Letters from Leonard Stanley Marquis to his mother, Amy Edith Marquis, 1945 - Part 2

11/ diplomatic. Returning to ship again

for lunch - a nice meal of fresh fish.

& we did not return again. At half

past three we circled the island in the

ship &  left for Bougainville at

half past six. I stayed on board the

"Diamantina" to help the Brigadier's

Staff officers to prepare their reports,

since they reckoned I knew so much

about the proceedings & locations

of the defences. They seemed to have

taken a liking to me & I think were

amazed at my fluency in Jap. They

all talked about it afterwards &

the Major & Captain were both wanting

me as their private interpreter

& I had to be rostered out to them.

Wasn't it fortune that the commission

came through when it 

did? I would have been playing

only a minor part in the business

otherwise!

And now we are at sea &  hope to

make port at midday tomorrow

(Wednesday - 19^th Sept). I shall post

this straight away & if the weather

is good it should leave by Thursday

morning's plane for Australia. It is

just possible that you may get it on

the Saturday morning, but I think

Monday 24^th will be the day you'll

be reading it.

12/ It seems such a long time since

I've heard from you & written

to you. I expect there'll be four

letters awaiting me at Torokina.

I only received one whilst I was

there that week & that was the

one dated Wednesday Aug 29^th &

which I received the following

Wednesday Sept 5^th. The ones waiting

for me should be Saturday's Sept 1^st,

Wednesday's Sept 5^th, Saturday's Sept 8^th &

Wednesday's Sept 12^th.Possible Saturday's

Sept 15^th will be there also. I'll have 

quite a bit of reading to do, won't I

& will learn how you reacted to

the news of my promotion.

I'll be writing again before

we leave for Ocean Island. That trip

will take about the same time as

this one just finishing.

Do you know that since I've been at

sea I've hardly had to blow my

nose! It is a clean as can be. It

has been quite a holiday for me. Life

aboard ship is very free - sandals &

shorts only, with a shirt for meals.

I have quite a tan colour up now.

It is nearly nine months since I was

home last Xmas. & I'm going to try

hard to be home for this Xmas, either

right out of the show or on leave at

least. If it is leave, I'll be having

13/ twenty five clear days at home. That

will be fine won't it? Then again

it may be possible to get some

leave next month. I could muster

19 days plus 6 day travelling time.

As we get 6 days travelling time

twice a year I could get another

6 at Xmas but would not have so

long at home. What I could do, is

take , say 16 clear days made up of

8 days leave till Jul 45 , 2 days

long week-end & 6 days tropical

leave (1 day for every month of service

in the tropics). That would give me

16 clear days at home. I'd then be

able to get 8 days leave for Aug 45 -

Jan 46, 2 days long week-end & I

think, 2 days V.P. leave. That would be

twelve days clear & I might be able

to scrounge one or two from the R.T.O.

But let's hope I'll be getting my discharge

by then. As I write, I'm thinking

of the lovely time we all had

last Xmas & particularly can I remember

your happiness at having

the place decorated once more & the

Xmas tree. It looked so lovely at

night in the room, don't you think?

Everything seemed so peaceful there.

I'm just looking forward to the time

when I'll be able to fossick around

the stores at Xmas getting decorations,

14/ food & fruit. One doesn't realize

how much one enjoyed such until

such has been missing for some

years.

And now Mrs. Marqueeze, early next

year, we'll have to be seeing about

a help for you in the house. Have you

heard how the service  domestic help

problem is becoming? Possibly it

won't ease until after the New Year.

Reference someone to do your washing,

do you think we can manage to

engage someone to do it for you even

now?

Torokina

Wednesday 

Sept 10^th 19^th

We arrived here at 9 o'clock this morning

dear & I'm hurrying to get this

away. Time is now after lunch & news

has just come that the first ship has 

arrived. She is early & I must down

to the docks so just in case I'll have to

work tonight I'm finishing this off

5 letters from you awaited me. Will reply

tomorrow.

Remember me to Pop &  best of love to

your dear self.

Leo

Picture of an Island

26405

P/O L.S. Marquis,

on board

HMAS "DIAMANTINA"

at sea

Monday 24^th Sept 45.

My dear Mother, 

I'm beginning

this letter on the

afternoon of the second

day out at sea. It has

been pleasant sailing,

just a faint roll

with a fresh wind to

make a few white

dashes here & there on

the water. We have been

steaming at a steady

15 knots & so expect to

reach  Nauru Is about

mid-day tomorrow, Tuesday.

I thought that

I'd spend the afternoon in answering the six

letters I have received from you this week just

gone. I did not have time to do so in my other

letters. Before I begin ; did you receive a very

long one from me telling all about the first

trip? Then a one-page affair covering two postal

notes? And finally a letter card (typed) done just

before we sailed last Saturday?

As I mentioned previously I was very excited to

read all your letters at once &  ag eagerly devoured

their contents. I'll re-read through them now in

order & see if there is anything on them on

which to discourse. The first one was written on

14/ chair. Afterwards went to the Officer's

Mess for afternoon tea. Had some lovely

dark “tennis” cake, my favourite, to go with

the tea. The English chaps were quite a

good crowd of fellows & gave us great

hospitality. We returned to ship with the

team. I began to sleep on deck at TARAWA as

the nights were beautiful, the ship still,

& as it was so warm below. On Friday, we

went ashore once more to the canteen in 

the afternoon, after going for a sail in the

ship's whaler in the morning. Bought some

things at the American canteen there. Had

to exchange my money into dollars before

hand & it was jus ^such fun buying in the strange

coin. Dollars & cents. Exchange rate was 6/-

for a dollar. I bought a most attractive

photo album for you. I'm sure you'll like

it. On Saturday, Sept 29^th, we put to sea at

10 o'clock in the morning & made our way

to OCEAN Is at a slow speed (10 knots)

reaching there at 7 o'clock next morning,

Sunday. I'll deal with that in my next 

letter as this one is nearly full, you'll probably

get them both at the same time as

I'm beginning on it now & we arrive at

TOROKINA, tomorrow, Saturday Oct 6^th. Before

I close must tell you about how we found

a barge floating by itself, 40 miles off

TARAWA. It had apparently f broken loose

from its moorings & drifted out to sea.

Nothing was in it. We took it in tow for a

while, then they decided to sink it by gun

shots into it (it had many water tight

compartments) & finally disappear beneath

the waves. Regards to Pop and best of

love to your dear self.

Leo

2/ Saturday Sept 1^st. It was not as bright as usual

& you were wondering in it why I had not got

a commission when the other lad had. As you

know, I did not apply for it until late June this

year. I There had been many times previously

when I felt that I'd not be able to make the grade

Ever since my break-down I had been finding it

difficult to remember many things without a

lot of effort. The course was concentrated &

what with the heat during the Brisbane summers,

several times I thought that I'd give

it up. Three times I asked the boss to be taken

off, but he said I was doing okay, that they

were pleased with my progress & to take things

easy for a week or so. That is why I held off

applying. However the change in New Guinea

did me a lot of good & here I am now a P/O.

In your letters you often mention sitting on

the verandah in the warm afternoon sunshine

& writing our letters. I can always picture you

then as I read about it & feel happy that you

are able to do so. You were very lucky to have

got such a location for the war years. I'm sure

it has helped you a lot during us lads' absence

There is nothing like the open expanse of the

sea & the feeling of the wind in the face, to

clear one's head & brighten the heart. I suppose

now & then someone passes whom you

know & you exchange greetings. I would certainly

like to have seen the sweet peas you

talk of. I bet the house looked gay with them

all. Anyway we'll all be seeing them for sure

next year. How I long for that first time when

we all sit down again for meal together.

I wonder when it will be? I mean what season

of the year. Summer? Autumn or early

winter? No matter when though, it will be

just as welcome. Don't you must see about

11/ way, dear, when I mentioned in my

earlier letter that we were going to

hoist the flags at on TARAWA, I was misinformed.

It was just a friendly diplomatic

mission as the British had been

there ever since the Americans took

the island. We spent about two hours

ashore & then, as it was so hot & glaring

we returned to the ship, where it was

much cooler under the awnings on 

the deck, anchored a mile offshore in

the lagoon. In the afternoon we went

across to another island of the atoll.

(The An atoll consists of land bits

of land here & there resting on the reef

which is covered at high tide: For example

Sketch of Atolls

This is how TARAWA right side was. Bashio Is, on the

right side was where the Americans 

were. BARAKI was the island to where

went in the afternoon). On this one the

natives lived in their villages & the

whole place was covered with coconut

trees. Reason of the visit was to watch a

cricket match between the DIAMATINA's

crew & the natives. The natives are of

Micro Polynesian stock & of a fine

type. It was over 3 years since they played

the game & had had no practise

since there was no bats on the island.

In spite of all this they put up a good

show & we only beat them by 80 runs.

They were very happy & excited at the

game & the ship left their equipment

behind for them as a friendly gesture.

There was I sitting with the official party

under the awning & reclining in a deck.

3/. getting a domestic help after Xmas dear.

If she does all the chores & preparing of the food

for cooking, maybe you'll be able to supervise

the actual cooking. No one can cook like you.

This morning I was sitting at the bow gazing 

into the water & dreaming of the lovely

dinners & other times we had have had. Our

home is certainly a cosy place & full of atmosphere. 

I am glad you enjoyed Aileen's wedding. Must

have been quite a big affair. How's Aunt & Uncle

now? Have they got over the immediate shock

of Bert's death? You must have looked smart

in your costume. Would liked to have seen you,

but that must wait till you meet at the

station as I step off the train. I hope the

next time will be the last I do it in uniform.

It must have been a pleasant break

for Aunt Essie to come down home after the

wedding & then to have the outings in town

next day. Yes, I've seen that film "The Man

in Grey" & thought it excellent. Saw it at

the "Regent" in Brisbane with Aileen xxxx ^early in

year, I think it was.

You say you can get ducks when you want

them. That is good to know, as I could well

relish one for the first Sunday dinner at

home. I hope pork sausages will be available

too in big quantities. Talking of food reminds

me that yesterday for lunch (Sunday) we had

fresh roast pork, with beans (fresh-grown at

Torokina) & baked potatoes - Not bad, eh?

You mentioned that the city looks very busy

now & that it is hard to imagine the

dark years 1942 & 1943. Do they have any

neon signs on, or are they taboo because 

of the coal shortage. I was reading in the 

12/ I guess. Much more has happened since

then & I'll come around to that in

due course. But now to get back to 

TARAWA (Have you found it on the

map? It is in the centre of the Gilbert

Is, which are about in the 

middle of the Pacific & above the 

equator about 4⁰. That means

that I've been in the Northern Hemisphere

for the second time (The first was

when we left NAURU the after the 

surrender & deliberately went north 60

miles in order to cross the equator, which

we did about a quarter to nine at

night).

Well on the Thursday morning as stated

earlier, we went ashore to look around

in the daylight. As we'd gathered from 

the previous night, it was as flat as

a billiard table & most of the islands ^coconut 

trees had been destroyed f by the American 

bombing & shelling before the landings

on Nov 20^th 1943.  We visited the

several cemeteries & war memorials

& we learned that in all, over 7000, both

Japanese & Americans, were killed on

this tiny dot of 2 square miles. The British

Resident Commissioner told us that

the smell of death was noticeable

12 miles out to sea! He said that

many bodies were not buried but

just filled into bomb holes & the 

airfield built on the top. As we walked

along the beach, we saw the a human

leg bone lying on the sand! By the