Poem and Notes from 1943
In 1943 my mother Patricia Savage was a young woman of 19 amid World War II. She passed away just over two years ago at the age of 97 having experienced more things in her life than most of us could imagine.
Pat in the Women’s Australian National Service (WANS) uniform.
Going through many years of Mum’s photographs and papers I came across an old notebook that had some writings from 1943. I’d like to share those writings with you.
Now Mum’s handwriting is a little hard to decipher but I hope I’ve done it justice. The first of the notes. It’s a poem called At Lea, written in September 1943, which you can find in the next post.
The notes are as follows;
I Remember, do You? (October 1943)
To a Sailor (November 1943)
Buddy (November 1943)
The Answer (November 1943)
Twenty-Four Days Leave (November 1943)
Poem and Notes from 1943 - At Lae
This poem was written very soon after the actual battle, which ended on September 16, 1943. It reflects the immediate reaction to the victory and the losses suffered. It provides insight into how this battle was perceived and memorialized at the time.
The poem uses some dated terminology that would be considered offensive today, reflecting the attitudes and language of the time it was written.
