Letters of Jack Lusby Burns, 1941-1945 - Part 1

VX39159
Lieut J.L. Burns
1^st Indep Coy
A.I.F.
Abroad
11/7/41
Dear Mother & Father.
Well at long last
at present have just passed through
Culcairn (past Albury) on our
way to Sydney. I wired you from
Spencer Street as we were not allowed
to leave the platform and also got
Gloria Collie (Les Dunn’s fiancée)
to send a wire jolly decent of her.
Was going practically
all last night closing up the Mess
& the canteen & then we had Reveille
at 4.[[0]] A.M. today. I got to bed at 3 AM.
Mum if possible
I would like you to contact a
Mrs A. Spence who is the
bride of Major Spence (Chappie
who was to stay at ^our home on my
leave before last.) She is staying
at the _∨”Exchange hotel” in Foster. She is a 

2.
Queensland lass about 25/6
and knows no one in Melbourne
Her husband is a great chap & has
done a lot for me. Still I leave it
to you.
‘Tis difficult to write in
the train so will close with
the hope that one day in the
very near future we three shall
once more be united. In the
interim dad keep on looking after
the mater as you have so well in
the past. Cheerio my darlings
and God bless You
With loads of Love
Your Loving Son
Jack
X X X X

2.
Golly I felt ashamed for being so
late but fortunately I had
brought them a big bunch of
flowers. Young Helena is now
quite grown up and I think that
they were pleased to see me.
John at the moment is in camp.
At nightime Doug
Millican who as you know
hails from here managed
to supply me with a "Crush”
(girl) as he terms it. (Incidentally
I posted one of his letters to you.) and
we went to a cabaret where a
dashed good time was had by all.
We sailed the following night.
So far, it has been a perfect
voyage but the ship now & then
gives a couple of disconcerting
rolls. Just a reminder as it
were. Now that bowls have
finished Mum I suppose the 

3.
old boy will be poking his nose
into the household affairs.
How are your various activities
progressing? Seen anything
of Joan of late.?
The censoring by me of
mail is going along fine. I
now have quite a number of
addresses to which to write.
Travelling on this boat
are a number of civvies who
dad would correspond to the
C.R.B down home in our
state. They are on a 25% war
risk policy & about £10 - £15 a week
whilst some we of the A.I.F are
travelling Steerage and earning
5/- a day. It is a constant
source of annoyance & makes the
lads feel a bit discontented.
Cheerio my darlings & love
to you both. Hugs & Kisses
Your Loving Son
Jack.

No. 1.
VX39159
Lieut J.L. Burns
No 1. Indep. Coy.
A.I.F. Abroad
Tuesday.
My Darlings.
Today is a beautiful day, in fact
everything so far on the voyage has been perfect.
This vessel is one of approx. 8000 tons and although
at times she gets a slight roll up, (which is
dashed disconcerting) she rides the waves very well.
I had to find my cabin (amidships on B deck)
about four hours out from our point of embarkation
(Mrs Taylor lives there.) Golly I felt rotten. The
feeling persisted for the next day, but the next
I became accustomed to it and know I am
being to get my sea legs. I don't know what I am
going to be like if the weather becomes rough.
We hope today to put in at an Australian
port where I hope to get this letter posted. Unfortunately
I have to censor the letters of the boys of my pl command
and I did nothing else yesterday but snip
pieces ^out of letters. Tis very hot of a night time
when they enforce a blackout. They close up
all port holes and it is very stuffy. Still I

2.
guess that it is for our own good.
One of the lads in my show is a
grand pianist and thus so far have we put in
our evenings. Quite a number of the lads were
sea sick for a while but all seem to have
recuperated by now. ‘Twas rather funny. One of the
lads addressed his letter – “Dear Mary & Mr Censor.”
Tis a grand life the weather is excellent and one
can loaf round on the upper deck in the sun.
We usually have lectures and physical training
of an afternoon.
‘Tis a shame how cheap some of
luxuries of life are on this boat e.g.  beer 8’
a bottle and cigarettes Capstan etc 1/6 - 50 and
Craven A’s 40 for 1/6. The beer is rationed and
limited to 1 bottle per man per diem. I hope
you received the two telegrams and letter I forwarded
to you. On the way, I tried to contact Les Dunn
but he is ^in the air force so I rang his fiancée
Gloria Collie and she promised to send a telegram
for me. I think we are going to the same place
as what I tipped, Dad and I can guess that its
going to be very hot.
At present am in a two berth 

cabin with another Lieutenant (Frank [[?Sheinan]])
Saw a few porpoises around the
bow of the boat yesterday and there are
three albatrosses following us all the time.
Joey was a lion whilst I was
feeling perfectly lousy. Looked after me like a
lion. Well my dears must say cheerio
and as we are not allowed to place
“barb-wire” entanglements at the bottom of our
letters you will understand that they are
there in thousands.
Bye, Bye and keep the old chin up
Withs tons of love
Your Loving Son
Jack.
 

No 3.
VX 39159
Lieut. J.L. Burns
No.1. Indep. Coy.
A.I.F. Abroad.
My Dears.
Still having a grand time - have
now fully recovered from my sea sickness and
am beginning to take an interest in everything.
Life on board is fairly cramped but have
plenty of reading etc. to do.
Have seen numerous shoals of
flying fish, also schools of porpoises and
a few sharks and whales. These relieve the
monotony of the trip.
The censoring of the lads mail
is going A.1. It becomes a bit tiresome after a
while especially as each one tries in this own
way to give same hint to his family as to
where he is and where he is going.
Sighted land t’other day the first for quite a
while and twas a most refreshing sight.
Rather New and novel after being on board for
ages (or as it seems)
The real purpose of this letter
is to wish you all both a very happy Silver
Wedding and may you both be spared to 

2.
witness your golden & diamond wedding. Also,
that I am spared to witness the event. You’ve
certainly seen some changes during your years
of married life. I will forward some memento
from the next port we land touch or land.
Mum if you send me anything
at all please forward me some jars of marmite
& vegemite as these products contain vitamin B
of which our diet I believe is going to be
deficient. For the troops the day is put in
by three lectures organised sunbaking and
P.T. The idea of the sunbaking is to break
the men into the heat of the sun.
At night time it is extremely hot in
the cabins as all port holes have to be closed
- the ship is “blacked out". Another sore point
we have to suffer in the interests of democracy.
Fortunately, we have a fan which is going
all night - it keeps the air moving slightly
but, by golly, its sticky.
In the adjoining cabin a party
is in full swing. One of the officer’s birthday
rather a coincidence that is corresponds with
your silver wedding annirersary _∨anniversary. At our last
port of call we bought about £8 worth of fruit for

3.
the boys. - Pineapples oranges & mandarins. They
were worth their weight in gold after a few days
at sea. The officers gave up the first-class lounge
for the benefit of the troops. In the lounge is a
“baby-grand" piano and we have some first
class musicians amongst the men. The lounge
is really a balcony over the dining saloon and
we have sometimes very good music with our
meals. Unfortunately, the radios are taboo on
ship.
At the present moment the ship is
pulsating as it surges through the very deep
blue waters. It makes one appreciate the
power of the ocean (Became quite poetical there
didn’t I.)
Twas rather humourous. an escort ship
signalled, by "visual signals” to our boat, a message
to where to go. Practically the whole of the signallers
picked up the message so now the cat is out of
the bag to some extent, as far as the troops
are concerned, as to where we are going.
Ran into a bit of a storm last night
but am still holding my own
Goodbye Darlings & God bless you both
Cheerio Your Loving Son
—Jack—