative for South Africa, particularly in trade matters. He had not been told by the Foreign Office that I would be operating in Finland in future. How could he condone my appearance officially in Helsinki? But theMinister and his First Secretary had put their heads together. I was asked to go to a drinks party, in the home of the First Secretary, where the Minister would meet me  as he wanted to do.

I duly went to the party and had an amiable talk with the British Minister who must have felt he had behaved incorrectly. Before leaving the party, however, in saying goodbye to the Minister, I mentioned somewhat casually that I would meet him again when I paid my next visit to Helsinki. He merely said "I look forward to seeing you".

I reported the     incident to my Minister, Dr Gie, and mentioned that I was not prepared to make much over the matter that had in part been wrong. Dr Gie agreed with me.

My next visit was to London to see how far the High Commissioner's Office could help our Legation with material for exhibitions, both in Stockholm and in Oslo. I naturally asked Frances du Toit for aid and he was most co-operative, warning that he felt such exhibitions should be of a general nature and that we should not pretend that they were Trade Exhibitions, for, apart from fruit and wines and spirits, we had very little that we could expect to sell in Sweden and

Norway. I opened the one that we held in Oslo. Our DC van der Merwe proved to be an excellent hand at setting up the good show on both occasions. We held evening parties at which we had a couple of hundred people wining, then very largely with KWV products, which proved very popular. Scandinavians need no urging to refill their glasses! I think in a country with a seven month winter, doubtless I would also have a different attitude to alcohol!

In the middle of 1938, I applied for home leave, which I was granted and I was glad that we could start our holiday at the end of the year and that we would not return to Sweden. It looked likely I was told, that we would be transferred to Paris. In most ways this pleased both of us greatly and I wanted the chance of working with Mr Eric Louw, the Minister in France whom I had met on several occasions

              

We left for South Africa from Oslo on the 1st Jan ury 1939. The North Sea, the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay were all rough beyond words. But thereafter we had bright sunny days in our 2000 ton cargo boat, which belonged to the Transatlantic Shipping Company.