Letters between Malcolm William Keshan and Dorothy Williams, 1941 - Part 1

"A" Coy. 19th. Aust.Inf.Tng.Bn.
A. I. F.
Abroad.
4^th Jan 1941. 

Dear Dot, 
Well hows my little mystery lady going ok? here I am once more with 
a few more lines. I will do my best but I don't think I'll get very far darl as 
there is still very little to tell you, however here goes. I don't know if you 
received my last letter on time as I'm not sure if it caught the mail or not, 
I hope its not late, and I wouldnt count on getting them regular every Saturday 
if I were you sweet because as you will no doubt find out some will take 14 days 
to reach you and others 28 days its quite a common occurrence as a matter of fact 
and the same thing is liable to happen to yours, however I received your last 
one on the 2nd Jan, gosh its good to get them. I had to laugh darl you mentioned 
that since I could put the date in my letters, it was unnecessary to number them 
as we could refer to the date if we wanted to know anything, then blow me if you 
didn't forget to date your own, your getting worse than I am sweet, I'm terrible 
sorry I disappointed you and I do try to catch each mail, and as far as I can 
remember my last letter is the only one that even looked like missing it, but 
I do hope your not disappointed again, and as a conciliation I will post 
this one early and you should receive two in one week then, how's that? Im 
certal certainly glad to find out you would sell, and also glad once again 
that you liked the snaps, and as for the one you refer to that was taken 
at Nablus, well when we put our film in to be developed we received that 
one back by mistake we did take one of the same place from the opposite 
direction thats probably how it got mixed up, I gave the chap back his neg 
but refused to give him the print, you will find the one we took enclosed

(2) 

its the only snap Im sending this time darl, as I have also run out of snaps though 
I have a few being developed and printed at present, you will probably 
get them in the next letter or the one after. As I told you in the previous letter 
I had a good time at Christmas though there was one thing I missed and I 
could have done a lot better. Ok Dot just to please you definitely no mo, not 
that I intended to grow one in the first place. Your wrong darl, you say you 
had a job to get me to leave on that night long ago, sorry to disillusion you sweet 
but you didn't get me to leave at all, it was your Dad, remember how he kept calling 
you? and anyhow you cant blame me for not wanting to leave. Pleased 
to hear you have not forgotten that photo I looking forward to receiving it 
so dont wait to long to get a good brown up, and you can take it before or after 
swimming and tell Betty she certainly don't know me which she proved by suggesting 
that I wouldn't own you if you had the snap taken after the swim with- 
out any paint or powder on. Well sweet getting away from your letter I passed 
through another Arab Village yesterday, and you must remember me saying in 
one of my other letters that we could not complain about the hygiene in these Villages 
which is quite right as there isn't any well heres an example of just what they are 
like, its not very nice but it just shows how filthy and lazy these people are, 
well we were passing around the outside of the Village when we came across a donkey 
on the side of the road (if you can call it that) well all, or practically all around 
this donk there were these native dwellings, not 20 yds distance from it, well I 
guess that would have been ok only for the condition of the donk, you see it was 
dead how long it had been there I dont know but all that it was left of it was its 
head and part of its neck, its back bone and ribs and its rear legs and the 
rest had either rotted away or been eaten by jackals but the stench was 
unbearable, and yet these people just left it there and didn't worry, 
they were to lazy to even dig a hole and bury it, as Ive said before

(3)

I cant stand them, and its only things that like that, that makes myself 
and other people feel like I do, as for myself I wont let them even touch me 
if they come near me I chase them away. Well sweet at present there is still 
very little to tell you, but I will be going to Haifa this week end or the one 
after on leave so after that I should have a bit more to write about, and 
another thing don't forget five pages is a long letter for me. So Dot don't forget to 
wish everyone at home etc all the very best for me, and take care of yourself and 
have a good time, believe it 'or not' darl but I have drank three bottles of 
Ginger Beer while I've been writing this letter. Last night darl I was wondering 
just what it will be like when we sail through the Sydney Head again I wonder. 
So sweet, this is the finish once again, Lots of love and until next 
week when I take up the pen again its "Big Cheerio" x 
Very Sincerely Yours x x 
Mac x x x 
x x x x 
x x x x x 
x x x x 
x x x 
x x 
x

S.A.G.
Received: 
Jan 22nd in 
the Valley

"A" Coy.19th.Inf.Tng.Bn.
A. I. F.
Abroad
14^th Jan 41. 

My Dearest Dot, 
Stop dont say it, I know, and you have every right to go crook at me, 
and please dont think I'm trying to get in good with you by starting my letter 
the way I did, but, yes there is a but, even if it is a week late I do have 
an excuse besides as the old saying goes its better late than never. anyhow 
this is number nine and as I mentioned one week late. I hope your not 
disappointed darl and also terrible sorry honest, as you may know I wouldn't 
disappoint you if it was possible not to, as a matter of fact I did write 
your regular weekly letter but after looking it over I decided it was terrible 
and you would probably be more disappointed if you received it than not. 
The reason for all that was Im back in another school, when I left school a 
few years ago I thought I had left for good but I thought wrong as usual 
and I never did like it, but thats getting away from the point as you have 
probably noticed, let me see now where was I, are I have it at school, well 
in the past week I have done that much study that when I started to write 
to you my head was in a whirl, so to speak, and I got one page finished 
and just couldnt get any more, the old brain just refused to carry on it must 
have been to much for it all the study I mean, or maybe you didnt know 
I had a brain, Ive often doubted it, but then I was told that everybody is 
born with a brain so I must have one, anyhow sweet thats my only excuse 
when I finished it I decided it was not good enough to send you and so 
I didnt, besides I just couldn't post one page. Ill try to make up for it in 
this one though I doubt it, but thats one I owe you, ok? Speaking of letters

(2)

its a long while since I had a letter from you sweet, or it seems a long time 
anyhow, as they have to be posted on to me and it takes about a week longer 
darn it, but keep sending them to the same address as I will be back there in 
three weeks, I can't tell you anything about the school darl, you know how 
these things are, anyhow it wouldnt interest you in the least if I could. I dont 
know what I will write next week, but still I had better think of the present 
for the time being, as I have to finish this one before I start on the next 
The weather hasn't been the best lately yesterday we were almost blown away 
first then next minute we were almost washed away, and it has been raining 
on and off all day to-day. I would have done this letter on Sunday only I decided 
I had to have a bit of a break from study and at the same time find some- 
thing to write about so I went to Haifa, I went up by bus from Tel Aviv the 
road runs right along the coast for most of the way and its not a bad ride, its 
a funny place though the road runs through the centre of a prison camp and 
as the bus goes through you can see the prisoners working, it takes about 2 1/2hrs 
to get there from Tel Aviv and Haifa is built mostly on the side of Mt Carmel its not 
much of a place though. I was disappointed myself its big enough and I cant 
exactly explain just whats wrong with it, but give me good old Sydney any day 
theres plenty of night clubs in Haifa none of them are much good though not 
worth going to, I'd much rather spend my nights in Bexley or didn't you think 
so they could have all there night clubs I only visited a few clubs and then went 
back to my hotel and to bed, next morning I decided to have a quick look at 
the place and return to camp so I caught a taxi to Mt Carmel, and you can 
get a marvelous view from there you can see Haifa all layed out in front of 
you it looks just like a small model town and the people look like flies you 
can see the harbour and everything its the best view Ive seen since coming to 
this country though thats not saying much, you can also see a mountain

(3)

from there I dont know the name of it but its not in Palestine and its covered 
in snow. its a marvelous sight to see and I do believe it has snow on it 
for the best part of the year or even all the year round. I could have got some 
wonderful snaps if only I could have got a film for my camera but it seemed 
quite impossible, however when you receive the snaps that are on there way by 
boat mail you will find a few snaps of Haifa etc, but I dont think you will get 
them for at least a month yet. I have a few snaps taken at Cairo of Mac (the other 
one) taken by the Pyramids the names of them are on the back but I cant tell you 
anything about Cairo yet darl, and I will have some more from Jerusalem in the 
next letter. How is every one at home wish them all the best for me will you, hows the 
tennis and swimming going and the holidays etc boy do I wish I was with you 
Last night I was reading your letters over when I came to a part in one where 
you said that you were equally as confused as I was well that bad and I dont like 
to see you that way so Ill tell you what to do to find out how I feel there is a 
certain song not swing, and the name of it is a girls name now if you can 
figure out the name of the song, cross it out and put your own in, its place it fits 
perfect if you want any more clues let me know, when you do it you will 
probably say desert madness has finally got a hold on me but it hasn't. 
Well darl Im afraid this is the end once more so it Lots of Love and take 
care of yourself and until next week until I will be writing again Great 
Big Cheerio. x 
x x 
x x x 
Very Sincerely Yours x x x x 
Mac x x x 
x x 
x 
P.S. Hows George going in camp still enjoying it. 
Mac 

S.A.G.
Received. (In the Valley)
30/1/41