Tag: New Guinea

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War Letters – NW Australia: 11 Aug 1943, Darwin; Pushing off to another camp

W.E. Pidgeon
C/O DPR Unit
APO Darwin

Wednesday morning
[11 Aug 1943]

Sweetheart,

Another hurried note to catch the mail as I am pushing off again down the road.  I won’t be able to catch a mail further on.  Nothing whatever has happened since I wrote you midday yesterday.  Enjoyed “Sun Valley Serenade”1Sun Valley Serenade (1941) starring Sonja Henie, John Payne and Glenn Miller and his orchestra. See also Wikipedia once more – The skiing was extra good.  Got a real kick out of it.  Fancy that wonderful season down south going to waste.2Bill and Jess regularly went skiing at Kosciuszko with the Millions Ski Club

I’ll be pleased to be home again soon – I don’t know – I like it up here but get sick of the lack of privacy & I miss you.  Be a bit of alright if we had a house up here together.  Have managed to get enough stuff together to keep me going for some time when I return so that even if I go to New Guinea we’ll be together for a few months.  After 10 years3Wep and Jess were married August 24, 1933 you certainly get settled down into a routine existence.  After the war we’ll have to get away more together.  Make our own pleasures without the help or otherwise of others.

Fighter pilots4RAAF 457 Squadron (Spitfires) at Livingstone Airfield are putting on a do this week celebrating some anniversary.  Your art husband has been invited – I suppose he will feel a little poorly on the morning after.

I like to get away from the correspondents’ mess – there’s too much blasted proximity all the time.  But miss your letters like hell.  I won’t get one now until Monday next when I plan to return.

Have nothing more to add at the moment darling – will write again tonight.  This is just so’s you’ll get something to remember me by you little beaut.

Notes:

  • 1
    Sun Valley Serenade (1941) starring Sonja Henie, John Payne and Glenn Miller and his orchestra. See also Wikipedia
  • 2
    Bill and Jess regularly went skiing at Kosciuszko with the Millions Ski Club
  • 3
    Wep and Jess were married August 24, 1933
  • 4
    RAAF 457 Squadron (Spitfires) at Livingstone Airfield
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War Letters – Morotai: 20 Jan 1945, Hollandia; Met cousin Ilma’s husband

Hollandia
Saturday 20th Jan 44 [45]
7.20 am

Darling,

Am writing this whilst sitting safely & placidly on a comfortable bed in a comfortable camp.  As you observe I have at last got this pen into some semblance of working order. I hope it stays like this.  Jack Hickson is still asleep – he’s been asleep ever since we left Sydney.

War Correspondent, photographer Jack Hickson, asleep on the tran
War Correspondent, photographer Jack Hickson, asleep on the transport plane to New Guinea

We got here about 6.30 pm yesterday after a strenuous 11 hour trip from Townsville.  And what a trip! 5 hours over the bleeding ocean, through rain squalls & bumps and vague (at least to us) turnings.  Sometimes only a 100 ft or so over the sea & at others 8000.  A dirty trip which caused your old man a certain amount of mental distress.  Landed at Moresby drome where there was only one other plane on the field – that place is plenty dead these days.  Took ½ hour to climb high enough to cross the Owen Stanleys which were covered with enormous clouds.  We then turned up the Ramu Valley but were forced back by cloud before we got near Shaggy Ridge.  Climbed to about 15000 ft & passed over the bottom edge of the Bismarck Range & so to the Finschhafen coast to the accompaniment of more mental agitation.  Took us about 4 more hours flying time to get here which is just over the Dutch border.  Was I glad to land?  Was it good or bad?  No one wanted us as no one had heard of us.  After 1 ½ hours bum warming we managed a frugal meal at an air force camp & finally made our way up to the American Public Relations section of this huge US camp.  We slept here in some luxury.  Was introduced to the major in charge [Richard (Dick) Brewer] who asked me my Christian name.  His reaction to my weighty information was “I am married to Ilma” [Ilma Brewer nee Pidgeon, Wep’s first cousin].  So you see I am living with relatives namely my cousin-in-law.  He asked me how our chee-ild was.  And how is the little pet?  Does he miss dear old da?  Drop me a letter (one only) c/o RAAF Public Relations Morotai – but do it straightaway.  I’ll probably miss it anyway.  Breakfast is due in a few moments. I’ll try to write to greater length when we settle down some place.

Lots of love dear.  Look after yourself, Graham, and Mum.  Giver her my love.

Poppa

(alias Daddas

alias Weppie)

[Richard and Ilma Brewer went back to the US after the war but returned to Australia a few years later to settle permanently. Dick became the General manager for Parker Pens Australia and Ilma earned a PhD and became a Lecturer in Botany at the University of Sydney]

W.E. Pidgeon's (WEP) War Correspondent licence, No. 370, issued
W.E. Pidgeon’s (WEP) War Correspondent licence, No. 370, issued 13 Jan 1945 for his third trip to the south west Pacific war zone.
W.E. Pidgeon's (WEP) War Correspondent licence, No. 370, issued
W.E. Pidgeon’s (WEP) War Correspondent licence, No. 370, issued 13 Jan 1945 for his third trip to the south west Pacific war zone.

21 x 11 cm
American ambulance
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War Letters – Borneo: 26 July 1945, Seria; Oil wells set on fire during Japanese evacuation

W. E. Pidgeon
c/o Public Relations
Thursday
26th July [1945]

 

Darling,

Am now on the North East coast of Borneo – still in Brunei protectorate and staying at a place called Seria where the Japs fired the oil wells before evacuation.  These fires are really a sight and  a half.  Hours before you arrive here you can see the smoke billowing into the sky, forming what looks like at  a causal glance a great distant range of hazy mountains.  Closer – the light of the sun is shut out by the smoke and an ominous pall of near darkness and portentous gloom hangs over the jungle.  The fires spout out with a roar like a thousand great blow lamps – the flames, or rather a huge swirling billow of fire twists its way into rolling volumes of thick and pungent smoke.  Am going down this morning to see the boys attempt to put one out.  This is a cert for a “Women’s Weekly” job if the whole business up here is not a cold duck before I finish.

 

Burning oil wells at Seria
Burning oil wells at Seria

I’m getting a bit worried about that as movement in this area is slow and at times difficult to obtain.  I have yet to go to the northern Brunei area and to Balik Papan.  I think I had best speed things up as much as possible.  The jungle here is much more opulent, sleeker, and fatter in the leaf, and in diversity and colour, than that of New Guinea.  Lasiandra grows like a weed all over the place.  It’s a pretty poor specimen – a meager squirt of the thing compared to the one that I used to grow.  How’s it doing since the great disaster?  Do you keep woman wet?

Haven’t had any letters from you yet, but as I have not expected any I guess no damage is done.  How are things going with you – I hope your mother is not pumping too much food into your petite frame.  Have not seen anything worthwhile bringing home.  I’m afraid the early troops have cleaned out everything of any style or value.

Went down to very well spoken chinese fellow’s home last night.  He was an expert employee of the oil company’s before the Japs came.  He has avoided working for the Nips since their arrival & in secret meetings with other chinese always spoke English & talked of the time they would return.  A little girl [Peggy Ho] about 6 or 7 years of age sang “I’ll always call you sweetheart” tunefully & in extremely good English.  I remember well the last time I heard that song in company.  Sofala days!  That little chinese kid couldn’t have been more than 4 when the Japs came!  One more drawing in this particular area & I think I’ll move off.

Lots of love to you & Graham & Mum.  I’m getting quite anxious to hear about him – his latest in wisecracks and his new found dietetic acquisitions.

Love,

Bill

Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departing
Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departing
Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departing
Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departing
Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departing
Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departing
Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departing
Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departing

 

Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at Seria using a bulldozer rigged up with steam jet
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at Seria using a bulldozer rigged up with steam jet
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at Seria using a bulldozer rigged up with steam jet
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at Seria using a bulldozer rigged up with steam jet
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at Seria using a bulldozer rigged up with steam jet
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at
Australian engineers rig up a system to put out the oil fires at Seria using a bulldozer rigged up with steam jet

 

[Study for Burning oil wells at Seria II][Study for Burning oil wells at Seria III]Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departing

21 x 11 cm 21 x 11 cm Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departingBurning oil wells at Seria Oil wells at Seria set alight by the Japanese before departing

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War Letters – Borneo: 15 July 1945, Townsville; Departing for New Guinea

Townsville

Sunday, 9.30 am,

[15 Jul 1945]

Darling,

Very hurried line to let you know that I am off to New Guinea in about 1/4 hour.

Lots of love to you and bub.

Arrived here about 11 am yesterday morning & have been staying at the Officer’s Club – am sharing the room & the trip up with Capt. Mark Miller of divorce fame.  Will write you all the gossip later.

Love

Am running out of both time and ink.

Bill.

 

Background:

Divorce Suit in 4th Week .

SYDNEY, Monday.-When the divorce suit of a Sydney couple well-known in social circles entered its fourth week before a judge and jury in the Divorce Court to-day, it was estimated that costs had already passed the £2500 mark. Parties to the action are Captain Marcus Matthew Miller,A.I.F., son of a leading coal mine and brewery owner, and his wife, Jean Josephine Miller (nee O’Halloran),daughter of a well-known Sydney solicitor.

Miller is suing for divorce on the grounds of his wife’s adultery with Clifford Alexander, knitting mills proprietor, of Surry Hills, while his wife is cross-petitioning on the grounds of her husband’s adultery with a woman unknown and also his cruelty. Alexander is denying the allegation against him.  

Source: 1945 ‘Divorce Suit in 4th Week.’, Advocate (Burnie, Tas. : 1890 – 1954), 5 June, p. 5, viewed 11 July, 2013, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article68927076

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War Letters – Borneo: 25 June 1945, Sydney; Request for permission to travel

Brigadier J. Rassmussen,

Director General Public Relations,

L.H.Q.,

MELBOURNE. VICTORIA.

 

June 25, 1945

Dear Brigadier Rassmussen,

We are anxious to send our artist, W.E. Pidgeon – (Wep), to Borneo to do a series of paintings and black and white pictures for us.

Wep went to New Guinea for us and produced a number of pictures which we published in our issue of June 10, 1944. In January of this year he went to Morotai under the auspices of the R.A.A.F. and the results of his work appeared in our special R.A.A.F. issue on April 21, 1945.

I should be glad if you would let me know as soon as possible whether we have your permission to send him. I understand he has had all the necessary inoculations.

Yours faithfully,

Kenneth Wilkinson.

Acting Editor.

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