“Button,” Espiritu Santo — Nouméa, New Caledonia

After much delay and  red tape, I finally left Button on a 2:35 p.m. flight to Tontouta (1:35 minutes late taking off). The SCAT plane was flown by fairly green pilots. The 1st pilot only graduated from Jacksonville last June (1942). Nice racket.

Arrived on Tontouta just as night fell. Macadam field flanked by scores of planes – DC-3s, new SBDs, new TBFs, etc. The ride into Nouméa from Tontouta took an hour and a half – over twisting mountain roads. The chilly evening air damn near froze is all stiff, as our blood was thin for many months at Cactus and Button.

Finally located U.S.N. Mobile Hospital #5 (MOB-5) and checked in, damn tired.