Letter No. 5 8/7/42

Letter No. 5

Aust. No. 34171

L.A.C. Cooney JF

NO.3 Squadron R.A.A.F

Middle East

8.7.42

Dear Mum,

Since I wrote to you last I have been kept very busy & I have not had another chance to write until now. There is very little news I can tell you except to say that I am still having a good time, that I’m feeling OK & I am eating better than ever.

Speaking of eating, the food seems to be getting better each day. For instance, the following was on for tea last night. To start with there was vegetable soup made just the way I like it. The second course consisted of Grilled Steak &  chips covered with fried tomatoes, fried onions & a rich gravy. For sweets we had preserved peaches and custard & if we were still hungry there was plenty of fried scones with butter & Jam or golden syrup. I went through the menu from start to finish so you can see that I am not likely to come home looking poor & half-starved.vAs a matter of fact I was in Cairo a few days ago. I stepped on the scales to see if I had gained any weight & believe it or not I was 13 stone which is 12lb heavier than when I left home.

Last week I received a parcel from the Australian Comforts Fund & in it was some underclothes made by the Women War Workers of the Christian Science Church at Mosman. I was going to send you the ticket off them so you could show it to Mrs Thomlinson but I must have lost it somewhere. In the parcel there was tobacco & apers, cigarettes, a packet of ‘Dad’s” cookies, 5 packets of chewing gum, a pair of sox, shaving cream, tooth paste, writing paper & envelopes & a post card with the name & address of the man who donated the money to the Australian Comforts Fund for the parcel. It was A.G. Davies of Eric, Pass, U.S.A.

If you go down near the Mosman Comforts Fund just drop in & let them know that I am over here because parcels like the last one come in very handy.

By the way, have you heard anything from George Brissett since I left. If you happen to know his address send it when you answer this letter but if you don’t know it get Betty to drop a line to the Personnel section at Air Board in Melbourne & ask them for it so I can drop him a line & go crook at him for not ringing up before I left Camden.

I was in the canteen about a week ago & I met Arthur Lu from Neutral Bay. I don’t know if you remember him or not but he is a fairly red-faced fellow who used to go around with Micky McDonald & Ron Buffett. He has been over here in 3 Squadron for about 14 months & hopes to be going home shortly.

I have had another trip to Cairo since I wrote last time & this time  spent a full day going through the pyramids, the sphinx & the temple & believe me it was an education. Rather than try & explain what they are like I will leave it until I come home & I will tell you all about them then. While I was there I took 2 spools of film so I will have plenty of photos to show you.

Yesterday we had a visit from Capt Frank Hurley, the official photographer for the Aust. Dept of Information. He took a movie film of the squadron at work that I am sure I am in a few of the shots.

If you go to the pictures & see a newsreel of fighter planes in the Middle East that have CV painted on the side of them   keep your eyes skinned & you may happen to sees me in the role of a film star. Especially in the part where we are unloading bombs off a truck. He also took some photos for the press & if they turn out OK they may be in the paper. Let me know if you see them.

I will be writing to Bert Ritchie & a few of the lads later in the day & I will ask them that if they happen see the film to let you know so that you can go & see it too.

Any time you are sending a parcel over to me don’t bother to include any shaving materials because out here shaving is a thing of the past. In the 7 weeks I have been in the desert I have only used my razor 3 times & that was only when I was going to town. One time I went for over three weeks without a shave & when I came to shave it off I had a beard that looked like “Old Slippery Jim’s”.

There is one good thing that the desert has taught me & that is how to save money. In the last 5 weeks I have saved just on 18 pounds. I only hope I can keep it up. When I get a bit more I will send it home & you can put it in the bank for me so that when I come home I’ll be able to buy what I need.

Can’t think of anything more to write about so I will close now & get on with my other correspondence.

Give my love to Dad & Betty.

Lovingly Yours 

Frank