Air Letter No. 14 Glad you liked the sketch

  

Air Letter No. 14

AUST. No 34171 

Cpl Cooney, JF., 

467 SQDN RAAF 

c/o AUSPOST KODAK HOUSE, 

KINGSWAY LONDON ENGLAND 

17^thJuly ‘45

Dear Mum,

            I thought I would be on leave by now but before any of us could get leave we had to have a full course of tropical needles. I have to have my last one tomorrow & I am going on leave on Thursday midday.

            When I got back from a small arms course today there was two letters from you on my bed (No’s 25 & 26)

            You needn’t be worried about my mail not getting here because it is addressed to 461 sqdn because so many Aussie squadrons have been broken up lately that every bit of mail is checked at Auspost & whatever squadron we are with the number of it is scratched across the front in blue pencil &, even if you put a sqdn no. on it, it is still checked.

            I couldn’t remember whether I had written & told you I was sending the book & ‘portrait’ or not so I didn’t write from here & tell you.

            Glad you like the sketch but I’m not really as fat in the face as I look in that ”photo”

By the way, I checked my height & weight a few days ago, I am exactly 5’11” tall & weigh just on 12st 4lbs.

            On my last three letters you may have noticed that just beside the number of the letter, at the top of the first page, I put 2 or 3 letters. If you put those letters together in their right order you will know where we are headed for when we leave here. At least, that’s as far as we know at present if it’s changed I’ll start numbering them again.

            I sincerely hope that the money I wrote & asked for has been sent long before this letter arrives because when I go on leave this time we are going to make definite arrangements & I will certainly need the cash. If it doesn’t arrive in time I will be able to get sufficient money from Stork & Beau.

            I’m still hoping my temporary release comes through before we leave here. I’m going to Kodak House when I’m on leave to see what can be done about it from this end. The camp commandant at H.Q. is an ex-3Sqdn adjutant & he always welcomes any of us like long-lost brothers so he will be able to tell me who I’ll have to see about it.

            Don’t think I’ll be able to see Mrs Turner’s friend at Newport ‘cos I’m at present stationed in Lincolnshire & that is a long way from Wales.

            Well, Mum, I’ve no more for now so I will close.

                                    Much love to Dad

                                                            Lovingly Yours             Frank

P.S. Haven’t heard from Betty for ages

 

Air Letter No. 13 The Occupational Release Scheme

  

Air Letter No. 13                                 No.3     W.A.

AUST. No 34171 

Cpl Cooney, JF  

c/o AUSPOST KODAK HOUSE, 

KINGSWAY LONDON ENGLAND 

12^thJuly ‘45

Dear Mum,

            I’ll be going on leave again in 3 or 4 days so I’m writing to you now in case I don’t have the chance to do so whilst I’m away. This is not my pre-embark leave but I expect to be going on that about the third week in August.

            I have been trying to get off the draft for the last few days but as yet I have had little luck. However the officer from records will be coming up here & I may have more success with him.

            A letter came through to the Engineering Officer today regarding the Occupational Release Scheme & so to-night I wrote to Mr Hansen at Lovelocks & asked him to apply to Air Board Australia for my release. The general idea of the scheme is to allow servicemen the chance of learning more about the trade they were in before the war. It is only a six month temporary release but when we get home I believe it means an immediate release & that is what I want. The good things about it are, firstly, that I would be home in about eight months instead of eighteen &, secondly, the money side of it is very interesting. From the Air Force we get full pay plus 13/- a day allowance & also full wages from whatever firm we are with. I’m applying to to get with the British Leddington Co.

            Speaking of money, we heard on the Aust. Newsletter a couple of nights ago that the bill regarding gratuities had been passed in Parl. & the figures are 15/- a month for home service & 75/- a month for overseas service so with my deferred pay I am at present worth over £320 plus interest. By the way, with the £50 you have, I hope, drawn out of my bank, what is the balance.

            I hope you liked the photo I sent you of Terry, Mum, she really is a lovely type of girl. When I go on leave in a few days we are going to make some definite arrangements as to the wedding.

            Well, Mum, space is running out so I will close & if I get a chance to write on leave, I will do so.

Love to Dad

                                                            Lovingly Yours             Frank

 

 

Air Letter No. 12 Meeting with Cecil Cooney

Air Letter No. 12                         No. 2   I.N.A.

AUST. No 34171 Cpl Cooney, JF., 467 SQDN RAAF c/o AUSPOST KODAK HOUSE, KINGSWAY LONDON ENGLAND 

9^thJuly ‘45

Dear Mum,

            Well, Mum, I hope my last letter wasn’t too much of a surprise for you but now I will tell you what I did on my last 14 days leave from which I returned last Tuesday.

            First of all we went to Edinburgh to have a look around Scotland. Bo & I only intended staying for three or four days but finished up staying a week because it was such a beautiful place. While we were there we went out to see Mrs Neil, the mother of one of our Scotty Bofor gunner friends from the desert & she gave us a marvellous time. Before I left she asked me for your address & she said she would write & tell you how I was looking etc. so if the letter hasn’t arrived yet you can expect it shortly. You may also get one from a Mrs Ronaldson, the woman we stayed with in Edinburgh.

            After we left Scotland Bo went to see his lass in Manchester & I went to Brighton to see Terry but she was home in Liverpool on leave so I went up there & stayed with the family for the rest of my leave.

            On my way from Brighton to Liverpool I decided to spend a day in London to see if I could find Cecil. I went first of all to Ealing Studios, about 15 miles from London, but he worked at Denham about 15 miles further out so I caught another train & went out there. When I arrived there everyone was at lunch so I had to wait around until two o’clock. At two o’clock I went & saw the fellow in charge of the cameramen & he told me that Cecil had just finished a picture & was at his home at Park Royal about halfway between London & Ealing so I went there & found him & his wife working in the garden.

            When I told him who I was he took me into the house & I sat there for about two hours telling him as much as I knew about the family which wasn’t very much. He told me that next time I get some leave he will take me out to the studios & show me around the place. He said that when I wrote to you to ask you to remember him to everyone.

            Well, Mum, that’s all for now but I will write again soon & let you know if there is anything fresh on this Pacific posting bit I think I won’t stand much chance of getting out of it.

            Will be anxiously awaiting an answer to Letter No. 1

                        Love to Dad

                                    Lovingly Yours             Frank

Please send money as soon as possible. 

Air Letter No. 11 I will probably be getting married

  

Air Letter No. 11                                             No. 1     OK

AUST. No 34171 

Cpl Cooney, JF., 

467 SQDN RAAF 

c/o AUSPOST KODAK HOUSE, 

KINGSWAY LONDON ENGLAND 

9^thJuly ‘45

Dear Mum,

                        I was hoping to be able to write & tell you I would be coming home soon but that is just the opposite to what is happening to me. As you can see I am no longer with 461 Sqdn but in 467 & very soon I will be going on pre-embarkation leave & after that will be off to the Pacific.

            For certain reasons which I will explain shortly I will be flying out there & not leaving here until sometime in Sept. or Oct. I have been down to Kodak House for the last three days & having interviews with everyone of any importance to see if it is possible to get off the draft but I had no success at all. An officer from records will be coming up here in a few days so Stork, Bo & I will air our views to him & see what can be done but I’m not holding too much hope. At present Stork, Bo & I are the only ones with over three years service in the sqdn except a few sgts who have asked to be put on the draft.

            Now the reason I am in the flying party is that I will be probably getting married in August or early Sept. I know that will be rather a shock to yourself & Dad, but I asked Terry to marry me when I was on leave last & she said she would. You may think it’s sudden but, Mum, if you knew Terry you wouldn’t blame me & I know you won’t. Terry is 19 about 5’5” in height & a W.A.A.F.

            She is sweet & she loves me as much as I love her which is the main thing. I met her the second day I was in the country & I go down to see her every chance I get. I have a photo of her that I will send air-mail  at the same time as I send this letter.

            I went up a few days ago & cancelled my allotment so if it stops about the time this letter arrives you will know the reason.

            Another thing is that I’ll need some money to get married so will you draw about £50 out of my book & send it over. If you go to the Commonwealth Bank they will cable it to the Commonwealth Bank in London & I will be able to get it three days after you send it.

            We haven’t made any definite arrangements yet but as soon as I hear from you & I get the cash I will go down to Brighton & get the day fixed.

            Well Mum I will close this letter & write another one to tell you what I did on my last leave.

                                    Love

                                                Frank

 

Air Letter No 10 Dancing in the streets for VE Day

Air Letter No 10

AUST. No 34171 

LAC Cooney, JF 

461 Squadron 

R.A.A.F.,

AUSPOST LONDON ENGLAND 

28/5/45

Dear Mum,

               At long last I can settle down to write to you again. After I wrote to you on V. day we went up to London for the celebrations & believe me I’ve never had such a crazy time in my life.

    We had several beers to celebrate the victory & whilst in the pub we met a man & his wife & nothing would suit them better than to take us out to their home in “Bomb Alley”( the worst blitzed part of London) for tea. After tea we all went back to Piccadilly Circus & sang & danced in the streets until it was time to catch the 5.20AM train back to our transit camp at Brighton. Straight after parade at 8 o’clock we caught the train back to London & the celebrations were still in full swing & we stayed there that day & night & caught the 5.20am train back to camp & slept the round of the clock. What happened the following few days is still rather hazy because Brighton had a V-week.

Pubs were thrown open & as we hadn’t seen beer for about three years we certainly had our Quota. During the week we took part in a Victory parade in Brighton & the following day went up to London for a similar parade. We met about 15 of our pilots who had just been released from P.O.W. camps & of course had to have a 3sqdn reunion or two.

            Last Friday we were all posted & because the squadron we were posted to from Italy does not exist we were all split up. I went to 461with Bo & Ben Dodd & from what I have seen of the place it seems alright. We are on Sunderland Flying Boats & stationed at the most westerly point in Sth Wales.

            The first day we arrived we put in for leave with the result that I am now in Brighton again on 11 days leave. We are going to stay here until Friday or Saturday & then go up to Leeds or Manchester for the rest of the time.

Next time you write to Betty tell her that I may not have a chance to write whilst I’m on leave but will do so as soon as I get back to the squadron.

            By the way, our “working hours” at the squadron are 8.30 to noon, 2.30pm till 4.30 so I won’t be overworked 

                        Much love to Dad

                                    Lovingly Yours 

                                                Frank

 

 

Link to photo of the party in Piccadilly Circus on V day

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205125104

 

 

Air Letter No 9 We got here in time for V-Day

Air Letter No 9

AUST. No 34171 

LAC Cooney, JF.,  

AUSPOST KODAK HOUSE, 

KINGSWAY 

LONDON ENGLAND 

8/5/45 V.E. DAY

Dear Mum,

                        Well, here I am in England at last. We disembarked at 10 o’clock yesterday morning & arrived at the Aust. Transit camp last night at 7 o’clock & after we were cleaned up & had tea we went off to the pub for a few drinks.

For the first time in three years we were able to drink beer that had been drawn out of a barrel & it was good.

I can’t tell you much about our trip over except that the boat was very crowded & very, very slow but we got here in time for V-DAY & that’s the main thing.

I wont be able to finish this letter because it is now 10.20 & we have to be on parade at 10.30 & straight after that we are going up to London for the big celebrations & probably won’t be home until tomorrow or the day after.

            The squadron we are posted to does not exist. It was disbanded some months ago. The aircrew has gone home & theground staff is scattered everywhere so I have no idea what is going to happen to us as yet except that we are going to get two or three weeks leave soon.

            No more time now so will close. Excuse scribble

                        Love to Dad

                                                Lovingly Yours

                                                            Frank

  

Air Letter No 8 I’m posted to England!

  

Air Letter No 8

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

27^thMarch ’45                                                            Don’t answer till you hear from me again

Dear Mum,

            When I arrived back from 10 days “duty” in Rome I had three air-letters & a sea mail letter waiting for me.

            I have more news about the party & that is you can cancel it for a long while yet. We had a visit from the Group Capt. In charge of repatriation & he told us that as there is now only half as many squadrons in this command as there was when the scheme first started we will now only get 50 replacements every two months instead of 100 & also told us that with a bit of luck we may get a boat in November or January but repeat but, he also told a few of us something that made us forget all about the repatriation scheme.

    The news is that this will probably be my last letter from Italy because something I have been waiting for for ages has at last happened. I’m posted to England! I don’t know exactly when we are leaving but it will be as soon as the next replacements arrive & they are due any day now. It also means two or three stripes will also be coming my way, I believe. I guess you can imagine how excited I am, I have given work at this squadron right away. Another good thing is that all my best cobbers are going with me, including Stork (sgt), BO, Kevin Harris, Ben Dodd & ten others.

            My fingers are just about fixed up now although they are still very tender if I knock them.

Dad was very lucky that the car was not smashed up properly when those sailors stole it. Has anything more been heard of them yet?

            I told you about the club the padre started for us at the last ‘drome, well at our new camp he has started a bigger & better one. He somehow managed to get a big refrigerator & ice-cream machine & I have got the job of making it work. A lot of parts were missing & so I went to Rome for ten days to see if I could get the spares. I managed to get most of them the first couple of days I was there so the rest of the time was leave. As soon as the gas arrives from Naples it will be working.

            The last couple of weeks the weather has been simply glorious & adjoining our room we have the best little sun verandah & most of the day I lay out there in a pair of shorts.

            Well, Mum, space is getting short so I will close & write again when I’m settled in England. Which I hope will be very soon.

                        Love to Dad

                                    Lovingly Yours 

                                                Frank