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The Times and Northern Advertiser, Peterborough, South Australia (SA: 1919 - 1950) Friday 28 May 1943
NEWS OF JOHN AYLIFFE

(Continued from last issue).

On the way over here I spent two days in Montreal. It is a funny sort of a place. About as big as Sydney, but I think it is a very squalid and dirty place. But a great deal may be placed on the weather whilst I was there. Everyone speaks French, and all the street names are in French. You really think you are in a different world.

It is much like the States, Liquor laws are very elastic, and from what I could see the hotels remain open all night and the night clubs are open from sunset to sunrise. There seems to be more vice in Montreal than any other city I have visited. Every night club seems to sport a strip-tease act in their floor show. There are a lot of coloured people, and Montreal is a very cosmopolitan city.

The scenery was rather pretty. All the trees were covered with ice, and they had assumed grotesque shapes due to the weight. Sometimes the weight of ice is so great that it snaps the limbs of the trees. It also breaks the telephone wires, and usually causes a general breakdown in communications. But these trees are very pretty when caught in the sunlight. It looks just like fairyland.

Quebec is another old world city. I did not see much of it, as it was snowing heavily when we went through. Every conveyance was on sleighs and horse drawn. They generally hang numerous bells on the harness, and all one can hear on the streets is a jingle. It is quite musical in a way.

I saw the "Heights of Quebec," which are famous in history—where the English General Wolfe defeated Montcalm.

Well, this island has just about got me down. Talk about cold! We had a blizzard this week, and it lasted for three solid days with the wind reaching 79 m.p.h. One just could not stay outside more than a few minutes, as the wind went right through, and there is great danger of frostbite.

The sea all around here is frozen and we have to go flying out over it. I hope we never get an engine failure, as we would be just about frozen stiff by the time we could be rescued.

By Jove, this course we are doing now is very interesting and we will have received a good training by the time we leave here. I think it is the pick of the courses in the Air Force and fits you for Coastal Command work.

I just forget if I have told you all about my wanderings in the States, but I think I did give you the main points of interest. I am going to send you some souvenirs of our Wings Party.

Please remember me to all the boys around the town and thanks for your letter. It seems as though the Golf Ball was a good show— wish I'd been there!

This island is famous for its lobsters—just my luck, they are out of season, or I could see myself putting a few away.

I am enclosing a copy of the newspaper published on the boat, and also a copy of my certificate for Crossing the Equator.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133344936

The Times and Northern Advertiser, Peterborough, South Australia (SA: 1919 - 1950) Friday 21 May 1943
NEWS OF JOHN AYLIFFE

(Continued from last issue).

Well, here I go to continue with my trip.

It is now Sunday and we had to meet our friend at 1 o'clock. We went to the hotel and then to the station to see his wife and daughters off to Des Moines. After the train left, our friend, whose name was Mr Rumsey, hired a taxi for the afternoon, and proceeded to show us some of Chicago.

We went out on the Outer Marine Drive, which is a wonderful network of roads and drives along Lake Michigan. It must look wonderful in the Spring, as it is lined with trees and parks. The kerbs can be automatically raised so as to make 3 or 4 lanes for traffic. When one wants to get off the Drive and go across to the other side you just take a turn off which leads you right under the drive proper, and you come out on the opposite side. It is a wonderful engineering enterprise and relieves the traffic problem by about 80%. This drive is about 15 miles long and even then you are still in the city of Chicago and not in the suburbs, so you can get some idea of the size of the city. By the way the population is four millions.

Our first stop was at the Edgewater Beach Hotel, which is the premier hotel, and is reputed to have the most beautiful dining room in the world. It is called the "Marine Dining Room." It is simply marvellous and is so pretty. The decorations are in marine style, and in the summer the roof just slides off and you dine under the stars, and dance out on the promenade lapped by the waters of the Lake. It costs 4.50 to get into dinner and then you have to pay for your meal and drinks. A room at this hotel costs 45 dollars (£13) a night.

Here also is a "Yacht Club Room." It is done to resemble a yacht. When you go into it you can hear the sound of the waves. The door opens automatically and you walk down from the Bridge (equipped with a compass and wheel) on to the lower decks. Here you can eat or drink. The walls are painted like the sea, with ships, etc. There are rails, and the walls even move, suggesting the movement of the sea. All the waiters are dressed as sailors and they even have two models dressed as sailors who just stand and look out to sea. The siren blows every 15 minutes, 8 bells, etc. are sounded, and every half hour the anchor is weighed. The Captain also walks across the bridge. The sound effects are marvellous, and I tell you one can easily think one is at sea and get sea sick. According to the waiters there have been many get sea sick down there.

After looking over the interior decorations we moved on again to the Drake Hotel, which is the swankiest in town. Here the decorations were elaborate. The dining room was called "Camelia Room" and all the furnishings bore a resemblance to the camelia flower. It was very pretty. These places are about 20 or 30 storeys and contain thousands of rooms. Our next port of call was a Night Club called "Don The Beachcomber." This was done in Hawaiian style. We made a bit of a hit with the manager, and he made us all members of the "Beachcombers" Club and gave us a passport so that we can be admitted to any Beachcombers Club in any part of the world.

Our next Night Club was the "Ivanhoe". Typically English. It looked like a castle from the outside, and had coats of "mail" standing in the corners and battle-axes on all walls. Here they have "dungeons", where one hears screams and the clanking of chains. Also arms come out of holes in the wall and grab your arm. You also meet skeletons in the passageways. Wishing Wells and Palmists' Rooms are spread about the dungeons, as well as skulls. The walk takes you to a Grotto, and Wine Cellars, and then around the corner is a lovely little bar.

We spent quite a time at the bar arguing about world affairs. It was the first bar we had struck where you could stand up with an elbow on the counter and a foot on the rail since we had left Australia— and enjoyed the novelty.

After leaving the Ivanhoe we went to at least 10 more night clubs and finished up at 8 a.m. next day. I can just hear you saying "Tut, tut", but it was O.K. I was quite sober. And these night clubs put on most entertaining floor shows and what surprised me most was that at no place did we see anything objectionable.

Monday we spent looking over Insurance Buildings, and seeing how the Tabulation Machines worked and meeting thousands of girls. It was funny to walk into an office with about 400 girls working there and having them all stop work and rush up to talk to you, "just to see how you talk." We certainly felt like some new sort of animal.

We went up the highest building in Chicago, and found we were in the clouds, at only 43 storeys. We also saw the Chicago Wheat Market, which is the largest grain buying and selling market in the world.

Another night we took some girls from the Insurance Building out to dinner. Knowing the chief Chef at the Chicagoan Hotel we were able to get a Venison Dinner and wine for about quarter the usual price.

We had spent five glorious days in Chicago, and had not gone to bed for more than an hour or two at a time, when our host came out with the biggest bombshell of all. He asked the five of us to come out to his home in Des Moines in Iowa, 400 miles west of Chicago. Thinking this would be a chance for a rest, were overjoyed and accepted. Well! You have to hand it to the Yanks. Mr Rumsey hired two cabins on the best train in the States, "The Rocky Mountain Rocket," for our trip down to Des Moines. It was a wonderful train. We had wireless in the cabin and had only to ring the bell and the waiter trotted in with some beer! Real service, eh? That's what you get when travelling in the States. This train does 110 m.p.h. and covers the 400 miles in 6 hours, and that is moving. I could not tire of riding in that train, it was so clean and we didn't have to listen to other passengers talking, we were all private.

When we arrived at Des Moines, we were rather surprised at the size of the town. We expected something small, but it was nearly as big as Adelaide, and has 13 storey buildings. Mr Rumsey put us in the best hotel and told us we could stay as long as we liked at his expense. This was about 8 p.m., so he took us out to meet his mother and father, and then around to the local tavern to quench our thirst. Then to "Picolo Pete's" and had barbacued beef for supper. It was the most tender and juicy meat I have ever tasted. We finished the night at a Night Club.

Our first day in Des Moines was given over to an interview with the local newspaper, having our photos taken and also an article in the local rag.

I am afraid Des Moines was no more rest than Chicago. We used to go out even to breakfast. In Des Moines there is a camp of 15,000 WAAC's, and we had a conducted tour over the camp and had our photos taken inspecting various barracks and tasting the stew in one of the messes, also singing around the piano. We ate at the Officers' Mess.

We also saw over the airport. We had a friend who owned his own plane, so we were going out for a fly. We met some wonderful people in Des Moines, who used to entertain us at the Country Club, and in town, and invite us out to their homes. I could have spent weeks around that place living on the hospitality of the people. They just thought Aussies were people from "God's Own Country."

(Another letter next week).
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133344884

The Times and Northern Advertiser, Peterborough, South Australia (SA: 1919 - 1950) Friday 14 May 1943
NEWS OF JOHN AYLIFFE
The following letter has been received by Mr Ray Ayliffe, of 86 Victoria Street, and we are being allowed to publish it. It speaks of a very fine action by the High Commissioner for Canada and shows how much the presence and participation of our boys in the Empire Air Training Scheme is appreciated in Canada. The letter reads:

Canberra, 28/4/43.
Dear Mr Ayliffe,
Before I left Canada to come here, I went to Air Marshall Goble, who is the Officer in Charge of Australian interests in connection with British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, and asked him to give me a list of about 100 Australians in Canada in training under this Plan. I suggested to him that the names be chosen from Air Training Schools in the different sections of Canada and in turn from the different parts of Australia.

When I asked for this, it was my intention to try and call on the fathers and mothers of these boys. I am afraid that I did not appreciate the vastness of the distances in Australia, the location of Canberra in relation to the rest of Australia, nor the tremendous job which I would have to undertake, if I attempted to call on all those on the list he so kindly furnished to me.

It would appear that it is going to be next to impossible for me to make all these calls, at all events, within any reasonable length of time. As an alternative, I am writing to the father or mother, wife, etc. of the men on the list, so that they will know that at least my heart was in the right place when I made the suggestion to Air Vice Marshall Goble, and also to let them know that sometime I may be able to call on, at least, a few of them. Your son is apparently training at No. 3 S.F.T.S. Calgary which is in the Province adjacent to my native Province of Saskatchewan.
With every good wish.
Yours very Sincerely,
High Commissioner for Canada.

The following are extracts from letters that John has written to his parents :—

17/1/43.—I have been on leave for 17 days and have just arrived in my new station, which is as far east of Canada one can go, and is on an island. From what I can see of it, it seems to be a very desolate place. I will be here for at least nine weeks doing a special course.

I have so much to tell you that I could not fit it in one letter—so will write a sort of serial.

GETS HIS "WINGS"

I received my "Wings" on 30th December, but did not get my commission, so I am just a plain Sergeant. I left Calgary that night bound for Chicago. I had intended going east as far as Toronto, then going south to Chicago. But we got so sick of the train that we got off at Winnipeg for New Year's Eve. I think that place is the coldest I have struck.

TRAVEL DE LUXE

New Year's Day was spent trying to avoid the biting cold—it was 30 degrees below, and snowing. It was just agony to go out on the streets so we went to a movie. That night we caught the train for Minneapolis and St. Paul. It was the roughest train I have ever ridden on, we could get no sleepers and spent a rather uncomfortable night. We got to Minneapolis about 7.30 the next morning and then went on to St. Paul, which is very close to Minneapolis. They are both very big cities. We had intended to stay the day in one of them, but when we found we could get to Chicago by 3 p.m. that day we immediately caught a train and went on. I must try and describe this train to you. It is a "Streamliner" and is wonderfully decorated and has a Club Car with a bar, and dining cars. I have never enjoyed train travelling so much. The staff on the train were very good to us, and even gave us a special breakfast.

The scenery would have been marvellous in Spring or Summer, but it was snowing "to beat hell" outside. We chatted to various people and the time passed very quickly. We were in Chicago about 5 minutes before we knew it. We were so surprised at the people's apparent ignorance of Australia. They could not seem to realise we did really come from Australia. We could not move more than a few yards without being stopped by someone and asked yards of questions.

IN CHICAGO

When we stepped off the train at one of Chicago's ten city railway stations we were sort of attacked by the crowd. (Ever stopped to think how conquering heroes feel? Well that is exactly how I felt.) Anyhow to make a long story short, we were hailed by a member of some organisation who drove us to the Service Men's Centre, where we intended to stay. One of our party had a letter from the Mayor of Chicago and that seemed to open doors very quickly, so we were soon installed in a room.

A change and bath did wonders, and with bright new "wings" on, we made off for the big bad city. It was just about dark, but there was enough light to see the skyscrapers, which are only 43 storeys high. But everywhere you look there seems to be buildings as high.

HOSPITALITY

After a theatre we went along to a Night Club called the "Tropics". It was such a lovely place, all done in Hawaiian style and with a nice orchestra. I really wondered what I had walked into, as everyone seemed to talking at once, and we had hardly been seated at a table when a chap came over and asked us to have a drink with him. A little later this chap brought his wife over. She was a most attractive woman, an English stage actress. Her husband said we spoke like her. He invited us to come around on the morrow and he would show us some more of Chicago.

We went on to another Night Club and again had barely settled when a waiter came up and asked me to go over and see some other people who wanted to speak to me. Over I went and started off on my oft-repeated tale of the virtues and oddities of Australia, and so home to bed.

I do not like this place (the island, not Chicago.) it seems to snow all the time, and the wind which blows every day whips up the snow. The lobsters are famous, but just my luck, we can't get any because the sea is frozen. It was funny coming across from the mainland as the boa would have to crush its way through ice a foot thick in the sea. When the ice proved a bit tough the old boat would go back and take a charge at it.

Well I must close now and hope you are all as well as I am.

(More Next Week.)
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133344868