Letter from Pat Hogan to his father

Letter from Pat Hogan to his father

Writes about cutting his finger on barbed wire while walking back across country from a dance. Had to be stitched but still gave trouble. Says he is now crewless as the rest had volunteered together to go to Transport Command. Mentions asthma and giving up smoking. Writes of doing a map reading trip with a new crew over NW Germany, Holland looking at several cities. Continues with gossip and talk of elections. Part is spoiled by water stain.

1945-06-10

Four sided handwritten airmail latter

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EHoganPJHoganDH450610

A4346 [missing number] F/S HOGAN P.
RAAF AUSPO
LONDON.

10/6/45

[inserted] It’s Sunday [obscured word] I’m awaiting the arrival of a Mr Murphy, a friend of Mrs Johnson. He is over on some delegation & telephoned me from London that he would be up today.

Pat.

Dear Dad,

I have yours of the 26th May. I don’t know when I last wrote but imagine it must be nearly a fortnight for about 8 days ago I did a finger in. We decided that instead of walking back from the dance round the road, it would be quicker and also a change to come across the fields. Quite apart from getting ankle deep in mud, we had to go through a barbed wire entanglement on which I made a big Y cut down one finger & incidentally cut an artery. I had the stitches out a few days later but have since had a lot of trouble for every time I take off the bandages the bally thing opens up again. Well once again, I’m crewels. The weekend I went to Bradford, Mac volunteered for the 2 of us

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to go together on Transport Command. If I’d have [obscured word] there I’d have done the same. However Kodak House had decided Mac has done his share & is already on his way to Australia. If I’d have said no I’d have been with him but it’s too late now. In any case, I’m now with the only pilot still here, who was on the squadron before me, Bert McElvee. We have [obscured word] to a crew. The others being on [obscured words] pilot (Don Kendall) and a [obscured words] Arnold). All aircrew here [obscured words] Australians. If we get our {obscured words] guess we’ll be on the India [obscured words] Dakotas we naturally [obscured words] far.

I’m [obscured words] in my last few letters, I’ve been rather abrupt but for quite a while there I had the asthma every night & it was certainly taking its toll. However I woke up to myself & haven’t had a smoke for 3 weeks & no trouble for about a fortnight. Smoking is hard to give away, but the effort certainly pays its dividend for I’m again in the pink.

I went on a map reading training flip last week with the

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new crew & gained what I’m sure will be one of my [partially obscured word] memories for we covered N.W. Germany & Holland & I had good looks at such places as Bremen, Hamburg, Kiel, & Heligoland amongst others.

As for the contents of my letters, using your own discretion, I don’t mind much but putting things in the paper seems to me a horribly unnesessary [sic] line shoot. I’ve known a lot of line shooters & detest them. Hence you see [obscured words] like picturing myself as one [obscured words] no offence meant for I was [obscured words] rather niggledy [sic] at the time [obscured words] you checked up with RAAF [obscured words] for one does have to be [obscured words] one tells the press [obscured words] I sent him a cable [obscured words] he’s now 28 or 29? {obscured word] seem to be progressing gradually in his area. My old crowd are now in New Britain Congrats to [indecipherable word] on the debating. I’ve been doing a lot of arguing with the Pongos round about lately on the forthcoming elections & what a menacing lot of bloodsuckers & blunders the Tories are & always have been. The English worker is pretty spineless & always afraid of offending the knob & I’ll guarantee the majority don’t even take enough interest to vote. I think the race is more to be derided than pitied.

Dante romped home in the Derby yesterday at 4/1. Also I didn’t manage to get to Lords but hope to get to Sheffield in a fortnight.

Love to all at home

Pat.

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AIR LETTER

[postmark] [postage stamp]

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

[postmark]

[postmark]

A436464 F/S HOGAN P
RAAF AUSPO
LONDON.