Correspondence relating to William Dunstan, August - December 1945 - Part 2

44 Flinders Street, Melbourne.
August 24, 1945.
Dear Bill,
I have not written to you this week because
I have been away in Sydney and have had an extremely
busy time, but I shall write to you early in the coming
week.
One batch of photographs arrived from Chard
and Hughie Syme has delivered another one. Your
Mother is very pleased with them and so am I, but regret
that there are not more pictures of you and less of the 
others, although they are good-looking, cheerful
fellows. Your Battery Commander certainly looks a
wag. Miss Robertson is also annoyed that there are
not more pictures of you.
The main purpose of this air letter is to
append the last letter received from Keith, which I think
you will enjoy.
Fondest love from us all - 
 KEITH'S LETTER HEREUNDER:
Dated -
(August 16, 1945)
Dear Family,
I haven't written to you for a while because the
last few days have been a wild orgy of work and celebration.
Yesterday was V-P Day and this morning the
world is full of sore heads and bloodshot eyes. But not
so sore and so bloodshot as they would have been, for once
the news finally came as an anti-climax. To you, Dad,
[[for]] a newspaper man, it must have been particularly
nauseating.
On Friday night I was chatting to some friends
when someone rushed into the tent and said - "The war's
over". I thought it best to wait for official information
but many others didn't. Soon the Island was alive with
shouting, singing, explosions, and people careering up
and down the roads in jeeps.
Yesterday morning the news came through, but
I had been working all night so very tired I went to bed.
I woke up at four o'clock and I thought of the four

bottles of beer and the bottle of sherry that I had been
saving. It only took an hour to round up a party which
lasted until eleven o'clock. We sang every song that we
knew and drank to everyone we could think of.
As I have told you, my tent is on the beach,
and sitting at the table I can get a view of the Harbour.
Ships of all descriptions were firing rockets, flares,
tracers, and Very lights, making the sky and sea ablaze
with colour. Searchlights were weaving about the sky
and their accompanying AA batteries were firing. Even
the lightning and thunder came to do their bit. Henley

2.
Regatta would have been a side-show beside that demonstration.
To get back to reality - the war, practically
speaking, is not over for us. There are many P.O.Ws and
thousands of Japanese to be found in Borneo. New towns
will have to be occupied and maybe we will have to go
further afield to the Celebes and the Halmaheras. As
for QTMO - first in and last out. We moved all these men
and materials into Labuan and now we will have to move
them all back again. I will be surprised if I am home
for Christmas, in fact I am sure it will be Easter.
I have been continuing my search for Labuan by
driving along back roads into native territory. I have
tramped drained paddy fields, looked at rubber plantations
visited native huts and bogged the jeep. It takes a lot
to bog a jeep with 60 h.p. and 4-wheel drive. It was
worth it, for the scenery is beautiful. I came across a
little Chinese cemetery and I got a good laugh out of
some of the inscriptions. There is one that I can
remember:
"A bitter grieve, a shock severe,
To part from one we love so dear,
Our loss is great, we don't complain
But hope to Christ we meet again."
There were letters from Dad, Mum and Helen this week.
Helen in her letter called me a "Hunk"! Now, exactly
what is a Hunk? Am I to take it as a compliment or something
that damns me for all time?.
Meteorological Report: Every night it rains all night, &

before long it will be working
24 hour shifts. Your loving son. Keith.
[[ AWM?]]

 Copy.
309493,
Capt. W. Dunstan,
C/o Melbourne Herald
85 Fleet street,
LONDON. E.C.4.
My dear Mum and Dad,
Since the V.J. celebrations have died down life
has become a little quieter. Last week-end I went to Dorking
about 30 miles out of London, and spent a couple of days
walking on the common and exploring old pubs, etc. It was a
good rest and I felt a lot better for it. The country was
really beautiful and so was the weather.
On the following Tuesday I was about to have an
early night when I went round to the Press Club for a night-cap.
It's only about 100 yards from the Wellington where I
was living. There I met an old chap named "Skipper" Coulton,
who is a Director of the Times of India. I had often had a
drink with him and he said I must see a good Night Club before
leaving England and that there was no time like the present.
So he and I, and Keith Bean of the Sydney Sun, went to the
Cabaret Club, which is about the best one in London.
Old Skipper is an amazing chap and seems to be a
member of every Night Club in London. We had a very good
time and he was still raring to go about 4 a.m.
A few hours later, feeling like death, I had to
report to Woolwich base depot for draft to the Far East. I
hired a car t take all my kit down there, only to find that my
leave was extended for another fortnight. In some ways
it is O.K., but six weeks doing nothing begins to drag after
a time, and I find that even to eat and sleep very modestly,
without doing anything else, costs about £10 a week. My
financial situation is still good so don't worry yourself about
that. Remember that I had spent practically nothing since
leaving the Middle East last February.
After collecting another leave pass I went straight
to Eastbourne, where I am staying now with Desmond Cox at the
A.I.F. mess. I will stay for five or six days. It costs
nothing at all and the grog is duty free, so everything is fine.
The A.I.F. Officers Mess is a big house on the sea front, with
a tennis court and plenty of ground, billiard tables, tennis
racquets and balls, so I am having a pretty good time. I have
met lots of old friends here including Phil. Bannister, Lt-Col.
Sharp, who was General Rowell's offsider in Cairo, Doug Meighan
and Alan Lapin who were at school with me, and several others
who have since g ne home.

-2-
Last week I met Ian Bowater who has just been 
discharged from the Army. I liked him very much and he
wants me to spend a week-end at his home. I will try
to fit it in, but I am going to Preston, in Lancashire,
on Wednesday to spend a few days with Jim Edwards and
see the Goss works.
I will still have to go to India, I'm afraid, but
I will see General Rowell this week and ask him his advice
about it. It is definite that I will not be able to get out
of the Army for at least another seven or eight months, so
I may as well see as much of the world as I can. I find
that I can't stand the cold weather and would like to get
out of England before Winter. If I get to India I will do
my best to fly home on leave. I am getting very homesick
and would give anything to see you all again. I imagine
Keith will be out of the Service before I. Yes, Dad, that
was me that Doug. Wilkie was referring to in his London
Roundabout.
Lots of love - 
BILL.
August 29, 1945.
My dear Mum,
Thank you very much for your letter which I received
to-day. I have just returned to London from Eastbourne where
I was staying with Des Cox for a week. He leaves for home
either to-day or to-morrow so you should be having a visit from
him in about a month's time. Ask him and is wife to dinner.
You would like her, I think.
I was to have gone to Preston, in Lancashire, to-day,
to visit Jim Edwards, but he can't get me any accommodation
there so I may not be able to go before my leave expires. I
am getting very fed up with doing nothing and will be glad
when I am on my way to the East. I expect to sail about 9th
September.
Yesterday I visited General Rowell to ask his advice
on the matter and he thinks that I am doing the right thing.
He said that if I strike any snags out there to let him know
and he will try to help me. Unfortunately it looks as though
I will have to stay in the Army for nearly another year, which

is rather depressing. However, I think I may possibly
be able to get some leave to go home in six months' time, if
I can tell a sad enough story when I get to India.
Now that the war is over I think things are
even worse in England. The food ration is very bad and
there are queues for everything. I went to 15 shops this 
morning before I could get a packet of 10 cigarettes; and
to 6 shops before I could buy a pair of shoes. I can't
get any civilian clothes, and not even a uniform which I
need so badly, unless I care to wait six months. It is
very disappointing when one reads what a wonderful time the
people in America are having.
I have just had a telephone call and I can go
to Preston after all. I must dash off and catch the train.
I will write again in a few days.
Your loving son.

44 Flinders Street, Melbourne.
August 31, 1945.
Dear Bill,
I shall have to add something to this letter
later, but the main purpose is to quote you a letter
just received from Keith, dated August 25th ---
"Dear Family,
Once again Dad collects the "E" Pennant for
letter writing. Mum and Helen are both doing well.
Your last letter Dad, which described the Victory
celebrations must have been more than a thousand
words.

"The copy of the Herald V.P- issue arrived.
The bold headlines and excellent pictures certainly
reflected the spirit of the day.
"I am typing this letter in the orderly room.
Fifty yards in front of me there is a yellow square of
sand, and at each corner there is a post with a flood
light attached. There are clouds of men staring at
the sand, and every now and then there is a shout - 
'a dollar in the guts'. Yes, it is a large scale
Two-up game, and judging from the shouts, the stakes
are high. I have never been able to work up enough
interest even to play a small game.
"I am, like the others catching the 'War is
over'feeling, and so I spend more time in looking after
myself than I did before. I wrote an article
entitled 'Killing Time in Borneo'. I tried to 
describe what the men are doing with their spare time,
now that most of their operational work is finished.
I took it to the Public Relations chap at First T.A.F.
He read it through, O.K'd it, and then passed it on to
a senior Staff Officer for censoring. From there
apparently it went to the D.P.R. in Melbourne. So
far so good, but then it has to go to Air Board, and
perhaps one day it will arrive at the Herald Office.
Some Editor will peruse it and say - 'This is interesting,
Tom. Came out of the last war you know!'
"I have taken a correspondence course in
short story writing with one Mr. Bernard Cronin.
It is a personal affair with no text books, but before
he accepts me I have to write a short story to show
my metal.
"The Big Chiefs have relaxed a little and
allowed us an extra two bottles of beer and a bottle
of gin to enable us to discuss the Victory celebrations
in proper style. We pooled our drinks, and
invited all our friends down to drink it. They
all crowded into my tent, drank the beer, devoured
the sausage rolls, threw the bottles out of the
window, sang bawdy songs and took their leave at half
past one in the morning. Everybody agreed that it
was a good night.
P.T.O.

2.
"I think that I must be one of those
innocent people who stand by and have everything
thrust upon them. I am Canteens Officer, Welfare
Officer, Bar Officer, Education Officer and, of
course, Shipping Officer. I spend all my spare
time running about organising football matches,
procuring badminton sets, battling for wirelesses,
loaning out Library Books, asking for correspondence
courses and training a cricket team. The Library
is a good one full of new books, but to the disgust
of many they are supplied by the Education Section.
No Westerns, no murders.
"I will be looking forward to your letters
and to some of those parcels that are on their way,
Mum.
"I ran into Max Eddie today. Do you
remember that quiet good looking lad from Tasmania
that was at P.D. with me? I played tennis with him
several times and he came to that party we had one
night. We had a long chat and sank a tin of Tomato
juice together.
"From your loving son who wishes that he
was on his back - KEITH."
CONTINUED PART II

September 1st, 1945.
DON'T LOSE THIS LETTER
Dear Bill,
It's Saturday afternoon and I have just returned
from a very bad game of golf. Robbie and I started off
as a pair behind a mass of four-ballers, who all called us
through - result we went at such a pace that we finished at
4.10 very tired and the golf very bad. At the 11th I
pulled a 2. iron into the gum trees on the left of the green.
The ball missed the branches and hit Fred Howes on the back
of the left hand. He dropped like a shot rabbit and it
gave me an awful shock. His hand swelled up quite badly,
but it appeared that he stuck his hand between his knees to
relieve the pain and tripped over a branch and that is what
made him fall. I played worse than ever after that.
He was very nice about it and, of course, it was quite
accidental as he was well clear of the green.
There's been an air pageant at Essendon to-day and
big fleets of bombers were over the course several times.
They looked like the London blitz days. I wondered if the
people realized how significant was the roar of the many engines
to Londoners in the bad days. I guess not. Our
civilian populations has been very lucky.
It's been very cold. Yesterday was very cold-
snow all round Melbourne and a cold bleak wind. Today is
better. There's some sun, but no heat and no wind. We
want a lot of rain still.
Tomorrow is the day for signing the Peace. There
will be great excitement amongst the troops who have gone to 
Japan. Any excitement and happiness over the event will be
tempered by the stories of the dreadful atrocities now coming
out. We are getting a few names through now. Wilfred
Kent Hughes is alright. So are Doctors Edwin White and
Albert Coates, who I last saw at Malacca Hospital in 1941.
Dr. Derham too. No word of Charlie Osborne yet, which looks
bad.
Geoff Tebbutt is in Japan for us and Bill Noble;

2. September 1st, 1945.
Vic Houldcroft and a couple of others.
Jack Hetherington, who has been Editor, Adelaide
News, has resigned because he can't stand Cecil Morley any
longer. Wonder what K.M. will do? I believe Morley
will have to go and Hetherington be reinstated. Archer
Thomas was the same way about Morley. He is an awful
twirp.
Incidentally, so is Bill Christie. I haven't
had a letter from him since he left. The only recognition
I've had has been a cable from London saying he had seen you.
Peg is scarcely better off - she has had one letter. I
wouldn't mind much, except that I went to such a lot of
trouble to get him away and provide him with a programme and
letters of introduction. He won't get much of a welcome
home.
Bert Wolfe says you look well. He tells a lot
of funny stories about himself. Major-General Rowell
also wrote saying how well you looked and Surrey Dane too.
I hope you still look and feel well after your many parties,
but I guess they sound more continuous than they actually
are?
I suppose there's no hope of your going to Burma
now?
We hope that if you can see no real advantage in
remaining in the Army, you will put in for your discharge
immediately - collect all you can and move in the direction
of home. You've been wandering six years now and that's
long enough to be away. We want our family home again.
You can paste that in your hat in technicolor - Frequency
Modulation - Television - Short Wave - Long Wave - and every
other Wave!!! Don't put it off. Do it to-day.
Bert Wolfe said he thought you would be going back
to Germany. I hope you will be able to get away and
perhaps come home through Canada and United States. I'm
trying to work out ways of getting you a few dollars. I had
a talk with the Foreign Exchange Branch of the Commonwealth
Bank and told them that such a trip would be post-war
educational. On those grounds they considered I would have
a fair chance. The real difficulty now is caused by this
mess-up over the Americans terminating Lend Lease so suddenly.
Maybe they will change their tune. If they don't, they are
asking for trouble because the rest of the world will be unable
to take their surplus products.

3. September 1, 1945.
I am given to understand that in recent Army Orders
the United Kingdom Government will now pay fares home to
Dominions. This should be a great help and you should
consult Syd Rowell for advice as to whether you could come via 
Canada and United States. I have about £150 sterling in my
London Bank Account, which you can have and I shall try to get
another £300/400 here. This would give us about 1600 dollars
and if you can persuade our many Canadian and United States
friends to board you on the way through, you should get through
quite nicely. Write and tell me what you think of this?
I was hoping to have a good talk with George Caro.
about it and how you would fare in making contacts with his
people, always supporting you decide to go to work at Gollins.
But George has been very ill with pneumonia and pleurisy and
it's a bit difficult. However, I shall have a talk with 
him and tell you later how he proposes you should go to work
for him.
Supposing you do come home that way, I am informed
by the Commonwealth Bank that it is best you travel in uniform
and get the fullest advantage you can through that, both in
the educational pursuit and in priority travel. Please
keep this in mind.

GOLLIN'S AGENCIES in the United States are as
follow - 
1. Balfour Guthrie & Company. 67 Wall Street, New York.
See Mr. M.A. Davidson, Mr. Thompson and
Mr. Downie - all good friends of mine. They
will pass you on to others.
2. Price Brothers, Paper Manufacturers, of Quebec City,
Province of Quebec, Canada. We do big 
business with them and Coosie Price is a good
friend. Colonel Jack Price and Charlie
Price, two others, have been prisoners of war
in Hong Kong and may be home by the time you
get there. Watch out for them.
3. The Intertype Company of Philadelphia - is most
important. I have no friends there, but
we have just ordered four machines through
Gollins and George Caro will probably give me
letters for you which I will send on.