Letters between Malcolm William Keshan and Dorothy Williams, 1941 - Part 7

4.
instead, George & I went to the theatre at Carlton. It was a
bonza programme we saw - "Untamed" starring Ray
Milland, Akim Tamiroff and Patricia Morrison and also "I
Love You Again" with William Powell and Myrna Loy.
Yes, I still like pictures as much as ever. How bout you?
Betty went away to Lithgow last Friday night, and I
won't be seeing her for a fortnight. I guess I won't die.
But I sure will miss her my gal friend - "awful bad".
Dear Mac, I have run out of news already. You see
I haven't any questions of yours to answer nowadays & you
have no idea how I miss them. But each day brings
another hope that you'll be home soon.
And just think how lovely it will be to see every
place & every face that for months now have only
been vague memories. Jack in the lift was asking
to-day how you were. (I told him what a wild
time you & your pal were having. Don't  you believe
me - no I was only teasing you too.
"And so the time has come when we must say
farewell to this fair city".. etc etc. Be good Mac,
and look after yourself - as best as you know how.
Big Cheerio - and I'm still hoping for a letter 
from you to-morrow.
Lots of Love  - Your very own pal
XXXX  Dorothy
 XXX
P.S. Please forgive such a brief note, but as I previously said
I haven't a drain more of news (Honest to goodness!) Dot 

SYDNEY 
4-PM 
[??} MAR 
1941 
N.S.W.AUST. 
  
No. NX11067, 
Sgt. Kesham, M. W. 
"A" Coy, 19th Aust.Inf. Tng. Bn, Staging Camp Not with 2/4 BN  
8/2/41 
A.I.F. 
17-3-41 
Abroad 
I C

S.A.G
F.P.O 
-8.JL.41.9-10A 
E.611 
  
NOT OPENED BY CENSOR 
2

A Coy 2/4th Bn.
A.I.F.
Abroad.
18th March 41. 

My Dear Dot,
Hello darl, here I am once more with a bit of news, and in
answer to the last two letters of yours I received yesterday dated
24th Jan & 16th Feb the mail is not what you would call regular as at
times I may get a letter posted early in Jan before one posted early late
in Dec and so on so you can see just how it is. Gosh it was good to
receive them, but after reading one of them I wasn't so pleased, you said
you posted another one at the same time containing two snaps, well
the dam thing hasn't turned up yet, as soon as I found out I raced up
to the post office and made inquiries only to find out they knew nothing
of another letter, so all I can do now is wait and hope. Well darl you
start off by saying don't worry about the length of my letters, well I do
because they are so short as well as bad I cant help it, but I seem to
be improving lately, dont you think. As for George Brooks, and the
tight upper lip, dont worry I was only joking, and I remember you
saying once, its not what a girl tells you about that should worry
you but what she dont, or words to that effect, right. So Bett is up in
arms, I wonder why it is I always seem to put my foot in it so to speak  
its a bad habit of mine, but as long as its only B it's ok. As for what
I did on New Years night well I can't say off hand darl, but I know

(2) 
it wasnt much, it seems a terrible long time ago now, do you know
that at times I dont know what day it is, its a fact darl you loose all
track of the days in the week and the date. Gosh darl I don't know
how long its going to take me to write this, every few minutes I have
to go and do something or other, but the last time I was called
away I didnt mind in the least, it was a pleasure because I collected
your other letter with the two snaps in, and were they good to
see, honest darl Ive never seen better, there beaut, I was as pleased
as a pup with two tails, to see them and I'll probably wear them out
looking at them, they were just what I wanted, you all on your own
and looking better and nicer than ever, the only trouble was they  
made me feel terrible lonely dam it, and I feel rotten now but
when I received them gosh I cant tell you how pleased I was. Well
darl in the Valley or anywhere else you wouldn't get me out at
4A.M. not unless you kept me up all night, that is of course
unless it was to go some where with you, then Id get up at any
time. Referring to old Bullet Head he is a sport one of the best
but its not because he puts up with that name, he has to whether
 he likes it or not, he calls me Mopsy the Cheerie Red Head just
because I wouldn't get my hair cut off when he did, can you beat
that. You keep saying in your letters, I have a way, of getting
my own way, well all I can say is as long as I finally get my own
way in the finish its ok, Ive been trying to get my own way
for a long time now, and I just cant seem to do it, but Ill still try

(3) 
I and nothing will stop me, I've been trying for a long while
now, and Ill get or, well just or. Blowed if I can place that incident
you refer to about biting my finger darl it's got me stuck, I guess I
must be slipping, because you would probably be surprised
at some of the things I do remember. Its funny reading your
letters darl, you say summer is just leaving you, and it's just coming
to us, but I only seems a very short time since summer arrived
over there. Well darl as I said before it will be 18 months before I will
be home in my opinion, actually I wouldn't care if they dumped me
at Darwin without a penny to-morrow I'd soon get back, but as
you said before I have a job to do, it is a waste of time as there can
only be one end, but your wrong when you say its not a waste
of time for you or I, but mainly married men, I was just getting
a chance to get what I really wanted when away I went, from in
my opinion the best little person in the world, and now what
about when I get back, will I still have a chance with that person
they may be different, you can never tell, might even be married
but the married man has his wife and children waiting for him
for sure, his children may have changed a little but they think
no less of him, only more, and after all thats what counts, I think
we had better change the subject darl, I'm getting like an old hen.
So you say I can't strike a woman, that right, then you say Im
not game to strike Bullet Head so what I dont have to he's my friend
but, you may remember saying in the lift in Grace Building one

(4) 
day, that I wouldn't be game to join the army if a war started well
you were wrong then, remember I said at the time, if they started a war
they could finish it without any help from me. Seeing you consider
yourself a nuisance & annoyer, you had better be a bigger nuisance
and annoy me something awful because there's definately nothing
I like better. Dont let being a bit late worry you darl, as long as its
not to often and you do write, Ive been a lot better than you darl,
besides worry makes wrinkles, and I don't want to see any wrinkles on
that pretty face when I get back. Sorry to keep you in the dark sweet
I didn't mean to honest, but I havent been in Cairo yet, but I hope
to in the near future, and as soon as I do, you will get snaps of Cairo
the Pyramids etc. Gosh I had to laugh when I read the next part
of your letter sweet, I did do well at the school, I even surprised them,
they must have thought I was pretty  bum dumb when I entered, but
I knew all the time I had it in the bag, but the part I laughed at
was where you said before long you would probably be addressing
your letters Colonel and at present its a bit doubtful if I will remain a Sgt
I couldn't help laughing sweet it seemed so funny, all I can say is this army
is crazy, I just cant make them out at all, but after there latest performance
well once I was energetic and made sure that everything was done correct
etc and I used to do my share of worrying, but now nothing could worry
me as far as the army is concerned. Well darl I was picture made
for a while but, circumstances have altered things a little lately
and I haven't seen anything for quite a while now.
(Back of Page One)

(5)
Glad to hear George got ok after his sickness wish him the best for me
I could just imagine me being keen to get back to camp after being off
on sick leave, the thought of it would probably make me sick again
but then I don't think I could get sick if I tried honest. I only hope
the rest of those snaps are as good as these two darl, and dont forget
that one in your costume. I'll be waiting for them. As for going to
a show early and siting in the lounge talking, it's a great idea
and definately a date. I hope you will excuse me for writing on
the back of these pages darl, but I want it to go airmail and if I put
any more pages in it may be over weight, and I have no way of
finding out, enclosed you will find a few souvenirs of Libya
not much good though. The trip down out of Libya from Tobruk
wasnt much, it was rather miserable, I would have preferred to
go back the same way as I came up, by sea, but it was land instead
and there was a bad dust storm on when we left which lasted
until about an hour before we arrived at our present destination
and everyone was covered in dust, it even got into my pack. There
wasn't much to see only ruins where our lads had advanced
on [[town]] and blown them up a bit, we had to go down another
pass to a steep one but there wasnt anything worth seeing even
there, Sidi Barrani had been blown to pieces, there wasnt a single
house left standing, though the English blew it up before with-
drawing early in this war, and when we advanced again we
blew it up again, so you can just imagine what it was like,
nothing but ruins, there were guns and tanks lying all over

(6) 
the place all the way down, Sallum wasnt knocked about quiet
so much, though by the looks of it, it had a bit of a knocking
about though. By the way have you received those photos form
Bullet Head yet darl, let me know when you get them darl also
let me know if the old censor has been playing about with
my letters. Theres not much more Im allowed to tell you
darl, there's lots of news but its all taboo. It was that long
since I had a chocolate darl, that the other day when they bought
some into camp I got a whole box of chocolate frogs, I still have
half of them and I'll probably make myself sick eating them
but gee they were good. Next time you hear from me darl
I will probably have shifted on once more. How is every-
thing going at home sweet, everyone ok wish them all the
best for me once more also B, and once again don't forget
those photos, though by the time you get this I will probably
have them. Well sweet Im afraid its only six pages this
time and once again its lots of love take care of your-
self and dont get any wrinkles, just stay like you are darl. So
until the next letter which will be next week "Cheerio".
Very Sincerely Yours
Mac 
    x 
   x x 
  x x x 
 x x x x 
x x x x x 
 x x x x 
  x x x 
   x x 
    x
P.S Gosh I wish I could see you now darl, but I can only
look at the snaps still they are good. 
Mac x

A.F.W. [[3078?]] [Crown Copyright Reserved] 
AIR MAIL ACTIVE SERVICE 
AIR MAIL 
  
This envelope must not be used for 
coin or valuables. It cannot be accepted 
for registration. 
  
NOTE:--  
Correspondence in the envelope need 
not be censored Regimentally. The 
contents are liable to examination at the 
Base. 
  
The following certificate must be 
signed by the writer:-- 
  
I certify on my honour that the con- 
tents of this envelope refer to nothing 
but private and family matters. 
  
Signature 
Name only 
M. Keshan
  
[Up to three letters may be forwarded in 
this Cover, but these must all be from the 
same writer. The Cover should be addressed  
in such case to the Deputy Censor ] 
  
Address:
Miss. D. Williams.
37 Byrnes St.
Bexley,
Sydney.
Australia.