American bomber field Archives

August 17, 2023August 17, 2023

War Letters – NW Australia: 17 Aug 1943, Darwin; Back at the Correspondents’ Mess

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

Tuesday 17^th[17 Aug 1943]

Sweetheart,

Am back in the correspondents’ mess again. Arrived in this morning after a car trip of some 4 hours. The weather here is certainly to be preferred to that at the bomber strip¹ which I reckon must be the hottest blarsted spot in the whole N.T. Think I might have got a touch of the sun yesterday after setting out in the middle of a glaring road with no shirt on. Felt quite sick after ½ hour or so although I didn’t get burnt much. Possibly the glare of white paper with the sun shining on it may have been responsible. Anyway, I up & left. One of the yank officers reckoned I must have been a bit troppo to pick the spot in the first place what with the heat & thundering great trucks raising all smothering dust within 20 yards of me, etc.

At a water hole on a dusty Northern Territory road near USAAF camp, Fenton Airfield

Trucks parked at a water hole on a dusty Northern Territory road

Study for Smok – Transport men are seen at a halting place near a waterhole on one of the winding, dusty roads of the Northern Territory

Smoko – Transport men are seen at a halting place near a waterhole on one of the winding, dusty roads of the Northern Territory.” – the Australian Women’s Weekly, 26 Feb 1944, p9

Working out of doors in the middle of the day knocks you up alright. I feel positively exhilarated at the prospect of the cool Sydney spring. We’ll go out places together – eh? I’m practically certain to be down before your birthday. If I get transport accommodation OK. So when you get a telegram from me you’ll know to meet me at Rose Bay.² I’ll be looking for you – save up some juice. I won’t be able to tell you much in the telegram I shall send when I leave – It will be up to you to find out time of my arrival. Put some beer in the frige for us. Which reminds me to tell you I am happily having my weekly bottle at the very moment. It’s extremely good & most welcome as I have just finished doing the weeks washing & ironing 3 shirts 3 pants, handkerchiefs, underpants socks & towel. It’s hot work in these h’yar parts. The weather is getting warmer as the wet season approaches. Blarsted flies are banging about too – damn their wings. Don’t worry about me drinking a lot. There isn’t that much here! Even a few knocks everyone and I haven’t had more than 4 real hangovers in 6 weeks. I don’t suppose I have lost much weight really. Although one sweats to a prodigious extent water is consumed in replaceable quantities.

Have now taken up my pew in the sunshine as I must bring you back some visible indication of the tropics. One’s colour is said to disappear very quickly so I shall devote my last days here solely to the acquisition of a body tone you will really want to touch. Cunning little man!

Have also switched radio on and am listening to short wave transmission from the eastern states – whether Sydney or Melbourne or Brisbane I, as yet, don’t know. Ah me – how I am suffering.

Have just heard it was from Sydney.

Am becoming quite benign in all my attitudes – the bottle is practically empty. My good intentions of a long letter weaken – my sole desire at the moment is to sit by radio and dream happily & nebulously about you. With the pilots I say “I’ve had this place” – but also I say – “I want to have you”

A week today to the 24^th. Oh dear! I wish I could buy you something! Some little permanent thing we could keep for remembrance of our tenth. After all it’s quite a while. If you should see anything buy it for me to you. Up the clothes, I’ll buy them for you anyway. But I guess there is nothing left about anywhere. Maybe King in his second hand snoopings will see something. However don’t worry pet, about it – one day I’ll find something. Your best present to me will be to look your prettiest & to be ever so pleased about my being back. I think of you such a hell of a lot now. Seems as if I’m back at the going out to Brighton stage in my love life. High time I changed the record – playing this old lonely note doesn’t help either of us much.

You appear to be living an extremely quiet life. For goodness sake honey don’t drive yourself nuts. I hope you are eating something substantial occasionally for there has to be something left for me to grab hold of.

I’ve just come back from the pictures – a waste of time sadly regretted – the Ritz Bros in “3 Roaring Romeos”³ – My God! What a show!

Have plenty cigs for you. Looks almost as if I have been receiving stolen goods.

I should be able to write you for hours tonight as I am (believe it or not) the only inmate at present incarcerated in the asylum. All the others are out on their job. There’s been quite a bit of plane activity about here lately and they are covering all the news angles from the pilots, bombardiers & so on and so forth. 3 of the fighter pilots I was staying with bagged a bird each.⁴ Nice going. You’ll read about it all in the papers before this letter reaches you.⁵

This particular aircraft is believed to be the wreckage of Japanese Mitsubishi ‘Dinah’ Ki-46 II reconnaisaince plane #2237, shot down on the morning of August 17, 1943 near Fenton Airfield by Sqn Ldr Ken James of 457 Squadron. Wep most likely encountered the wreckage when departing Fenton to return to Darwin.

Crashed Japanese Mitsubishi ‘Dinah’ Ki-46 II, NW Australia

Site of crashed Japanese Mitsubishi ‘Dinah’ Ki-46 II, NW Australia

Wish I had our coleman stove – I’d set down right now to hot toast & asparagus. As things are I would have to build a wood fire. That’s too much.

Still haven’t any butter. Altogether I’ve had it only a week & a half since arriving. Oh boy, will I make a hog of myself down south.

Have just turned on short wave radio to some oriental station broadcasting some indescribably mournful dirge which suits my present mood like a tight collar. It’s really wonderfully glum. One of these days I must get me a short wave set – an amazing variety of stuff comes over – surely sufficient to suit every mood.

I’m still trying to make up my mind as to whether I should or should not, wolf the asparagus. The betting at the moment is two to one on that I do. May as well get something inside me – you can’t tell but that the yellow men may not be over later tonight. The moon is still perfect – they have had time to rest their bomber crews after the last raid – and they a getting a bashing from the yanks here – which sort of thing tends to make them a little angry. Perhaps I should remain awake a while – with no one in the house I may stay asleep at the wrong moment.

Only 14 or 15 days before I clear off. I’m beginning to count them. I suppose you will too, now that I have told you what I hope to do.

Asparagus is out in front turning into the straight – it’s no race folk – Asparagus wins pulling up, 3 bellyfuls in front of Some Bread and NO Butter.

So lots of love and kisses
from yours
as ever

Freddie
XXX

Notes:

1
Fenton airfield
2
Arriving via sea plane
3
“3 Roaring Romeos” (1939) was originally titled in the U.S.A. in 1939 as “The Three Musketeers” starring Don Ameche and The Ritz Brothers
4
2022 Cooper, Anthony; Darwin Spitfires; the real battle for Australia; “The triumph of 17 August”, pp477-486
5
1943 ‘AUSTRALIAN PLANES IN N.-WEST THRASH JAPS.’, The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 – 1954), 19 August, p. 3

August 16, 2023August 30, 2023

War Letters – NW Australia: 16 Aug 1943, Fenton Airfield; With the USAAF 380th Bombardment Group

C/o DPR Unit,
APO Darwin

Monday
[16 Aug 1943]

Darling.

Just a note – I haven’t much time to write at any length as I’m only staying at this American bomber field for a day. This will be fully occupied getting around & having a look see. It is a big camp & takes a lot of covering. Will let you know more about it later.

1 NW Australia_0220 — US mechanics putting a new propellor on a B24 Liberator bomber, Fenton Airfield, Northern Territory – At the time of Wep’s visit, the United States Army Air Force 528th and 530th Bombardment Squadrons of the 380th Bombardment Group (Fifth Air Force Group) was based at Fenton with B-24 Liberators.

Won’t be getting back to Darwin until Wednesday which is unfortunate as I can’t get my mail until I return. Hope everyone got my letters OK. Unless Mrs Jackson¹ gets up here before I leave I expect to be home fairly shortly – am getting to the stage of saying Thank God for that.

The yanks do themselves pretty well in the way of food – they have more variety & pay much more attention to its preparation than do our own troops.

Expect to be making back along the road tomorrow and to complete a couple of notes I have taken.

Christ it’s hot here. Sweat is just cascading off me. However it is not all distressing – feels quite pleasant as a matter of fact as the breeze evaporates it almost immediately. Nothing like Sydney’s heat – i.e. Sydney’s summer heat to you.

Lots & lots of love honey. Am looking forward to getting your letters – I feel quite out of date.

A bloody bushwhacker, that’s what I am.

More love from

Bill

P.S. A booful flower from a NT gum tree for you.

US Air Force camp, The Australian Women’s Weekly, 25 Dec 1943, p11

Sketch for USAAF Hospitality Tent, Fenton Airfield

Study for: Horseplay in the officers’ quarters. A US aircrew off duty

Horseplay in the officers’ quarters. A U.S. aircrew off duty. – The Australian Women’s Weekly, 25 Dec 1943, p10

Study for The Briefng, Fenton Airfield – Two US aircrews are briefed for a big job, one of the longest reconnaissance flights of the war, 2700 miles. This was most likely the raid undertaken by US bombers on fuel depots at Balikpapan, the evening of Sunday, August 16, 1943 as reported by fellow War Correspondent Frank Tierney for the Sydney Morning Herald TANKS AND REFINERIES LEFT ABLAZE (1943, August 16). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 5.

The Briefing; The Australian Women’s Weekly, 25 Dec 1943, p11

Awaiting emergency landing, The Australian Women’s Weekly, 25 Dec 1943, p10

USAAF Officers’ cafeteria, The Australian Women’s Weekly, 25 Dec 1943, p10

Control tower at USAAF camp, Fenton Airfield

Notes:

1
Alice Jackson; editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly

August 14, 2023August 12, 2023

War Letters – NW Australia: 14 Aug 1943, Livingstone Airfield; Jap air raid interrupts the party

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

Saturday
[14 Aug 1943]

Darling,

I’m still here. I suppose you gave me a little thought when you read that N.T. area had been raided by 18 Jap planes on Friday night.¹ Well, your little Willie was right out of it. It occurred during the middle of the party I spoke of in my last letter. We were all gathered around some tables in the middle of the bush not far from one of the air strips (as they call the aerodromes here) when the warning came over. Some of the pilots had to dash off to their Spitties. The lights went off and we continued our drinking in the bright moonlight assisted by the light of a parachute flare which one of the Jap planes dropped over the area. Old deafie didn’t hear the planes – there was so much alcoholic conversation being broadcast. A moment later ack-ack fire started – booms & flashes split the night. Shrapnel from the bursts fell in the camp where I stayed last week. Fortunately for us the Japs weren’t after the fighter planes – they flew past & dropped their eggs near 2 bomber fields. One of these I described to you as being situated in the hills. I stayed there on Wednesday night.² The yellow boys might just as well have saved their time, petrol and bombs as neither damage nor casualties (so far as I have heard) were inflicted. So – a miserable flare is all I’ve seen of the war up in this front line. There appears to be an expectation of another bash tonight – it being a magnificently full moon. Perhaps it is just as well I’m not in Darwin or staying in a bomber camp, although they tell me that even a poor bloody Allied Works Council camp stopped a stick of bombs last night. The only physical stress I have collected is plenty of bites – and then some. I scratch like a lousy old dog.

The party was pretty willing while it lasted. Met a Spitty pilot from one of the squadrons who asked how both you and I were keeping. We met him outside St James theatre with Paul Brennan and some others just before they left for Canada two years ago.

Have just been asked if I’d like to go down to an American bomber field tomorrow. Think I’ll go down & see what sort of holes the bombs made. I don’t know that it would be terrible healthy to stay down there – I’ll see about that later.

Cripes I’m missing you honey. Am really looking forward to getting home. This life of celibacy is not what it’s cracked up to be. You’re in for a torrid time my chicabiddy when the bronzed old boy gets back. I don’t know that you’ll go much on my colour/pattern – I’m getting browned as far as the waist only, from there down snow white takes over. Have been letting my mo grow a pace – perhaps you should buy me a moustache cup.

How are the Watson family coming along? How’s the concrete idiot child? And Bib & Bub?

Very quiet night – we are all sitting round like little goody boys – all writing to our dearests and sweetests. All of which refers me back to wimmimck(?) How’s Tommy’s Art for arts(?) sake? Has he had the animated Selina out again? Did you see her stripped – is she still much the same?

Sunday morning [15 Aug 1943] before breakfast

I get up early – as a rule before the sun. The night passed off without incident which is all very well.

Called at a Sergeants’ tent before going to bed. They were all on the jungle juice – a potent and horrible brew of their own manufacture made out of anything they can lay their hands on – prunes, dried fruits – potato peelings, jam – sugar & old boots, topped off with a liberal dose of yeast. It looks like milk bar washing up water and tastes and smells like old yeast. It is alleged to turn the mildest of men into maniacal dervishes. I didn’t have any. The conversation was still on the dames and what they would do to them on return to the flesh pots of our fair city in the south.

That’s all for the moment, dear Willie is signing off. Get your squeezing muscles ready my sweet for the old boy won’t be long now. (I hope!) Love in bundles for Jessie.

Bill

Answers:

No 1. I live in tents – i.e. at different places – not in tents at one time.

No 2. A pilot wrote that on your letter – he was in his cups – I’ll decipher it for you later.

afield2 from ozatwar — Fighter guide map of airfields near Darwin (from Peter Dunn’s Australia@War). Wep was probably camped just north of Manton Dam near Livingstone airfield which had Spitfires from 457 Squadron along with 452 Squadron at Strauss airfield.

Notes:

1
Four raids occurred on the night of Friday 13th August and the early hours of Saturday morning. They were aimed at Hughes Airfield, Fenton airfield (9:45pm), Fenton & Coomalie Creek airfields (11:12pm) and Long airfield in the early hours of Saturday, August 14th (Japanese Air Raids in Australia During WW2, Dunn, P. 2013, Australia@War). The raid which Wep refers to was most likely the attack at 11:12pm on Fenton and Coomalie Creek where he had been staying two nights earlier.
2
Coomalie Creek Airfield