Letters to home from Cyril, which have been photocopied into the journal
"Walsh’s' of
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Dear Mum,
This is just a note to let
you know I'm OK & camped in tents. Coming into this place is by far the
nicest sight we've seen . This town is built along the
seafront with towering rugged hills rising straight up behind it. It is
definitely a new world for us. Several
languages are spoken & most of the natives have donned
European clothes which detracts considerably from their charm. There
appears to be a large number of half castes some of whom are very attractive.
Here again our Diggers left behind a great name wherever they went, they seem
to leave an everlasting impression. Yesterday I bought a paper & later
casually opened it & found it was in a foreign language. Five of us are in
the one tent & sleep on the ground. The blankets could do with a good wash, they definitely exude a high odour. There is always
the possibility of a scorpion or snake coming into sleep with you. It is very
hot & sandy & do we feel it walking around the town in our winter blue
uniforms, while other troops wear shorts & shirts. Our first meal in camp
consisted of 2 slices of dry brown bread with a large piece of meat between.
Then for breakfast they gave us porridge & cooked eggs but we had no eating
utensils, so we had to butter bread with our fingers & then pour jam on.
However things have improved of course. We'll not be here very long. A number
of boys have gone A.W.L. & stayed in town.
They call their theatres picture houses or biscopes.
How
are everyone down there ? I guess you have received
some mail
Cheers Cyril
on active services
Mrs M Walsh
Via
Stoneyford
(Ed: This letter had two censor stamps on it) not
sure where he sent this from, possibly
Sunday
1941
401605.
A.C.2.
No3. Flight
No1.I.T.S.
R.A.A.F.
Somers
Dear Mum,
I hope you don't get a
fright at my new address it sure will take some writing on an envelope. I came
down to Melb on Friday, on the way I saw Maurie & Eilien & family,
they all look well. Maurie
is getting very fat, Elaine has grown.(Ed:Cyril's eldest brother's family)
We spent all Sat. till 4.15 pm. in Melb. Medical tests & Xrays.
I met one teacher I knew, but he went to
We marched to Spencer St Station for dinner
& went by bus to the Show Grounds for Xray. On
our arrival here 47 miles from Melb by bus, a journey
which took us only a 11/2 hrs, we had a 2nd medical
test. We were examined by a dentist this morning. Last night we were issued
with a uniform & full kit, 4 blankets & a pallias
into which we crammed straw for a mattress, the bed is wire sprung but we had
no pillow. For tea , we filed past a window thru which
was passed a plate of stew & an apple, then we proceeded into our mess
& found cups, big cans of tea to help yourself you took slices of bread
from a box as you passed, no plates nor tablecloths etc, when finished you have
to scrape your plates & pack them at the end of table.
This place is on
By the way everything is provided except
pyjamas razor, toothbrush etc. There is a canteen (not wet) at which tobacco, softdrinks, etc. are provided at reduced prices.
Well how is everything going up there. Eileen said Ruth went to Rainbow. We go by bus to
Flinders Naval Base for Mass on Sundays.
This ------ wedding must have been a big thing
for -------
I don't think I'll have long enough leave to
get home before perhaps 8 weeks. As I will not see an areoplane
for sometime there will be no need to worry.
Lots of love,
Cyril.
(Ed: Eileen & Ruth are Cyril's sisters inlaws. Rainbow is a
country town in Victoria)
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Postal date 27th July 1942
C.U.S.A. Sunday 1942.
Dear Mum,
I thought that by this time I would be writing from some other part of the world. Just when and where to we'll move still has them boys guessing. However life in Sydney is rather pleasant plenty of dances and parties; we generally find ourselves running around the city 5 nights of the week. I think Hitler was right when he said we were a decadent, sport loving people.
Last Sunday I went out to Koalas Park to have a look at the bears, they are extremely quiet and spend most of the day sleeping. It is amazing to see the way they balance on the smallest twig while slumbering. The gum leaves , their chief food, is selected from certain trees around the bush of Sydney & tied in bundles on the trees. A number of the gums in the park have tin around them to prevent the bears from climbing up to the leaves. The young ones at birth, like the kangaroo is about 3/4 inch long & spend the first few months in the pouch. When too large for this they are carried around by the mother even though they are as big as her. They also have a hospital for the sick ones.
I was sorry to hear poor old Harry had died. Was he in hospital or did he die suddenly? I thought that he was declining rapidly the last time I saw him. I suppose you went down to his funeral, were there many there?
How does Bern like the job ? I guess he will get pretty fed up with it for the first few weeks.
How many photos have you left? If you have any spares you could give one to Mary Moran, I really had forgotten all about her. I'll drop her a line one of these days. Extend my congratulations to Agnes & Jack. What have they done with Tom Fosters place? How is Ruth & the kids ? did Fr O'Keefe get his call up? That was a sad ending for Paddy Finnaane.
Kindest Regards,
Cyril
(Ed: Cusa welfare Huts, Canteens and services are sponsored by the Catholic Church for all Service Men and their Dependants)
(Ed: Bern is a brother, Mary Moran, Jack & Agnes are cousins and Ruth is married to Cyril’s' brother Des. Fr. O/Keefe was the local priest)
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Y.M.C.A., Westover Road, BOURNEMOUTH.
(unofficial) Visitors' Telephone 1087
Dear Mum,
I have just returned from 10 days leave during which I spent 4 days in London & 6 with a headmaster of a large public school in York. The people go to no end of trouble to make us feel happy, jolly decent of them when most of them have their own troubles & plenty of work to do . At York a maid used to arrive in with my breakfast at 8.30 am, about 10am I used to leave my bed.She used to turn on the gas fire to heat up my room while I had breakfast.On 3 nights I dined with the staff, a very fine crowd, mostly MAs , a few BAs. Two of the girls used to come dancing with me & one of the masters, one of them was from Eire, a very bright spark . I did not realize colleens could so entertaining. Her sister who had been a doctor and was now the doctor of the school, married to the headmaster. These girls did all my sewing while I was there. York is one of the old walled cities, most of the walls & old forts were built by the Normans about 1100. The school itself dates back to 660 so it has some tradition. There is some extraordinary architecture there but everything is old and dusty. Portions of it have been bombed. I meet an Australian doctor there who is on the executive staff of a large factory , so he took me along to diner with the staff at which was the Archbishop of York who delivered an after luncheon speech.
In London I managed to visit some places of interest such as St. Paul’s , Westminster Abby & Cathedral (RC), Buckingham Palace, Old Bailey, the Law courts where criminals have been tried for 100s of years , Trafalgar Square , Australia House ,and went twice to dances at Convent Gardens, spent a whole pm in one of the paper offices watching the news being assembled and printed. At night it is most difficult to find your way around, particularly as there was no moon but people where most helpful. One or two people seem still to prefer to sleep on the underground railways.
The most fascinating day I had was a visit to Denham Film Producing Studio, one of the main ones in England. We saw three pictures being made "Flemish Gardens" "Thunder on the Convay" & "Demis Paradise".
I'm afraid if you saw too of the making then you would become so disappointed that you would all desire for shows. For example “Flemish Gardens" the scene was a chap riding a bike a long a road. so he sat on a bike mounted on front of the screen on which was projected a road trees etc which would move along as he pedaled. To give the effect of shadows two chaps waved branches across in front of the light. Around a real posh scene may be an old step ladder, timber etc. Each scene is set up in a big barn & they move from one to the other, each scene they shoot for hours with the camera to get the best result, very tedious for the actors etc. who have to repeat the same words, laugh etc. again & again. I'll tell you more later.
I received a letter from Mary Moran. I suppose you are preparing for Xmas, is anyone coming home?
Till next time, Cheers Cyril
(Ed: No date on letter head, envelope has Y.M.C.A. badge and a Royal Australian Air Force concession postal rate stamp)