Letter from Pat Hogan to Kevin Hogan

Letter from Pat Hogan to Kevin Hogan

Thanks him for airgram and apologises for not replying sooner. Says that he had been mucked about after doing a lot of flying and then being posted to an Australian squadron. Catches up with news and gossip asking how he was getting on. Continues by describing how he is feeling over Christmas and that he was not homesick. Comments on poor weather, recent snow and having to dig out around their aircraft. In answer to question offers his opinion of Englishmen and comments on English girls.

1945-01-26

Four sided handwritten airmail letter

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EHoganPJHoganKG450126

A436464
F/SGT HOGAN P.
RAAF AUSPO
LONDON.
26/1/45

[inserted] P.S. How did the big sporting events go over Christmas? Hope you got a look at all the big shots. Australian Forces should do well at Lords this year with the A.I.F. Champ (Hasset, Pepper, Wellington) to strengthen Keith Miller & The RAAF boys. Pat [/inserted]

Dear Kev,

Surprised I was indeed to get you airgraph early this month. I apologise for not answering sooner but, as you probably know, I've been mucked around a bit lately. Early in the month I was doing a fair deal of flying & then I was posted to this Australian squadron where I am at present located.

Congratulations on getting through the first couple of subjects. Hope the rest were also successful. And what of the Cader camp? O.K.? By the way did you happen to run into young Ted Murphy from De La Salle, who I heard indirectly (through his sister if you must know) would endeavour to look you up.

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To answer some of your queries – I did not break down & cry on Christmas day. I'm afraid I'm rather a hardened soul these days for it's many years since I've felt really homesick. Yes we had a white Christmas but it was not snow. It was the dismal dull white of several days of very heavy frost in the coldest Christmas on record this century. Snow on other stations than this wasn't very pleasant. We were dispersed for miles & had no paved paths. We were always feet deep in mud & slush & the snow was always dirty. Here however, it is a bit of fun. Everything is paved & we have very nice centrally heated billets & it's easy to keep both dry & clean. For instance we have just had 3 days heavy snow & today each crew had to go out & dig away all the snow from around their own kite. When that is finished there is a big all in snow fight with no respect of rank from Group & Winco down. It's cold if you get in it the face or get rolled in it but you've no idea how warm it makes you.

As to your questions on Englishmen, girls, conditions & their opinion of us -

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Well, laddie, each of those questions has rather a wide range. When you overlook many customs & traditions & militaristic natures etc you can get along fairly well I suppose with the average Englishman. If you let him go far enough he'll eventually hang himself in red tape – thank God for that too or I'd have been in the can a month or so back. That is the beauty of an Australian squadron believe me.

The girls – well Kev there are millions of girls in England. Generally speaking they are good dancers & good mixers and (it may be the climate) far warmer than our girls back home. However, like most countries in wartime, the standard of morality is pretty low in a fair percentage & can be rather a shock for the unwary.
However there are also a good percentage of decent girls both civvy & service & you can soon pick them once they open their mouths. Strangely there are thousands of bottle blondes (quite a number 2 toners) & they admit it right out & are not the least insulted if accused of using peroxide.

As to the English opinion of us. The majority of people in this [underlined] democracy [/underlined] not having stirred off their own little dunghill have no conception whatever of what our “colony” is like or what we do or how we live. Of course on the other hand thousands have us taped generally speaking though they have a fairly high opinion of us. Regards to all. Pat.

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AIR LETTER

Kevin Hogan
67 Chapel St,
Bendigo Vic
Australia.