Letters of Malcolm William Keshan, 1940 (Part 17)

"A" Coy 19th Aust:Inf.Tng,Bn
A.I.F.
Abroad
10.12.40 

Dear Dot
Here goes for letter No 4 so far I have only received four from you
worst luck, anyhow don't forget keep them comeing. You remember me saying
I was going to receive two day leave to Jerusalem well its all over now
and did I have a good time, Ill thay, I never stopped seeing and doing
things, that is not for two day, anyhow. We didnt arrive in Jerusalem
until about four o'clock in the afternoon and by the time I had shaved had a
hair cut and general clean up it was time for dinner, after which I decided to
have a drink and then go to a show or something like that, however when I got
down there I met three New Zealand chaps and after talking for a while we
decided to visit a Night Club which we promptly did, we finished up at
a place called the Savoy susposed to be a real swanky place, they had a
nice little orchestra and it way a very nice little place even had a
marble dance floor, we didn't stop there long, and left with the intentions
of seeing a French picture however when we finally reached the place 
where the show should have been on they had a play there instead, well
no one wanted to see a play, so we caught a taxi and asked him to
drop us at a Cinema which he did where the place was I still dont
know, don't get me wrong remember there is a blackout on and you can
not tell where you are going, when we got inside I found out I had
seen she show, it strange, in the theatres over here you can smoke
all the time if you wish, and it a silly idea it makes the place very
stuffy, also the show is in four different languages, the talkin in this

(2) 
case was in Engish, underneath in printing was French, on one side was Arabic 
and on the other side some other language and they only show one picture and 
a few shorts, the show we saw was Fast v Furious. After the show we went 
out called a taxi and went back to the Savoy where we listened to the music 
until twelve and then went back to the Hotel and so to bed, that covers the 
first night. How am I doing hope I can make eight pages at least, I doubt it. 
Well the next day we hired out a car and a guide for the day and started 
out to see all we could before dark as after dark all there is to see are night 
clubs or shows, we started our trip by seeing the Australian War Cemetry in 
Jerusalem well its certainly well kept, and I think that's about all you could 
say about it because you couldnt call a cemetry nice, now could you. When 
we left there we headed for Bethlehem and on the way there we saw Rachels 
Tomb you can see Bethlehem a long time before you get there as its up on 
a hill, however when we arrived we looked the place over, and then done a  
little shopping after which we visited the Church of Nativity which is very 
old and interesting part of it was built in the 16th Century and the other in the
20th Century in it there are painting done in the 16th Century you can tell they
are painting and thats about all there are big pillars going down either side 
of the Church inside and they are falling to pieces with age in it is also The 
Birth Place and The Manger. Then outside they have the big Christmas 
Bells its a very interesting place and hard to describe you couldn't call it 
beautiful, because its to old to be beautiful but it is interesting, I have a 
few snaps I'm sending but they are very deceiving as they cannot show the 
age, and if you saw them after looking at the snaps you probably find 
they were not what you expected. We wandered down under the Church on 
our own a found a cave full of human bones skulls and everything 
we were unable to find out anything about them however, they were falling

(3)
to pieces with age, we took a few more snaps in the yard after that and left, 
Returning to Jerusalem we had lunch at the Cafe Europe and being very hungry 
we shocked the waiter by ordering two issues each, evidently it isn't done, however 
being a soldier you can do lots of things you couldnt do in ordinary life. 
Immediately after lunch we left for the Garden of Gethsemany which is down behind 
Old Jerusalem well darling its one place that more than beautiful words 
fail me, not the garden its indeed very nice but the Church, I have never 
seen anything like it, and I sure I never will see anything to compair with 
it; the roof is made of dimes donated by different nations and all done in gold 
and coloured mosaic work the walls are big glass windows, blue in colour 
and the floor is all mosaic work and polished, it has a big marble Altar over 
which is one of the best pieces of mosaic work you could expect to see, well 
darl I couldnt explain it and it would be useless to try, you can only see the 
beauty you can't explain it. I wrote about it before I believe its the second time 
I have seen it and not the last. Well when we finally left there we headed for 
the Dead Sea well it was a very interesting and exciting trip not that there 
is much to to see its nothing but hills hills and more hills all the way down 
but they are different than our hills and we did see a herd of what appeared 
to be wild camels, and the trip is full of hairpin bends and at times 
we would go round a bend and see the road about one hundred feet 
below and as I have told you these Arabs dont drive slow our guide was an 
Arab one of the very few clean ones, at times they would only have to 
make one slip and they would never get a chance to make another, when 
we finally got down to the Dead Sea there was very little to see, there 
was a Hotel possibly two built on the shore for touristis and also a big 
restraunt and a house or two, and they do have a salt factory to and 
very little else, the sea itself appears to be nothing but a big lake its

(4)
very calm hardly a ripple in the water, on one side all you can see is hills with 
no vegetation or anything growing on them, then on the other side we were on 
there is a flat which is also skirted by hillsits something like a big valley 
with a large lake in tyhe middle, well we visited the restraunt and after 
taking a few snaps decided to go for a swim, well darl I've had a few swims 
in my days but nothing like this one, you simply couldnt sink its impossible if 
you swim out to where it was over your head you couldn't even tread water because 
you cant keep your feet down, you just lay on your back put your arms out 
so you wont turn over and relax and you can float around all day, the water 
sting something terrible if it get in your eyes though believe me it sting 
when it get on your face that is the part men shave, also if you dive you 
are liable to get hurt. After we had our swim we left for Jericho which is 
supposed to grow the best oranges and bananas in Palestine its only a small 
place and not very interesting, though one thing of interest from a distance 
was a big house built into the side of a cliff from the top of the cliff to the 
roof of the house was a fifty foot drop, then from what appeared to be the doors 
of the house to the bottom was another hundred feet how anyone could get 
up or down from the place beats me unless someone stayed up there all the 
time and pulled them up on a rope. From there we went to Allenby Bridge 
which is across the Jordan River, well the bridge is just a bridge and the 
river is a very muddy one however we crossed it just so we could say 
we crossed the border.  We stayed there for a while and the thought it was 
time to get back to Jerusalem if we wished to get back before dark however we 
had not gone far when we got a punture when we finally had it fixed 
we found out that one of the back tines was almost worn through and 
you could just about see the tube, well all the way back to Jerusalem 
we were waiting for it to blow out, and send us over the side of the road.

(5)
however we all arrived back safe and sound just as it was getting dark, even so 
we decided to have a look at the Holy Sepulchre which is inside the walls of Old  
Jerusalem so our guide took us there, we couldn't see it all very well owing to 
darkness but it is another very old place and at present is being repaired in 
places and is also being held up in places with modern structures which if 
removed, the places would soon fall down, while in there we saw gifts donated 
to the Church by many different countries there  are rings, bracelets daggers, and  
many other different thing and in all they are worth over two million pounds 
the the Calvary along side it is done out in fine gold it's marvelous, also the 
Annointed Stone where Christ was washed after he was taken from the Cross and 
also the Tomb of Christ and many other things also which at present I can't remember 
but they will all come out in later letters, again I say its impossible 
to actually explain these things, you have to see them to know just what its 
like. It was getting late when we finally left there so we had to rush back 
to the hotel and brush up as we had decided to dine at the Savoy so we 
returned to the Night Club and stayed there all night talking and I got him to 
play Star Dust for me twice and also others, I could have had a dance had I 
wished but I just looked at the girls thought of danceing with you and that 
made danceing with them out of the question, but we had a good time and 
lots of fun talking and joking among ourselves. Next morning I was up bright 
and early, early anyhow and we went for a walk through Old Jerusalem again 
down to the Wishing Well which was a little more interesting than the last 
time I was there as it happened to be the Jews Sunday and there quite a few 
down there doing a bit of wailing it seemed rather funny to me silly as a 
matter of fact and it would make some people laugh though I thought I 
had better not do so. As time was short we could not have a good look at 
the Mosque of Omar but we will next time and I will explain it to you then

(6)
I just had a look at the outside of it this time, then we went down and had a look 
at Solemons Mines which are of very little interest its just an ordinary mine 
in other words just a hole in the ground, I was sorry after this that we didn't see 
the Mosque of Omar instead then I might have you at least another page. However 
That almost covers the lot, of course we visited the Mount of Olives you can 
get a very good view from there of the wall of the Old Jerusalem, well we returned 
to our Hotel got our gear and so left for camp. But believe it or not I have 
been granted another days leave to go to Tel Aviv you will be thinking I never 
do any work, well I do sometimes, but when they give me leave I never refuse 
it as you never know how long it will be before we get some more. I got hold 
of a photo album darl and will send it to morrow also you can send your 
snaps out and keep them in it thats better than having them loose there will 
be no letter with it I warn you in advance. 
Well my sweet I guess I have to finish of new, gosh I'd like to see you 
now, I do miss these good times I had with you, and I hope we can have them 
again, before my rivals get the best of me they have me worried. Well darl 
lots v lots of love by the way Im getting very forgetful wish everyone all the 
best for me please, anytime I miss saying that just do it darl as when I 
write to you I get a funny feeling when it comes to signing off and I can only think 
of one thing So darling Big Cheerio 
Very Sincerely Yours 
Mac 
xxxxxx 
xxxxx 
xxxx 
xxx 
xx 
x 
P.S. Gosh your letters are slow 
Mac

A.F. W3078   [Crown Copy]
ACTIVE SERVICE

Passed by Censor 
No. 647 
  
Miss D Williams 
37 Byrnes Cr. 
Bexley. 
Sydney. 
N.S.W 
Australia

Sgt Keshan
NK11069 
S.A.G          
Received 
25/12/40

"A" Coy 19^th Aust:Inf.Tng.Bn 
A.I.F. 
Abroad 
17^th Dec.1940 

Dear Dot, 
Well sweet I have received your last Air Mail letter ok  but I'm blowed if
I could see any number on it that makes two without numbers I do hope you
are getting all mine ok I write one per week, not very good I'll admit but I
still write them, so this makes No5 and I do hope you like it. 
Terrible sorry if I'm spoiling you as you say darl, by sending you all
these letters, but then I think someone else must be writing also, as I only
send one per week, and that's not  many. I would like to be able to send two or
more a week, but then you know what I'm like at writing letters, anyhow I
get great pleasure out of writing to you darl, not only that, it is the only means
I have of keeping in touch with you and I must do that. If you are though
I doubt it, you need not worry about any of the young ladies I happen
to mention, as there is only one young lady that interests me in the least. I
don't think I have to mention any names, for even though she may not have
wanted me to do so, and thought me very silly when I did, I think I have
made it clear, or have I? I wonder. You said I skipped over the [[Templ?]] darl
well as a matter of fact I just couldn't think of a way of describing it to you
its so different and strange. As you will no doubt notice I'm answering your
letter and the answer to the next question is beautiful. By the way don't forget
our day at the Races, that is, if & when I finally do arrive back, and of
course if you are free, on that day. Well darl all the  natives are thin and
weak looking like that chap in the shop, when I say all, I mean nine out of
ten, some are even worse and you would wonder how they stand up.

(2) 
You say I look well in that photo, maybe I do, I feel well anyhow, but it is not
due to that presence of a certain beverage, you say you noticed in nearly every
photo, of course if you think I'm like that well, I'm afraid there is very little
I can do about it, I can only say its not as bad as it looks, but I can't make you
believe it, however I don't say say things like that when they are not true. That beer
seems to pop up in your letters quite a bit darl so we will fix it up once
and for all. I promise you not to drink alcoholic liquor of any kind  any
time any place anywhere, how's that satisfied. I have already made a
promise similar to that in one of my other letters it probably had not
reached you when you wrote this. If at anytime I mention night clubs
don't get the wrong idea, drink certainly is there main line of making
money, but they also serve soft drinks, anyhow I'm getting sick of them,
there is only one thing I really want, and I'm afraid I will have to wait
until I get back to Sydney, to even have a chance of getting it, so I will
just have to wait and hope, that it will still be there I do get back. 
Now Dot don't tell me you forgot I promised you, not to have my hair
cut off, or grow a mustache before I left, well don't worry I keep my
promises. Referring to my friend, I'm not sure if I told you or not but we
have been broken up, however we hope to be back to-gether next week.
I don't think he is in any of those snaps I have sent you, but I have one here
I will send you with him  in it. I wasn't going to send it because its one of those
photos that Betty will agree with you on one point again, you did say maybe
he is dreamy well to be exact he is everything but that, which is probably
one reason why we get on so well to-gether and have fun also age has a
lot to do with it you see he is the only one anywhere near my age in the
Sgt mess he is 23 not that I don't get on with the rest I do, but it makes
a difference when everyone is nine and ten years older than you, the