Letters from John Simpson Kirkpatrick to his Mother, 1911, Part 2 of 3

THE MISSIONS 
TO SEAMAN.
SS Corringa 
Port Melbourne 
Victoria 
19.4.11 
  
Dear Mother 
Just a line or two to let you know  
that I received your letter this morning 
and I am glad to hear that you are 
keeping all right Now I wrote from 
Fremantle on the first of this month 
and I sent a couple of quid in 
that letter I hope that you are getting  
it all right that is a fiver I have 
sent you since I joined the Cooringa 
I sent a quid from Fremantle the  
first pay that I drew the I next I 
sent a couple of quid from  
Adilade then I sent you a couple  
of quid From Fremantle on the  
1^st of this month Now Mother 
I sent you five quid altogether 
From Corrimal I sent 1 pound a 
fortnight for 2½ months until  
I cleared out of NSW and went 
to the West but as I told you  
before I never did any good out  
there until I joined the Cooringa

THE MISSIONS 
TO SEAMAN. 
I suppose that there was a hell  
of a fuss of the the gold find in 
the West it was only a boon  
nothing else for the last time I  
was in Fremantle the head men  
that floated the company and the 
directers were on trial in Perth 
for fraud so I dont think it  
did much good for any body except 
fetch the wages down in the 
West when I left the was men 
working for four bob aday and 
glad to get it to get enough money 
together to clear out I was pretty 
lucky to get out the way I did I  
have turned the Misshion job 
up and went Fireing again I 
have been in the Stockihole about 
a month now of course it is  
much harder work but then the 
money is a lot higher Now 
Mothe I am writing the letter  
from the seamans mission in 
Melbourne 

THE MISSIONS 
TO SEAMAN. 
and I have just met a man 
belonging to Gatehead who 
is going home s on the Suevic 
one of the White Star boats 
So I have told him to call and 
see you and tell you abit about 
a Australia he has been  
working up the country on 
the railway he will be home 
about June his name is  
Harry Smith and he seems 
a decent sort so I have told 
him to call as soon as he gets 
home Now Mother I have  
nothing to send with this 
letter but I will send you 
a l couple of quid at the 
end of the month so give my 
love to Annie and with love 
to yourselve 
I remain 
Your loving Son 
T Jack   xxxx 

2.5.11 
SS Corringa 
Newcastle 
  
Dear Mother 
Just a line or two to let  
you know that we arrived 
here today from Melbourne 
We are going to run from 
Newcatle to Melbourne 
for a few trips Now  
Mother I am sending you 
a couple of quid in this 
letter Now I got a letter 
from you the other morning 
in Melbourne I suppose that 
was that a reply from the 
first one fir that I sent 
when I signed in Fremantle 
because when you when you 
write you want to let you me 
know whether you get any 
P O in the letter so that I will 
know whether you are 
getting the money that 
I am sending with 
this two guid it will

[*write soon*] 
seven quid in all since  
I joined this boat Now  
Mother I hope you 
and Auntie are keeping 
all right for I am keeping 
pretty well at present 
N Give my respects to to 
Mrs Douney and to Mr 
Smithewhite and I you  
see in Mary Smith white 
tell her that I hope her  
leg is all better now and 
tell her that Adam 
Lillicoe went down 
in the Younggala one of 
the Adilade boat she 
went down with all 
hands between Sydney 
and Brisbane his father 
went down in one of 
the colliers out of Sheilds 
Now with love to you and Annie 
From Jack xxxx

31.v
31 . 5 . 11 
SS Kooringa 
Newcastle 
N.S.W 
  
Dear Mother 
Just a line to let you know that 
we arrived here this morning from 
Sydney and Melbourne we are going 
to the West again from here we have 
been running between Melbourne Sydney 
and Newcastle for a couple of months 
but we are going to take our old 
run up agian that is between 
Port Kembla and Fremantle and 
a rotten trade it is Now Mother 
I have received three letters from 
you since I have been on the 
Kooringa From what I can make 
out of them is that the first 
one that I got is a reply from 
Fremantle when I joined the 
Kooringa there was no money in 
that one the next one was a  
reply to the next I sent 
from Fremantle sending a quid 
Now the last one that I got was

was a reply from the one which 
I sent from Fremantle telling you  
that I had went in the stokehole 
again Now I sent two pound 
in that letter but the month 
before that I sent you two pound 
from Adilade and I have been 
wondering whether you have received 
it or not If you have got it all 
right when you reply to this 
letter you can let me know if 
you got it You see I sent it on 
the first of March and I have had 
no mention of you have received it 
in your letters So I am going to 
register my letters to you when 
I send you your money each moth month 
I have sent you seven pounds since 
I have been on the Kooringa so 
when you received this 2 pound 
making it nine pound altogether 
you can tell me whether you 
have received all or not and 
then I will know for certain 
Now the man I am on watch

with has had some of his he letters 
which he has been sending home 
to his wife go astray and she 
has not been receiving the money 
which he has been sending and 
no trace can be found of his 
letters Now Mother I do hope 
that you are keeping are right 
are that you are getting on all 
right with your shop but I am 
very much afraid that you are 
in the wrong district to make 
a fao fortune for the people round 
there would nob 'Old Nick' himself 
if he gave 'Tick' and I suppose 
you will know that there is 
no hope unless you give the good 
Old 'Tick' I wasn't four year 
going round with the milk with 
out finding out a little of there 
weak points Now tell Annie that 
I am very sorry to hear that 
she has been crook again but 
tell her I hope that is all right 
by the time this reaches you

I often wonder what she is looking 
like I suppose she will be like  
all tall young 'Women' of her age 
'Long, Lean, Razerfaced, and all legs 
and wings but never mind kid 
things was neved that bad  
but what they couldnt be worse 
Now Mother I have not much  
to add except I am still in 
the best of health I was  
weighed the other night I was 
the heaviest man in the fireman 
horm I was twelve stone 3 pounds 
& we were all surprised because 
I have not got any sloppy 
fat about me but bone and 
muscle and the things that 
weigh Now Mother I will 
now draw to a close so give my  
love to Annie and with love 
to Yourselve 
I remain 
Your loving Son 
x   Jack  xxxxxx 
PS write soon