The Blog that might have been – 70 years on

Six weeks’ leave: the best break ever

Posted on May 2, 1943 by felicityh54

Using Salvation Army letterhead – gaps filled in as follows –

From no….TX 1004 Name….Hickman ML Unit…. 2/33rd Date…2nd May 1943

Dear Mother & Dad

We arrived back at the unit this morning after being away six weeks. The best break we’ve ever had away from the show. My only regret of course being that I couldn’t spend more time at home. It was the most perfect home leave possible. It couldn’t have worked better if it had been planned. The time and journey back combined a series of interesting experiences. The first few days of the trip I mentioned in a letter I wrote from Ivy’s on the way. We stayed in Melbourne till Easter Saturday* although most of the time including two nights were spent at the transit camp. Still the remainder of the time was well spent.

We put in two half days at the Mitre Tavern – the first of these with Viv Abel and Nuggett Geeves and two chaps from Dick Schultz’s show. It was quite surprising the people we met there. In the course of conversation with the bar maids one of them a Mrs Whiting was very interested in the McKenna’s and Eric Ogilvie’s as she said she was a friend of Mrs McKenna and Mrs Ogilvie and had been invited to spend a holiday with them. Later in the day she called me into the other bar and introduced me to the crown prosecutor – a protege of McKenna’s early legal days in Victoria. When the pub closed at six o’clock we went to a place called The Dug-out in Swanston Street – a cafe and concert place run for the troops. We had just finished our meal when I got a glimpse of a familiar face in a crowd near the piano – it was the honourable James Joseph arrived that day in the Holy City. He’s calmly reported in to the transit camp and got a leave pass till next morning. He and Viv were like two long lost brothers. From then on of course he was one of the team and next day when we again got leave we celebrated the return of the prodigal. I’ve never been out drinking with those two before, although I’ve heard plenty of their antics but you’ve got to be with them to appreciate the humour and fun they make and get out of everything. We’d been drinking quietly for some time when Mrs Whiting said – There’s another Tasmanian chap here would like to buy you fellows a drink, and Jimmy Noonan walked into the bar looking fitter than ever I’ve seen him before. He’s working on putting his time in with the Air Force – some clerical job in a divvy capacity. He said he’d just left old George Carlysle in the street, ashore for an outing from the ship he’s mate on. We had quite a long talk to Jimmy – he was starting twenty one days’ holiday that night and was very happy in the service. He asked to be remembered to Dad.

That afternoon – Thursday – Viv put on quite a star turn. He’s a champion talker and never at a loss for words. Mrs Whiting’s son – a boy about twelve or thirteen – came in and she introduced him then Viv went to work to tell her how to bring him up. He told her how she shouldn’t have him at boarding school – she’s a widow and apparently works to keep the boy at school. Anyway when Viv had told her the story for about half an hour during which she and everyone else just listened, she capped it right up by saying – Well Viv I’ve always heard that single men make the best fathers. It was the perfect anti-climax.

I went out to Ivy’s again on Good Friday* morning. Bill was at work and youngster was not too good. She’s still having a very hard time poor kid, what with antrums(?) and her back. As I couldn’t do anything to help her in the house I suggested doing something in the garden but on youngster’s suggestion went to work on the wood heap instead. I was going along nicely when I jarred the handle and it snapped like a stick. Then I found it was only a borrowed axe. Still I was able to get a handle from a local dealer – nothing hickory about it, it was just a handle – but I guess it’s as good as the old one was.

On Friday night Ray Ross came out – he’s doing a school at —– in Victoria and youngster had invited him to spend the weekend. He’s very interested in babies at present because his wife is expecting very soon so of course Ray is very keen on knowing the various drills in connection with babies.

Although we’d had the usual warning about being ready to move next morning, we were quite surprised when the move eventuated on Saturday morning. The trip up was uneventful. We had hoped to be either in Melbourne or Sydney for Anzac Day but only stayed long enough at Central for breakfast and to ring Mrs Toomey who was disappointed we couldn’t go out, especially as Jim was there. Quite a number of the old hands joined the draft at Sydney. They lived in Sydney but by some amazing streak of luck they had dodged the drafts up and had had six weeks at home, only reporting at the Show Ground each morning. Then to cap their good luck there was some confusion over nominal rolls at Brisbane and they look like staying there for some time too. We of course can’t complain as we had two days in the northern city and as our pay books had been stretched to the limit in the fortnight we’d been travelling…

The old show hasn’t changed much. Ack Hallam and Bob Cole have CSM jobs and old Doc is now RSM. Nuggett Geeves and Bruce Lloyd have both fallen on their feet with jobs at Divvy.

As I considered I owed everyone letters I was quite surprised to get about ten this morning, including a late one from May. They were an extra good lot of letters and all made good reading. There was quite a nice letter from Shirley – now Mrs Woodham, an extravaganza from Rex Wedd written early in January, one from Graham Watts, an old letter of yours and several from youngster, Mrs Toomey and Kath Hyndes.

Well Mother and Dad I guess that about completes the story. We start again at six tomorrow and as Viv says – they’ve been happy days. Give my love to May, Anne & Carline and best regards to the boys.

Love

Max

PS Remember me to Mr & Mrs Lawler and apologise for my lapse.

PPS There’s a coupon book on my mantelpiece. It was Bill’s but he gave me his last couple of coupons to buy a pair of braces. He thinks he might need the old book to get the new one so will you send it over to him when you write.

Good Friday – April 23 1943

The Mitre Tavern

According to the Tavern’s website http://www.mitretavern.com.au/history.html the Mitre Tavern is the oldest building in the city of Melbourne.

For other recollections of the Mitre and its patrons, see this 1930 article- http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4107472

The Dug Out

The “Dug-Out” was the Allied Services Club that was operated by the Myer Department Store in the Capitol Building in Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria during WWII. It was renowned for holding the best dances and concerts in Melbourne and troops used to meet there as a matter of routine….The “Dug-Out” was a gift from Mr Norman Myer, the Managing Director of the Myer Emporium. In 1942 Norman Myer bought the Ambassador Cafe and the Cozens Cafe under the Capitol Theatre and spent 10,000 Pounds to covert them into a modern Servicemen’s Club. Employees of Myers worked there on a voluntary basis day and night during slack periods and in their own time. All the profits from the “Dug-out” went to the Australian Comforts Fund. .(ref http://www.ozatwar.com/civilian/dugout.htm)

Image – from ozatwar – Dug Out postcard

AWM136341A Members of the Australian and Allied services availing themselves of the free telephone service at the “Dug Out” a club for soldiers.

The honourable James Joseph

A reference to dad’s great friend Jim McDonnell (TX 1024 )

Travelling north… an uneventful trip

AWM 058928 Clapham Junction, Queensland. Troops detraining, having travelled from Melbourne to Brisbane on the troop train.

Shirley – now Mrs Woodham

While stationed in England in December 1940, Dad had become Engaged to Scottish nurse, Shirley Balfour. I don’t believe he ever saw her again.

Coupon Books : Clothing

Image – AWM042770

Australia followed British procedures for the introduction of rationing. Shops were made ready for the change from a cash to a coupon economy. Each adult Australian citizen received a ration book with 112 coupons. All purchasable items had a coupon value, for example a man’s suit cost 38 coupons whereas a pair of socks cost only four coupons. Used coupon books were exchanged for new ones annually and people had to plan their expenses to avoid spending all their coupons within twelve months. (ref http://www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/homefront/rationing/)

Posted in escapades, relaxation, fun and games, leave, organisation | Tagged Dug Out, home leave, Mitre Tavern | Leave a comment

Wishing and hoping…. and finally re-joining the battalion in Queensland

Posted on March 13, 1943 by felicityh54

TX 1004

Max Hickman

2/33rd platoon

25th Brigade

Attached 7 Aust MMG Battalion

1st March 1943

Dear Mother & Dad

I received three cheerful and interesting letters from you today written on the 7th, 14th and 21st Feb. After such a big break you can imagine how pleased I was to get them. I’d have liked to get one from Ivy too as the last I had from her was over a month old. It’s interesting to know Jim made the grade. Ned thought he might cop some strife through the Battalion but his luck must have held. If you see him before he goes back tell him old dig (Viv Abel) fairly spat fire when I told him. Viv’s one of the old hands – a regular soak and Mc’s drinking partner. They’ve put on some turns those two – every time Viv gets drunk he tells the story of the last night at Ingleburn. If I’ve heard him tell that story once I’ve heard it a dozen times. When I told him Jim was on the hops he said “the bloody animal bastard” and sat down and poured out the rest of his thoughts for an hour. There’s no doubt about it, if it wasn’t for the hard citizens it’d be a drab show. There’s Viv, Len Woodlock, Mick Williams and Rup Smith. They’re more worry than a battalion of other blokes but they keep the show alive, all different types too.

Dick seems to be working the oracle well – still I don’t think anybody would blame him – he’s had three years of it.

I was surprised to read that Mick has gone to Q’land, but he should do well. They’re making a ton of coin in those jobs. One camp we were in (not in Q’land) there were blokes working as carpenters who couldn’t drive a nail and they’re getting about two pound a day. Mick knows the game well and should get a foreman’s job although like everything else I suppose they’re all political jobs – rackets are the order of the day in everything at present – but unless they send him to the far north it ought to suit him in Q’land for the winter.

Some of the chaps still won’t believe they’re not going home and grab at every rumour. Some of them were on a job yesterday and two officers – not in this show – (the worst furphy mongers of all) told them they were definitely going home this week and then this morning when a section was due to go out on a job for a week and the move was stopped they nearly went berserk. But there’s some long faces about tonight as they’re going out tomorrow.

I think it’s a good idea to register the car if you can get any petrol to run it with. It’d be good to have a few of the drums of petrol here at home – thousands and thousands of them and of course they use it too – but it’s tough to think that it takes 35 gallons to warm a plane up before they take off.

Les Crozier’s death was certainly a sudden turnout. He always looked a picture of health and looked after himself well too. It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good though and I guess Geoff and his wife will be on easy street. Old Les must have been worth forty to fifty thousand pound. Do you ever see anything of Geoff these days – I suppose he’s got three pips now. There seems to be an endless supply provided you know a little of diplomacy and Geoff’s no amateur. In addition to which he’s got personality and influence so the sky’s the limit for him.

We’ve had a sick man on our hands today. A young reo chap – been with us about two months. It was his twenty first birthday yesterday and someone gave him a bottle of jungle juice – a concoction made out of various over ripe fruits with a probable dash of metho – anyway it put young Ken in the DT’s and he’s been on his back all day. I’ve tried most drinks but I wouldn’t pull that Jungle juice on.

I must say cheerio now Mother & Dad – give my love to May, Anne and Carline and best wishes to the boys.

Love

Max.

The hard citizens

Those mentioned are – Viv Abel TX797, Len Woodlock QX1338, Rupert Smith SX2394 and Mick Williams whose name does not appear in the Battalion’s nominal roll. Possibly Mick was a nickname – perhaps he was a Roman Catholic.

The ‘Atherton Project’

This extract from http://www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/theservices/theaustralianarmy/#atherton_tableland indicates the scale of the work being undertaken in Queensland :

In late November 1942 General Blamey ordered a survey of the Atherton Tableland with the intention of developing facilities for a rehabilitation and training area for Australian troops recently returned from the Middle East. Known as the ‘Atherton Project’, the scheme had three key purposes–recuperate troops in a cooler climate while engaged in jungle warfare training; provide suitable hospitalisation for malaria and tropical disease cases; and locate personnel and maintenance installations close to the New Guinea frontline with access to railway and port facilities. From December 1942 the headquarters of the Australian Army in north Queensland transferred from Townsville to the Atherton Tableland with the main administrative base established around the town of Atherton and the nearby settlement of Tolga. A huge schedule of construction work commenced in January 1943 involving the building of tent encampments, hutments, stores, bakeries, mess kitchens, entertainment halls, hospitals, sewage plants, army farms and a war cemetery. Units of the Australian 6th and 7th Divisions arrived on the Tableland in January 1943 and began establishing tent encampments around the settlements of Wongabel, Wondecla and Ravenshoe.

Les Crozier’s death

The local business man’s obituary was shared in the previous post. He was survived by three daughters – one of whom Lynette, was married to Geoffrey Harrison (TX6206) who ended the war as a lieutenant.

Jungle Juice

This concoction took many forms, and among US troops appears to have involved the use of stills. The following ‘recipes’ are shared by Robyn Kienzle in her book The Architect of Kokoda (p190):

First, from one of Bert Kienzle’s notebooks – ‘amidst the never-ending lists of personnel – ANGAU officers and natives, their names, ranks and locations – he notes the following apparently useful and important piece of information : Jungle Juice – 4 tins peaches, 10- lbs sugar, 3 gals water, 4 dessertspoons dry yeast. Mix yeast in cup of warm water. Add to rest of ingredients. Strain after 4 days & ‘see sparks’! And secondly: Another popular recipe for this recreational beverage was – milk of green coconut, a tablespoon of sugar and six raisins. When the raisins floated after a few days, the brew was ready to consume but it was recommended there be no naked flames in the vicinity at drinking time.

TX 1004

Sgt Max Hickman

2/33rd Battalion

AIF Australia

13th March 1943

Dear Mother & Dad

At last we’re back with the Battalion. The rumours of which I told you in my last letter came good. A few nights later the telephone lines got busy – as each call went over the ring was recorded through our extension telephone and we knew something must be doing but thought it heralded a new Jap landing or show of some sort, but next morning the atmosphere was electrified with the news that we’d be going home in a few days and spirits and morale rose to almost forgotten limits. The news was not officially promulgated but of course everyone knew and although the syllabus of training was continued neither instructors nor instructed had much interest as everyone’s mind was miles away and the pubs were doing a roaring trade. Everyone packed their swags hiding as much tobacco as they considered discretion justified. The minutes dragged like days but eventually word came through that we were to be ready to move at 1300hrs on Monday afternoon. The trip over was quite good although a lot of the fellows were very sick – “they were not Pundit campaigners”. As far as I was concerned it was the best trip I’ve had in the army except of course the experience of travelling on the Queen Mary.

After disembarking we had quite a long train trip and tasted the famed hospitality of the far north. Twice during the night we had a meal at sidings – not the usual cup of tea and slice of bread but real steak & eggs with vegetables. The camp site is typical Australian bush but there’s so many new faces that we feel quite strangers at present. Quite a lot of the old hands are still away on leave and various duties but old Doc – the CSM , Ack Hallam and Ray Ross are here and gave us a resume of events. Jim hasn’t turned up yet. I don’t know when he’s due back but I don’t suppose he’ll be long now.

Your letter of the 28th arrived the day before we left along with one from Jack. There’s certainly a lot of the old hands going off and as you say George Muir will be much missed at RSL functions. You never mentioned that Rob Cameron had joined up and I was surprised to hear he was on the move. I won’t ask you what he’s in because I hope to be home in about a fortnight or even less. The leave business is a big proposition for the railway department and there’s a number of whole units waiting. Still having got over the main hurdle I guess we can afford to wait our turn now.

Jack’s letter was most unusual for him. He seemed quite down int he dumps. I think he’s finding married life on school teachers pay a big problem. The man on prewar rates of pay is not in the race to keep time with wartime prices especially when buying a home.

Well I’ll say cheerio now Mother & Dad. Give my love to May, Anne & Carline and best wishes to the boys. Hope to see you soon.

Love. Max.

Sergeant

It’s interesting that this is the first time Dad indicates he’s a sergeant. He was promoted to acting sergeant on January 11, according to his service record – not confirmed until 6 months later.

For the 2/33 Nominal Roll

It seems that with all the uncertainty about which unit they were attached to, etc… Dad was concerned that the names of those serving in the Carrier Platoon might be left off the battalion’s Nominal Roll. He lists himself as Sergeant (not Acting Sergeant) and as this letter is the first in which he attaches that rank to his name, it seems reasonable to assume that, although the list is undated, it was made at this time.

Those listed are – Sgt C S Geeves TX1134, Cpl A L H McRostie SX2397, A/Cpl V T Abel TX797, A/Cpl B M Lloyd TX531, A/Cpl R Lumb NX15197, A/Cpl J McGrow QX7355, Pte E J Battams SX709, Pte J Black QX2757, Pte K A Boyce NX83562, Pte W G Collis VX46227, Pte P J Daley QX2358, Pte J C Edmonds NX67580, Pte R N Griffin NX113536, Pte A R Green NX107911, Pte G Hood NX25567, Pte N G Jones NX116939, Pte H S Low NX105047, Pte S Mann NX105182, Pte R J Mann NX57225, Pte K J Maher NX105108, Pte K J Mavin NX105098, Pte F H Mawson NX105044, Pte P J Murray NX42652, Pte K D McLeod NX105096, Pte C A Nilson NX116917, Pte C H Ovington NX114123, Pte T W Sewell NX116920, Pte V P Sharp NX114118, Pte A F McLennan NX73084

The pubs were doing a roaring trade

The pubs of Port Moresby – first, Hotel Moresby (AWM 003673) 012932) and second, the Papua Hotel (AWM P00954.004)

Connecting with previous comments about drills etc – the caption for this photo dated 30/7/42 begins: The care and appearance of their footwear is a ritual with the AIF on Active Service…. (Negative by Parer)

Not Pundit campaigners

This is a reference to the very rough trip the Carrier platoon had experienced, coming home from the Middle East aboard the ‘tub’ Pundit (see post of April 4, 1942). On this trip (Moresby to Cairns) they were on the SS Taroona which had previously been on the Bass Strait run. She had some interesting (and lucky) experiences as a troop carrier – see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Taroona

Quite a long train trip…two meals!

Dad left Port Moresby on March 8 and disembarked in Cairns on March 10. Ravenshoe where the Battalion was camped is only 118 km south-west of Cairns where Dad disembarked. The distance by rail was longer, and in places very steep but even so an all night trip involving two meal stops seems excessive.

The Battalion History

The Footsoldiers (p252) describes life at the camp at Ravenshoe:

…from January to early April 1943 the battalion slowly began to recover its men, its life and its laughter. The old stalwarts that really were the unit’s lifeblood began to return to their old sections or platoons. The training syllabus again began to be the ‘bible’ for the rifle range – the lectures the TOETs, the platoon and company exercises, the guards on the parade ground, the formal church parades etc. It was perhaps from about this period that the unit gradually changed again. Few of the old UK originals were about – in fact less than 100. There was more seriousness and urgency about the training. The happy-go-lucky attitude of many of the section leaders had disappeared and most certainly almost all of the ‘dead wood’. The experience of officers, NCOs and men in this recent campaign was sufficient to engender a new life blood into the training. For those that had taken part in the Owen Stanley campaign – the Kokoda Trail – it was never to be forgotten. Nothing that they experienced in Syria or the campaigns of 1943 and 1945 ever matched that, they had just survived….

AWM 087680 A different battalion, at a later date, but it is at Ravenshoe

Posted in Camps and Barracks, Carrier platoon, organisation | Tagged jungle juice, Ravenshoe, rumours | Leave a comment

Think of safety only and never mind promotion

Posted on February 28, 1943 by felicityh54

February 14th 43

Dear Max

We received a letter from you yesterday and were very pleased to hear you are reasonably happy under such trying conditions. There’s no doubt Max you are standing up to the job remarkably well. I was talking to Jim McDonnell’s father for a minute yesterday. He told me he had a telegram from Jim last Monday to say he had arrived in Brisbane on the way home. He also told me he saw Ack Hallam in the street – he was not talking to him – he said Ack waved to him on the train. You did not mention him leaving you. You seemed very pleased about ….. now whatever you do Max take great care of yourself. I think this year will finish the job and it would be grand to be in at the finish. As for making a new will – don’t worry your self about the new arrivals. Look after yourself – there’s a good time ahead if you can pull through. We are doing our best to look after your interests here – you are the only one we are looking forward to. Schultz is an inmate at the military hospital at Campbell Town. Old Percy Jones tells me he is on a special diet and is likely to be sent to a convalescent home at Mowbray Heights. When he leaves there you can bet your life Dick is putting all his complaints in the picture for his pension. We sent you a clipping of the paper about old Ted Ellis’ death. In case you did not get it. They buried him like a worthless dog – no one was invited to the funeral just said he would be cremated at 11am. They showed him no respect at all. Your mother says she won’t forget his kindness while she was in hospital and afterwards when he came up and took her to town and brought her home. When she needed assistance he certainly had his bright side. Anyhow they were longing to get hold of his money so they have it at last.

We are thinking of having the car registered so that we could take it for a short run now and again. It would be better than having it on the chocks all the time. I am still down at Jones College. There has been two big reductions in men down there and I have survived them both in fact I was wishing to be in the last lot as I have a bad back. I got a chill somehow and I’m not too good. If it does not improve in the next few days I will leave. Things are very quiet about here now. Trevor Hickman was telling us this morning that Reggie had been promoted to pilot officer so you might be seeing him up that way. We had a letter from Ivy yesterday, nearly all about her wonderful son. Mrs Fleury(?) down the road told me she was asked to consider an offer of 1100 pounds for her wooden cottage. What do you think of that? Your mother is sorry you are not getting your mail. She has sent several parcels and May sent you a tin for your birthday. She hopes you receive them. I guess you will soon meet some of the Militia crowd up there. If you can take notice of rumours I reckon Jim Mac will have a hectic time when he arrives. May’s copper top is developing into a beautiful child and Anne is growing up too. Will now close Max. God bless & keep you with best love from Mum & Dad.

As with Ivy’s letter (see previous post) this envelope shows a change of address which would have contributed to its transit time.

Jones College

Dad’s father was working at the H Jones & Co (IXL) cannery on the Hobart waterfront.

Reggie Hickman

Reg Hickman 408195 rose to the rank of Flight Lieutenant and was with the 13 Aircraft Repair at the time of his discharge in October 1945.

21-2-43

Dear Max

We received a letter from you yesterday in which you state you read of old Ted’s death in the local paper. It would seem as though he were a man of importance, more so than he was regarded at home. They are selling everything on Monday March 1st. Among other items there is a quantity of nails and a pair of gumboots. It is not hard to guess where they came from. I reckon it will tickle some of the cell…(?) I was talking to Jim McDonnell’s father the other day and he told me Jim had lost two stone. He told me he walked up the street with him the first day home and the first man they ran into was George Best. He said I don’t know how he will get home – I have not seen him but I believe he has fifteen days’ leave for a start. I am still down at Jones’ College but I don’t expect to be there much longer and I won’t be sorry when it finishes but it has been very interesting. You say you are parked away in a corner as though you are forgotten. Well I hope you are there for a long time. Never mind about the monotony – think of safety only and never mind about promotion. I want to see you safely home in one piece. They tell me quite a lot of ex Zinc workers are home. That …..McQuiltan the Pom is one of them. I haven’t had a chance of seeing any of them as I go to work every day. I haven’t been up to the club to pay my sub yet but when I finish at the College I will be able to get some new and something to write about. We had a letter from Ivy yesterday but as usual it is all about her son and heir. Your mother can’t think of anything she would like better than to see you come home on leave or better still to come home permanently. We have had a frightful dry season but yesterday we had a very heavy fall of rain and today it has been raining on and off. You want to try and keep smiling Max – don’t let yourself get down in the dumps & every day brings you nearer to the goal we desire. Our hill is nearly all blackberries now but they are mostly very dried up. They are much sought after – there is much competition among the factories for them – they are offering 3 3/4 a pound in punnets. You know that six acres that Len Smith bought from Propsting – well, the military have taken that and Lowenstein’s paddock on the hill and inserted a most powerful searchlight. They have quite a number of men camped in front of Hanlons house. Mick Mason left last Tuesday for Queensland. They are sending all the carpenters they can get up there. Basil Ashwood & Trevor Lawrence and scores of others. Mrs Mason rang your mother. She was very upset. I got the shock of my life the other day when I read of Crozier’s death. I though you could have taken a lease on his life. I don’t know what was the matter with him. I am sending you the obituary notice. The Fishers have gone up to Rainbirds. They put their socks (?) on Peggy Pedro yesterday and came home broke. That’s how they always will be. Will now close Max. God Bless & keep you.

With best love from Mum & Dad.

Ted Elliott

Tasmanian Archive records show that he died intestate, so the Public Trustee would have been responsible for selling his possessions and distributing the proceeds as he (the Trustee) saw fit.

Lowenstein’s paddock on the hill.

This was further up Pottery Road – from which walking tracks lead up onto Mount Wellington.

AWM 051238 – soldier operating searchlight on Hobart’s eastern shore (Fort Direction). Presumably the searchlight referred to in this letter was similar to the one in the photo.

Crozier obituary

This cutting from the Hobart Mercury was included with this letter.

Pottery Road

Lenah Valley

28 – 2 – 43

Dear Max

We have not received a letter from you this week but perhaps you are moving about again which upsets correspondence. I am still down at Jones’ but I intend to give notice in the morning and finish on Wednesday night. I might even give it up before then as I don’t feel too flash. I can assure you I don’t think I am wearing too well. I got another shock this week. George Muir died suddenly at the age of fifty two on Thursday afternoon. It appears he was suffering from very high blood pressure and he carried a box of wood into his shed and collapsed. His funeral was very largely attended on Saturday morning. He will be greatly missed at all RSL functions. Just as I started to write this letter who should lob in but the Hon J J McDonnell and we talked for the rest of the night. I went to bed with an awful cold so I was a non starter at the College this morning. I intended giving notice today but I don’t think I will turn up any more. James has certainly picked up since he came home. We thought he looked well. He gave us some very interesting sidelights on the show. He reckons to be moving north again at the end of this week. He is not swinging for a pension like Dick Schultz. Dick will be very ill until he is discharged with a good pension then I guess he will be normal in quick time. Jim says they are all back from New Guinea with the exception of your crowd. He thinks you will be on your way home very shortly. Jim says he might go AWL for a week before he finishes up. He is not worrying about his military reputation. He wants no more of New Guinea. He’s very emphatic about that. Colin Campbell was here just now. He says Don Carrick is back here very sick with the effects of Malaria and is in hospital. Jim certainly shows no sign of it. We have not heard from Ivy this week but I suppose she is very busy these days with the infant. Your mother went over to Camerons on Saturday night. Rob is going to north Australia. He is flying to Townsville and is going further on somewhere else. She thinks Rob is pleased about it being an able-bodied man he does not care to be roaming round here but Hilda is very much upset about it. She thinks the end of the world is coming.

The duck shooting season opened yesterday so Laurie Fisher and his friends left for the lakes on Saturday evening and is not returning till tonight (Monday). A day’s pay is nothing to him where sport is concerned. The copper top is still progressing – your mother thinks she is the loveliest kid imaginable. I am going up to the club this afternoon to pay my sub. I expect to meet some of the boys and I might have something interesting to write about next week. Your mother had a talk to Ack Hallam over the phone. He told her he thought you would be on your way home shortly. If you have not applied for leave Max, you want to do so.

Will now close. With best love from Mum & Dad.

God bless & Keep you.

Dick Schultz – at Campbell Town Military Hospital

AWM P00967.001 Campbell Town Tas 1943. Patients getting some fresh air at the 111th Australian Military Hospital.

Posted in Carrier platoon, Letters to/ from others, Tasmania | Tagged Ack Hallam, DIck Schultz, Jim McDonnell, Les Crosier, Lowenstein, McQuiltan, Mick Mason, Propsting, Reg Hickman, Rob Cameron, Ted Elliott | Leave a comment

Even the tax collectors couldn’t keep track of us….

Posted on February 24, 1943 by felicityh54

TX 1004

Max Hickman

2/33rd Platoon

25th Brigade

attached 7th Aust Mach Gun Btn

24th Feb 1943

Dear Mother & Dad

At long last the mail seems to have found us. It’s been coming in in a steady stream for a week now but it was not till yesterday that I started to benefit from the discovery of our whereabouts. The letter that came in yesterday was yours of the 24th Jan and today I got another seven including yours of the 1st Feb, two from Ivy, one from Mae Menzie and one from Rex Wedd. I also got a parcel from Mother of PK’s, razor blades and things but as I know the trouble it must be to get these things I’d rather you didn’t bother because the army will see that we don’t run out of blades and one can always get soaps, toothpaste and shaving cream- I think I’ve got about six tubes in my pack now – besides which not many parcels make the grade these days unless you keep the postal authorities informed of changes of address the parcels are sent to the hospitals and in our case especially being seconded from the unit and with a change of address every few days even the income tax collectors would be hard put to it to keep track of us let alone postal authorities.

The heat wave of which you wrote seems to have hit all over Australia. Youngster said it was tough in Melbourne and Mrs Toomey also mentioned the heat in Sydney.

The letter I had from Weddie was just a note written apparently soon after his arrival in England from Canada. It’s been touring about a bit – the original address being defaced altogether. I’ll enclose the envelope in my letter. He thought I might be still in England and asked me to wire him and see if we could arrange to meet someplace, but I guess the only chance of our meeting again would be back in Hobart when the argument is over.

We’re quite settled in in this show now – although as I mentioned in my last letter we’re only attached, the attachment has every appearance of becoming permanent so of course we look like staying here. Time and for that matter everything else has ceased to interest us – a month ago we looked a cinch to go home, half the mob had already gone when something happened of which you’ve probably read and we got rushed orders. Then when half the crowd had taken a trip they decided they didn’t need us for the job so having been taken from the command to which we were attached, new forces took over the work of disorganising us so that’s now we came by the present address.

We can’t take a trick anywhere even the weather is against us – real cockies weather – rains every night and fines up early in the morning for parades and rookie drill that we’d almost forgotten in the show.

The highlight of the week was provided by the sinbuster at Sunday’s church service – he based his talk on hypocrisy and got real het up over it. Someone must have got under his skin during the week because he got so hot under the collar that at one stage he offered the battalion out – an excellent gesture of course to win the approval of the mob, but not likely to influence their minds.

We’re certainly living well here – we’ve had fresh meat twice in one week – a most unusual experience up here, but of course this show might bet a better go with staff being more or less permanently based here.

I must say cheerio now Mother and Dad. Give my love to May, Anne and Carline and regards to the boys.

Love

Max

A change of address every few days

This envelope from Ivy’s letter shows why news from home was sometimes slow to arrive.

Quite settled in this show….

It’s clear from the war diary of the 7 Machine Gun Bn that they were keen to have the Carriers attached to their unit, given the expertise in MMG’s of the experienced men of Dad’s platoon – e.g. this extract from January 13. (AWM52 8/5/7)

The letter from Rex Wedd

This letter had travelled the world for 8 months!

Rex had enlisted in March 1941 and after basic training in Tasmania had travelled to Canada for advanced training, under the Empire Air Training Scheme. (https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/raaf/eats/)

Logo at top: Royal Canadian Air Force Logo at bottom: Knights of Columbus War Services

Australia 408200

Sgt Wedd R H

R. S. S. F

#3 P.R.C.

Bath Hill Court

Bournemouth

England

June 14th

How Hickey!

You may be still in England & hence this to try & contact you. If it gets to you, telegram me at the above & then we’ll meet somewhere in this country & celebrate in terms of our famous old Dunroy.

This is short, but I want it to reach you as soon as possible.

So with 71 miles to go & no bone in the truck at 3am.

The former(?) pride of Canada

Rex

a month ago…we got rushed orders

The timing and the address on this letter (attached 7 Machine Gun Battalion) suggest that perhaps the powers that be had planned to send Dad’s group to Wau which in January / February 1943 was being defended from Japanese attack. According to Wikipedia – On 31 January, 35 aircraft made 71 trips, and 40 aircraft made 53 trips on 1 February, bringing reinforcements including the 2/3rd Independent Company that brought the strength of Kanga Force to over 3,000 men. This included a company of machine guns from the 7th Machine Gun Battalion that had been flown in to defend the airfield (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wau)

Relevant to comments in recent letters is the fact that the 7 Machine Gun Bn was a Militia Battalion.

AWM 014376

25 pounders are unloaded at Wau aerodrome. At this stage the Japanese were only a short distance from he aerodrome. These guns were assembled and went straight into action.

Sunday’s church service

Church parades were generally held out of doors :

AWM P02497.059 Probably Port Moresby, New Guinea. c. 1942. Men of the 32nd Australian Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery at a church parade.

Letters to and from Ivy

to Ivy – a single sheet, un-dated but apparently Feb 43

… rather the grind of the AIF than the Parade ground soldiering of the Militia. The idea of missing the leave to which they’re entitled and of missing out when the battalion make their next venture make them see red, and whilst the job to which we’re assigned may be important no argument can justify the present conditions added to these are the intense boredom and monotony of the work. The spit and polish of peacetime soldiering, the clicking of heels and things like that, that are quite foreign to us. When it comes to putting on a show our crowd can turn out the goods – in a guards competitions in Syria an AIF team beat all comers and they were not specially picked of the job, but gathered more or less at random.

I see by the local paper – a foolscap size publication containing the best and most reliable condensation of news published – that old Ted has died of heart failure. Even though he’d been sick a long time the news was a bit surprising and I guess caught the family on the hop.

Well youngster I guess I’d better close this boring tirade that probably would be better not written, and trust that I may do better next time.

Parade ground soldiering

As mentioned above (regarding the Battle for Wau), the 7th Machine Gun Battalion to which Dad was now attached was a Militia unit, and the experience here seems to have reinforced his views about the Militia in general. It’s interesting that he now attributes drills/ ‘parade ground soldiering’ to the fact of this being a Militia unit whereas similar experiences with daily drills in England and Syria were attributed to the fact of being in barracks. Hmmm…..

‘Old Ted’

Article from the Hobart Mercury. Letters received from both Ivy and their father refer to Ted Elliott’s death in early February (cremation notice was dated February 9). The article which appeared in The Mercury regarding his death describes the circumstances of the event. It seems likely that the unusual nature of his passing, rather his standing in the Hobart community, might have been the reason it was noted in the New Guinea news sheet.

The car ferry Lurgurena on which Ted Elliott was travelling when he collapsed. Photo from the Tasmanian Archives’ Mercury Historical Collection.

Ivy’s letter

8 Hollsmoor Rd

Burwood E 13

11 Feb 1943

Brother dear

Correspondence from the Holy City is apt to be somewhat irregular these days – there is a new boss in the house you know, and at times he is inclined to be autocratic – not surprising when you think of his ancestors on both sides of the family. The day starts at 5.30am and if everything goes according to schedule I can climb into my little bed at 11 pm to sleep the sleep of the just – until about 4am when there is a brief interlude of pants changing. No wonder Fergie said like was one nappie after another. It is nothing to have twenty on the line per day.

Last Saturday for the first time, I had a little walk round the house, and since then have gradually taken over my usual duties plus. Bill helps a lot, but there is still plenty to keep me out of mischief.

So far I have not been out of the gate, but tomorrow night Bill is taking both Max and self to the doctor. Young Max has to be weighed, and the doctor wants to give me the once over. I am quite looking forward to the outing.

The recent heat wave wrought absolute havoc in the garden. Peas, beans, tomatoes & cucumbers were burnt to cinders, the only survivors were the potatoes and onions. It was a heartbreaking sight after all our hard work however it’s all in the game. In startling contrast was the news contained in a letter from home which arrived yesterday. Dad said they had a marvellous crop of broad beans, french beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, peas and potatoes, in addition carrots, parsnips etc are on the way. Sounds as though the Pater has been putting in some very hard work.

From a cutting headed ‘cremations’ enclosed in Dad’s letter, I gather that your friend ‘old Ted’ is now free from financial worries. The position is a bit delicate, knowing the family so well, and their opinions of the head of the house, and hopes etc. I can hardly write to express sympathy in their ‘sad bereavement’ so think it best to do nothing about it, you know ‘least said’ etc.

Every day we have been expecting to hear from Sydney where, unless some further hitch occurred, young Drew is spending a long looked for Leave. As Bill said ‘they won’t have stopped talking yet’ so we can’t expect to hear for awhile.

John dropped in on us again last week, he was in Melbourne to see about a transfer to the senior service – seems to have quite a good chance too.

I am sending a parcel from the Sanitarium Health shop for your birthday brother dear, sorry I can’t vary it, it must be rather monotonous getting the same thing every time, but honestly Max the scope is so damn limited these days, of course I don’t need to tell you that, as you already know that ‘the troops must come first’(oh yeah!)

I suppose you have already heard all abaout the Militia Bill – no wonder other countries raise their eyebrows, and turn up their noses in disgust.

Bed is the most desirable place I can think of just now Max. One of these days I will be quite accustomed to the routine and take it all in my stride, in time I will probably look back and laugh, in the meantime I feel really desperately tired so will say Cheerio for the present Max.

Bill and Cobber send their kindest regards. Lots of love from Max and self.

Ivy

The new baby

At this point, the baby’s name was Max, but after the war he became ‘young Bill’ (after his father)

The Militia Bill

This extended the area to which members of the Militia could be sent, to the entire South West Pacific Zone (previously it was only ‘Australia and her territories’ – i.e. Papua New Guinea) seehttp://www.myplace.edu.au/decades_timeline

Posted in Food and Drink, Letters to/ from others, organisation, parcels, The course of the war | Tagged militia, Rex Wedd, Ted Elliott | Leave a comment

A change of scenery, and the best bread ever

Posted on February 3, 1943 by felicityh54

TX 1004

Max Hickman

33rd Platoon

25th Brigade

24th Jan 43

Dear Mother & Dad

Although it was good to get your letters of the eleventh and eighteenth which along with one from Ivy written on the eleventh arrived yesterday, the resumption of the mail service at this stage is not regarded very favourably. However signs are not always reliable and we’re hoping that this is only a flash in the pan.

I’m not surprised to hear the news you send of Tiny. His offsiders didn’t expect him to come back to his show – anyway jolly good luck to him – he’s earned it and I’d like to see him cop something good. I suppose he’ll be made a WO1 and get a hospital job near home. Although I wouldn’t try to get out I’m very sick of the show. The last six months have knocked the enthusiasm for soldiering on right out of me. The way things go you’re not in the race to get on – “Jones’ College tactics” are a definite part of the drill here. I wish I could get a transfer but the cards seem stacked against me however if we rejoin the old mob I’ll go to a rifle coy.

Your guess about the Hon J J is pretty right. In fact he may even now be swilling suds – you’ll find him around his old haunts anytime now – the Met, the Sydney or Toby’s. Though I expect he’ll be a cheap drunk for a while I wouldn’t get too ambitious if you happen to meet him – his complaint is entered in his paybook and I’ll bet he’ll work it to death. He sprained his wrist once and didn’t do any rifle drill for nearly six months. He’s an absolute wizard at working the oracle. However if you do strike him you can tell him to have one for the absent members.

What’s Jack Propsting doing these days – he’s not working on the wharves is he? I’d have thought he’d have been called up before now. I suppose Ralph’s job is protected too and Brian Wilson would be too wouldn’t he.

The prospects of leave seem very much in the balance at present and although indications are our way there’s no knowing what’ll happen in this show. You mention that the mater would like to some to Sydney when & if I get my leave – well nothing would suit me better Mother but I wouldn’t be able to let you know in time. Perhaps if you had things ready and I rang up as soon as I knew anything it would be alright. Is there still a boat service to Sydney or would you travel via Melbourne? Anyway, have a valise packed and we’ll see how things work out.

The mail is just going so I’ll close now and get this censored. Give my love to May, Anne & the baby and best wishes to the boys.

Love

Max.

Not in the race to get on

There were at least three reasons Dad didn’t move upwards in the ranks – 1. a policy of promoting younger men (specifically NOT those over 30), 2. a preference for private (‘grammar’) school graduates and 3. he spoke his mind (Dick Lewis referred to him as a real table-thumper!). Jones’ College is a reference to Henry Jones & Co, the fruit and vegetable processor on the Hobart waterfront. My understanding is that Dad believed advancement there was on the basis of ‘not what you know but who you know’.

The Hon J J

This is a reference to Jim McDonnell, a close friend from eh Carrier platoon mentioned in many of Dad’s letters.

Travel from Tasmania to the mainland

The details of sailings of interstate vessels could not be advertised by government regulation (http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/25989727) Passengers were advised to communicate with the various shipping agents whose names and contact details were published regularly.

According to http://users.nex.net.au/~reidgck/bass-s.htm a passenger service from Launceston to Melbourne continued throughout the war with the Nairana making up to 3 crossings per week- except that when she needed repairs in early 1944, there was no passenger service at all between the mainland and Tasmania. The previous weekly service between Sydney and Hobart had ceased some time during 1942. (ref Ferry to Tasmania: A Short History – Peter Plowman – p93)

Nairana leaving Tasmania 1940’s (website as above)

Passenger flights from Hobart to Melbourne were operated by Australian National Airways. Ansett Airways had suspended its normal flights in favour of providing services for the US Army in Australia. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansett_Australia)

TX 1004

Max Hickman

33rd Platoon

25th Brigade

3rd February 43

Dear Mother & Dad

Just a few lines hoping to find you happy and well as I am at present. Mail is still very light on in fact the letter I had from you just prior to writing you last week is the only letter I’ve had for some time so I guess there’s a bunch for me somewhere.

The powers that be staged a show for us recently involving a change of scenery but nothing more. With dramatic suddenness we got word to move one night at two o’clock and by three o’clock were in transit. As a test of efficiency it was good although we had to dice (ditch?) a lot of stuff that though not necessary to the war effort afforded us a measure of personal comfort. However the change has its compensations – the outlook is much more pleasant – a really good panorama of country and sea. The view from the seat of meditation in the early morning would excite the interests of the estate agency rackets. The mozzies are not so tough either – a somewhat different species – bigger than those at the last domicile but of more pronounced colouring and not as agile and easy victims of the technique required in killing the almost invisible species to which we’d become accustomed. From the gastronomic aspect too we come under a different bakery – as good if not the best I’ve ever tasted compared with the sodden congealed flour that went by the name of bread at the other camp. It’s like drinking champagne after flat beer. To those who boast their own teeth army creams or iced vovos as the slabs of concrete labelled biscuits are variously known were much more palatable.

The latest rumours concerning our movements – that is the skeleton crowd left : the rest have made the grade – are exciting the most adverse comments heard for a long time. We’ve been sold some pups at times, but this time we seem to have bought a whole litter. Nothing gets under the fellows skin as much as to suggest association with choco’s – they were never popular with the mob but since we came up here they’ve been most unpopular. Some choco wrote a paean of praise entitled ‘the unwrapped chocolate soldier’. It was published in Smith’s when the propaganda machine were trying to build up some self respect and esprit de corps among the conscientious objectors – and an AIF bloke wrote a reply. Someone in the camp has a copy – I’ll try and get it and send it on.

If you happen to run into Jim Dad tell him we had to get rid of his struggle – nobody else could steer it. The bloke who took over was in no end of strife doing over Yankee trucks and trees and things. With Jim it was a case of come over or else but to an ordinary human being it was a different proposition. I’m not sorry to see the bloody things passed in though they’ve kept me back a long time – I might get ahead a bit more.

I must say cheerio now Mother & Dad – give my love to May, Anne & Carline and best regards to the boys.

Love

Max

PS In view of the arrival of the two reinforcements what do you think about making a new will Dad?

A change of scenery…. a really good panorama…

The description suggests that the new camp may have been somewhere like this – with views over Port Moresby and an airfield.

AWM 062120

Taken from Tua-Guba hill, looking towards General Headquarters and the US Navy headquarters near Hanuabada

AWM062123

Kila aerodrome from Tua Guba hill

The best bread ever…

AWM 015021 and

AWM 015019

AIF Bakers at work in New Guinea

The Unwrapped Chocolate Soldier…

I’m surprised Dad is still expressing such a negative attitude toward the Militia (choco’s) : he appears to have them all labelled conscientious objectors. I don’t have a copy of the response from the ‘AIF bloke’ but the verse published in Smiths Weekly is reproduced here:

http://www.ringwoodrsl.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Down-the-Line-February-Special-2016-Web-and-Email.Reduce-to-150-dpi-average-quality-STANDARD-COMPRESSION.pdf

Got rid of Jim’s struggle

The carriers (i.e. the vehicles themselves) were referred to as ‘Struggle Buggies’. Dad’s comments seem to suggest that not only Jim’s but all the carriers were being disposed of.

The two reinforcements

This is a reference to the additions to the family – for Dad, a niece (Carlene Fisher) – May’s daughter – and nephew (Max/ Bill Drysdale) – Ivy’s son.

Posted in Food and Drink, organisation, Papua New Guinea | Tagged choco's, Jim McDonnell, militia, Tiny Schultz | Leave a comment

A new cook, night time snake drama and a long distance debate

Posted on January 15, 1943 by felicityh54

TX 1004

Max Hickman

33rd Platoon

25th Brigade

15th Jan 43

Dear Mother & Dad

Just a few lines hoping to find you happy and well and enjoying life. Mail has been very light on this week for everybody – just another of those unexplained spasms that upset the regular routine. My only communication from the outside world was a telegram from Bill announcing then arrival of a son and heir. It’s the best news I’ve had for a long time to know that youngster came through alright and I hope everything will be alright from now on.

Things in general have been very quiet in our corner lately although we’ve been kept reasonably busy on a pep(?) up with old dope among the old hands and initiating the new blokes into the do’s and dont’s of this show, as every outfit has a system of bludging particular to itself. The new blokes are a great crowd of fellows but a bit too regimental – everything according to the book – well you can imagine how the old hands take to doing things by numbers.

We’ve got a new cook – one of the reo’s. The last bloke mightn’t have been the world’s worst cook but he was bloody close to it. The chap we had at Caboolture old Harry Harriman was a champion but he got crook soon after we left home and for four months things were (gastronomically speaking) damn tough – however as I was saying this new bloke is extra good and for eight or nine days now we’ve lived like lords – that is relatively speaking of course – even the most unpalatable of all dishes – gold fish – taste better the way he serves them up and his apple pies made out of IXL canned apples with ground up dog biscuits made into crust are absolutely lovely.

To all but one person the brightest incident of the week was caused by a small carpet snake about three feet six inches long that crawled into a fellow’s bed and made its presence felt soon after the occupant went to sleep. Sometime between twelve and one o’clock Geoff Hood woke up and coolly announced that he thought a snake had crawled across him. Viv Abel in the next bed chuckled because Hoodie has a reputation for semi-nightmares. Then Hoodie struck a match and in the same cool manner in which he’d made the first announcement said ‘By Gawd it is a snake too” and leisurely drew his body into a corner of the blanket while Angus McLennan lit a lantern. All the occupants of the tent got their bayonets out but were unable to get to grips for fear of cutting the mosquito net – our most valuable possession in these parts – and eventually had to shoot it in the blanket. It was not till then that they found it was a carpet snake and to all intents and purposes harmless but for all that a most unwelcome bed mate. There are hundreds of snakes of various sorts come after the rats but the mob kill the snakes and of course the rats are able to multiply.

Jim McDonnell is still in hospital but is due out any time although I fancy he’ll make the best of it as he’s on a beer diet – a bottle per day – not much for a man like Mc but I’ll bet he loves it – out of a cooler too.

I must say cheerio now Mother & Dad. Hoping that whatever the cause of our mail delay may be it soon comes right. Give my love to May, Anne & the baby and regards to the boys.

Love

Max

We’ve got a new cook

AWM 079487 – not of this unit, but gives a sense of the ingenuity involved in providing the troops with nourishing meals.

Photo – mess parade – Dad and Bob (Stainless) Steele NX4831 (no caption re where this was taken)

Getting About in New Guinea – Snakes

Click to access GettingAboutInNewGuinea.pdf

This booklet for troops was published in April 1943. It reads more like a guide book for boy scouts about to embark on an ‘outward bound’ course rather than a serious and useful handbook for front line troops.

This is the illustration in the section on Snakes.

Debating the Irish, the Police force and other sensitive matters

I believe that Kathleen who sent this letter is the Mrs Toomey to whom Dad often refers. She has nephews fighting in New Guinea, so is clearly of the ‘older generation’ rather than any sort of ‘girlfriend’. I don’t know what her connection with the family is, but it’s clear she was close to Ivy (‘Youngster’) and Bill, because she was apparently advised of the birth of their son on the same time day Dad was told via telegram. Although I don’t have the letter Dad sent to her, it’s clear they were ‘debating’ by mail.

Fern side

George Street

Parramatta

15th January 1943

Dear Max

Now I should have started this oration off like this – To my honourable and esteemed friend who has wielded the power of the tongue (such a powerful weapon for good and evil) in open defiance of my ancestors, which by the way, should be spelt with a capital A, or better still with a capital ‘I’ in illuminated letters. That’s how proud I am of it. Any man to win an argument or should I say, to force anyone over to his own particular way of thinking has to drag up one’s Ancestor’s weaknesses (we all possess them, English, Irish, Scotch or Tasmanians for that matter), is not just playing the game, according to the rules of fair play. Of course it is a short cut home, but give me the long way round and I will see it through to the finish. No slackers for me – no sir! As for the clip about the misguided race, well all I can say is, if everyone else was so contented and open-hearted as the Irish race, we wouldn’t have the grasping and powerful greed we have today. The trouble is we need to get back to the simpler and more contented modes of living. The absence of this, creates the inevitable warring nations and disruption of our civilization.

Now that’s no. 1 point. Now to proceed to No.2. The remark about hordes of ‘fat lazy policemen’ is just a lazy ignorant notion, floating around quite pleasantly and undisturbed in your skull full of emptiness, and sadder still, of sheer ignorance. Of course you are more to be pitied, than blamed. An ignorant person just can’t make the grade. Seeing my father belonged to this very noble profession, for the suppression of evil doers, you have missed your mark my good friend. Of course I know that somewhere in your conceited mind, perhaps subconsciously you have won this debate, but the curtain las not fallen on the last act. There’s many a slip between the —, my good friend. I will leave you to finish the rest. Of course that is the worst curse of being brought up on an island, isolated from the mainland. It’s just like a doctor not having his fingers on the pulse of the patient. He is not in direct contact with the heart beats of his patient. He is ignorant to a certain extent of his physical condition and subsequent treatment of same. The same applies to the good old folks who frequent to Island of apples and cider. They can’t see further than sitting under the apple tree and guzzling around at the brewery. Of course, they produce good cider and delicious strawberries. But that’s not enough – we want a race of fearless men, big in mind and heart, and what is better still, big in outlook and purpose. en who will study the country’s position and realise what a lot we owe to the pioneers. They were men of action who have laid generous foundations for us to continue on and build up a worthwhile civilization. The Irish have played no small part. Whatever our opinions are, we must be fair, and give credit, where credit is due. That’s the manly thing. Now my honourable friend I will leave you to chew and digest well before you take up your defences. I leave it to your own discretion how to proceed.

So that wretched drought hasn’t broken. Still no sign of rain clouds hanging low? Well you will first have to amuse yourselves in the art off imaginary satisfaction. If Xmas couldn’t bring about your desired state of affairs, well all I can say is perhaps you are being punished for your evil doing. And that goes for the mishandling of the character of the desirable females, myself included. “The mills grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly well.” Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Corporal. Of course, that is if you can still obtain it, and smoke it with quiet dignity, befitting your greying locks.

By the way, congratulations Uncle Max. Now fancy me forgetting the salutation, ere I have proceeded so far with this epistle. What’s it like to be the proud possessor of a infant nephew? Oh it’s sheer delight Kath. Another Hickman to be brought up in the step of his venerable Uncle. That’s just the trouble, they are becoming a little too strong around the place. How many can you boast of? I can count eight, so see if you can beat that. All Irish from the top of their head to the soles of their feet. And better still, are pulling their weight on New Guinea soil. That’s more than you can say for your recently acquired one.

Perhaps this letter is a topsy turvy bulletin. Still I guess it may be readable and as long as it does your hardened soul a little good, my humble effort will be well repaid. How are the Platoon boys? Remember me most kindly to them. Tell them I count on their co-operation and assistance in this new onslaught. Tell them when I go into action on the final cleanup I will call them to stand by, like the warriors of old, with flaming swords, ready to cut off at a minute’s notice, my opponent’s head. Just a little souvenir. We need a few more for the wax works, and yours would be a real novelty. “Here’s the man who could talk anyone out of a fog, and he has landed a blackout”. This is the sign we will have printed and hung in front of your figure. Exit – my good friend. The work is done, take thy rest, or better still thy battle (of course that is if there are any ‘dead marines’ lying around). You might be lucky enough to collect the pennies on the battles for two-up.

So I must reluctantly say good-bye. My work is finished and I sign off with clean hands. The rest I leave to the adjudicator in good hands. He will be the deciding factor and may the best man win, is my concluding remarks.

Never defeated, still going strong.

God Save Ireland

Your little Irish Colleen

Kathleen

…And another Sydney correspondent with hopeful news (” All boys from New Guinea to get leave” )

With envelope – postmarked Sydney 22 Jan 1943

Home

20/1/43

Dear Max

Thank you for your nice newsy letter. Sorry that you had all the bother of doing the trash & then not any leave, but tonight on the air “All boys from New Guinea to get leave”. That sounds as if we will soon see you eh? My pal Chassie is back in Qland, in hospital tho. Perhaps the drought will break sooner than you expect Max. Let’s hope so. About ‘the debate’ – well, I never thought that a ‘Scot’ would let an Irish lass beat him. Kath tells me that you have fallen down under the argument. You have trodden on her coins re the Irish. Look out now. Kathleen is a very loyal child of the Church who for some unknown reason defend the Irish whilst their seat of Government is Rome or I should say Italy. No I was right at first – the Vatican City is of itself apart. Good news from Melbourne Uncle Max. I nearly wrote “Aunty”. Whatever made me think of that. Claude gave me a ring from somewhere in the bush in Tassie last Sat night. It was as clear as if he was in the room. He particularly asked how you were batting.

Well Max – past midnight & must be up at 5am so off to bed.

Kind regards to Jim & your good self. Yours sincerely (indecipherable name)

Posted in escapades, relaxation, fun and games, Food and Drink, Letters to/ from others, organisation, Papua New Guinea, training | Tagged Angus McLennan, Geoff Hood, Jim McDonnell, Kathleen Toomey, Viv Abel | Leave a comment

New Year … not a very auspicious event

Posted on January 6, 1943 by felicityh54

6th January 1943

TX 1004

Max Hickman

33rd Platoon

25th Brig

Dear Mother & Dad

Time is certainly marching on. We’ve stepped into another year and I don’t suppose there was ever a new year in which so many people placed their hopes. If our propaganda is any indication we’ve got reason to be optimistic and although it’s hard to imagine such minutely perfect military machines cranking (cracking?) this year, I for one hope this will be the last year of war.

To our little mob the New Year was not a very auspicious event. Around midnight we lit a fire and made a cup of tea and over this and some supper supplied from odds & ends in parcels we saw the old year out and the new year in. The Yanks in nearby camps celebrated the New Year by firing off their rifles and all their small arms automatic weapons. On parade on New Year’s morning the boss threw a spanner in the works with the announcement that any idea that this show was going back to Australia at present or in the near future could be scrubbed. As we’d been riding the furphy that we were going back it sort of knocked us cold. If there’s one incident I regret more than any other in the army it was being called back to the carriers after the Syrian stunt.

Your welcome letter of the 28th arrived yesterday and made quite good reading although I was very surprised to hear of Col. Payne’s death. If there was one man in the world on whose life you’d have taken a lease it was Les Payne – however you can’t judge on appearances.

The Austerity racket seems to have got you in Dad – sober birthday and sober Christmas too. Old Mc will never believe it when I tell him. He’s still in hospital with Malaria. I guess his liver is drying up. According to one of the blokes who went up there he’s likely to be there for a couple of weeks yet, although his temp is nearly normal again.

It’s good to know that you struck a light job for a while at least and I hope it lasts. Things must be a bit tough for old Tom to want to get down there – I guess he’d be a bit up hill doing the work wouldn’t he. He must be nearly seventy. I suppose Jones’s like all similar concerns are coining the dough.

That vegetable garden sounds alright: from what I hear from other sources vegetables are a big consideration these days.

The last letter I had from Ivy written on the 26th Dec she seemed quite happy but expected to go into hospital at any time then. I hope everything went alright with her. She’s had a pretty hard time but was optimistic about it.

There’s not much doing up here. We got a bunch of reo’s – quite a good crowd – Sydney chaps most of them – keen as mustard and a good type with it. We’ve done a short stunt too this week involving a visit to an old camp. A good variety shoot – a salt water swim and quite a lot of floundering about in the mud otherwise there’s been no change in our routine.

I’ll say cheerio now Mother & Dad. Give my love to May, Anne & the baby and best regards to the boys.

Love

Max

PS Am sending Anne a grass skirt in a cake tin. It’ll be too big for her but in any case it’s not something she’d keep for long. Tell May not to let her wear it next to the skin.

A bunch of reo’s….and a short stunt

According to The Footsoldiers (p 249), .. Lieutenant Matt Todd and his group of Mortars and Carriers rejoined the Battalion at Bisiatabu. Theirs had been the monotonous task of forming the …Port Moresby ‘carrier’ group, stationed at Ward’s Seven Mile Strip, and they had been, with others, responsible for the defence of Port Moresby. On two occasions small groups of them had marched twenty miles north-east up to Juare, there to meet with some of the Americans of the 32nd Division, and familiarise themselves with the country…. By the 24th December, platoons were carrying out exercises in the area. On 31 December, the day the leave group embarked for Australia, the battalion now under Lieutenant Cullen set out on a three days march and exercise to Imita Ridge and back. An unfortunate few had done this journey once before, but for the 300 or so reinforcements it was a rude introduction to jungle warfare. It was interesting to note that on this occasion none at all fell out and the exercise was a great success. There is no doubt that this group of reinforcements was a group, were the best to ever join the battalion. There were no ‘bad lots’ among them. Almost all of them eventually took part in our next campaign.

AWM 013495 – reinforcements arriving in Moresby Nov 42 – these may or may not have been those referred to above. It is also possible they were a contingent about to be flown to the front line at Buna.

Death of Colonel Les Payne

Lieutenant-Colonel Leslie Herbert Payne (5 November 1888 – 23 December 1942) was an Australian politician and military officer. He was born in Burnie, the son of Senator Herbert Payne. During the First World War, he served in the AIF and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the 1918 New Year Honours. In 1924, he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as a Nationalist member for Denison. He was defeated at the 1925 election.

ref http://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Leslie%20Payne

Jones’s ….coining the dough?

It sounds as if Dad’s father was working at Jones & Co. The firm was a major employer in Hobart, and there were certainly heavy jobs as well as production line roles to be filled. Best known for its jams and preserved fruit, cans were made on site and in 1942 to firm was asked to assist in the production of nuts and bolts for the Department of Munitions. A contract to supply one million nuts and 320,000 bolts was accepted. The contract was completed in eighteen months, with 160 employees taking part in the work. One million primers for shells for 25-pounder field guns and 70 special purpose machines were made. In its processing factory, Jones & Co produced a million gallons of apple juice, scores of millions of cans of preserved fruits, jams and also whitebait for the forces. The fruits processed included apricots, pears, plums and cherries. A large quantity of vegetables were also canned, including cabbages, beetroot, carrots and peas. the company claimed the munitions were provided to the government at cost and that the foodstuffs produced were ‘sold to the government at a lower price than those produced by other processes’. (ref Tasmania’s War Effort 1939- 45 M. O’Brien 1946)

AWM 150577 – September 1942 -troops on manoeuvres near Darwin opening a tin of Jones & Co jam

Vegetables – a big consideration these days

The bulk of farm-produced vegetables were being shipped out to the front – for Allied troops in Europe as well as the Americans and Australians in the south west Pacific theatre. The Tasmanian government established dehydration plants and canning factories to process the ever expanding volume of crops. Potato plantings increased from 30,000 to 90,000 acres during the war, carrot production increased 340 percent, parsnips 600 percent and cabbages even more. The average sowing of blue peas from 1929 – 39 was 8,500 acres. In 1942 sowings were 18,000 acres and in 1943, 27,000 acres. (ref Tasmania’s War Effort 1939- 45 M. O’Brien 1946) Householders were continually encouraged to grow their own, as a contribution to the war effort, and many women spent time working on farms as part of the ‘Women’s Land Army’..

Photos from Hobart at War 1939 to 1945 C.J.Dennison (Photos from the archives of the Hobart Mercury):

176 – Land army women were mostly from the country so it was usually only the heavier jobs that they had to learn.

This member of the Land Army is doing a job that some men would find hard, running the rotary hoe between rows of peas. The machine is so big it needs somebody strong to operate it.

Posted in Americans, Food and Drink, organisation, The course of the war | Tagged austerity, Jim McDonnell, reinforcements | Leave a comment

Christmas in New Guinea: two letters

Posted on December 30, 1942 by felicityh54

TX 1004

Max Hickman

33rd Platoon

25th Brigade

25th Dec 1942

Dear Mother & Dad

As you have probably already noticed I’m writing this letter on Christmas day and I suppose it would be appropriate to begin with an appraisement of the time honoured occasion as we see it here. I suppose for the majority of the chaps it’s the first Christmas morning in years that they haven’t woken up with a thick head – the only chance they had of getting a thick head was from over sleeping. In spite of a flood of wishful thinking – rumours about an issue of beer – nothing came of them and the time honoured expression concerning the army got even more ventilation this morning than usual.

My individual Christmas started quite well yesterday with a good bundle of mail including your letter of the fourteenth, a letter from Ivy and one from Graham Watts who is still in the Middle East and quite a packet of Christmas cards. Then later in the day the Christmas hampers were issued together with a Baloney pamphlet from the ACF. Last night on patrol we stopped by an Ack Ack post. It was raining pretty hard so we accepted their invitation to their tent. They were quite a good crowd of blokes, almost snowed in with parcels from America. We spent quite a pleasant half hour talking and yarning with them of other times and other Christmases and in imagination filled them up and drank them down and filled ’em up again. Then we had a mug of water and came home. There was a mobile picture show operating within a couple of miles of the camp so we thumbed a truck and went and although it rained like hell and we got very soaked it was quite a good show.

I’m not surprised to hear that Tiny hasn’t been mentioned in the casualty lists because they’re usually pretty long winded especially with sickness and I believe he has been pretty crook. I did hear he’d been evacuated to the mainland but I saw his offsider yesterday and he said he’s in a con camp and wants to see me – I’ll try and get down on Sunday – his mate thinks Tiny’s a sitter for a discharge.

The rumours about our future movements have again sprung to the fore though I think the attitude of the people at home is altogether too optimistic. The Yanks probably wouldn’t be disposed to send a big force here and for all the good the chocco’s are – that is most of them – some of them are alright – they’d be better to put them to work growing spuds and sugar.

I got hit to leg the other day through my pay book. When we got that shilling a day rise while we were in Syria and were told that half of it was to go to the soldier and half to the allottee I didn’t think it would affect my allotment as I had already allotted 4/3 but according to the pay sergeant the DFO at Hobart increased my allotment home to 4/9 so I was getting it both ways. So with a stroke of the pen they reefed a tenner off me the other day leaving my finances in rather a precarious condition. Still unless we get back to Aussie I won’t need money so it won’t matter. It takes nearly all the three shillings I’m now getting for food. The canteens are getting quite a lot of good stuff now and as the army tucker is at its worst we avoid it as much as possible (dehydrated they call it)

This writing is probably worse than usual. I haven’t been able to write at all for some days because of a little mishap to my right hand. I jarred the thumb and wrist when we were extending the kitchen and although its pretty right now it’s a bit awkward to write.

I must say cheerio now Mother & Dad. Give my love to May, Anne and Carline and regards to Laurie and the boys.

Love

Max

PS Old Jim sends his best wishes

A good bundle of mail

Photo – from Jungle Warfare (AWM Christmas Book for 1943) It appears that many of these troops received cakes in the mail.

…and Christmas Hampers from the ACF

AWM OG0332

The photo shows a group of airmen receiving their Christmas hampers.

A mobile picture show

Image – Moresby Picture night – from Khaki and Green (AWM Christmas Book for 1942)

The chocco’s

It’s disturbing to read Dad’s ongoing derogatory comments about the Militia. Here’s another short article about the tensions between the two armies (AIF and Militia) http://www.army.gov.au/Our-history/History-in-Focus/The-offending-M-WW2-Army-service-numbers

Army tucker is at its worst – dehydrated they call it

Dehydrated foods – particularly vegetables – were by this time being produced in Australia to supplement the ‘bully beef and biscuits’ diet of frontline troops. However, the Army’s Catering Corps which trained staff to work with dehydrated foods was not established until 1943. This article describes the development of the O2 ration pack –

Click to access Operational%20Ration%20O2.pdf

Although almost unbelievably basic, even crude, when compared with 21st century Australian military individual field rations, the O2 ration was at the time a huge advance in combat feeding. As shown by the comparison between the O2 ration and the ‘ration packs’ of both allies and enemies, it is clear that the Australian O2 ration was the world’s first ‘one man combat ration pack’.

AWM 014612 A case of dehydrated potatoes for Australian troops. The dehydration of vegetables has meant that Australian troops in battle areas as well as elsewhere, can have vegetables whereas under ordinary circumstances that would have been impossible.

TX 1004

Max Hickman

33rd Platoon

25th Brigade

30th Dec 42

Dear Mother & Dad

Once again I’ve fallen victim of the three card trick and washed my entire wardrobe comprising a towel, two shirts a pair of slacks and two sets of underwear – I’m riding a furphy about moving – it’s so persistent that everyone has the whips out but for all our hopes we’re prepared for anything.

Your very interesting letter of the 20th arrived today along with a newsy letter from May. The mail has been particularly good lately. I had a letter from Jack on Boxing Day and one each from Mrs Phillips and Mick yesterday. Max has just finished an OTS so I guess that’s where he was when May saw Mrs Phillips. He hopes to be with the Twelfth soon. I don’t know whether I mentioned in my last letter that I have had Christmas cards from Mrs Jones & Mrs Schultz. I’ve been trying to get out to see Tiny but he’s a long way from here and it’s a bit awkward. From what I hear he’s got a good chance of a discharge but I don’t think he’ll go back to the Zinc Works unless he gets on the staff. I think he’ll be shooting for the Civil Service and shouldn’t have much trouble with Colonel Butler and other big heads batting for him.

The government propaganda about Christmas is quite interesting and no doubt their intentions were good and where practicable I’m prepared to believe they would make a show but it scarcely touched us. Breakfast and dinner were the usual trough mysteries but we had quite a good tea – poultry and mashed potatoes followed by a very commendable Christmas pudding. At the conclusion of the meal Joe called for three cheers for General Blamey. The usual mess time chatter stopped for a few moments – there was absolute silence and then the mob let forth a torrent of appreciation but not in cheers. I believe some of the base show did pretty well and there was quite a bit of grog in some quarters – we’ve heard a lot of talk of champagne and whiskey. These Yanks are the boys for the whiskey – they’ll pay anything from five pounds to seventeen a bottle but of course they have tons of dough and don’t spend anything here because even tobacco and cigarettes are issued. There’s never any trouble to buy a carton of cigarettes from them – they get more than they can smoke.

May tells me Col Payne is very sick – had an operation for cancer. You’d never have thought that man had anything the matter with him – he was a picture of health and didn’t drink or smoke. Still you can never go by appearances. Incidentally while on the subject of sickness Jim McDonnell is laid up again with his ears. They seem to be giving him a lot of trouble.

Mick seems to be having a pretty tough trot. His letter sounded quite down in the dumps what with his father dying and things being slack in the trade. I don’t think he’s ever had to worry much about work – it’s a wonder he doesn’t give the trade a bye for a while and get in on some of the money- making rackets.

You’ve never mentioned in your letters whether that other packet of snaps made the grade. Joe’s girl wrote about a month ago saying she’d sent them. I’ve never seen them myself but Joe said they were an extra good lot so I hope they get through alright – of course the heavy Christmas mail may have held them up.

There’s practically no news I can tell you from this end Mother & dad so I think I’ll say cheerio now – give my love to May, Anne and Carline and regards to the boys.

Love

Max

PS The boss has just come back from MDS and Jim has got Malaria.

Washed my entire wardrobe…

Photo – doing the washing – taken by Laurie Ward in another camp in Port Moresby http://indicatorloops.com/pm_ackack.htm

Government propaganda about Christmas

John J Dedman, as the Minister for War Organization of Industry, was responsible for preventing the serious waste of manpower and materials. In 1942 he banned advertisers from using the words ‘Christmas’, ‘Yuletide’ or ‘festive season’ and there was to be no mention of Santa Claus. His contention was that Christmas was too ‘commercialised’ and his measures were simply returning Australians to the true spirit of Christmas. The government even suggested that adults limit their exchange of presents to giving war savings stamps and certificates. (http://john.curtin.edu.au/legacyex/economy.html)

Convalescent camp

Tiny (Schultz, 2/31 Bn) was probably convalescing with others of the 25th Brigade who had returned from the front. This camp was at Donadabu on the Sogeri Plateau, some 35 km from Port Moresby. The ‘primitive’ tented camp ‘in the quiet jungle surroundings of the comparatively cool plateau was heaven’…(Footsoldiers p 246).

AWM P02424.158 Sogeri Valley, Papua Elevated view over the Donadabu Rest Camp near Koitaki

Christmas for the troops

Those in the convalescent camps had a different experience from the ‘Moresby Defence’ group:

According to The Footsoldiers (p247) : ‘On Christmas Day, after the traditional AIF meal, most of the men hitch-hiked the four miles to the camp at Bisiatabu where the new 2/33rd Battalion was re-forming, there to greet mates who had been wounded or evacuated earlier. In every tent that night the lamps burned late as groups of section friends talked of their doings since they last saw one another, or shared Christmas parcels that had come forward from heir families in Australia. A ration of two bottles of beer a man had been issued and this livened up the generally happy gatherings at both Donadabu and Bisiatabu camps where authorities had somehow contrived to separate friends….’

We had quite a good tea

AWM OG0329 This photo is of a group of airmen, but I imagine Dad’s group might have been similarly equipped and attired. The party hats were sent from Devonport to LAC A. D. Loane, and had arrived the previous night.

Posted in Americans, Australian, escapades, relaxation, fun and games, Food and Drink, organisation, parcels, pay and conditions | Tagged allotment of pay, DIck Schultz, General Blamey, rumours | Leave a comment

Fellows would have to stand twice in the one place to throw a shadow

Posted on December 15, 1942 by felicityh54

TX 1004

Max Hickman

33rd Platoon

25th Brigade

Carrier Group

AIF New Guinea

15 – 12 – 42

Dear Mother & Dad

It never rains but what it pours. I’ve had another two letters since I last wrote you – one yesterday and one today. Today’s was written on the eighth so that’s not a bad effort. Of course the reason’s been that my letters have been going round in circles but as today’s letter carried the address of this outfit I expect my mail will now be regular again.

I can well understand how tough dad finds being back at work. You picked too hard a proposition after such a long break. Pity you couldn’t get a lighter part time job – too much bullocking down there for a man your age.

That news about Tiny is quite a surprise to me. He must have struck another batch of Malaria. It’s been bowling the chaps up top over like nine pins. Tiny was still going alright when young Dick Lewis came back. Dick said he’d seen him a few days before he came back. The Brigade have had a hell of a tough trot judging from reports and from what I’ve seen of the chaps who got back the Owen Stanley show has been the hardest campaign of the war. Most of the fellows would have to stand twice in the one place to throw a shadow and it’s not a Marquis of Queensbury rules show. It’s very close quarters fighting and if a man gets wounded the Japs put machines on fixed lines on him and do over the stretcher bearers that go out for him. I’ll try and find out more about Tiny but he’s probably been evacuated to the mainland.

Tom’s house certainly cost him packet if it’s only a small cottage. Mick mentioned the place in his last letter and he didn’t go much on the builder but I’ll bet Tom makes it alright. There’ll certainly be a power of work in the building game after the show – a lot of fellows who have stacked up the army dough will want their own homes and I suppose there’ll be some sort of housing scheme for the returned men although they won’t expect much if the treatment to date is any criterion. The Yanks can’t understand them using the same men all the time. They say our blokes meaning the Americans get the credit for what your fellows do. There’s a lot too many of the Worbey-Bealy type in Australia and you can’t blame them when the government encourage them and take their orders from the trade unions and those whose patriotism is gauged by the monetary benefit to themselves.

That car of Ken’s is certainly getting him into some strife – I guess they’ll be taking it from him if he has any more accidents with it. I suppose that leg makes driving very hard and those Fords are very sudden on the accelerator. He needs a car with less power and steering column gears.

Alwyn’s accumulated leave sounds alright. The navy must be working to a different system than the army – there’s no such thing as accumulated leave in the AIF though I think there is in the permanent forces. Those chaps who joined the Navy for the duration must get permanent Navy privileges.

How did you put your birthday in Dad- did you make a day of it? I mentioned it to Jim McDonnell and he said ‘He’ll be full – some taxi driver’ll get a few bob for a run to the Valley today”

A chap from intelligence has been round several times lately making talks on the various theatres of the war. He’s a good speaker and his talks illustrated with maps have been very interesting. The more so when he gives the political background of the various moves. Perhaps the best of these was his survey of the Russian position – just the immediate developments from Munich on and quite a different picture to that put forward by the papers in those days.

Well I must say cheerio now Mother & Dad. News from this end is very scarce – we haven’t moved for some time now, in fact things look so settled at present that we’ve spent most of our spare time lately making ourselves comfortable. Old Tojo has been putting on a few raids lately – to all appearances the airforce is the best racket of the lot – they’d be very unlucky to be brought down. Give my love to May, Anne & Carline and best wishes to the boys.

Love

Max

PS Thanks for the pad and envelopes.

Malaria….bowling them over like ninepins

As Joan Crouch records in her book A Special Kind of Service …in the first few months of the Kokoda Trail campaign, the proportion of medical patients to battle casualties was almost ten to one….Prevention measures such as personal hygiene, correct clothing, use of repellents… use of mosquito nets and taking of suppressive drugs were all stressed….quinine was the standard suppressive drug …. but stocks were limited.

By November 1942, an epidemic of malaria had broken out, with rates of incidence increasing from 33 men per 1000 per week to 82 men per 1000 per week by December of that year. A recognition of the importance of reducing the rate of malarial infection led to the establishment in June 1943 of the Land Headquarters Medical research Unit in Cairns. (ref https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2011/194/8/war-malaria-and-nora-heysen-s-documentation-australian-medical-research-through)

The Brigade have had a hell of a tough trot

After re-taking Kokoda in early November, the 25th Brigade (2/25n, 2/31n and 2/33 Bn) moved towards the coast, in pursuit of the retreating Japanese. Casualties were enormous. The relevant chapter in the Battalion history – The Footsoldiers is entitled Gorari to Gona: Exhaustion.

By the time this letter was written, the Battalion’s acting CO Major Cotton had received advice that its remaining men were to be flown to Port Moresby for ‘rest and refit’. The men had been ‘resting’ at Soputa airstrip since being relieved by the 39th Battalion on December 4. At Soputa the men ‘carried out no duties, being physically incapable of doing any. The sheer business of looking after themselves and maintaining a patrol about the airstrip to detect wandering, hungry Japanese was all they could manage….On December 14, Soputa airstrip was closed – being too wet and dangerous for aircraft – and the men had to march ten miles to Popondetta. ‘After possibly the most trying march in the whole campaign, all ranks sick and just hanging on, the battalion arrived 125 strong at Popondetta on the evening of the 14th. From the 15th to the 17th in groups of 20 and 30 the men….were airlifted in DC3’s and Mitchell bombers back over the Owen Stanley Mountains, the flight taking less than forty minutes. (The Footsoldiers, p246) They were relieved that 97 days and nights of campaigning had come to an end.

AWM 013728 These Australians have just come 100 yards back from the front for food during a lull in the fighting. They are part of a company of the 2/33rd Battalion, which has been 2 days and nights within grenade distance of the Japanese. The Japanese retreated to the cover of the bush so that they could make use of the snipers. The Australians are in 5 ft grass within grenade distance of the fringe of bush surrounding Gona. Identified is NX44907 Sergeant Stanley Pretty (left front, obscured).

The men have clearly lost a lot of weight since early October (see post dated October 5 – photo at Ioribaiwa).

AWM 013731/06 Two members of the 2/33rd Battalion coming out for a spell from their own position which was then just one hundred yards from the Japanese positions. Identified is NX44907 Sergeant Stanley Pretty, of Engadine, NSW (right).

AWM 014181 This was taken near Sanananda: conditions at Gona were similar.

Alan Threlfall in Jungle Warriors (Allen & Unwin 2014 p149ff) has this to say about the ‘slow and bloody battles to destroy the Japanese defences at the beachheads’: Preparations for the attacks on the beachheads resemble the inadequate planning for the Kokoda and Milne Bay actions, with grossly inadequate maps, unreliable aerial photographs and little knowledge of the Japanese defences. Poor intelligence on enemy numbers, insufficient time for careful reconnaissance, a debilitated attacking force, appalling terrain and weather, and a lack of support weapons saw the battles descend into costly massacres. Individual groups of Australians struggled through swamps and mud towards expertly sited and camouflaged defences, to be met by a wave of small arms fire….The problems of transport and logistics meant that the attacking forces had entirely too little support, either air-or ground-based…Too few artillery pieces and rounds were available to support attacks on the Japanese positions….(troops) were forced to fight on terms and in conditions that greatly aided the tenacious Japanese defenders, who had nowhere to escape to and were therefore forced to fight to the death – something they had proven in earlier battles they were perfectly willing to do. In terrain similar to Milne Bay but if anything more waterlogged, the Japanese had prepared their defences on the only elevated and therefore relatively dry ground available, around which the tropical vegetation had rapidly regrown, hiding them from ground and aerial observation. From these positions they cut the attacking Allied forces down repeatedly….In country where it could take an hour to move 100 yards, one of the advantages of modern warfare, speed – …disappeared in the glutinous, knee-deep mud, malarial swamps and tangled wait-a while bushes. In short, inadequate and inaccurate intelligence, combined with a lack of patience by superior officers, forced those on the ground to commit men to battle without proper preparation. As in any battle fought under such conditions, lives were lost unnecessarily.’

AWM 013620 November 1942 Australians plod along “The Track” on the way to Buna.

AWM 013962 Buna area December 1942 Australian troops examining the construction of a Japanese machine gun post. Hundreds of similar posts, all extremely well camouflaged, had to be individually subdued.

For a detailed account of the 25th Brigade’s movements during November and December, see –

https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/bundled/RCDIG1024951.pdf

Who’s benefitting from the war?

Cartoons below are from the document http://www.nla.gov.au/sites/default/files/backroombriefings.pdf

Garn – It Ain’t Loaded – Samuel Wells 29 May 1942 Herald (Melbourne)

Pound wise – Penny foolish – Will Mahony 7 July 1942 Daily Telegraph (Sydney)

Feast and Famine – Ted Scorbeld – 15 July 1942 – The Bulletin

Spare the rod – Will Mahony 17 August 1942 Daily Telegraph (Sydney)

Posted in Americans, Australian, Japanese, pay and conditions, The course of the war | Tagged Alwyn Hickman, cartoons, Ken Jenkins, malaria, Owen Stanley campaign | Leave a comment

Rubber production and Jeeps ‘that can just about climb a brick wall’

Posted on December 11, 1942 by felicityh54

TX 1004

Max Hickman

33rd Platoon

25th Brigade

Carrier Group

AIF New Guinea

11th Dec 1942

Dear Mother & Dad

I received your two very interesting letters of the 16th & 23rd of November today – after so long without news from home it was like striking a prize in Tatts. As you say we’re certainly well off out of Catoe’s. It shows just how easy it is to slip – it looked an excellent proposition. There’s no doubt about the Council: they’re a hungry crowd: it must be about the worst managed show in the world – what the hell do they do with the tremendous amount of money they handle – no wonder a job in their service is so sought after.

I’m glad you gave the car a run and that it is alright. Cars will certainly be at a premium when the war’s over, especially small cars. These jeeps the yanks have got are a great little job – they can just about climb a brick wall. They’d certainly be handy for running round jobs – they’ll go anywhere and can carry a good load. Jack was saying in a letter I had from him last week that his Austin has been giving him a bit of trouble and expects to have to lay it up soon – tyres seem to have become the biggest problem now, although I was reading in a digest the other day that America has made a good substitute but it’s a bit too costly as yet to put on the open market. There’s some big rubber plantations here and quite a lot of young stuff coming on. There’s one chap up here (a friend of the Sergeant Major) who employs quite an army of coons on his properties – it seems a very intricate business.

Bad luck the wind getting loose in your garden after getting it so good. Jack says there’s quite a drought on too – that’s a bit tough after everything looking like a good season. Still it may come good yet. You’re not having much luck with your turkeys either – there’s not much chance of keeping anything like that unless they’re locked up & the rats can’t get near them. Do they still have greyhound racing down there?

The Phillips family are keeping very quiet. Old Algy must be sick if he’s left the taxation department – they’re getting their share of trouble these days. I’ve often wondered what Max is doing – I thought he might have been up here somewhere – although wishful thinking and a flood of rumours give the impression that the unit he was training for have gone back to the mainland. Rumours about our mob (with the exception of the composition to which we seem to have become permanently attached) going back are very persistent although a sister at the hospital threw a spanner in then works the other day. I went to see a chap who’d come back from up top and she said he’d been evacuated to the mainland. When I remarked that that was good, she said yes – it’ll be a good trip for them but they won’t like coming back. I said – will they have to and she [was] quite definite that they would. It looks as though another furphy has been thrown to the winds although the mob won’t wear anything except that the unit is going back and any suggestions that it isn’t are howled down as fifth column.

I can understand your not seeing Tom Cooper these days as there’s always plenty to keep a man busy around a new house, and judging from the way Tom looked after the place he rented I’ll be he’ll make his own place look well. I believe old Claude Hill has a job at Brighton- armourer’s assistant or storeman’s assistant -he used to potter about a bit in both those jobs. He had the game by the throat right from the start – with no particular job he was practically a free lance and always managed to wangle duty passes that entitled him to come & go as he pleased – easily the best position of any man in the show, even the CO.

Christmas is getting very close now – a fortnight today – but I suppose it will be little more than just another anniversary this year at home and just another day here. Still I can’t complain because I spent the last two in the two places where the occasion is most celebrated – England and Jerusalem.

There’s some talk that we might get a bottle of beer each but of course that’s just another rumour. The soaks are offering to buy up the issue of those who don’t fancy just a smell – at ten shillings a bottle – and I suppose if it happened to be Cascade or Carlton Special they’d give a pound a bottle.

There isn’t any writeable news from this end – things are very much as they were when I last wrote and after listening to all the blowhards about what was going to happen on the anniversary of Pearl Harbour it was all a bit disappointing when nothing happened at all.

I must say cheerio now Mother and Dad. All the very best for a Happy Christmas and a bright new year – give my regards to the boys.

Love

Max

PS The ink the canteen racket is putting out is like water – it’s impossible to read it – so I’ll just get a loan of the boss’s to address the envelope.

Ink is like water

This letter appears to have been written in pencil – but maybe it’s the watery ink!

The Yanks’ jeeps…can just about climb a brick wall…

http://www.detroitnews.com/picture-gallery/business/autos/chrysler/2015/06/22/jeep-from-world-war-ii-to-today/29127931/ Caption: West Point cadets and a US army soldier drive a Jeep at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1942. The rugged Jeep brand dates back to 1940 when the Army solicited bids for a 1/4 ton ‘light reconnaissance’ vehicle.

Photo from Wikipedia: Members of the 2nd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, U.S. 32nd Division, in an Army Bantam Jeep crossing a river on the southern portion of the Kapa Kapa Trail in Papua New Guinea during October 1942.

Loss of a vital resource: over 90% of the world’s crude rubber in Japanese hands

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/68749770 The Advocate (Burnie, Tasmania) January 14 1942) All told, the countries mentioned [British Malaya, French Indo China, the Philippines, North Borneo and Sarawak] supplied 97 percent of the world’s crude rubber shipped to overseas markets in 1940……Stocks of crude rubber held by America and the British Empire probably amount to less than a year’s normal consumption. As the world must have crude rubber to carry on civilisation’s multitudinous activities, there is reason for grave concern in respect of the future control and welfare of this vital industry.

Another article in the same edition of the Advocate is headlined – US to manufacture synthetic rubber. ….President Roosevelt had authorised the immediate execution of a 400 million dollar programme to make 400,000 tons of synthetic rubber yearly. Mr Jones estimated that the plants would be ready by the middle of 1943 and, together with available rubber, would fill all military needs and part of civilian requirements……

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/50128722 Courier Mail (Brisbane) 8 July 1942 Rubber is one more reason why New Guinea must be held. With more than 90 percent of the world’s rubber in Japanese hands, New Guinea’s once infinitesimal contribution to the world’s rubber stocks has assumed a new and vital significance, particularly to Australia.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/25911166 The Mercury (Hobart) 16 July 1942. The state’s Agriculture minister is quoted as saying Tasmania would be an ideal place to make synthetic rubber: The Minister said that plans should be put in hand immediately. All the elements necessary were in Tasmania. A synthetic rubber plant close to carbide works would mean economy in manufacture and deliveries. The manufacture of synthetic rubber was one of the most important contributions Tasmania could make….

I can find no record of synthetic rubber ever being produced in Tasmania.

For more on the development of synthetic rubber in the USA and Germany, and wartime measures in the USA, see http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/rubber.html

Anniversary of Pearl Harbour

see http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2612435 rebuilding the naval base, repairing ships; Japanese broadcast …etc

Posted in Americans, Carrier platoon, organisation, pay and conditions | Tagged cars, Christmas, Claude Hill | Leave a comment

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Rubber production and Jeeps ‘that can just about climb a brick wall’

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