Letters from Lt Colin Douglas Simper to Mrs Irene Simper Wallet 2, Part 29

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25
Mrs C.D. SIMPER
C/O BLACKWOOD P.O.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

CD Simper

SX 21753
LT. Simper CD

HQ Coy 2/48 Bn
May 16,
Dearest darling wife,
Hullo honey I cant 

but commence this letter tonight as

it gets dark powerful quick up here.

I have just finished tea, a good tea

too, our cooks are doing a good job 

cooking under adverse conditions and

turning out meals as good as they

were in Aussie. Once again I say

I am getting fat.
Since I wrote last.

We had the morning off this morning

but it was more or less wasted for

me.

Last night one of the lads heard some

movements in the grass in front of our

positions and a few shots were fired

and some grenades thrown in the

direction.

However this morning I went down and

had a look and saw what looked

to be freshly trodden grass about where

they heard the noise, of course it

may have been anything a fowl or

dog, and I wasn't worried any these

lads are pretty alert on their picquets

and take no chances.

One of the lads looked into a hut

yesterday morning, one of the

hundreds which had housed the native

population and he saw a chinaman

sitting in front of a bowl in which

was a dog, dead and all his hair

plucked and ready for cooking.

I believe the chinese eat dogs quite a

fair bit.

Today or this afternoon I took a Jeep

and toured about the towns and

villages, and there's a tremendous

amount of work being done and I'm

sure it wont be long before all

the natural products of the island are

being drawn for our use.

You would really be amazed and to see

great machines clearing away falling 

houses debris and burnt machinery

making it clean and bare where once,

not so long ago, stood an up to date

modern city.

The natives too are assisting there are 

some thousands of them engaged digging

drains clearing areas to be occupied, and 

carrying stores, just as the natives did

in New Guinea.

It's pretty hard for us to get them to

understand what is required, but there

generally is a "boss boy", who speaks

some English, I generally sing out

[["Mana Kapala"?]] Which means "who is

the head man?"

Well now darling wife that ends my 

news para  and I will start answering

where I left off.

You can cancell all other addmissions of 

my love because I love you now 

far more, I love you so much that all

my other love lines are placed in the shade

In fact right this moment Im loving you

so deeply so fully that even my little

finger vibrates with it, how are you

darling gee I've given a million to

have just one kiss from you now.

I received a letter from you No 25

but Im still on No 22.

I havent been down to the gardens for 

quite some time and it's a promise

I'll give you we shall spend an

afternoon there when we're together

again.

Yes I shall write Jeff a line when

I estimate he is back with his unit

Just as well I'm not home apparently

the Kiddies had been wakeful and

you weren't getting too much sleep, if

I were home you'd probably get less

I say probably.

You seem to have a pass for small

hats these days and I will admit, they

look smart definitely smart.

You're right again darling 50/50 share

of all things opinions etc is the only

way anyone 2 people can live happily

and besides the probable mistakes of

one is offset by the 50% of the other,

and you bet I love you honey.

I see you were able to read in the

papers about the landing on the 4th

well I had an idea you'd know before

I could tell you

Yes the Engineers did a fine job on the

landing, before it and ever since,

they've been clearing mines from the

walls by the thousands big ones too

[[for us?]] in the 7th, thats right.

The crysanthenams were a failure I

see and I expected it, not enough

rain and too many buds, by gee

you just wait I'll show you how to

grow crysanthemans as big as soup 

plates

Yes Lt. Derrick was one of the first on

the beach and I was right along

side of him, it's certainly a strange

feeling and I'll tell you a story about

it sometime.

Well honey I'm [[xxx?]] now

its morning, and [[wxxx?]]had a night

of heavy rain so [[xxxres?]] mud a

plenty for today.

Hoping this finds [[xxx?]] well as it

leaves me here. [[Txpencil?]] is hard

and will be hard [[xxx read?]]

So Cheerio honey next time you get

near the Kiddies give them each a

Kiss for me.

Regards to everyone home, and

darling, I feel like a million and

this rain makes me think of home

in the mornings.

I love you, dear wife always and

XXXXXXX Forever, Yours

to love Col

XXX XXXXXX