War Letters – Darwin, Wed (4 Aug 1943), With the boys of a Fighter Squadron.

W.E. Pidgeon, C/O DPR Unit, Army Post Office, Darwin

Wednesday

Dear Jess,

Been quite an exhausting day. Plenty hot and plenty weak. However I pulled my gizzard up & got stuck into the work of drawing some fighter planes. They’re sleek jobs and surprisingly small. You don’t get much idea of their performance when seen on duty flights around this district. Rarely are they flown flat out except in combat. After seeing them on the ground dirty dented & camouflaged you’d think they weren’t worth a plateful of cold tapioca pudding. But the boys like them.

The pilots are all hellishly young. The average age being about 22. The Squadron leader looks youngest of all like a bit of a school kid. They have all had English experience & are a good bright lot. I get along very well with them as they are friendly & informal. The binge last night served well in breaking the ice. Almost all were as full as bulls. Incidently none of the crowd seem to like the journalists much. Being an artist makes everything so much easier. Tell Tommy there is a bit of a hoon up here – name of Pilot Officer Larry Alderson – says he knew him well in N.G. Gloria’s husband Flight Loot Newton isn’t a bad sort of bloke – Looks after me well. I still haven’t managed to buy anyone a drink. One is not allowed to – they insist on my being a guest. A big crowd of bomber pilots were also down last night. The film was fast & furious.

There’s some blasted thing I should tell you but for the life of me I can’t remember it. Guess it’ll come later.

Yes! I’ve got it! Do you recollect the air force medical officers at that party of Tilly’s at which Bill Brindle & his wife were present. One of the crowd from up the road turned out to be one of them. He is now a Wing Commander. He was then a Fl. Lieutenant so he’s managed to step up very nicely.

You must be stopping a packet of cold weather down there. The “Army News” (local paper) mentions it nearly every day.

Yes I am getting sunburnt. Poor old nut had peeled several times and is now sweetly crowned with a tiara of freckles. Borrowed a pair of shorts from the Loot yesterday so hope to lose the lily whiteness of my nether limbs.

It’s a hot day but with extra pleasant cool breeze coming off the sea. The climate here much to be preferred to that down the road where there is a great lack of breeze. The water pipe line feeding Darwin is exposed to the sun and the water from it is incredibly hot where it is tapped into camps alongside it. Almost to hot to shower under. In Darwin you can have a shower any old time night or day & it’s just beaut-o!

Will be off to the pictures tonight to see “Sun Valley Serenade” again. Be pleasant to see Sonia skiing whilst we swelter & combat the mosquitoes.

Guess I’ll have to be getting along it is now almost 3pm. So put your arms around yourself for me & save me some great big kisses. Lots of love sweetheart – till I see you soon.

I expect to be home for your birthday. Love

Bill.