BACK FROM THE JUNGLE.
A dusty figure i$ jungle suit, loaded with web, rifle knapsack and valise straggled into camp on Saturday afternoon - Ike had returned I
' IT was not until he had reached the Sgts 'Mess that he was recognised; someone caught a glimpse of him & bawled " Here e Ike J l , a e was promptly hustled into tho Moss, and, between handshakes, managed to slake his thirst with a cup of tea.
EARLIER in tho week Joe ■’ ,Andrews, Arty. Carey, Percy Willis, Jack Telford, Jim Blair, Bill Turner and Cyril Mcßae returned with their respective Companies.
NONE Ibok the worse for their trip to the * forward ■areas "j . Jim Blair is recovering from a nasty Itch, his only loss being a front tooth on his dental plate. H I broke the damn thing through jbiting my finger nails ” 'was his ot-'.ry) Bill Char let on "■ imao i nr- t ion h-■ s not weakened, though he claims he has almos' lost faith in J.A. fiee. Bill played Father Christmas to S'W of the lads by distributing rings .made from Jap plan parts A Bill Did NOT shoot down the planes ); Cryil Mcßae has the air of j ' a prosperous business executive " the Hokanui man v thrives in any climate * - ; Joe Andrews and Percy Willis havelost most of the weight they carried at Dumbea, but they both look*very hardened, • Arty Carey said he was ’’very-disappointed in tho hula girls forward ”, N s had expected- some improvement dn the’local Kanaka
maidens.
I Tr E gavdsome details of the, bomber and fighter strips * vrhich Works personnel worked on in collaboration .with the (see next col. )
US Seabeos on Nissen. ” Tn one strip " Said Ike, ” there wore over 58 dozers and. Carryalls on tho job which -’as a 700 yard strip and which was in action seven days after work commoncod. What was the going like ? Mostly coraljas hard as the hobs of hell,but there wore patches of soft stuff ".
WE worked tho clock round, with half an hour for meals which were brought on to the job in a mobile moss; it was
a , groat set up. Tho bus pulled up on the job, the slide wont up and there was your meal .
IKE had high praise for the US Sosbees and the way they got down to their job - ” of course ", he added with a grin " they couldn’t us bloke from Works, In' fact, 1 think we were up one on them when it camo to working the dozers and carryalls. But what wo'missed , I know I did, was tho. orning and afternoon tea. J was terrible having to go without it"
LI E HIS WIFE
HE SUFFERS
IN SILENCE.
ASKED how he was enjoying New Caledonia in his second year on the Island. ” Pop" Drayton said "I’m like my wife 2 She tells me she ’suffers in silence’, after she has told the whole- "
. ONE of the worst features of Nissen island, Ike found, were the caterpillars -which hung from a web like a spider.. They would land on your chest, arm or log, and 'wherever they touched they -would leave a series of stings from their logs. " And Godalmighty would the stings itch, you -’anted to tear your skin apart. Jim Blair had a hell of a nasty streak across his chest. "
NISSEN itself, Jone Andrews said was a mere spok in the oceanj there was a roadif you could call it such - round the island which was only sixteen miles in diameter. " /is different from this place nsfthis is from Now. Zealand ” was how Joe summed it up.
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Bibliographic details
Dozerdust, Volume 2, Issue 21, 12 June 1944, Page 5
Word Count
601BACK FROM THE JUNGLE. Dozerdust, Volume 2, Issue 21, 12 June 1944, Page 5
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