As part of our online coverage in the lead-up to Anzac Day 2020 the Free Times is featuring a series of letters from World War 2 discovered in recent times by a Warwick resident tucked away in an old piece of furniture during a home ‘clean-up’.
The letters were written by a Corporal Harold Mathison of the 12 Australian Army Corps RAE (Royal Australian Engineers) to his sweetheart Elsie Matzkows in late 1943 and early 1944. Harold was at the time in Townsville while Elsie was in Warwick, staying with a Mrs F Reimers on Grafton Street.
Harold’s letters were passed on to Warwick-based military historian – and good friend of the Free Times – Deborah Wheeler, who transposed them in the hope of perhaps discovering a little more about Harold and Elsie.
Deborah has discovered Harold’s mother was a Mary Ann Mathison and that a Martin William Mathison – perhaps Harold’s father – was apparently born in Sweden in 1872 and came to Australia aboard the ‘Duke Of Buckingham’ in 1898, and had a farm on Glen Road. As well as a Harold Mathison, Martin had three older sons, Sid, Peter and Thomas and two daughters, a Doris and a Mrs A V Hughes.
Today we feature the second of Cpl Mathison’s three letters, this one dated 14 January 1944. If any reader can shed any more light on Harold and Elsie please feel free to contact Deborah Wheeler on 0414 852 492 or email – read@deborahcwheeler.com
FROM CPL HAROLD MATHISON – TO ELSIE…
Q104824
Cpl. H. Mathison,
12 Aust Army Cps. R.A.E.
Townsville
14th Jan, 1944
My Darling Sweetheart,
I received your loving letter yesterday afternoon, and as you said Pet I did get a surprise and a shock also. I think it is very tough too Darling putting you off as I know how hard and conscientiously my [Toky?] works; I only wish I were in Warwick to be with you now Pet, I would offer you a job my Darling Love, a contract for life. I have been wishing Elsie that we could be married on my next leave, and I am sure everything would work out for the best. We could arrange most things by letter and I could get extra leave to finalise everything.
I wish I had mentioned it all before [Toky], but I don’t know how you feel about everything. On our last leave we arranged to get married after the war, so Darling would you like to change those arrangements and become my wife on our next leave? Then I could spend all of my leave with my wife instead of some of my leave with my Precious Sweetheart. Elsie let me know what your opinion of the [unclear] is in your next letter; we can then make arrangements about everything and where you want to be married.
By the time you receive this letter you may be settled down somewhere; I do hope and pray that you and your Mother will find a place where you will be happy. But [Toky], for your sake and my sake please don’t join any branch of the services; for both of our happinesses [sic] Elsie, Please don’t join up anything.
Pet Angel you are wisest and if you think it is the best to wait until peace is declared before we are married, I leave the decision for you to make. I am being true to you Princess and keep on loving you more every day; I will always be true to you my Beloved and will keep on loving you in that same wonderful love that we know.
Darling, of course I will spend some of my leave with you, wherever you may be; I would not be able to spend very long with you if you had taken [unclear] job in Newcastle. We could have a great time together at Maryborough; it is always heaven to me when I am with you.
Well my Darling Sweetheart I hope everything turns out the best for you, and that you are settled down in a nice job the next time you write to me. Closing now with best and dearest love from the one who love [sic] you with all his heart,
Your adoring Sweetheart,
Harold
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX for Elsie, whom I LOVE.
Give my love to Mother, Aunty May and Fred. XXX
