Correspondence relating to William Dunstan, August - December 1945 - Part 11

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I hope Keith was in the islands long
enough to collect the Pacific Star.
I am glad you had the Cox's & Phil
Bannister to dinner one night. I thought you
would like Mrs. Cox - she is very charming.
I am sorry Grandma is ill - I will
write to her during the next day or
two.
That is all for the present
Your very loving
Son

309493 Captain W. Dunstan,
Officer's Wing, 
R.A. Base Depot,
DEOLALI.  INDIA.
November 14, 1945.
My dear Mum,
Today, after making inquiries at the Post Office
I find that I have to put an 8 anna stamp on all letters to
Australia or they go by surface mail. This seems rather
strange as the service is free to every other part of the British
Empire and U.S.A., except New Zealand. It is very annoying
because I have written a lot of letters since arriving here and
I suppose they will take ages to reach their destinations.
It was wonderful to receive a large batch of mail
a few days ago. There were letters from you, Dad, Helen,
Barbara Matters, Terence Cresswell-George, Doug Wilkie, Aunt
Viola and many others. It was nearly two and a half months
since I had had any at all. My coming to India has been a
mistake - it is going to be hard to find a useful job here.
However, who could foresee the atomic bomb?
There seems to be a chance of my being discharged
from the Army about June of next year which is not terribly far
off. But don't be too disappointed if it is a few months
later - I don't want to raise your hopes only to have them dashed
again.
Owing to a bottleneck in the officer postings
department at G.H.Q. there are large numbers here in the mess at
present - far more than the place was designed to accommodate so
it is not very comfortable. It is very difficult to find a
place to read or write at night and the meals are a real bunfight.
Considering the heavy mess charges, 6/- a day, the food is lousy,
to say the least. How I will revel in your magnificent cooking
when I come home.
I still spend most days in the swimming pool -
the weather is really beautiful at this time of the year - just
like the mild summer days of Melbourne.
Dad was asking me if I had been able to buy either
a uniform or clothes in London. I wasn't able to get a thing,
not even ready made. Simpsons, Austin Reed, Lilywhites and even
Moss Bros. had no readymade uniforms or suits and any tailor wasn't
able to guarantee making one under four to six months. Anyway,
it would have been a waste of money buying a uniform as one never
wears anything but khaki or green drill in this part of the world.
/I have 

2.
I have taken more photographs with my camera and
will be collecting the prints tomorrow. If they are good I
will enlarge some and send them to you as soon as possible.
Dad wants me showing my five medals which look
quite pretty, but don't stand for very much, although I have more
than most people. I hope Keith was in the islands long
enough to collect the Pacific Star.
I am glad you had the Cox's and Phil Bannister
to dinner one night. I thought you would like Mrs. Cox -
she is very charming.
I am sorry Grandma is ill - I will write to her
during the next day or two.
That is all for the present.
Your very loving Son

309493
Capt. W. Dunstan
Officers Wing
R A Base Depot
Deolali
India
16 Nov 1945
My dear Dad
On the assumption that all

forces air mail letters are free to any

part of the British Empire, I didn't put

any stamps on my recent letters to you so

they will probably take weeks to reach you

by surface mail. The army post office

informs me that they are free to all parts

of the Empire except Australia and New 

Zealand which seems very strange.

I have had no further letters from 

Australia since a fairly large batch came

in about 5 days ago. It is rumoured 

that a large ba quantity of mail destined 

for Deolali was burned on its way 

from Bombay a few days ago. It is

possible some of yours were destroyed. 

It is not too bad in the base depot

although it is overcrowded and the food is 

2

lousy. The bazaar in the local village 

has just been put in bounds again after

a serious outbreak of bubonic plague.

Fortunately it was confined to the native

population and no troops got it. I 

visited the place yesterday afternoon but

there was nothing worth while buying

there. I was trying to find some cigars 

for you but all the ones I saw looked

pretty dreadful - very black and coarse.

However, I have seen Manila cheroots

advertised in the Bombay newspapers so

I will try to get some.

They are very slowly clearing some of 

the officers out of the place but I don't 

want a posting until my teeth are 

OK again. The dentist is very busy and

can't see me until next week. 

I have received letters from Sir Ewen 

Mackay, Brig. Bowtell-Harris & Ray Gollan 

asking me to call on them when possible.

I have sent said suitable replies to each. 

3

It was good of you to ask them to contact

me and they may be useful to know

while I am here.

Some recent photographs I have had

taken turned out quite well and I am 

collecting enlargements tomorrow and will 

send them home. 

17 Nov The photographs have come out well but 

I will put them in my next letter because I 

have asked the photographer to do a few 

more for me. 

Unfortunately, the swimming pool is closed

for a week so I will have to find some other

means of spending my time. It is being

drained and cleaned - not before it is time

either as it looked like pea soup today.

You were asking me in your recent letter 

whether I had been able to buy a uniform

and some clothes in England. I was

unable to get anything at all as no

tailor will make anything in less 

than four months owing to the shortage of 

4

labour. The prices are pretty hot too - £20

is considered fairly cheap for a tailored 

suit and £15 readymade. Owing to the 

demobilisation scheme readymade suits are

very difficult to get. I have seen some of

the ones which the army hands out to 

demobbed men and they are very good

indeed - as good as most soldiers have

ever had.

I am still very unsettled as to what I 

xxx am going to do in order to keep the 

wolf from the door when I leave the

army, but assuming that I remain connected

with the newspaper business in some way

or other, what do you suggest that I try

to study. As far as I can see, I may have 

plenty of spare time during the next six 

months and I don't want them to be

entirely wasted. The only catch is that 

it is quite likely that I will be

posted to either an anti-tank regiment 

or anti-aircraft regiment in the Royal

5

Indian artillery, both branches of which are

being converted to field or medium artillery.

If this happened I would have to learn to 

speak Urdu as well as en try to make

Indians into field gunners and I would have

no spare time at all. On the other hand

it is just as likely I will be given a stooge

job with practically no work at all.

I am still very keen to go back to 

England to be demobbed and then go home 

via Canada and USA. It would delay my

homecoming by about four months but it 

would be worth it in the long run and

the opportunity no may not arise again 

for years. I am sure that the people I 

would meet there and the things I would 

see would be of a great education no

matter what I decided to do when I 

arrived back in Australia. By the time I 

get out of uniform I will have enough money 

to do it and a bit left over to keep 

me off the rocks when I get home. 

6

Your guide to what to see in USA is 

very comprehensive but, after all, I don't

know very much about the newspaper 

business and would like to learn something

about the plans you mention otherwise

my visiting them will be rather a waste

of time.

That is about all I can think of at

the moment.

Your loving son

[*P.S. I nearly forgot to tell you that the 

dentist removed the roots of my ill-fated

wisdom tooth today. There was no pain at

all. He is either a very good dentist or

the anaesthetic hasn't worn off yet.
He is pulling out another one next week.*] 

 

309493

Capt. W. Dunstan

Officers Wing

RA Base Depot

Deolali

India

21 November

My Dear Dad

Thank you very much for your 

long letter written in the air between Melbourne 

and Sydney. It was very interesting - 

particularly the appointment of Jack Williams

as Editor-in-Chief of the Herald. I 

thought that was the designation of Simmond's 

job or is he associate coedior editor-in-

chief - all these new terms are a little 

mysterious to me. I am very sorry

everything is not working out as you want 

it and I would have thought that after

all the work you have done and the

wonderful service you have given the

company, the directors would consult you

in these things. I suppose that Sir Keith 

is in an almost unassailable position

and can dictate just what he wants. 

However, I wouldn't work quite so