Letters between Malcolm William Keshan and Dorothy Williams, 1941 - Part 2

'A' Coy 19th Aust. Inf. Tng. Bn 
A.I.F. 
Abroad 
20th Jan 41. 

Dear Dot, 
Here I am again darl with pen and pad to see if I can 
fill a page or two with a little news etc, there is not very much 
to tell you, and I doubt if I will get very far, but I'll try.  I'm not  
feeling as good as I could to-day, a little cranky, so please excuse  
any mistakes you may find. 
I don't know if you are still getting my letters regular darl  
I hope you are, but there seems to be a bit of a hold up with  
yours I haven't had one for a long time now, it must be fully  
eighteen days since the last, they may be getting held up back at  
camp, still I dont mind the being a little late as long as I get  
them, and if I dont, well I wont say any more. 
The weather here hasn't been the best lately we have had  
a fair bit of rain and believe me this place is bad enough with  
out rain, it has also been very windy and when its windy  
the air is full of sand, so taking it all round this place gives  
me the pip, maybe I have been thinking to much the last few  
days. 
Some of the chaps went up to Haifa last week end and when  
they came back they said it was a great place, so maybe I missed  
something while I was up there, or it might be that they have  
different ideas of what's good than I do, you see Im not to easy  
to please, I wasn't feeling the best the week end I went up a little 

(2) 

a little homesick, that might account for it I dont know, if I like  
I can go up again over the week end, or to Nazareth, I may visit  
one or the other it all depends on the old study it might be necessary  
to fill my time in doing a bit, I did intend to go up through Haifa  
and across the border into Syria but I believe they have closed the  
border so that end that idea. 
Enclosed you will find a few snaps the names of the places are  
marked on the backs of them, I hope you like them, some are not  
to good, we had to get a Wog to take the one in Irans Jordan and he  
moved the camera, thats also a good snap of me in the one taken  
at the Dead Sea, by the way I have a few more refills Im picking  
up on Saturday and I will send them as soon as possible, by the  
time this reaches you, you should have received the Album. 
Hows is everything going did you enjoy your holidays, its silly  
of me to ask that question because I know the answer, you know I  
think I will have to visit Australia one of these days, and go down  
to the Valley to see just what the big attraction is, maybe its an  
old flame so to speak, I wonder. Tell me, Dot, did you figure out the  
name of that song. 
Won't be long now darl its getting very hard to think of something  
to write, by the way don't forget to wish your Mum and Dad all the  
best for me will you and also B and George when you see him, how  
is he going still liking it.   
Well sweet try as I may I cant think of anything to tell you so Im afraid  
I will have to sign off now not that I want to but I just cant get the old  
brain to work So its lots of love and until next week "Big Cheerio"   
P.S Sorry its so short and hope you will excuse me. 
Yours Very Sincerely 
Mac xxxx         
          xxxx        
          xxxx 
         x x x 

BY AIR MAIL 
PAR AVION 
BASE CENSOR 
       
Miss. D. Williams 
37 Byrnes St. 
Bexley. 
Sydney. 
N.S.W. 
Australia.

Sgt. Keshan M W 
NX11067 
  
Received 10/2/41 
S.A.G. 

A.F.W. 3312 
EXAMINED BY

"A" Coy. 19th Aust.Inf.Tng.Bn.
A . I . F .
Abroad
27.Jan.41 
  
Dear Dot, 
Once again I'm about to rack the old brain to see if I can think 
of something that is of interest to write about, and when I say rack 
the old brain I mean it, but however here goes, you cant say I didnt 
try, and good or bad which ever it may be your going to get your letter 
Well up to date I still havent had a letter from you darl, at least 
that is not for just on a month, and believe me it seems a lot longer 
I guess they must be getting held up some where, or wait a minute 
maybe you are sending them by boat mail its silly of me not to 
have thought of that before, trust me not to think of it. I guess I must 
have been forgetting that it costs money to send letters Air mail and 
beside Im not worth nine pence. Im sorry sweet. 
Do you remember in my last letter I said I would probably go 
to Haifa or Jerusalem over the week end that was if things were going 
ok well I didn't go anywhere not that it was necessary to study Ive 
got this next exam all sown up and in the bag, I think, but I just 
didn't feel like it. I may go next week end it all depends, I have to 
go back sometime next week end. 
All I have been doing lately is going to the pictures during the 
night time I seem to be picture mad, but then its all they have 
around here to take your mind off things, and in that manner they

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are very useful at times you get very down in the dumps after doing 
a bit of thinking. some times I go four times a week, the pictures  
are all old ones two to, and cut is not the word for it, in some cases 
if they showed the pieces they cut out you would see more than they 
actually show. 
I was standing outside the theatre last night waiting for a taxi 
and listening to the music when it suddenly occured to me that I 
will have to learn to dance all over again & when I get back, not 
that I ever could dance, but its that long since I have danced that 
I just about forget how 
Enclosed you will find a few more snaps, once again I hope you 
like them. some were taken in Cairo and others in Jerusalem. I still  
cant tell you anything about Cairo even though Im sending snaps from 
there, on the back of one of the Pyramids, you will find a small circle, 
well if you could see that circle on the other side, you would find 
there was a chap standing inside it, its Mac, no not me the other 
one standing on the Pyramid. his tunic is the same colour as the  
back ground as so he is hard to see. 
Please excuse the mistakes etc darl, you will probably find 
plenty of them but even though I have this exam in the bag 
I have to do a bit of study as the exam is on Wednesday. 
Once again Im getting near the end sweet and don't forget to 
wish everyone all the best for me will you, and don't forget that photo 
I feel ashamed of these letters darl honest they are so short, and  
I should be able to fill page after page.

(3) 

Well Im on the third page darl, but only just and thats all, well I 
guess that's the lot sweet I was going to keep it until to-morrow to see 
if I could add a little to it but to-morrow will be a bad day for 
writing letters darl so I think I will post it to-night, and if there 
is anything to tell you well I can put it in next weeks letter 
So once again its until next week when I will be writing 
again Lots of love and take care of yourself "Great Big Cheerio" 
Very Sincerely Yoursx  x 
Mac x  x  x 
 x  x  x  x 
 x  x  x  x  x 
 x  x  x  x 
x  x  x 
 x  x 
 x 
PS How is George going still l liking it 
Mac

BY AIR MAIL 
PAR AVION 
  
Miss D. Williams. 
37 Byrnes St. 
Bexley. 
Sydney. 
N.S.W. 
Australia 
  
PASSED BY CENSOR 
No. 2196

Received 11/2/41 
S.A.G. 

"A" Coy. 19th Aust.Inf.Tng.Bn.
A . I . F .
Abroad
4th.Feb.1940. 

Dear Dot, 
Gosh darl, you remember me going crook about not getting any 
letters at the school, well when I arrived back at camp there were three 
waiting for me, and I received another the very next day, just as well I 
was getting worried, but gee it was great to get them I dont know what I 
would have done if they had not been there. I'm glad to hear you are still 
receiving mine regular, and Im sorry they are not bigger and better, but 
honestly darl there is so little that I can write about, of course I could 
write certain things that would help to fill the pages, bu you would only 
get mad at me, and above all I dont want you to do that. Well anyhow Im 
going to read through your letters once again, one at a time and answer 
the lot so here goes the first one is dated 28th Dec well Im glad you liked 
my number four and that two days certainly was a bit of a break or holiday 
which ever you like, but I would have preferred one night with you sweet 
it would be better than any leave they could ever give me. Well Im sorry 
but I cant answer the next question because I dont know why they have 
concrete dance floors, that is unless it because timber is so scarce in this 
hell hole, wood is very hard to get and I think a good dance floor would 
be rather expensive, but thats the only reason I can think of. I'm glad 
you liked my discription of the Garden of Gethsemany etc but to be 
honest I thought is was perfectly rotten my discription I mean of course