Letter No. 51

AUS No 34171

LAC Cooney, JF.

No 3 SQUADRON

R.A.A.F. MIDDLE EAST

5^th Jan ‘43

Dear Mum,

The gale that I mentioned in my letter a few days ago blew itself out & we still have a tent over our heads. Things are rather slack over here today & the army has no work for our kites so we are released for the day.

It was pay day yesterday & we were paid in a new sort of currency. Up to date we have been paid in Egyptian money of £1, 50, 10 & five piaster notes. Now we are paid in brand new notes issued by the British Military Authority & these are in £1, 10/-, 5/- 2/- & 1/- denominations. I have enclosed one of the 1/- notes so you can see what they are like.

We now have a new way of gauging the cleanliness of our clothes because the water is very scarce and we’re only allowed one water bottle (2 pints) per day & so the washing of clothes & ourselves is well nigh impossible. When water was plentiful we used to wash singlets etc as soon as they looked a bit dirty but now we decide by their smell. If we judged them by their looks we would all be going around naked. The singlet I am wearing at present I put on clean on the 16^th of December & when the inside got dirty I turned it inside out. When the inside & outside were the same colour I reversed it again & so on. I will have to change it around again shortly because as things stand at present the inside has a slight lead in colour over the outside. The thing I am going to enjoy most when we get some leave is a good Turkish Bath, because believe me I need it.

I don’t think I have told you about how we move up. When the push started we were the first to move from Alex. To El Daba then, when the army moved further the other flight went on past us & up to a ‘drome about 80 miles away. As soon as they were settled down we sent the kites on & then moved past them & so on. By this means we are able to keep right up with our army & the jerries are well within the range of our kites.

                  I don’t know whether I mentioned it before but when I was in Alex I had my eye on some very good suit material so when I get some material for you & Betty I will also buy enough suiting to make me a good suit, sports coat & trousers.

I haven’t decided whether I will send it home or keep it in my spare kit-bags. If Dad wants any suit material let me know the colour etc.

                  There’s still no sign of the fifty bags of mail that is supposed to be here for us but the mail truck is away now trying to locate it.

                  No more for now will write again in a day or so.

Much love to Dad & Betty & my regards to Leo

 

                                                      Lovingly Yours,

                                                                        Frank