Letter to Kathlyn and Uncle Gerard
![ECahirFS[Recipient]K-G430723.pdf](https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/files/fullsize/219/20032/ECahirFS[Recipient]K-G430723.jpg "ECahirFS[Recipient]K-G430723.pdf")
Title
Letter to Kathlyn and Uncle Gerard
Description
Sergeant Cahir writes to Kathlyn and his Uncle Gerard about life on the ship and leave in New Zealand. He mentioned how they spend their time on board and also the cost of clothing and food.
Creator
Date
1943-07-23
Temporal Coverage
Spatial Coverage
Language
Format
11 handwritten sheets
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Identifier
ECahirFS[Recipient]K-G430723
Transcription
Sgt. CAHIR. FS.
Aust. 419441
Postal No 272
R.A.A.F.
Oversea’s
Friday July 23rd 43
[inserted] [indecipherable word] Sea [/inserted]
Dear Kathlyn & Uncle Gerard
Just a short note to let you know that I am still alive & kicking and in the best of health, I hope the same applies to you & the family.
Up till date the trip has been one long holiday, it is sometime since I left Australia since then I have enjoyed a few weeks leave on dry land, & what a leave! By the time the[?] leave drew to close I was glad to get to sea again for rest from late nights & sightseeing, however it only took me four or five days to catch up with
[page break]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined]
sleep lossed[sic] (sleeping rate 24 hours per day) & now I [inserted] am [/inserted] ready for more leave if it should come our way.
We had a marvellous time whilst on dry land, we were taken on numerous trips & saw many interesting features.
One of the trips we were taken on was to the thermal area of New Zealand at Rotovia[?], unless you saw the boiling pools & lot[?] mud holes you could hardly believe that such things could exist; we visited one Maori Pa where we saw Boiling water Pools everywhere the Maori women had taken advantage of them & use cook their meals by them, they use[?] also do their washing along the banks of pools that were not quite up to boiling point. Other pools were also used as swimming pools for the Maori Children, whilst we were there they decided to have a hot bath also combine a little business with it
[page break]
3
so they stripped off where they stood & dived into the pools & yelled [inserted] at [/inserted] us to throw[?] them pennies [deleted] in [/deleted] so they could dive for them.
The Boiling Mud pools were just as interesting as they were ugly, the mud use[sic] boil just [inserted] like [/inserted] water in a kettle does, sometimes the gases coming up through the mud would form a bubble of mud which would burst when the pressure became too great, the bursting mud would be flung[?] in all directions & if you were unlucky enough for some to land on you it was quite on the cards for you to get a nasty burn. How some of these silly women can plaster their face with mud is beyond me, I think they should go to see Rotovia[?] & its mud before they go in for their Mud Baths. (besides mud doesn’t do their “looks” any good, they are usually to[sic] far gone)
At this particular Pa, we
[page break]
[underlined] 4 [/underlined]
saw the Geyser in action. Before we left we were entertained by the Maoris [deleted letters] with a concert, Golly! Can those Maori Girls sing! They sang numerous songs both in their language & in English always without a musical instrument of any description, they seem to harmonize more than sing individually.
Another Maori Pa we visited was very simalar[sic] to the first one we saw, except it had boiling sand instead of mud, the boiling sand was quite solid to walk upon but was far to[sic] hot to scoop up in your hands, another strange feature of this second Maori Pa was a Boiling Water Fall, steam use[?] rise from the water as it ran over the rocks.
The Cities of New Zealand were very nice, they were on a much smaller scale than Australia & the main street in nearly every one that I saw ran up & down numerous hills, [censored] in particular
[page break]
[underlined] 5 [/underlined]
was very hilly & the streets run in all directions. We had some time in [censored] & I liked it very much, there always appeared to be something to do & before we left we had got to know the people so well that it was almost impossible to walk down the main street without meeting somebody we had got to know, (it was mainly a member of the fairer sex that we met).
Whilst in the big smoke I went to several Dances at the Catholic Services Club, we got to know nearly everybody at the Club & had the time of our lives, another chap & myself were taken out several times by the people running the Club; one man even boarded us out for a couple of days when we were without a place to rest our weary bones.
It was amazing how many Australians we met over here, I came away under the impression that every [indecipherable word] person was Australian or their parents
[page break]
[underlined] 6 [/underlined]
were Australians, I even met a lady whose sister is married to a chap by the name of “Cahir” in Geelong,[?] no doubt Mum has told you all about it so I won’t go into the details again.
The rationing of clothes etc is not as servere[sic] in New Zealand as it is in Australia, things such as slippers & sandals do not require coupons and all other articules[sic] of clothing do not require as greater number of coupons as they do at home. Wool is very scarce, [deleted one/two letters] whilst we were in Wellington I saw numerous queques[sic] for wool running for 100 yds up the street. Jewellers seem to carry on business as usual, their windows are well stocked with rings & brooches a thing unseen for sometime at home. The fruit was the only thing with abnormal prices, oranges were 6d each if you could get them, pears were 4d to 5d & grapes 8/- (eight shillings)
[page break]
[underlined] 7 [/underlined]
[underlined] per lb, [/underlined] as you can imagine I suddenly losted[sic] my appetite for fruit & stuck to orange drinks, they are much easier on the pocket.
Well I suppose that will do for N.Z., I had a marvellous time there, here’s hoping we call in on the way home.
Now that we have struck the warm weather we have discarded our blue uniform & got into shorts & shirts.
We manage to fill our time in very well, sometimes & sleep in until about 9 oclock[sic] & just get up in time for the cabin boy to make my bed, the morning is usually spent in deck games & reading, the afternoon is given over [inserted] to [/inserted] reading & lolling in the sun when it is out, over the pass[sic] week I have done quite a bit of reading which included a couple of Books by Phillip Gibbs & H. V. Morton.
[page break]
[underlined] 8 [/underlined]
After tea we called for the Rosary in our cabin, we have a mustering of about ten for this which is very good I think. The evening is filled in by playing Housie-Housie or cards. The Housie is run by a couple of chaps you pay threepence for a card & the winner takes all, at the moment my books show a credit balance for Housie, how long I will stay on the credit side I don’t know!
Today a swimming pool was erected for us, it should be in use anytime now, from numerous [indecipherable word] I hear Father Neptune is expected on board any day now, so the swimming pool is just being put up at the right time
a few nights ago a concert was held, it was composed entirely of our chaps & was the best concert I have ever seen, [deleted word] perhaps it was
[page break]
[underlined] 9 [/underlined]
the fact that [deleted word] I had not seen a concert for sometime that made me appreciate it so much.
There were numerous solos & duets, some were properly composed songs whilst others were parodies composed by the artists themselves, the programme included a few skits on well known characters also a few humorous short plays, everybody voted it a great night & are looking forward to the next one.
Last week the Deck Tennis competitions started, myself & another chap were going rather well in it until today when we met our Waterloo at the hands of a couple of the officers.
On board things are very cheap cigarettes are 3/- per 100, or the Capstans the ones we have at home are 5d per pkt, it’s a pity I can’t send you a few hundred home Uncle
[page break]
[underlined] 10 [/underlined]
Gerard!
For the past weeks we have been living like Royalty, the cabins are beautiful with hot & cold water laid on, Electric Fan & reading lamps to each bunk, there are also ample draws[sic] & wardrobes to keep our belongings in. The meals are excellent, there is[sic] always five or six courses to each meal as well as afternoon tea served in our cabins every afternoon.
Well folks! That seems to be the lot at present, I hope the children are in the best of health & that everything is rosy at home. Remember me often in your prayers
Your loving nephew
Jim.
P.S. I just like to make a small request before I seal the letter, just before I left home I had a talk with Vincent
[page break]
[underlined] 11 [/underlined]
who was going to write to me often & tell me how Mum is in health & how she is standing up to Paddy & myself being away, I don’t think he will forget but I would like you to jog his memory every now & again, also when you drop me a line as I hope you will you might tell me what’s worrying Mum as she never tells me anything like that in her letters, hoping this is not to[sic] much to ask you
Love
[bottom of page torn off]
Aust. 419441
Postal No 272
R.A.A.F.
Oversea’s
Friday July 23rd 43
[inserted] [indecipherable word] Sea [/inserted]
Dear Kathlyn & Uncle Gerard
Just a short note to let you know that I am still alive & kicking and in the best of health, I hope the same applies to you & the family.
Up till date the trip has been one long holiday, it is sometime since I left Australia since then I have enjoyed a few weeks leave on dry land, & what a leave! By the time the[?] leave drew to close I was glad to get to sea again for rest from late nights & sightseeing, however it only took me four or five days to catch up with
[page break]
[underlined] 2 [/underlined]
sleep lossed[sic] (sleeping rate 24 hours per day) & now I [inserted] am [/inserted] ready for more leave if it should come our way.
We had a marvellous time whilst on dry land, we were taken on numerous trips & saw many interesting features.
One of the trips we were taken on was to the thermal area of New Zealand at Rotovia[?], unless you saw the boiling pools & lot[?] mud holes you could hardly believe that such things could exist; we visited one Maori Pa where we saw Boiling water Pools everywhere the Maori women had taken advantage of them & use cook their meals by them, they use[?] also do their washing along the banks of pools that were not quite up to boiling point. Other pools were also used as swimming pools for the Maori Children, whilst we were there they decided to have a hot bath also combine a little business with it
[page break]
3
so they stripped off where they stood & dived into the pools & yelled [inserted] at [/inserted] us to throw[?] them pennies [deleted] in [/deleted] so they could dive for them.
The Boiling Mud pools were just as interesting as they were ugly, the mud use[sic] boil just [inserted] like [/inserted] water in a kettle does, sometimes the gases coming up through the mud would form a bubble of mud which would burst when the pressure became too great, the bursting mud would be flung[?] in all directions & if you were unlucky enough for some to land on you it was quite on the cards for you to get a nasty burn. How some of these silly women can plaster their face with mud is beyond me, I think they should go to see Rotovia[?] & its mud before they go in for their Mud Baths. (besides mud doesn’t do their “looks” any good, they are usually to[sic] far gone)
At this particular Pa, we
[page break]
[underlined] 4 [/underlined]
saw the Geyser in action. Before we left we were entertained by the Maoris [deleted letters] with a concert, Golly! Can those Maori Girls sing! They sang numerous songs both in their language & in English always without a musical instrument of any description, they seem to harmonize more than sing individually.
Another Maori Pa we visited was very simalar[sic] to the first one we saw, except it had boiling sand instead of mud, the boiling sand was quite solid to walk upon but was far to[sic] hot to scoop up in your hands, another strange feature of this second Maori Pa was a Boiling Water Fall, steam use[?] rise from the water as it ran over the rocks.
The Cities of New Zealand were very nice, they were on a much smaller scale than Australia & the main street in nearly every one that I saw ran up & down numerous hills, [censored] in particular
[page break]
[underlined] 5 [/underlined]
was very hilly & the streets run in all directions. We had some time in [censored] & I liked it very much, there always appeared to be something to do & before we left we had got to know the people so well that it was almost impossible to walk down the main street without meeting somebody we had got to know, (it was mainly a member of the fairer sex that we met).
Whilst in the big smoke I went to several Dances at the Catholic Services Club, we got to know nearly everybody at the Club & had the time of our lives, another chap & myself were taken out several times by the people running the Club; one man even boarded us out for a couple of days when we were without a place to rest our weary bones.
It was amazing how many Australians we met over here, I came away under the impression that every [indecipherable word] person was Australian or their parents
[page break]
[underlined] 6 [/underlined]
were Australians, I even met a lady whose sister is married to a chap by the name of “Cahir” in Geelong,[?] no doubt Mum has told you all about it so I won’t go into the details again.
The rationing of clothes etc is not as servere[sic] in New Zealand as it is in Australia, things such as slippers & sandals do not require coupons and all other articules[sic] of clothing do not require as greater number of coupons as they do at home. Wool is very scarce, [deleted one/two letters] whilst we were in Wellington I saw numerous queques[sic] for wool running for 100 yds up the street. Jewellers seem to carry on business as usual, their windows are well stocked with rings & brooches a thing unseen for sometime at home. The fruit was the only thing with abnormal prices, oranges were 6d each if you could get them, pears were 4d to 5d & grapes 8/- (eight shillings)
[page break]
[underlined] 7 [/underlined]
[underlined] per lb, [/underlined] as you can imagine I suddenly losted[sic] my appetite for fruit & stuck to orange drinks, they are much easier on the pocket.
Well I suppose that will do for N.Z., I had a marvellous time there, here’s hoping we call in on the way home.
Now that we have struck the warm weather we have discarded our blue uniform & got into shorts & shirts.
We manage to fill our time in very well, sometimes & sleep in until about 9 oclock[sic] & just get up in time for the cabin boy to make my bed, the morning is usually spent in deck games & reading, the afternoon is given over [inserted] to [/inserted] reading & lolling in the sun when it is out, over the pass[sic] week I have done quite a bit of reading which included a couple of Books by Phillip Gibbs & H. V. Morton.
[page break]
[underlined] 8 [/underlined]
After tea we called for the Rosary in our cabin, we have a mustering of about ten for this which is very good I think. The evening is filled in by playing Housie-Housie or cards. The Housie is run by a couple of chaps you pay threepence for a card & the winner takes all, at the moment my books show a credit balance for Housie, how long I will stay on the credit side I don’t know!
Today a swimming pool was erected for us, it should be in use anytime now, from numerous [indecipherable word] I hear Father Neptune is expected on board any day now, so the swimming pool is just being put up at the right time
a few nights ago a concert was held, it was composed entirely of our chaps & was the best concert I have ever seen, [deleted word] perhaps it was
[page break]
[underlined] 9 [/underlined]
the fact that [deleted word] I had not seen a concert for sometime that made me appreciate it so much.
There were numerous solos & duets, some were properly composed songs whilst others were parodies composed by the artists themselves, the programme included a few skits on well known characters also a few humorous short plays, everybody voted it a great night & are looking forward to the next one.
Last week the Deck Tennis competitions started, myself & another chap were going rather well in it until today when we met our Waterloo at the hands of a couple of the officers.
On board things are very cheap cigarettes are 3/- per 100, or the Capstans the ones we have at home are 5d per pkt, it’s a pity I can’t send you a few hundred home Uncle
[page break]
[underlined] 10 [/underlined]
Gerard!
For the past weeks we have been living like Royalty, the cabins are beautiful with hot & cold water laid on, Electric Fan & reading lamps to each bunk, there are also ample draws[sic] & wardrobes to keep our belongings in. The meals are excellent, there is[sic] always five or six courses to each meal as well as afternoon tea served in our cabins every afternoon.
Well folks! That seems to be the lot at present, I hope the children are in the best of health & that everything is rosy at home. Remember me often in your prayers
Your loving nephew
Jim.
P.S. I just like to make a small request before I seal the letter, just before I left home I had a talk with Vincent
[page break]
[underlined] 11 [/underlined]
who was going to write to me often & tell me how Mum is in health & how she is standing up to Paddy & myself being away, I don’t think he will forget but I would like you to jog his memory every now & again, also when you drop me a line as I hope you will you might tell me what’s worrying Mum as she never tells me anything like that in her letters, hoping this is not to[sic] much to ask you
Love
[bottom of page torn off]
Collection
Citation
Jim Cahir, “Letter to Kathlyn and Uncle Gerard,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 26, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/20032.
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