War Letters – New Guinea: 18 Jan 1944, Townsville; Lousy with troops

DPR Unit
Townsville
Tuesday, Midday
[18 Jan 1944]

Darling,

How’s my little lonely honey?  As hot as I am?  Boy that is plenty.  It’s much hotter here than in Darwin.  I’ve done nothing but sweat & replace it with a noggin of beer.  I didn’t get away from Brisbane on the midday plane as I had anticipated, consequently poor Willie had to be wakened at 3.45 am on Monday to get an American Navy plane to Townsville.  We arrived at the aerodrome at 4.45 but the plane was not due to leave until six so we just sat around on our bums in the darkness for about an hour.  Couldn’t get booked through to Moresby direct – hence the above address.

I was the only Australian aboard the big Douglas.  One of the fellow yanks was an artist from the Chicago Tribune.  An elderly kind of Carl Shreveish looking guy with a long upper lip & untidy dress.  We left just as the sun was coming up over the sea, the whole vision was a blend of purple & red gold slashed and scored by brilliant reflected light from the rivers & pools.  Couldn’t see much after that as the sun brought the mist up and obscured most of our vision.  Arrived here about 9.30am which is a pretty fast trip considering its nearly 700 miles.  We flew mostly about 10,000 ft – about 400 feet above the clouds which looked like wads a kapok methodically sprinkled over the earth below.

Townsville is a most picturesque place to approach by air.  The town itself nestles beneath a huge rocky mass called Castle Hill & fringes the big bay which is blocked towards the sea by the mountainous Magnetic island.  The airport here is an hellishly busy place – planes of all descriptions come & go every few minutes.

It is lousy with troops.  2 to every 1 civilian.  The beer position is acute in the town’s hotels – they charge 2/- deposit on the glass.  Fortunately for us pukka sahibs there is an Officer’s Club – much bigger than that in Brisbane.¹Wep was most probably billeted at the Seaview Hotel on the Strand (cnr Gregory Street), Townsville, which was the wartime home of the Australian Officer’s Club. Personnel from the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) staffed the club. In a Report on civilian morale, the picture was painted that the Officer’s Club was the scene of regular “drunken debauches” and “depraved orgies”. The report details several supposed incidents which gave the Officer’s Club this reputation – Register of World War II historic places – World War II historic places in Queensland – Open Data Portal. (2024, January 13). Retrieved from https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/world-war-ii-historic-places-in-queensland/resource/cbd1aa53-38f3-414d-9ed2-29623047ac23²THE HOTEL SEAVIEW. (1930, July 26). Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1907 – 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 13, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60783220 It is situated in a pleasant hotel on the beach front which is fringed with coconut palms.

Met Trotter up here. We went for a swim during the afternoon.  The water is quite warm and we diddled around for about an hour – did ½ half non-fishing & got somewhat burnt.  Drove back and bathed in 2 inches of water (the supply is cut off during the day because of the shortage).  Dressed & returned to Officer’s Club & drank nice cold beer in comfort.  Trotter left at 4 am this morning.

Edwards³Reginald James Edwards, photographer; Yvonne Todd’s husband caught the midday plane from Brisbane & arrived yesterday afternoon.  We both leave at 4 am tomorrow.  Moresby is only 4 hours flight away so I’ll be there for lunch.  This weather is enervating so forgive me if the letters are both short and dull.  I haven’t been dry since I arrived – the nights are just as warm.  We were going up the mountain in a friend of Edward’s jeep but someone pinched it from outside the Officer’s Club last night, a pretty kettle of fish!  The major in charge here is a most amiable fellow & is taking us up there this afternoon after which we proceed swimming-wards.  This house is well up on the hill and is surroundedby most pleasant shady trees.  The enclosed flower for you is from a poinsiana⁴Poinciana (it sounds like that) tree.  It’s a delightful thing with great long pods like 2 ft peas hanging off the limbs.  The general appearance is something like a jacaranda except for the profusion of brilliant red flowers.

Will write to you tomorrow darling.  Hope you are looking after yourself well and are eating up your ration of meat.

Lots of love to you darling from
Bill

Notes:

• 1
  Wep was most probably billeted at the Seaview Hotel on the Strand (cnr Gregory Street), Townsville, which was the wartime home of the Australian Officer’s Club. Personnel from the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) staffed the club. In a Report on civilian morale, the picture was painted that the Officer’s Club was the scene of regular “drunken debauches” and “depraved orgies”. The report details several supposed incidents which gave the Officer’s Club this reputation – Register of World War II historic places – World War II historic places in Queensland – Open Data Portal. (2024, January 13). Retrieved from https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/world-war-ii-historic-places-in-queensland/resource/cbd1aa53-38f3-414d-9ed2-29623047ac23
• 2
  THE HOTEL SEAVIEW. (1930, July 26). Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1907 – 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 13, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60783220
• 3
  Reginald James Edwards, photographer; Yvonne Todd’s husband
• 4
  Poinciana