Banana, bread, chocolate and jelly out of Millswood kitchen helped feed our hungry WW1 troops

BRIGID Holland-Smith finds it hard to believe half a tonne of cake for wounded Anzacs was baked in her Millswood kitchen 100 years ago.

14/4/15. The Holland-Smith family live where sisters Violet and Ella Williams, "The Chocolate and Banana Ladies", baked food for returned soldiers from WW1 at the Keswick Barracks. Sophie,21yrs, Lucy- 18yrs, mum Brigid, Sam - 24ys and Kate - 16yrs outside their house. Pic Keryn Stevens

BRIGID Holland-Smith finds it hard to believe half a ton of cake for wounded Anzacs was baked in her Millswood kitchen 100 years ago.

Her Wood St house was once home to Ella and Violet Williams, who dedicated their lives to helping sick and wounded men convalescing at Keswick Barracks.

From September, 1915, the women, who were joint organisers of the Keswick Hospital Helpers, would walk 40 minutes to the barracks, twice a week, with food for the troops.

During the war they made more than 750 litres of wine jelly, 580 litres of milk jelly and 490kg of cake in their suburban kitchen.

They also took the soldiers bananas, oranges and pears. As such, they were nicknamed the banana and chocolate ladies.

Violet died in 1945 and was buried at North Rd cemetery in Nailsworth. Ella died in 1955.

Mrs Holland-Smith said it was “really special” to have such an unusual connection with World War I.

“There are not too many people who can say they have a link to something (which) … happened during the war,” Mrs Holland-Smith said.

“It’s lovely to think these women were so thoughtful … I think we should all learn from them.”

For the first six months of their herculean undertaking, Ella and Violet carted all the food to Keswick by hand.

When friends became aware of their burden, they “aided (them) with their motor cars and so relived them of their strain”, according to Unley Museum exhibit At Home, In War: Unley 1914-1918.

The Keswick Hospital Helpers visited the barracks 300 times during the war.

Mrs Holland-Smith’s daughters Lucy, 18, and Kate, 16, were intrigued by the women’s contribution to Unley’s war history as revealed in the exhibition.

They were just as shocked, especially Lucy, about how the front of their home had not changed in 100 years.

“I thought it was cool because the house looks exactly the same as it did back then, except the shutters are different,” Lucy said.

Mrs Holland-Smith said, unfortunately, the women did not leave their love of baking in the home.

“I wish they were still here to bake for me. I do make a good banana cake, though.”

THIS story is part of Messenger’s 100 Years, 100 Days, 100 Stories project, which profiles 100 South Australian World War I heroes as the nation builds up to the centenary of the Allied landing on Gallipoli on April 25, 1915.

Originally published as Banana, bread, chocolate and jelly out of Millswood kitchen helped feed our hungry WW1 troops