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I\u00a0was the only Australian aboard the big Douglas.\u00a0 One of the fellow yanks was an artist from the Chicago Tribune.\u00a0 An elderly kind of Carl Shreveish looking guy with a long upper lip & untidy dress.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t see much after that as the sun brought the mist up and obscured most of our vision.\u00a0 Arrived here about 9.30am which is a pretty fast trip considering its nearly 700 miles.\u00a0 We flew mostly about 10,000 ft \u2013 about 400 feet above the clouds which looked like wads a kapok methodically sprinkled over the earth below.<\/p>\n
Townsville is a most picturesque place to approach by air.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The airport here is an hellishly busy place \u2013 planes of all descriptions come & go every few minutes.<\/p>\n
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It is lousy with troops.\u00a0 2 to every 1 civilian.\u00a0 The beer position is acute in the town\u2019s hotels \u2013 they charge 2\/- deposit on the glass.\u00a0 Fortunately for us pukka sahibs there is an Officer\u2019s Club \u2013 much bigger than that in Brisbane.1<\/a><\/sup>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<\/span>2<\/a><\/sup>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<\/span> It is situated in a pleasant hotel on the beach front which is fringed with coconut palms.<\/p>\n Met Trotter up here. We went for a swim during the afternoon.\u00a0 The water is quite warm and we diddled around for about a<\/span>n hour \u2013 did \u00bd half non-fishing & got somewhat burnt.\u00a0 Drove back and bathed in 2 inches of water (the supply is cut off during the day because of the shortage).\u00a0 Dressed & returned to Officer\u2019s Club & drank nice cold beer in comfort.\u00a0 Trotter left at 4 am this morning.<\/span><\/p>\n Edwards3<\/a><\/sup>Reginald James Edwards, photographer; Yvonne Todd’s husband<\/span> caught the midday plane from Brisbane & arrived yesterday afternoon.\u00a0 We both leave at 4 am tomorrow.\u00a0 Moresby is only 4 hours flight away so I\u2019ll be there for lunch.\u00a0 This weather is enervating so forgive me if the letters are both short and dull.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t been dry since I arrived \u2013 the nights are just as warm.\u00a0 We were going up the mountain in a friend of Edward\u2019s jeep but someone pinched it from outside the Officer\u2019s Club last night, a pretty kettle of fish!\u00a0 The major in charge here is a most amiable fellow & is taking us up there this afternoon after which we proceed swimming-wards.\u00a0 This house is well up on the hill and is surroundedby most pleasant shady trees.\u00a0 The enclosed flower for you is from a poinsiana4<\/a><\/sup>Poinciana<\/span> (it sounds like that) tree.\u00a0 It\u2019s a delightful thing with great long pods like 2 ft peas hanging off the limbs.\u00a0 The general appearance is something like a jacaranda except for the profusion of brilliant red flowers.<\/p>\n Will write to you tomorrow darling.\u00a0 Hope you are looking after yourself well and are eating up your ration of meat.<\/p>\n Lots of love to you darling from It is lousy with troops. 2 to every civilian. The beer position is acute in the town\u2019s hotels \u2013 they charge 2\/- deposit on the glass. Fortunately for us pukka sahibs there is an Officer\u2019s Club \u2013 much bigger than that in Brisbane. It is situated in a pleasant hotel on the beach front which is fringed with coconut palms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1656,62],"tags":[2198,2199,1772,2246,1773,1882,1776,940,1774,2245,939,1775,65,1984],"class_list":["post-3281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-guinea-jan-feb-1944","category-war-letters","tag-80yearsago","tag-otd","tag-american-navy-plane","tag-australian-officers-club-townsville","tag-chicago-tribune","tag-douglas-c47-transport","tag-magnetic-island","tag-officers-club","tag-reg-j-edwards","tag-seaview-hotel","tag-townsville","tag-trotter","tag-war-correspondent","tag-war-letters"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nBill<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wepidgeon.com\/pidgeonpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2-New-Guinea-2-Townsville-22.jpg\")
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<\/p>\nNotes:<\/h3>