TX1004

Sgt Max Hickman

2/33^rd Btn AIF

3^rd Dec 44

Dear Mother & Dad

I had your letter about three days back but can’t find it now – suppose someone’s been cleaning the table up and put it in the wrong pigeon hole and as I don’t like touching the other chaps’ gear, will give you what little local news there is first – some of them might be awake by then.  It’s rest day today and these blokes are champion spine bashers.

Had a letter from Robbie a couple of days back – says he’s well settled in on the farm – finds it very quiet but enjoys the comfort of easy living.  He tells me Doug Palfreyman and the Gourlays got out to go farming – must be a lot of wartime emergency farmers about now – suppose they’d pay through the nose for a place at the present time, though with prices as they are it won’t take long to catch up – farm product prices will be good for years yet, even when the argument’s over.

Looks like Brucie is stirring.  He may know where that letter is – as I thought he’d collected it up with his own letters.  Glad to know you are both well and that May’s family are well too, though sorry to hear Grandmother is sick again – she’s had a hard life and must be getting well on in years – would be seventy five I suppose, wouldn’t she. Hope she’s soon well again though.

Ralph Propsting’s turnout made interesting reading – never ever though I [would?] read of two businesses fighting over him although he was always very interested in chemistry and physics and liked tinkering about with gadgets and things.  His children would be coming along by now – suppose the older one would be twelve.  Bill Wedd seems to have been treading on some corns again too – Bruce Lloyd had a cutting from the Examiner of an incident in the Council.  Wish Rob Cameron was right but things are looking very much the opposite way.  Suppose Nell will be sorry to get back though  can’t say I’d fancy Melbourne as a place of domicile.

Have been on a committee of enquiry in the mess nearly all morning – someone went through all the spirits the other night & though there was no chance of tracing it – never is in a show like that – we got down to the weakness in the show and can stop it happening again.  There’ll probably be a levy on the mess to cover the loss.

Saw quite a good picture show the other night – The Corsican Brothers – had seen it in the Middle East but it was worth seeing again.

Well I guess that about covers the story this week, Mother & dad.  Give my love to May, Anne & Carline and Best wishes to Laurie and the boys.

Love

Max

Getting out to go farming

This article from the Launceston Examiner (1 November 1944, p4) reports that of the nearly 24,500 servicemen who had been released to ‘essential services’ over the previous 12 months, over 17,000 had ‘been absorbed in food production’. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/91405257

However the Director of Manpower in Tasmania said (The Mercury, Hobart, 19 October 1944 p9) that although ‘the position of agriculture has improved immensely, more workers were still needed’ and the expansion of the Women’s Land Army was warranted.    https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/26035612

Robbie was Rodney Robinson (TX919) a ‘Battalion original’ who had been ‘manpowered out’ to help on the family farm on Flinders Island (see https://myfathersletters.me/1944/09/20/a-very-surprising-discharge-hell-be-falling-the-cows-in-in-threes/  )

Ralph Propsting : an appeal to the ‘Manpower Board’

Propsting had left his job as foreman at John Hood Pty Ltd to return to the Physics Department of the University of Tasmania where he had worked as a designer and maker of electrical precision instruments.  Donald Hood submitted an appeal on the company’s behalf.  Frederick Brough, secretary of the Scientific Manpower Advisory Committee on Engineering (!) gave evidence to the Manpower Appeal Board that the work described by Mr Hood would not require a man of high technical ability like Propsting.  The appeal was dismissed.  (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/26037440 )  The Physics department was making huge contributions to the war effort via the Tasmanian Optical Munitions Annexe, where precision lenses were designed and manufactured under leadership of Eric Waterworth and Professor L. McAulay.  The Annexe produced more than 17,000 prisms for the war effort between 1941 and 1945. I have found no evidence that Propsting was involved in this particular venture.

 Bill Wedd – ‘treading on some corns again’

Bill was the brother of Max’s friend Rex shot down over Germany in December 1943 (see letter https://myfathersletters.me/1943/12/20/a-tongue-in-cheek-verse-and-a-couple-of-airgraphs-in-the-mail-bundle/ ) and of Marie Rothwell who wrote to Max regularly.

Bill was co-owner with Rex of Wedd’s Machinery Agency in ‘lower Collins St’ which during the 1930’s was located in the old Hedberg Motor Garage.  https://heritage.tas.gov.au/Documents/THR12111%20Provisional%20entry%20Datasheet%20%26%20CPR.pdf )  The Agency was responsible for auctioning a wide variety of tools and equipment including mining and farming machinery and boats. (eg this machinery sale https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/6684d58216337b271b28c809

During the War the Hedberg garage was occupied by the administrative offices of the 6^th Military District, so the location of the Machinery Agency during this time is unclear. By 1951 the address was 16A Main Rd, Moonah. (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/27060418 )

Bill was elected to the Tasmanian upper house (Legislative Council) for the Division of Buckingham (North of Forster St, New Town and Giblin St, Lenah Valley and extending to Claremont) in May 1944 on a platform which included commitments to speaking with frankness and sincerity, keeping electors better informed about issues before the Council and even, ‘if possible’ establishing an office.  Apparently this was a novel idea. He was not in favour of increasing parliamentary salaries, nor of the proposal to cede further powers to the Federal government. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/26023743 

 There are many newspaper reports of ‘spirited debates’ in the Council and of public meetings addressed by Wedd on a variety of topics during the subsequent 6 months.  The case of the Hobart Bridge Acquisition Bill was a fairly typical example: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/26035796 

Grandmother is sick

His mother’s mother, Frances Jackson (nee Clark) was the only grandparent Max had ever known, and may well have had a difficult life.  When her daughter May married Max’s father Henry in 1907, Frances gave her permission as the young (not yet 17) bride’s parent or guardian for the union to proceed.  She also declared that her husband Francis Jackson’s occupation was ‘unknown’.  On the birth records of all four of Frances’ children her husband is described as a Mariner. He died in a charitable institution in 1915.