Doug’s mum Sarah decides to visit her old home in England and so Doug joins her on the P&O Strathnaver. London, Birmingham, Dosthill, Tamworth Castle, Peterborough, Hoddlesden. Sarah stays on and Doug flies home via New York.
Arthur and Lucie open a shop in Wembley, four generations in a two bedroom house. Choc tops. Grandpa P C McKenzie dies. All move in with Doug’s parents in Belmont. Then a new home back in Wembley. Ken and Merle wedding. Sarah Cash dies in a tragic accident. Move to West Perth and then the wheatbelt town of Bullfinch.
1946, first Christmas as a married couple, rations still in force. In early 1947 first daughter Lynne born and in late 1948 Pam born. Cecil, Roly and Alice also welcome new arrivals. Mistaken for John Bottomley. Doug joins the Freemasons. In 1949 the Moore’s sell their 21 Victoria Square house.
1944 and Doug meets Joan and the Moore family at 21 Victoria Square home in Perth. Doug and Joan get engaged via post in June 1945 while Doug was serving on Manus Island. They are married in May 1946 and tales of kitchen teas, could the bride have changed her mind (of course not) and happy celebrations followed by a honeymoon in Bunbury.
Doug returns to Kalgoorlie and Joan follows, Doug almost burns down the house, Joan expecting first child, rationing and refrigerators, Doug resigns from PMG and they move to Perth to open a newsagency.
VJ Day, war in the pacific is over. Roly married. Off to 2MRS where Doug learns to drive. Xmas dinner at Madang. And then the long journey home before being discharged.
Doug gets posted to Air Defence HQ, Madang via Bradfield Park (Sydney), Townsville, Cairns, Port Moresby and Lae. Promoted to Flight Sergeant. Football accident. Moved to Admiralty Islands, a tour around Manus, Lorengau, Lombrum and Seeadler Islands.
Doug sent to 14 Squadron, RAAF Pearce. Base active with patrols up the WA coast. Pilots needed, Roly to UK. More on planes, life on base, pilots “Bluey” Truscott, Keith Chisolm, Keith Truscott, and Charles Learmonth. Tales of pilots lost and Beauforts crash problem.
Doug is enlisted into the War in April 1940 and in September is sent to 28th Infantry Battalion in Perth. Training, vaccinations, infantry battle practice and a big parade before call-up to the RAAF.
Kalgoorlie (1939) I arrived in Kalgoorlie on Thursday 26 January 1939. I was met at the station by the Post Office mailroom supervisor, “Paddy” McMorrow. Mr McMorrow took me up to where he had made arrangements for me to stay with Mrs Quealy and her family. The house was located
The PMG transferred Doug to Coolgardie in 1937. Doug tells us about the people and the stores of the town, Ben Prior, Moran’s Store, Jim Larcombe and the Golden Eagle Nugget find, Sam Cash (no relation), the Railway and Denver City Hotels, Modesto Varischetti and the Bonnie Vale mine accident. @kalgoorliehistory @coolgardievisitorscentre
Doug was a lifelong Aussie Rules fan, barracking for West Perth in the WAFL. He played amateur footy in the Band of Hope Association at age 14, the Towns team in Coolgardie, Railway Rovers in Kalgoorlie and Towns at RAAF Geraldton. In later years Doug umpired matches, was a vice patron of the West Perth Football Club a patron of the Osborne Park Sunday League Football. #WAFL #AussieRules @WestPerthFC
Dating back to his early days in Canada, Doug’s father was involved in horse racing. In Perth they had success with many horses, most notably the 1932 Easter Cup win with Dainty Princess. There were hard times and some bad accidents for father Walter. Doug has some betting wins and after the war was a ‘betting clerk’ for a friend.
Aged 15 Doug joins the Postmaster General’s Department as telegraph messenger. Many of the messenger boys would go on to prominent positions in the public service. Passes exam and made permanent. Moves departments including to Tax. Then sent to Coolgardie, to Norseman and finally Kalgoorlie until the War. After the war asked to move to Leonora which he refuses and quits.
The family moves to Hay Street in the city, then Hay Street East. A change to farm life out at Muchea then back to Vic Park in Perth before Herdsman’s Parade, their home for several years. During this time we meet Madame Zingara-Phrenologist, and dentist Harcourt Ellis.
The Cash family arrives in Sydney, Australia aboard the SS Niagara. Over the next six years they lived in Liverpool before moving to Enmore, Darlinghurst and Lewisham. During this time, Doug’s dad worked for Maytag/Eureka and Doug commenced his schooling including attending Darlinghurst Public School.
Doug tells us about his birth in Canada and that of his father Walter, mother Sara, brother Cecil and sister Alice and the family’s movements through Ontario, Manitoba and finally Vancouver, BC before moving to Australia.