Letter from Pat Hogan to Miss Marie Hogan

Letter from Pat Hogan to Miss Marie Hogan

Reports arrival of mail, catches up with news of home and asks after relatives. Reports arrival of parcels from home, that he would be on the move soon and was hoping for improved conditions which would alleviate need for food parcels. Discusses his captain and other members of crew. Goes on to comment on winter weather, lack of coal and coke, going to see films. Concluded with gossip of friends and family and mentions how hard it is to concentrate on letter writing.

1945-01-16

Four sides handwritten airmail letter

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EHoganPJHoganM450116

436464 F/Sgt Hogan P.
RAAF AUSPO
LONDON
16/1/45.

Dear Marie,

Yesterday I had quite a bundle of mail from you at home. Pleased to note you all had a pleasant, if quiet, Christmas at home. No doubt your respective holidays at Olinda & Sydney are over now & I trust each of you enjoyed the sojourn. I should also mention that Kev's air letter arrived a couple of days ago & I'll duly acknowledge it in the near future.

Have his results come out yet? And what of the Cadets Camp. By the way a friend of mine in Melbourne, Joan Murphy, tells me she noticed the name of a Sgt Hogan M.B.C. Bendigo in the list of those going & therefore told her young brother Fred to look Kev up.

Two more large packages arrived during the week including the tin of ginger nuts. As we expect to be on the move this week the Lord only knows what we will do with the stuff we have on hand. I guess what we can't fit in we can post to our new address before leaving.

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We shall be notified of our new destination tomorrow & of course, on arrival will no doubt forward on my first impression unless we draw the rabbit, & hoping that food & general conditions will improve immensely & there should then not be the same urgency for the parcels. The tinned fruit here has been a boon. Funny how the old labels “Golden Bells”, “S.P. C.” “Ardmona” etc bring back memories of Bendigo & district & get Bill Bullen talking. Bill is a marvellous personality, is always in a good humour & has always a yarn to spin. It is amazing the good influence he has had upon our Mid Upper who was formerly definitely on the wayward side. To revert to the parcels, it is funny Mrs Exelby's has not come to hand. I'll write & thank her in any case. Actually there is another one in the mess for me to collect now but instead I'm waiting to readdress it & forward it on to my next whereabouts.

Very sorry indeed to hear of Jack Hogan's misfortunes. It is tough. Despite the cold & the rain the mud & the slush & all the rest of it I've amazed myself really for I've had no colds although I've invariably got wet feet.

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This place is a terrible mess now as all last week’s snow has completely thawed out & everywhere it is just a quagmire.

With the shortage of coal & coke (The Bevin boys have not been producing the required quota for some time) I’ve been to town to the pictures a couple of times recently. Saw a very entertaining racing picture in technicolour “Home in Indiana” which you’d better send Dad along to see when it arrives – if he has not already seen it. The others have been very ordinary.

Amused at the lad being caught smoking & was always amazed I was not caught when much younger than he; particularly in the 6 months Tom Ryan stayed with us. I think I was only in grade 6 or 7 then.

Well, Marie, thanks a lot to you all for keeping the home front well before me in the form of your letters & parcels. No doubt my letters back seem pretty thankless & disconnected but the fight against boredom & melancholy is always on & you’ve no idea how hard it gets to concentrate on letter writing. Don’t get the wrong idea now I think I’ve been pretty well on top of both most of the time but I think it is made much easier for me in that I have such a good lot of blokes to get along within the crew. Love to you all. Pat

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AIR LETTER

Miss Marie Hogan
67 Chapel St.,
Bendigo Vic
Australia

Sender

A436464 F/S HOGAN
RAAF AUSPO
LONDON.