Our Father's War Read online

  The climate is very like Auckland in summer and sun bathing is the favourite occupation of everyone from 6 to 60. In the evenings the waterfront promenade is lined with hundreds of people listening to the musicians, orchestras and dance bands which are in every café and open air beer garden. There are some fine musicians and we spent a pleasant evening or two listening alternatively to Strauss waltzes played by real Viennese musicians and to modern dance music. There is an abundance of pretty dancing partners and I can tell you that the atmosphere was just what we needed after the desert.

  We drove up to Beirut in Syria last Saturday at the Government's expense and I enjoyed the trip up the coast all the way from the border. The country is much greener than I have been used to lately but still looks hungry after NZ. The people seem to live a very primitive existence and exist in very small huts. I was not so impressed with Beirut which of course is really a French city and has a real continental atmosphere and smell about it. I had to brush up my French a bit on arrival but soon found that I could make myself understood.

  After two years of travel I find that I can get along with almost any nationality now and if I'm not careful will find that on my return I will have to become accustomed to my own country again. However this will not be hard. I am sure now that travel is the best experience one can have in order to obtain the ability to understand the other man's viewpoint. This can only be done by having a thorough knowledge of his mode of living and general outlook on life, both of which can be observed only by travel. The second benefit to be derived is the true appreciation of one's own country and the realisation in our case anyway, that we are amongst the most fortunate people in the world. The tragedy of it is that a great number will never fully realise it. I am afraid that I have digressed somewhat from my description of Syria and my last page reads like an extract from a debate on philosophy. However my outlook on life has broadened so much in the last two years that I feel, when looking back, that any intolerance I may have felt was due to sheer ignorance of what other people thought.

  To return to my travels I returned to Haifa from Beirut again by service transport and spent a day having a look at that port. It is not as impressive as Tel Aviv although the city has a fine setting on the hills overlooking a harbour. The effect is very similar to the view of Wellington when entering the harbour. This morning I arose at 5.30am and drove to Jerusalem, again in a service car, arriving here for breakfast. I immediately took a tour to the Mount of Olives and Bethlehem. The latter place was really a most impressive sight and the experience of seeing the scene of the birth of Christ and the manger is something that is difficult to believe at the time. The next stop was on the Mount of Olives and there I saw the place of the Ascension. This afternoon we went out to Jericho and saw where the wall really did fall down. I saw the River Jordan and crossed into Transjordania. This, by the way, brings my total of countries visited during the war to sixteen. I did not tell the guide but I am quite sure that the Waikato River at Cambridge is a far more beautiful sight than the Jordan despite its fame. This is also true of the Nile and the Thames and I have yet to see in my travels anything that equals the beauty of our own Lake Waikaremoana. I later swam in the Dead Sea and found the experience truly remarkable; one can literally sit in the water.

  July 14th - This morning I walked around the Old City with a guide and we passed through streets in the walls of the town that look exactly the same now as they did a thousand years ago. I saw King Solomon's Temple on which is built the Mohammedan Mosque and this is really beautiful inside. We also saw the Virgin Mary's birthplace, the well where Christ performed the miracle of healing and other places of which I can remember reading during the lessons in Chapel at Waitaki Boys High. I am afraid that I did not give these places enough attention during those days and I have been paying for my schoolboy escapades of "bunking" church.

  The most impressive sight in Jerusalem is the Holy Sepulchre and here I saw the place of the crucifixion and Christ's tomb where his body lay for three days. I felt that I stood in the most holy spot in the world and I tried to imagine the number of pilgrims who have come from the four corners of the earth to pray in this stunningly beautiful church. There were souvenirs of the Crusades on the walls and the gold and silver work, combined with the jewellery displayed everywhere, made it a sight I will simply never forget. Another place similar to Solomon's Temple is the Citadel of Mohamed Aly in Cairo, one of the most famous mosques in the world, a sight that is almost as inspiring as Westminster Abbey. I still think the Abbey is the best of all the churches I have visited and I've seen a fair few in two years.

  I am leaving for Tel Aviv this afternoon and will spend another two days swimming and sun bathing there and then back to work again. I am flying back to Cairo and I think that this fortnight has been the most interesting and enjoyable I have spent since leaving home, with the exception of my first leave in England which I described to you. I am hoping that my mail will have been forwarded from Aden and will be waiting for me at H.Q. when I return. I am looking forward to hearing from home; it is now nearly three months since I have heard anything. However that is due to my constant moving from squadron to squadron as needed.

  I am fit as ever and have developed a tan in the Egyptian sun that you would not believe were you to see me today. Well, will say cheerio now. Best love to all, Hal.

  C/- H.Q. R.A.F. Middle East Sept 7th

  I have recently written to both Bruce and Dorothy so no doubt you have been well posted with news of my recent activities. I was very pleased to receive some letters from you dated early July and hear all the news and family gossip. Dorothy's letters especially are very newsy and amusing; she seems to be the family historian. Another piece of news that I was pleased to hear was Bruce's commission. He has done well for his age. I am sure that he will always benefit from his experience as an N.C.O. and he will always have the satisfaction of knowing in his own mind that he won his commission as a result of his experience and a thorough knowledge of his job. You are probably reading in the papers of the work our boys are doing out here, there is only one word to describe the men I serve with and that is magnificent.

  I went out to the NZ Base Camp yesterday with Irwin Bailey, who has been staying with me for a couple of days. The boys were very sorry to hear yesterday of the death of Lt. Col. J.N. Peart, the former Kings College head. He was one of the most popular battalion commanders and the men regarded him as almost infallible when in action. You might tell Cam White if you see him that Dick Webb, Jim Steel and I had a No 4 course reunion the other day. We are the only members in the M.E. Pip and Garry are the only surviving members in England.

  I often try to imagine what conditions are like at home these days and after an absence of two years in wartime it is very difficult. There must be a very noticeable lack of young men and I see by the papers that conscription will now extend to the 37 class. That draft will include many of our friends who will find that they will have to make considerable sacrifices. However one sees a great number of men in the R.N.Z.E.F of that age and I think that this class should have been called up long ago.

  There is not a great deal of news that I can tell you, except to say that I am fit and well as ever as you can probably see by the snaps I have sent home. The Weekly News is arriving regularly and is much appreciated; you might thank the Maple staff for this generous effort. Well, will say cheerio now. I am sending cables regularly and receive yours in the same manner. I look forward to home mail more than anything these days. Best love to all, Hal.

  C/- H.Q. R.A.F. Middle East Sept 28th

  I am writing this note to catch a mail which I believe is leaving any day. The Xmas mail closes in about a fortnight so I will reserve my greetings etc. until that date and also send a few presents and cards home. I haven't received any mail for about a month but believe there is some recently arrived at H.Q. so I am hoping to have news from home any day now. An Auckland girl was telling me yesterday of a nurse she has met who had been in NZ
within the last six weeks. Her description of conditions at home was most interesting and I find it hard to realise that our country is, at last, on a real war footing. However I am sure that most of the people would rather have it that way when they remember that England has been on a similar basis for three years.

  The position in the Pacific has improved a great deal in the last three months and it now seems very doubtful whether actual warfare will be a reality in NZ. We have learned the tragic consequences that result from being caught unprepared in this war and it is comforting to us over here to know that you will not be caught in a similar position. I received a cable from Bruce the other day acknowledging my congratulations message. I would like to hear from him, tell him to drop me a note describing his new life as an officer. He will be really grown up when I return and I suppose that Dorothy is already a young woman, I will be 25 next week. Time certainly marches on, it is now four years since you went to the Far East for a trip and since then I have spent about two months at home. However I have learned a lot in these years out in the old world on my own feet and I am sure that it will stand me in good stead later on. I will write a longer letter next time. I am still very fit and working hard, everything is O.K. Cheerio, Best love to all, Hal.

  C/- H.Q. R.A.F. Middle East Oct 15th

  I have recently received letters from you both dated about July 18th and was pleased to hear all the recent news from home. Dorothy's victory in the oratory cup competition was a fine achievement. I will write and congratulate her. It seems that our family is rapidly growing up with Bruce an officer, Dorothy representing her school and due to leave this year and myself past the 25 mark, what a reunion we will have and what a lot to talk about. Many thanks indeed for your present of £10 for my birthday, the cable and the money have come to hand through Barclays.

  I had a grand birthday party which was most fortunate in wartime. As I have told you I am temporarily stationed at H.Q. and two of us are living out in a flat in a Cairo suburb. We had a number of the pilots around, also some W.A.A.F officers and had a magnificent birthday party. The landlady, who is a fine old woman, gave me a birthday cake with 25 candles. She looks after me like her son and does my washing and mending. I am sending you a photo of my cake. It was the first I had had for years. I have really been most fortunate with wartime birthdays. I spent my 23rd in Edinburgh with Pip and two other NZ pilots on leave. My 24th I had on leave in London and had a party at the Mt. Royal in Marble Arch and now my 25th was spent in Cairo, so I have been lucky in that respect.

  I was very sorry to see that our old tennis opponent Alan Brown is missing. I met him in London. I also met both the Lincoln boys, Lloyd and Stan, in London just before I left and I see they are both missing, that is a bad blow for the family. Jimmy Mitchelson arrived in Cairo a week ago for a spell. He has just been sunk and lost his ship and all his belongings. He has had a remarkable record since arriving out here. We had a party in Cairo and then a few nights later he came out here, we started with lunch in our mess (which is the best in the Middle East) and later I went and saw his new ship. It’s a grand little boat but not quite as good as the Little Jim in his opinion. The next day I flew down and did some low flying aerobatics over the boat. I'm hoping to do a short trip with him into the Med very soon if I can get some leave.

  I am just going into town to send 36 Xmas cards home, I missed last year as I was at sea during the season but I sent some from England before leaving. I am also sending some presents so I hope you receive them in good order and in time to open them on Xmas day. Well this should be the last letter to arrive before Xmas so will wish you all a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year. My thoughts will be with you all during Xmas dinner. This is my 4th Xmas in the Air Force. Cheerio now, best love to all, Hal.

  C/- H.Q. R.A.F. Jan 3rd 1943

  I think that this letter is rather later than usual; however I trust that it arrives in good time. I have received numerous cables lately and was pleased to hear that my Xmas mail and presents arrived home safely and in time.

  Quite a number of parcels have arrived also, including one from The Rotary Club which I have acknowledged, also The Travel Club and Maple offices. Many thanks indeed for the fine Xmas present of £10 which arrived in time and was most appreciated.

  And here the letters home cease, although he was in the Middle East for another eight months. There is no doubt that, as the air war in his area intensified, his letters became much more sporadic. However there are some letters to him, from home, and some of the comments give an indication of what those last eight months were like. Eventually the Royal New Zealand Air Force Chief of Air Staff, Sir Len Isitt, started bringing the most senior pilots home while some of them survived. Only four of Dad's No. 4 war course made it home, Cam White, Pip Coney, Gary Francis, Hal Thomas and Jimmy Hutcheson.

  When he got home in late 1943 he gave a newspaper interview to The Auckland Star. The English part of his service is described much as he did in the letters, but the comments about the Middle East are as follows:

  "Fourteen months in Britain, four months in Aden as instructor to a Flight O.T.U. and adjutant to the C.O., four months staff duty in H.Q. in Cairo, all these added to the sum total of his experience. Then he went back to active duty as a Flight Commander with the East India squadron in Southern Persia. The aerodrome where he was stationed was on the supply route to Russia and consequently came under heavy attack. Of the Russian pilots under his command Thomas says, "They were good chaps, but difficult to get to know. They were very quiet. As pilots they were first class, steady but highly efficient. Their discipline was tough."

  123Squadron was a cross-section of the British Empire; their motto was "Swift to Strike." In command was the famous English ace Squadron Leader "Hawkeye" Lee, D.F.C. In addition to pilots from the British Isles the squadron personnel included four New Zealanders, five Canadians, three Australians, one from Trinidad and one from Eire. At the time when Rommel began his push that ended at Alamein the squadron was moved up to an aerodrome in Cyrenaica and activity became intense with long-range convoy patrols over the Mediterranean accompanying the Sicilian invasion fleet and anti-reconnaissance work. "Living conditions in The Middle East were far worse than in Britain, but the flying conditions were much better", he commented, "and you can put up with a shortage of water and beer."

  The toughest job to handle was the 'anti-recc' patrols in the stratosphere over the second N.Z.E.F. from El Alamein to Sidi Barrani and Derna. The Germans were sending over lots of pressure-cabin, fast, high-flying planes on photographic missions. They flew at 45,000ft and "possibly more" and the Spitfires opposed to them were without pressure cabins and heavily armed. As a result the Germans could mostly fly above them. "We reckoned mainly on keeping them up as high as possible, where they couldn't do much" said Flight Lieutenant Thomas, "but it was tough. We tried out every trick for high flying, Thirty minutes up on top was as much as we could do and we drank two bottles of oxygen in that time. There is one thing about it, once you puncture a pressure cabin the pilots usually die. Those German planes were specifically built for the job and they carry no armour plating at all. We used to dive down to 6000ft and then pull vertically up and spray bullets straight up at them. We usually lost 2000 or 3000ft in the process, but that was a risk we had to take."

  Flight Lieutenant Thomas and another fighter in his squadron had one moment of thrill on this type of operation. It was the day they caught two "recce" planes at 29,000ft. "It was the only real chance we had at them," he said, "and both our cannons jammed. We had been in a dust storm for four days previously. I chased my fellow for 30 minutes, while I tried to get the cannons working and got him down to sea level, but short of ramming him, which would have been suicidal, I couldn't do anything about it."

  The squadron took part in Operation Thesis on July 23rd 1943, providing cover for a ground attack in Crete. The operation was a response to the brutal killing of Allied hostages following a commando raid earlier in the month. Squadron Leader L
ee was shot down during that raid and Thomas was in line to be his replacement, but was repatriated home before the promotion came through. It was in the later days of his stay in the Middle East that the squadron was converted into an entirely Yugoslav one. The Yugoslavs were all naval pilots who had escaped to the Middle East when their country was over run and they were good material, he said. All spoke English and were very cultured men. "I thought a lot of them, "he said, "They are the sort of boys who will do well."

  Incidentals:

  When in England he flew escort to the planes that dropped an artificial leg to Sir Douglas Bader on August 19th 1941, in an operation sanctioned by Goering himself. After delivering the leg by parachute they went on to bomb Gosnay Power Station, but bad weather prevented the attack.

  In his letter Pop mentions "Toburk". He is referring to the fall of Tobruk (a strategically important city on Libya's east coast close to the Egyptian border) which fell to Italian and German forces on June 21st 1942. Dad was approaching the city by truck as the allied forces were leaving in droves. The mission of the people in the trucks was to find the precious Spitfires stationed at Tobruk's airbase and fly them out before the enemy could secure them.