Letter
No 69
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
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
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.
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