Air Letter No 7 Shovelling snow for the army

 

Air Letter No 7

AUST. No 34171 LAC Cooney, JF No. 3 Squadron R.A.A.F.,  Cent. Medit. Forces 

13^thJan ‘45

Dear Mum,

                        Page No.1 of this letter must have sounded more like a medical history sheet than a letter so I had better write another containing a little of that very rare substance called news.

            Two days out of the several days I spent at the squadron between my first & second trips to hospital I worked harder than I have ever in my life. The reason being that the army wanted a lot of air support, & the wing couldn’t operate because the ‘drome was covered with three feet & more of snow so some bright spark decided that the easiest way out was to get a lot of shovels & a human body to fasten on the end of each & remove the afore mentioned snow.

Well the first morning we up with the sparrows or whatever birds get up too early over here & went down to the ‘drome. Unfortunately, the snow had started to thaw out the day before which meant that a shovel full of snow, instead of weighing a pound or so weighed as much as an equal amount of sand.

Before that day finished the shovels grew in size, the snow got heavier or I got tired.(I think the latter) because by tea time I had much more than enough. Next morning we were up with the birds again & by dinner time things were clean enough to fly. Anyhow the kites got off, the army got their support & everyone, with the exception of the ground staff of a certain wing in Italy, was happy. If I never see snow again it will be too soon.

My turn is around again to go off on leave but while I’m being treated for this finger I don’t think I’ll go. Anyway it’s too cold these days to sit in the back of a truck for eight or ten hours.

From the way things are going at present you can get the poultry fattened up for a party about June and I don’t mean Master Graham’s first birthday party. Anyhow I’ll be able to let you know more in six weeks or so.

Glad to know everyone was pleased with their parcels. By the way, never take any notice of the value on those parcels because we are only allowed to send a certain value’s worth each year & so the value marked on them is often only a sixth or an eighth of the value & another thing is that if a larger price is put on it is likely to get no further than the first post office.

Well, Mum, that’s all for now so I will close & write to Bet & a few others

                        Love to all,     Lovingly Yours,

                                                            Frank