Correspondence relating to William Dunstan, August - December 1945 - Part 8

November 5, 1945.

Dear Bill,

This letter is just to let you know that

answers are now commencing to come in in reply to my

various letters to India about you.

First is from Group Captain K. Wallace Crabbe, 

O.B.E. This is what he says -

"Am very sorry that your 27 Sept. letter only

reached me yesterday - after a rather long chase.

"I don't think I am going back to India - in fact 

I today cancelled another "run" to Singapore - 

our present H.Q. - but I have taken immediate

action to try to smooth things a bit for Bill 

junior.

"As you may be aware India/SEAC has seen a 

recent headlong rush by everybody with more than

five years to get away for home leave. The 

result has been to depopulate both Commands of

all the old sweats I knew. However, there are

some good chaps remaining.

"I am writing to a number of them to look Bill up

and lend him a friendly hand. At the same time

I am writing to Bill giving him names, locations, 

etcetera. 

"Among them are Brig. Stephenson DDSD; Brig. Bill

Beard DDMI; Col. R. Raikes; Air Commodore Proud

D/AOC(1); Col. Sardar Singh OS5; Brig. Douglas 

Jones DD/MGO; and the following real Indian 

types: W/Cdr. K. Majumdar DFC; W/Cdr. Aski

Engineer DFC; S/Ldr. Janjua; F/Lt. Suthankar

DFC; Col. Majid Malik -- all of them very good 

blokes. 

"Don't know how many of the named Englishmen will

still be there, but I am also suggesting he should

/call 

2.

"call on the DMI (Mjr. General Cawthorn) who is 

an Australian and married to an Australian

woman - the daughter of Padre Gillison who was

killed on Gallipoli with my brother. Her 

brother, Doug. Gillison, is a Melbourne journalist

recently in R.A.A.F.

"Gordon Jenkins is due here from Singapore next

week - I hope he is not delayed again as I'd like

to see him before I leave, - and I'll get him to 

contact Bill when he flies back."

Next is from Brigadier Bowtell Harris,

Headquarters, IGSC., Aurangabad, Deccan, India. He 

writes - 

"I have just this moment received your letter of

the 11th of October and I am very glad indeed to 

hear from you. On receipt of your cable I

wrote at once to A.G's Branch and have again

written today giving them more particulars from

your letter. So I hope they may be able to 

do something about it. Anyway, I am bound 

to get a reply and upon its receipt I will write 

to you again. 

"Many thanks for your congratulations. I don't

know how I reached such eminence as I have been

far too busy to notice my progress. I command 

a Corps 120 thousand strong which serves all over

the world and before the war ended my weekly

despatches of reinforcements were one thousand and

my intake of new recruits averaged just over one

thousand per week. Now that the war is over I 

am just as busy as I have had to go into reverse

and start demobilization and my target is 51 

thousand by July next year. What will happen to 

the remainder I do not yet know. 

"It has been a hard job and I reckon it has put

10 years on my life but it has been intensely

interesting and the Adjutant General has always 

given me a free hand which has made the job more

interesting still.

"I am doing my best to get on leave to Australia

but am so snowed up that I very much doubt if they

will let me get away. I do hope, however, that

when the second phase of demobilization is in full

swing that they may spare me for one month and I 

am making the attempt to get away in February. 

/"At

3.

"At my own Headquarters here I always have just

over 23 thousand men and as they go out more

come in. This is a very interesting show as

I have over 250 different grades of combatants

and non-combatants and 13 different principal

languages are spoken in this Group of Training

Centres and I have men of every caste from 

every part of the Indian Empire. 

"My wife with me as a W.A.C. on my staff and

has done a splendid job of work and I am very

proud of her. I shall write to young Bill

when I hear from A.G's Branch because he might 

not know anyone here and can always come and

stay with us when he gets a few days leave and

has nothing better to do."

Bo Harris was in the 7th Battalion with me and 

is a good bloke. He and his wife invite you to visit them. 

You should do so if you can. Maybe get some big game shooting?

It's Cup Week and Melbourne is full and I'm 

having too many visitors - which makes it necessary to work 

today (Sunday).

Your Grandma is still in Mercy Hospital, but 

her blood pressure is considerably down and she should get

out next week.

John S. comes home on Friday so that should 

cheer Helen up somewhat. George Kirk is home, but too

too precious for words.

This passage comes in a letter from Jack Chard

and relates to the sheepskin jacket sent to you by Norman

Myer --

"When the parcels arrive addressed to Bil and myself

I will dispose of them in the manner indicated.

A parcel for Bill from Myers, Melbourne, and addressed 

to him to the Middle East Forces, has got to London.

It contains a sheepskin jacket and the declared 

value is £6.19.6d. I am holding this parcel until I 

can communicate with Bill to ascertain whether he

wishes me to send it on to him."

We all send fondest love - 

[*FORCES
MAIL*]
Mr. W. Dunstan
"The Herald & Weekly Times"

44-74 Flinders strret

Melbourne

Victoria

AUSTRALIA

[*WDunstan 

Capt.*]

309493

Capt. W. Dunstan

Officers Wing

R A Base Depot
Deolali
India

[*Page 1*]
309493
Capt. W. Dunstan
Officers Wing

RA Base Depot

Deolali

INDIA

6 November 

My Dear Dad

I haven't written to you 

personally for a long time as

there really hasn't been much 

to tell you. I have had no

mail for well over two months

so I can't even answer your

letters. I am hoping they will 

arrive within a few days as I 

am very anxious for news from

home.

Deolali is rather a dump 

and I hope I don't stay here

very long. Unfortunately I will

have to have further dental

treatment as I think my jawbone

was splinted splintered when

the the tooth was removed in 

the Middle East. I have 

extracted nine pieces of bone 

so far and there is another lump 

which seems is so firmly anchored

that it will need a dentist to

deal with it. On top of all

that the wisdom tooth on the 

other side will have to be 

removed so I have no idea

when my troubles will cease.

The accommodation here is fair, 

the food rather bad and the 

grog so expensive that I have

gone on the wagon until 

Xmas. Although I get £56

sterling a month, nearly 

half of it disappears before 

I see it. - £8 mess charges, £7

income tax, £3 lodging (tent!!!)

£2 servant, £1 washing being

just a few of the unavoidable 

expenses. However, I think

I will be slightly better off 

here than with BLA. If I 

ever do get out of this place

- and it is quite possible that

I won't - I will hav try to 

go to ALFSEA (Allied Land Forces

South East Asia) and try to 

see a little more of the world. 

There is a force here preparing 

to go to Japan but there is 

not much hope of getting in 

on it. Anyway I don't suppose 

it is a very pleasant spot to 

be at the moment.

There seems to be quite a 

nasty little show going on in

Java. It is a pity we have

to get mixed up in other peoples

troubles so much - it gives

such a wonderful opening to 

our critics in Russia and 

USA. While I was in the

Middle East before coming

here all the Americans were

[*FORCES
MAIL*]

Mr. W. Dunstan

"The Herald & Weekly Times"

44-74 Flinders Street

Melbourne

Victoria

AUSTRALIA

[*WDunstan 

Capt.*]

 

309493

Capt W. Dunstan

Officers Wing

RA Base Depot

India 
[*Copies please*]

[*Page 2*]

309493

Capt. W. Dunstan

Officers Wing

RA Base Depot

Deolali

India

suddenly whisked out of Palestine

so they wouldn't be in involved

when the Jews started their

fun and games. I am afraid

the white man has lost a lot

of prestige through this war

particularly with the Indians 

and the Indonesian races.

They have seen the white man 

defeated by the Japs and because

the latter were never really 

annihilated in the field like 

the Germans were, they think 

it might be possible again.

The majority of them are so 

ill-informed and uneducated 

that they will swallow any 

propaganda which is thrust 

down their throats. Here in 

India there are 15000 Indian

National Army awaiting trial 

for waging war against the 

King Emperor. Most of them 

were POW's taken at Singapore.

Several of the Indian newspapers

are very anti-British but it is 

very difficult to tell whether

the population is or not.

Reading one of the Sunday 

papers I would gather that its 

policy is to stir up so much

trouble ^as possible between England, USA

& Russia which is not a very

difficult thing to do these

days. 

If everyone wasn't so 

afraid of the frightful 

consequences of the atom bomb

I would say that there was 

likely to be another world

war in a year or two.

I am afraid that the

anti-typhoid injections which

I had today hasnt made 

this letter very cheerful

but I will try to do better 

next time. 

There is no more news about 

demobilisation but I think there

is a fair chance of my getting

out by June 1946. What I will 

do then I just don't know. Not 

knowing anything about anything

makes it rather a problem.

Some of the more desperate ones in 

my position are staying in the 

army but having done nothing 

since last June I couldn't face 

up to doing nothing for the 

rest of my life. I feel that I  

could make a success of something 

if only I knew what that something 

was. Perhaps I ought to see a 

psychiatrist or one of those chaps

who feels the knobbly parts of 

ones skull.

I must go off now and have my 

daily lime juice and water!!

Lots of love Bill

COPY
309493 Captain W. Dunstan
Officers' Wing,
R.A. Base Depot
DEOLALI. INDIA.
6th November, 1945.
My dear Dad,

I haven't written to you personally for a 

long time as there really hasn't been much to tell you. 

I have had no mail for well over two months so I can't 

even answer your letters. I am hoping they will 

arrive within a few days as I am very anxious for news 

from home.

Deolali is rather a dump and I hope I don't 

stay here very long. 

Unfortunately, I will have to have further 

dental treatment as I think my jawbone was splintered when

the tooth was removed in the Middle East. I have 

extracted nine pieces of bone so far and there is another 

lump which is so firmly anchored that it will need a 

dentist to deal with it. On top of all that the wisdom 

tooth on the other side will have to be removed, so I have 

no idea when my troubles will cease.

The accommodation here is fair, - the food 

rather bad and the grog so expensive that I have gone on 

the wagon until Xmas. 

Although I get £56 sterling a month, nearly 

half of it disappears before I see it. - £8 mess charges, 

£7 income tax, £3 lodging (tent!!!), £2 servant, £1 

washing, - being just a few of the unavoidable expenses. 

However, I think I will be slightly better off here than 

with B.L.A. 

If I ever do get out of this place- and it 

is quite possible that I won't - I will try to go to 

A.L.F.S.E.A. (Allied Land Forces South East Asia) and try 

to see a little more of the world. 

There is a force here preparing to go to 

Japan, but there is not much hope of getting in on it. 

Anyway, I don't suppose it is a very pleasant spot to be 

at the moment.

There seems to be quite a nasty little show 

going on in Java. It is a pity we have to get mixed up 

in other people's troubles so much - it gives such a 

wonderful opening to our critics in Russia and U.S.A. 

/While I