Letter from Pat Hogan to his father

Letter from Pat Hogan to his father

Writes that he is on leave and they were having beautiful weather. Relates his journey on leave via Hull and Leeds and tells of his activities. Mentions a day in London and catches up with news of friend who had transferred to Mosquito and had many trips to Berlin as well as others. Mentions plans to go to Dorset but the rest of the crew went on leave to Scotland. Writes that they celebrated Anzac day and flew their first operation as a crew and notes that they were the only aircraft on the squadron to be hit by anti-aircraft fire. Speculates negatively on the future.

1945-05-02

Four sided handwritten airmail letter

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EHoganPJHoganDH450502

A436464 F/S HOGAN P.
RAAF AWSPO
LONDON[?]

2/5/45

Dear Dad,

As I probably told you in my last note, I’m now on leave. We’ve been having such beautiful weather I thought I’d get away this time without taking my coat. But lo & behold when leaving on Sunday it was snowing & was bitterly cold.

Couldn’t get a train to York & had to go to Hull & thence to Leeds, where I stayed once more with Mrs Aberaydi.[?] She got a shock at seeing me on my own for we hadn’t been over to her place since Christmas. She and the old boy got very upset & got all the home addresses from me. The old laddie is a helpless invalid from the last war & loves to have someone to

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natter to.

I had a day in London & it was even snowing down there. Ran into numerous blokes I knew including Doug Johnson, whom I’d not seen since his accident at [indecipherable word]. He got on to Mosquito’s & had bags of Berlin trips. Also Kev Shanahan[?] who was shot down over the Dover about a week before us. They all got out but the engineer & I think [two or three indecipherable words] young Kevin Dennis had a foot ….agged off.

[one indecipherable word] A.I.F. lads taken in Greece & Crete, [two or three indecipherable words] round London awaiting repat. At the moment I’m down in Dorset staying with Wally’s people, in this very quiet little village. I had intended going down to Torquay but the weather isn’t the best & I wouldn’t get any swimming unless I went into a heated pool.

I think most of the rest of the crew went up to Scotland this leave.

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We celebrated Anzac day last week by getting airborne and doing our first operation as a new crew. It was a pretty easy stage to the Frisians & we got a certain amount of ribbing as “Janoks” when we got back & found we were the only kite on the A squadron who’d been hit by flak. It was just a small bit through the windscreen which made [two indecipherable words] home cold & uncomfortable [two indecipherable words].

It looks as though, thank God, we’ve had it [indecipherable word]. I don’t give a damn actually [indecipherable word] we are left over here on transport, sent to another theatre of war, or returned home on repatriation. I’ve been considering getting stuck into a few exams to take out a civil navigation licence but so far, as usual, I’ve been too tired & lazy.

Incidentally did South African snapshots ever turn up yet. I hope they didn’t go astray. Regards & love to all, Pat.

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[Air Letter]

Mr D. H. Hogan
67 Chapel St.,
Bendigo Vic
Australia.

Sender’s name and address:-
A436464 F/S HOGAN P.
RAAF AW8PO
LONDON.