Letter 76 No mail

 Letter No 76

AUST. No 34171 

LAC Cooney, JF 

No. 3 Squadron 

R.A.A.F. 

MIDDLE EAST

13^th March ‘43

 

Dear Mum,

     Just a few more lines to let you know how things are going over here.

                  We should be getting some  more mail in a day or two because yesterday one of the boys got a letter dated 23^rd of Jan. This letter had been sent to him c/o The R.A.A.F. abroad & so it had to go to H.Q.-M.E. & then get re-addressed to here & so it came up by air. Our other mail is either coming by truck or boat & so it will naturally be a bit longer in coming.

                  Our mail to home is being treated better of late in regards to getting from here to Cairo. Each morning a plane calls in & all the outgoing mail is loaded on & it goes straight down to Cairo. That means our mail is being sorted in the Base Post Office about three days after we post it here. This plane brings the Egyptian Mail which is printed a couple of days previously.

                  We will be paid next Saturday in Francs because Lira & Egyptian currency is no good where we are now. I think that the new British Military Authority currency will still be alright but to save confusion we are going to get the new money. The rate of exchange is two hundred Francs to one Pound (Sterling) (25/- Aust)

                  I wrote to Miss Moody a few days ago & I told her that I sent a few things to Betty &that next time I wrote to Bet I would ask her to take them in &show them to her so will you ask Betty to go into Lovelocks when she gets a chance.

                  I nearly forgot to mention it but if my memory serves me correct it is yours & Dad’s Silver Wedding Anniversary to-day so I will wish you all the best on this occasion even though my wishes will be rather belated I am thinking of you both more than ever to-day. I only wish I was home. I will see if I can get something to send you both when we get to Tunis. Sorry I couldn’t get anything for you in Tripoli.

                  The old hands have been rather jumpy this last few days because news has come up from Cairo, by the desert telegraph that their replacements are somewhere in the Middle East & are due here soon.

 

Well, Mum, that’s all for now but I will write again soon.

                  Much love to Dad & Betty & once again best wishes for to-day

                                                     

                                                                        Lovingly Yours

                                                                                          Frank