Letter No 38

Dear Mum,

When I sent you the air graph a couple of days ago I said I would write again that afternoon but a game of cards started up in the tent &, being the first game for a couple of months, I joined in & let the letter-writing go. Yesterday I had a bit of work to do & so to-day is the first chance I have had to drop you these few lines.

Last night we had open air pictures again & I saw Clark Gable, Franchot Tone & Joan Crawford in “Love on the Run” - an excellent show. It’s marvellous that we are able to get pictures at all through this campaign we could not help but notice the marvellous organisation of the whole show. Supplies of all sorts are flown up & when we move to a new ‘drome we find food, water, petrol for the trucks & aircraft & anything else we are liable to need waiting for us.

Since we started to move up we have not been able to get any fresh meat & we have had bully beef in a hundred & one different ways, & I have come to like it. At one ‘drome we found an its food store & we got some of their tinned ham ration & several cases of asparagus. When we get asparagus with our bully beef it goes down alright.

By the way how’s the car going now. From what I hear petrol is rationed rather heavily so I suppose the old gas waggon is up on chocks. It would break Dad’s heart to see the way we use petrol over here. I use as much a week in my motor bike as Dad would get a month for the bus. Then we do all our washing in gas & use a couple of gallons a day to boil water for tea & our baths.

If you know any kids around the district that collect stamps let me know because I can get hold of plenty of German & Italian stamps & I’ll send them if anyone wants them.

One of the boys opened a box of common soap a couple of days ago & in it was the name & address of a girl in Melb. so we all took up our pens & dropped her a few lines.

I haven’t sent the parcel yet but will probably send it this afternoon. In case the air graph does not arrive I’ll tell you again what was in the parcel. The mat & the cushion covers I bought & the table centre & the bangle were thrown in for good measure & you can do what you like with them. The ring is for Bert Ritchie & Dad can give it to him if he happens to see him at the Junction.

Rumor has it around the camp that if we send home clothes they are opened by the customs in your presence & you will lose some of your ration tickets. Get Betty to find out definitely if this is true or not. If it is not true send me a cable saying “Rumor not true” & I’ll know whether to send things or not.

That’s all for now but will write again shortly.

Give my love to Dad & Betty & my regards to Leo.

Lovingly Yours 

Frank   xxxx