July 22, 1943 (Thursday)
We leave this noon! We had to pay 10/ extra on our mess bill - certainly a gyp for what we had to eat!
[Later] We left the area by truck at 12:30 and went to the Roma St. Station, and left there about 1:30. What a train! We had a "2nd class sleeper" of very early vintage. The Aussies with us said they hadn't seen one like it for years! It was in 5 compartments, narrow aisle to the side, 6 to a compartment. The back of each seat raised up to give 6 bunks (2 permanent as shelves). The covering was that slick straw. The engine was a tiny thing. The cars all wooden. ... The wheels are not solid but iron spokes! The whole thing is light in weight. The "guard" or conductor-brakeman rides in a special little cubicle in the last car. Some cars have side doors to their compartments. ... We ran thru gentle hills and wooded country - a few skinny and tall palms, ferns, few pineapple fields and sugar cane fields. We stopped about 6:30 (after dark) for supper at "Gimpie" [Gympie, Queensland] and went thru the mess line at the station - steak, watery mashed potatoes, gravy poured from a pitcher, sliced tomatoes, tea already "treated" with milk and sugar, bread, butter and jam. But were we hungry! We went to bed early. The roadbed was too rough for much reading. It was cold! I had on long underwear tops, wool shirt, jacket, and covered with my trench coat. I awakened at 1:30 and went right back to sleep. At 3:30 I awoke again and shivered until 4 when I got up and put on the long drawers, a wool sweater and slept until 6 when we stopped and everyone woke up. At 4 I put my head out the door (open platforms at the ends of the cars and no passing between cars!) and it was very cold. It was said that we got up into 4000 ft. mountains during the night. We reached Rockhampton about 9:45 A.M. about 400 miles from Brisbane. Averaged just about 20 miles an hour!
July 23, 1943
We ate breakfast, going thru the line at the station again and had practically the same food! Trucks were waiting for us. The town appears to be very much spread out, and quite similar to Brisbane. We headed for some low hills east of town to our area. We found the 5th Station Hospital very well set up in some buildings, tent frames - very fine in fact. They've been here 6 or 7 months. We are to be just back of them and up on a knoll for part of our camp. It has been occupied before, so we can set up more easily. It is quite full of trees from saplings to 8" [diameter] ones. It is now dry and brown and a little dusty, but so very pleasant. We can see part of the town, which is about 3 miles away. There is running water (cold) and electricity. This should be fine! We ate at their mess - very good! We slept in some of their wards, under mosquito netting as is required here. There are very few skeeters due to the dryness and cold (what ones there are must use a low SAE oil in their engines to be able to fly these chilly nights!) There is no native malaria, but some Dengue fever - very mild - from these mosquitoes.
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| Camp at Rockhampton |
Our new APO is #926.
July 24, 1943 (Saturday)
What a cold night! I missed my sleeping bag! Nothing to do today but walk around. Our fellows are setting up. This is certainly a pleasant grove - more like a camp meeting grounds. We are not accustomed to such surroundings! What long evenings - worse than Freda. ...
July 25, 1943 (Sunday)
... No blackout here! However, there are bomb shelters, slit trenches and all that! All the windows of the stores are crossed # with tape or boarded up or covered with wire netting.
3 of us took about a 6 mile hike up between some hills and saw some very nice country. We came upon an open park with a shack in it and evidence of farming and a few orange trees. We saw a large wild wallaby.
July 26, 1943 (Monday)
... Tonight we moved to the area to assigned tents. I drew Powers and Terstegge! We had slept for 2 nights in one of our ward tents. 2 letters from Beth dated July 10 and 12. The July 11 didn't arrive yet!
On our way back from town Christie stopped to talk to an elderly man about fishing. He [Christie] pulled some tackle out of his pocket and out fell a rubber. Padre [an army chaplain is usually called "Padre", regardless of denomination] and I practically rolled on the ground laughing! It was one Christie had been given as a joke, for censoring mail while at Ascot. Even the [old] man laughed!
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| Old man and his fishing boat on the Fitzroy River |
July 27, 1943 (Tuesday)
Today we really began to set up the place! Sgt. Decker (I have 6 clerks and 4 orderlies and 1 ass't - Lt. Vinicor) can be trusted to get things rolling. I received 2 V-mails from Beth, the 14th and 15th of July, and a regular June 28th and an air mail from Mother of June 28. Fine weather! I'm Receiving Officer.
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| Form filled out for each outpatient at the 92nd Evac Hospital in Rockhampton |
July 28, 1943 (Wednesday)
Fairly quiet day! The admitting tent is functioning. We got our liquor ration. I drew a 26 oz brandy for 16/ or about $2.56. It is good, aged brandy. We are allowed 3 bottles of beer a week at 1/8 a bottle. I sold my share to the men, for it seems a shame that they are left out of any army arrangements.
July 31, 1943 (Saturday)
... 2nd Lt. Gray arrived late last night with [six] 2 1/2 ton trucks, 2 weapons carriers, 1 command car, 1 staff car, 2 jeeps. It took them 3 1/2 days to drive the 300 miles from Brisbane! They were allowed 4 days, but decided to come right thru. Their roads were scarcely ever surfaced! Sometimes it was just a single track dirt road thru the woods! They said the "backwoods" people regarded them as such a curiousity and were so hospitable!
Some of the birds can sing very well with beautiful liquid notes. And others, especially morning and evening, sound like someone trying to rob the henhouse!
One officer [a patient in the ward] told about his outfit capturing a Japanese hospital that they tried to defend. Our men went thru it, killing every patient and the few doctors that were left. They have learned not to trust the Japs any time. The Japs are always pulling stunts such as pulling out a grenade and setting it off when a Yank gets close to him, killing himself as well. The officer said you sleep anywhere, and with a knife in your hand. ... In the dense jungle, a man could be firing at you from 5 feet away and you couldn't see him!
Men carrying supplies thru mud, sometimes made 2 round trips a day over an 800 yard distance. The Japs sank the Australian hospital ship, in retaliation for one of theirs we sank (and which was not told in the papers!) Since we killed off a few of their hospital units in retaliation, they've left our hospitals alone. In one place our men captured, they found ample evidence of Geisha girls - including rubbers! They [the Americans] used [captured]Jap drugs and other supplies freely. Some Japs were very much malnourished. In some places they found vitamin tablets!
August 1, 1943 (Sunday)
Lansing-Hatfield, Metropolitan baritone who sang in Trinidad several years ago, sang [The Lord's Prayer] at our church service this morning. He is in the USO.
Hagmann and I climbed a hill NE of our area. A grand view of the city and valley. We saw a wallaby. The Fitzroy River is quite a river.
Beth: 1 August 1943
My dears [Mary X and their parents, who are visiting Freeport],
... Knowing that Gene went to church yesterday since he is a day ahead of me makes me feel as tho [sic] he is a 7 day Adventist! ...
Can't wait for tomorrow for I should have the missing letter from Gene. A year ago today we spent at Fort Ord and on Monday he left for the desert. ...
Love, Elisabeth
August 2, 1943 (Monday)
My Honey's birthday and I'm not able to hold her in my arms and hug her. Last year we were confined to the Fort of Ord because of leaving for the desert, and today I'm too far away to even see her!
Beth: 2 August 1943 (Monday)
My dears,
I'm favored by the Gods! Such a lot of good mail I got at noon and now at 3:30 pm I get a birthday cable from my sweetheart in Australia. I must tell first the good news that is in his letter. He has been writing that they would move and intimated New Guinea and I've been so upset about it. Col. Ireland went out on "an expedition" and rumor had it he called on MacArthur. Anyway their orders were changed and they had to set up a base hospital which is an entirely different thing from an Evacuation Hospital. The base hospital is supposed to be about 3X the size of the EV and be stationary in a safe spot. An EV Hospital follows the battle and is the first behind the line. He said they would be in a lovely spot near a nice Australian town and all were so happy about it. I am overjoyed. Once set up they can't move them for quite a spell. And I won't have to worry about Malaria. When his other cable took 6 days to come, I wonder how he knew when to send this one. And in his letter he said he was afraid it (the letter) would arrive after the birthday but he wanted to send greetings. That letter, #10, came today and I have not had #9 yet! ...
Love, Elisabeth
A reprieve from the battlefront, but for how long?
I think the color photo of my grandparents in the post about the last visit before embarkation is the most amazing for color. It was taken in 1942, the year before my grandfather died and looks like it was taken yesterday!
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