Letter
No. 53
AUS No
34171
LAC
Cooney, JF.
No 3
SQUADRON
R.A.A.F.
MIDDLE EAST
16th Jan ‘43
Dear Mum,
Sorry I
have not been able to write every couple of days as usual but I have been on
the move ever since I wrote to you last. We have now a different way of moving
up to what we have been used to. Instead of having one flight passing the other
& going further up to a new ‘drome the squadron is now split up into three
groups, an advance party, a flying party & base. Our flight is advance
party & so we don’t camp at a ‘drome more than a day or so. As soon as we
arrive at a ‘drome the kites come up & we look after them until the flying
party arrives & so as soon as they are settld down we move on again &
so as we only stop for a little while, it is not worth unloading the truck
& my writing materials have been hard to get at.
The part of
the desert that we have just come through is reputed to be the most waterless
part of all & so we have not been able to get very much to drink & a
wash has definitely been out of the question. The last bath I had was over five
weeks ago & the old Lifebuoy ad that even your best friend won’t tell you
has been changed to your best friend can’t tell you because he stinks as much
with “B.O.” as does the next man. I’m certainly going to enjoy a good hot bath
when I get to Tripoli in a week or so. To make matters worse our tanker got
lost & we were without water for two days.
Our beards
are coming on in fine style & the other day a Pommy soldier asked one of
the boys what part of Aussie the fellows with the beards come from & was it
our religion to grow a beard. We are all going to shave them off when we have
our photographs taken in town.
There is
supposed to be a bit of mail for us with base but as they will not catch up
with us for some time we will just have to wait for it.
If I don’t
write again for a while you will know the reason is that I am on the move.
Give
my love to Dad & Betty
Lovingly
Yours
Frank
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