Darwin water supply Archives

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

Friday
[13 Aug 1943]

Darling,

After posting yesterday’s letter I had a most welcome surprise. One of your letters was delivered to me via the good graces of an Officer who had been in Darwin. It was quite a treat.

I have a box of 200 cigs put away for you. I can’t bring anything else much down because I will still have weight limits to consider on the place trip.

See if you can buy some poultry shears. I don’t know what I want – leave till I come home – it won’t be long. Whacko the dinner – and after?! Your letters ar’nt [sic] censored. So speak freely. Am back now with the crowd from Sydney. Amused them all last night with mad sketches of them waiting for a shower and straining at the stool. They were well received. Prior to the padre’s (there is one here at the moment) departure last night the drawings were strictly on the up & up.

One of the Captains here took me for a run to the dam which supplies Darwin with water.¹ It’s a pretty big affair and water is held back for about 7 miles. The Manager of the plant there lives in a delightful cottage overlooking the river which flows from the foot of the spillway. Tall and gracious ti trees intermingled with pandanas palms and eucalypts shade the languid water lilies. His house on the hillside is surrounded with the greenest pawpaws, bananas, jacarandas and gums. A rustic fountain plays amid tropical lilies speckled like coleus. Bush orchids hang on the trees, citrus fruit, chrysanthemums, flocks and tomatoes add variety to the pattern. Hanging baskets of purple backed leaves complete the picture. The dam itself is full of fish which we could quite plainly see – perch – garfish – & one tiny snake swimming on the surface – a boat is moored nearby. It’d make a wonderful weekender. Apparently anything grows at any time during the dry season. The ground is extraordinarily indulgent when supplied with plenty of water.

Sort of

The climate is getting one a bit lazy now. Also I am becoming somewhat rattled as time is drawing to a close – there are so many odds & ends I want to check on. I suppose I’ll find I haven’t half enough stuff or have overlooked something – when I start in re drawing it all.

Next weekend I am flying over to a mission station² where are plenty of blacks etc. Should be a wad of material in it. Native dances, tropical scenery. Air force base, shipping scenes, crocodiles – in fact – the whole works.

You can’t help but be amused at the conversation in the territory. Only 2 basic topics – women & beer discussed ad infinitum. Lurid speculation precedes the arrival of the Tivoli ballet. I shudder to think of the boys’ conversation after each performance.

Have borrowed a pair of shorts from the Loot at Darwin, hoping to get my legs a bit sunburnt – so far all I have collected is several hundred sand fly bites. A microscopic fly with a Gargantuan bite.

Am due at the big do tonight so cheerio whilst I am still whole & healthy.

Lots of love sweetheart

from your Willie.

Notes:

1
Manton Dam, about 70km (43 miles) south of Darwin was constructed by the Department of Defence and completed in 1942.
2
Believed to be Bathurst Island

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

Tuesday 10^th
[Aug 1943]

Darling,

Got another letter from you posted the 6^th. Thanks sweet you’re doing very well indeed. Sorry you haven’t had any mail for 5 days. I can’t understand that as I don’t think at any time have I gone longer than 2 days without sending you something. Maybe a censor somewhere has tossed one out. Why I wouldn’t know.

Sometimes I get fed up with it here. I think I’ll just clean up a few more things & come home within 3 weeks. To cover everything would take me months. So get ready to receive me right. Am looking forward to seeing you again – it does seem such a long time – doesn’t it?

Wrote 4 letters on Sunday to you, George Finey, King Watson, and the boys at the office. So that’s that. I was quite exhausted after it all.

We have all been washing & ironing today as the batman is sick. Frank Tierney¹ knows all about the job. I think he must have been a good wife to somebody.

Wep hanging out his washing. The Correspondents’ Mess is in the background. (Reproduced in The Australian Women’s Weekly, 20 Nov 1943, p9)

Yesterday I spent with a bomber squadron² and managed to get a good set up of the ‘erks’ (as the air force call the ranks who do the hard manual work) loading bombs into a plane.

Sketch study for Loading A Bomber On A Camouflaged Field North-West Australia. Lockeed Hudson bomber of RAAF No. 2 Squadron at Hughes Airfield

Sunday afternoon I make a very quick note of a funeral near here. Two of the mercantile marine seamen who were killed when Japs bombed a ship a few days ago off the coast north from here. I think it would make quite a good picture.

Funeral service, Darwin — Funeral service, Berrimah War Cemetery, Darwin
[ Note: The funeral services held on 8 August 1943 at the Berrimah War Cemetery were for George Dew and Harold Keller, killed when their vessel, ‘Macumba’ was sunk during a Japanese air attack. This particular scene is of the funeral for George Dew which was conducted by Padre T. Gee, Church of England Chaplain – see also . They were originally buried in the Berrimah War Cemetery on Berrimah Road, southeast of Darwin. After the war the graves were exhumed and relocated to Adelaide River War Cemetery where Dew and Keller were once again placed side by side] The Japanese attack is described by fellow correspondent Frank Tierney, SHIP SUNK BY BOMBS (1943, August 9). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 4.

Made a quick water colour sketch of one of the bombed houses here. Water colors are hellishly awkward to manage out of doors. The colour dries on the box before you can get it onto the paper.

Am dashing this letter off because I’m going up the road a little way to finish off a painting of a swimming pool I started some time ago. As the mail will go before I return I am in haste to express my adoration.

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”³ 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.

Possibly War Correspondent Frank Tierney of The Sydney Morning Herald

Loading A Bomber On A Camouflaged Field North-West Australia, The Australian Women’s Weekly, 20 Nov 1943, p8 The Lockheed Hudson bomber, possibly ‘Houdini’ was part of RAAF No. 2 Squadron based at Hughes Airfield (30 Mile), south of Darwin

Lockheed Crew, The Australian Women’s Weekly, 20 Nov 1943, p9

Lockheed Hudson Bomber, ‘Houdini’; sketch study for Loading A Bomber On A Camouflaged Field North-West Australia

Fuelling a Hudson bomber of RAAF No. 2 Squadron at Hughes Airfield

Detail studies for painting “Loading A Bomber On A Camoflaged Field North-West Australia”

Detail studies of fuelling operations for Hudson bombers at RAAF No. 2 Squadron, Hughes Airfield

Lockheed Hudson Bomber, ‘Houdini’, No. 2 Squadron, Hughes Airfield

Lockheed Hudson Bomber, No. 2 Squadron, Hughes Airfield

Funeral service, Darwin
[ Note: The funeral services held on 8 August 1943 at the Berrimah War Cemetery were for George Dew and Harold Keller, killed when their vessel, ‘Macumba’ was sunk during a Japanese air attack. This particular scene is of the funeral for George Dew which was conducted by Padre T. Gee, Church of England Chaplain – see also . They were originally buried in the Berrimah War Cemetery on Berrimah Road, southeast of Darwin. After the war the graves were exhumed and relocated to Adelaide River War Cemetery where Dew and Keller were once again placed side by side]

Relic of Feb ’42 – Darwin – The American Headquarters corner Peel and Smith Streets, Darwin was originally McLure’s flats. It suffered a direct hit from a Daisy bomb. Present-day site of Uniting Church.

Darwin buildings: Above Unidentified; Below, Darwin Town Hall, Smith Street

Commercial Bank of Australia, Darwin – Built in 1887 and situated on the northwest corner of Smith and Bennett Streets.

Notes:

1
Frank Tierney was a War Correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald
2
RAAF No. 2 Squadron equipped with Lockheed Hudson bombers was based at Hughes Airfield (30 Mile)
3
Sun Valley Serenade (1941) starring Sonja Henie, John Payne and Glenn Miller and his orchestra. See also Wikipedia

Tag: Darwin water supply

War Letters – NW Australia: 13 Aug 1943, Manton Dam; Inspecting Darwin’s water supply

Notes:

War Letters – NW Australia: 10 Aug 1943, Darwin; Funeral service for two mercantile seamen

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