Tuesday 29 December 2020

Letters 72, 73, 74 Waiting for the end of the N. Africa campaign

 Letter No 72

AUST. No 34171 
LAC Cooney, JF 
No. 3 Squadron 
R.A.A.F. 
MIDDLE EAST

26th Feb. ‘43

 

Dear Mum,

                  The mail we were all expecting arrived last night but it was too late to answer them straight away so I’ll do my best  to get a few of them answered this morning. I received N0’s 30 & 31 from you, No 16 from Betty, three from Wagga, one from Peter & Neta Johnstone, one from Miss Moody & one from Aunty Emily.

                  George Brissett certainly seems to have been travelling around a bit since you saw him last. In case he hasn’t already told you how the ACI comes in I will tell you. He said that he had been back on a conversion course, well, when he finished his course he automatically goes back to an A.C.I & then starts all over again. Can hardly imagine him as a married man – he must have been full when he popped the question.

                  Can’t say that I have noticed the absence of raisins in the cakes – must be as you say, I don’t wait to see what’s in them.

                  The vegetable garden seems to be causing quite a lot of strife in the Cooney household because Betty told me that Dad does all the carrying of water & trimming of the plants etc. & now you tell me that the credit for all this should be yours.

                  Re your Taj Mahal, as soon as I can get at my kit bag I will write to India & see what can be done about it. It was really beautiful so I will write & get them to send another one even if I have to send the money but it was insured so I don’t know how I will stand.

                  We have been living rather royally this last few days ‘cause the wogs have been coming around with plenty of fresh eggs & so we have been getting as many as we can & each night we have five or six omelettes each for supper. I’ll give your frying pans plenty of work when I get home. Our pan is made from a plate with a piece of tubing riveted on for the handle.

                  That’s all for now but will write again soon. Much love to Dad & Betty.

 

                                                                                          Lovingly Yours,

                                                                                                            Frank

 

P.S. Twelve months to-day since I had to report back to Melb. After final leave.

 

 

 

Letter No 73

AUST. No 34171 
LAC Cooney, JF 
No. 3 Squadron 
R.A.A.F. 
MIDDLE EAST

24th Feb. ‘43

 

Dear Boop,

                  Your letter No 16 arrived here last night together with a couple from Mum & a few others. One that I received from Wagga was from the mother of a girl I used to go out with quite a bit & she told me that Joan had gone into the church to be a sister so that sort of brings things to a conclusion as far as I’m concerned. Anyhow I received a beaut photo of her in the letter & its gone into the collection.

                  There’s no doubt about the old Brissett. As I told Mum, he must have had a few aboard when he went home on leave.

                  You can tell any of the girls at younger set who want to adopt me as a pen friend that they are quite welcome to do so, if they like to send the cash for anything they want I will send a price list on application to the above address.

                  I wrote to Vivi & Maureen a couple of weeks ago. Had no idea what to write about so I told them about our trip to Alexandria to Tripoli.

                  From all accounts Maureen seems to be a rather kid. (sic)

Thanks for writing to Aunty Lizzie with great haste re the cake. Donations of that sort are always very acceptable. Can’t understand why I haven’t had a letter from Melb.

                  When I wrote to Mr Hansen I asked him for Fred Lowe’s address & when he answered my letter he sent Fred’s address but Fred was only an L.A.C. He must have got his stripes quite recently.

                  Had a letter from Neta. I suppose you know they have another son.

                  That’s all for now but I will let you know any more news shortly.

Much love to Dad & Mum & my regards to Leo

                                                                        Tons of love

                                                                                          Frank

P.S. I know the writing’s crook but I’m in bed

                                                                                          F.

 

Letter No 74

AUST. No 34171 
LAC Cooney, JF 
No. 3 Squadron 
R.A.A.F. 
MIDDLE EAST

4th March ‘43

 

Dear Mum,

                  Here it is six days since I wrote to you last & still haven’t anything to write about I seem to be slipping with my letter writing lately as is everyone else. I think the trouble is that we are pretty sure that everything will be cleaned up here shortly & we know that they are going to do something with us but at present nobody seems to know what it will be & it’s waiting for something to happen that upsets our writing.

                  Received some more comforts a few days ago consisting of tobacco, cigs, chewing gum, razor blades sox & a pullover. Some of the pullovers were beautifully made with fancy stitches & brown & white fleck wool. They are really much too good to wear around out here.

                  Our canteen trucks arrived back from Alexandria a couple of days ago & they have just about sold out their entire stock already. They didn’t get much of an assortment of goods at all, only fruit, a little chocolate, biscuits, sugar, gigs, tobacco writing materials & a couple of other things.

                  Had nothing to do yesterday morning so one of the other boys & myself went over to the cooks tent & helped them shell about a hundred pounds of peas. The cooks are very popular with all the boys in the flight & they only have to ask for a hand to do something & anyone who is not working is only too glad to lend a hand. While we were over at the mess the cooks were getting a pie ready for lunch & they put a jam tart in the oven for the workers, & for the first time since leaving home I had a nice jam tart straight from the oven.

                  Well, Mum that’s all I can think of for now but I will try & do better next time.

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

 

                                                                                          Lovingly Yours,

                                                                                                            Frank

 

 

Sunday 27 December 2020

Letters No. 69, 70, 71 to Mum & Betty

  

Letter No 69

AUST. No 34171
LAC Cooney, JF 
No. 3 Squadron
R.A.A.F. 
MIDDLE EAST

22nd Feb. ‘43

Dear Mum,

                                    I intended writing to you yesterday afternoon but “B” flight had a days leave so that they could go back to Sabratha to see the Roman Ruins there & so we had a kite each to look after all day. Letter writing had to be put off until to-day.

                   I will send you & Dad a cable for your silver wedding anniversary, tomorrow ‘cause cables seem to be taking a long time to get home these days.

                   I received a cable from you this morning to say that a parcel of tapestry had arrived but I cannot get the idea of the last part of the telegram ‘cause it says ‘Rumor not true”

                   What the rumor is I can’t fathom out at all but I will no doubt hear what it is when you write. Also received two newspapers from you in this morning’s mail. They were the Smiths, dated 21st of Nov. & a Daily Mirror of about the same date.  There are a couple of parcels still to come but they should be here shortly because there seems to be very little mail lost these days.

                   We are expecting two or three trucks to arrive here from Alex. In a day or two. They are going to be loaded with canteen supplies. I hope they receive them shortly because our canteen has been exceedingly dry for several weeks & a few good things to eat would be very nice at present.

                  I forgot to tell you before that when we were at one of our ‘dromes we found an Italian kite which is very much the same as our Tiger Moth & it was in perfectly good condition & so we salvaged it. I have been working on it for the last four days & it should be flying tomorrow. Once the pilots canfly it alright we are going to get a flight in it & possibly a bit of dual flying. I’m hoping so at any rate.

                  That’s all for now Mum but I will write again soon

                                    Much love to Dad & Betty

 

                                                                                          Lovingly Yours,

                                                                                                            Frank

 

Letter No 70

AUST. No 34171 
LAC Cooney, JF 
No. 3 Squadron 
R.A.A.F. 
MIDDLE EAST

24th Feb. ‘43 

Dear Mum,

                         A few more letters & parcels dribbled in to-day. I received No 32 from you & 16 from Betty. No’s 30 & 31 are still missing but will probably turn up next time our truck goes back to Tripoli. The parcels didn’t treat me too good at all ‘cause I didn’t receive any at all, in fact there was only one cake in the tent & that will soon be disposed of at supper to-night.

                  Glad to hear that you are getting all my letters ‘cause if any of them ever go astray I afraid I will not be able to rewrite them as I have no idea what I put in any of them.

                  Don’t worry about anything happening to me ‘cause there’s a flare up on over here, I’m quite busy looking after Frank & am sure to see that nothing happens to him.

                  At present we are right out of reading matter so I’m very glad that some books are on the way & due any day now.

                  I have had no word from Aunty Lizzie for over three months. I think my letters to her must have gone astry as I have been addressing them to Newman Ave Carnegie & a couple of days ago I noticed that their address was Newman Ave Ormond. So goodness only knows where my letters finished up. Will have to write them again soon as a month has past since I wrote last. I never seem to be able to settle down to writing to anywhere but home these days – must be getting homesick because in three days it will be12 months since I left home & went to I E.D.            (NOTE: Not sure what this is)

                  I see Dad had his usual fishing trip to the Spit. There always seems to be too much cuurent or too much wind for him. I’ll have to show him how to get-‘em when I get back.

                  No idea how I stand with your parcels but I think I am too short one of the 27th Nov & the cake of the 2nd Dec.

                  That’s all for now so will drop a few lines to Betty.

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

 

                                                                                          Lovingly Yours,

                                                                                                            Frank

  

Letter No 71

AUST. No 34171 
LAC Cooney, JF 
No. 3 Squadron 
R.A.A.F. 
MIDDLE EAST

24th Feb. ‘43

 

Dear Bet,

                  Just finished writing to Mum so here goes in answer to your letter No 17. No16 is still missing but should be here soon.

                  In your letter No 16 you must have told me more about the arrival of the jacket. This is the first word I have had that it has arrived OK. Evidently the silly cable I received a couple of weeks ago must have been in reference to the coat as I hoped. The cable I received earlier must have been for the jewellery that’s how I got mixed up. As long as all the parcels get home I don’t worry.

                  Glad you like the coat so much. Beside wondering if it would fit I had my doubts as to whether it would be too bright or not. Evidently it is OK.

                  As it is getting a bit warmer now we should be getting our kit bags up from the store room & I’ll be able to get your pyjamas & kimono for you.

                  As you say, I have certainly seen a lot more of Africa in the past couple of months but I can’t say it impresses me any more than did my first glance at the place – it’s still lousy.

                  I should have told you when I wrote about our 200th kite party that it is only on very rare occasions that we have such good tucker & that parcels are needed very much. Tell Mrs Huckle that I’ll have a word or two with her when I get home for even suggesting such a silly thing as not sending me parcels.

                  It would probably be better if you said nothing to Mrs Tomlinson about me using the underpants to wrap a parcel up in but when I sent the parcel they were the only material I could find.

                  As yet I have not received Mum’s letter in which she enclosed George Brissetts letter so I can’t give my opinion as to him being married but will let you know next time I write.

                  Things certainly seem to be going alright at Lovelocks now if they got in plenty of supplies from England. I had a letter from Mr Hansen in the last mail & he said that he hopes we will all be back at work soon so my job still seems to be waiting for me.

                  Hope your dart stall at the bazaar was a success. Suppose you will let me know all about it in your next letter.

                  Very warm again today & I am in summer dress once more. Summer dress consists of a pair of shorts, a cap & a pair of sandshoes with the toes cut out of them so as to keep the feet cool.

                  Well, Boop, the kites are due back shortly & I will have to get out on mine so I will say cheerio.

Much love to Dad & Mum & my regards to Leo

                                                                        Tons of love

                                                                                          Frank

 

P.S. ‘Scuse the writing but the pen is on the blink

                                                                        F.