Letters Home WWII (14) May 20 1945 On a Brighter Note!

Dad is writing from somewhere in the islands north of Australia.

Letters Home WWII (13) April 16 1945

Dad is telling his parents about Mum's breakdown and subsequent loss of memory.  Mum truly fell in love with Dad twice and they married 6 weeks later even though only some of her memory had returned.  I am struck by Dad's calm demeanor but then he was always very calm on the surface.  What he doesn't say in the letter was the lack of support Mum was getting from her parents.  Her father wrote to Dad alright but suggested he forget all about Mum as they were thinking of putting her into an asylum.  Today they would probably diagnose her complete memory loss as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD.  The reasons for her breakdown are in her book "Pavlovas to Popcorn".  It's available from http://www.frostmedia.com.au/ruthfrost/ and on Kindle as well http://www.amazon.com/Pavlovas-to-Popcorn-ebook/dp/B005E4WDBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329959664&sr=8-1 (I just had to get a plug in for Mum's book, her Australian War Bride adventure.)

Letters Home WWIi (12) April 4 1945

He's been away for 4 years.

Letters Home WWII (11) Feb 28 1945

Dad is beginning to prepare for Mum's travel to the US in this letter.  Things didn't go to plan as the rest of the letters will show.

Letter Home WWII (10) February 26 1945

Letters Home WWII (9) February 1 1945

Grandma sent these letters on to the rest of the family and I love that she made an occasional comment on them.  In this one she is appalled that her own children didn't know the spelling of her name.  Dad is also asking for more photos of his nieces and nephews.

Letters Home WWII (8) October 13 1944

The frustrations of being so far from home.  Dad is sure upset about something someone said back in Fort Pierre.  One can only guess now.

Letters Home WWII (7) September 30 1944

Mum tells me that the cake she sent Dad was not baked by her.  Dad didn't find out until after they were married that she didn't know how to cook.  Dad taught her how to cook or so the story goes.

The Little Toy Train has Gone to War

I always laugh and cry when I read this article written about Dad's toy train that went off to war.  I hope you can all read it.  The clipping is a little worse for wear but I wanted the original on here.

 

Letters Home WWII (6) August 6 1944

A very newsy 8 page letter home.  I think he must have been in New Guinea in this one as he talks about the heat and damp.  (Although it's hot and damp here in Queensland)  This letter reminds me of why he enjoyed MASH so much on TV.  He talks about the lousy movies they had to watch and the projector breaking down.  I wonder if they had a Klinger  or Radar to fix it.
He talks about saving money for a furlough and how easy it is to save because he spends so little on the few extras he needs.  
Dad never talks about the horrors of war or the terror he must have felt as he drove his truck from the boats onto the beaches while being strafed by enemy aircraft overhead.  It was only many years later that we heard the stories and understood how this fresh faced young man was forever changed by war.

Letter Home WWII (5) March 17 1944

Postmarked San Francisco March 17 1944.  Dad wrote it on March 13 so it only took 4 days to get to the US.  I enjoy reading about what he planned to do when he got home. 

 

Letters Home WWII (4) January 15 1944. Gridiron arrives in Australia

 A few of the Gridiron fans will get a kick out of this letter.  Take note that the column was written by a sports writer for "The Truth" newspaper way back in 1944 in Brisbane Australia.