Diary of George Loughlin Blore - October 1940 - September 1941 - Part 4

they are now entering summer

here & it is rather like

a dry Aust year,

though the orange groves

are a change from the

desert. Pulled in to

Gaza at lunch time,

disembarked, where a very

efficient Aussie captain

took us to 1 A.G.H for

lunch & a brush up.

Wonder of wonders after weary

days travelling with

very little & sometimes

none, food & water we

find showers! cold.

in a hot land, did we

use them, (you guessed right)

We are now established

at Gaza ridge, the

historic place of the last war

where the Aussies drove

back the turks.

12.5.41.

Spent most of the day beating

down the wogs when

buying, & strolling round

getting our bearings.

We found, one excellent soft

drink canteen, 2 Y.M.C.A. huts

with newspapers of all states,

table-tennis. & writing materials

a dry canteen, tailor &

post office, picture theatre

500 yds away. bathing at

Gaza beach (in Musso private

lake?) with transport

there & back.

&

13.5.41

Cable from home, birthday

congrats. I had almost

forgotten I had one tomorrow.

Today we went by transport

to Gaza beach for a

swim, a good beach,

with plenty of surf.

armed guards! (arabs & jews

I suppose)

14.5.41.

Today is a pleasant surprise

I received all my

backmail. over a

hundred letters & newspapers

& parcels. What a thrill.

15.5.41.

Today paid a visit to

Jerusalem (my happy home!)

Its a great place, though I

would have preferred it

to have been left as it

should be, old with the

haunting memories of the

past. I visited Bethlehem

The & many other places

in Jerusalem instead. 

[*wrote to home
Jean

Herb

Mr & Mrs Ivy

Bunty*]

18.5.41

There happens to be a village

"pad" near this camp,

where each day herds of 

goats, sheep, camels &

donkeys pad their way
to the fields where they 
have pasture, and the owners

reap, piling up the donkeys

& camels with terrific

loads of hay.
One wakes up to the

accompaniment of the camels

grunts sheep braing, &
children yelling.

It is really very picturesque

& takes one back to 
the old times of Abraham,

David , & Moses!

 

[*wrote to Grandma,

Uncle Lough,

Marg. Hutchinson.
Mr & Mrs Miles

Mr & Mrs Lambert.*]
 

10.5.41

List of boats in our convoy from
England. Empress Canada.

Duchess of Athol

      "          "     York

Orion

Orontes

obranto

orcades    
our boat → Stratheden

Strathmore

Strath naver

Strathallem

Viceroy of India

Oldenbarnevelt

Glenorchy

Derbingshire

Pasteur

Stirling castle

Warwick castle
Georgic

Andes

[*short one to Pat, thanking

Patons! 

Mrs Gilbert.*]
 

22.5.41.

Very quiet at present, 9 or 10 of our

original A.S.H. WARD 7 boys

have gone to other camps

R.A.P. another went this morning

as batman to Col Loudon at the

8th special, 

wrote to Helen

Eric Stockton.

23.5.41.

[*wrote to Max

Peter

Jeff*]
 

26.5.41.

Went up to hill 69 & saw

Stew, first time for 14 months,

we had a good old yarn,

then went swimming in

the afternoon, I wish hill

69 was nearer, 22 miles

of trusting to lifts cannot be done

too often.

 

[*wrote to Fred Imray

    "        " Brien Boshier

     George Edwards.*]
 

28.5.41.

What a beautiful evening lone

the sunset was well worth

watching, the fading light

playing on the hills, bringing

out every fold in soft 

relief, the quiet peacefulness

brought with it a deep & profound

sense of the presence of God.

I in had a quiet time of prayer,

alone on the hills while on

guard, "the sweet communion

& fellowship of the Holy H Ghost"

how deeply true that is.

one really felt the "Peace of God,"

which the world can never give

too stealing across the soul.

[*wrote to Dick Farrar.

Bruce Clark

Mrs Imray.*]
 

31.5.41.

Stew came down today, we

spent a few very interesting

hours together.                

wrote to Bev Stevens.

1.6.41.

Great news today.

Approached Major Dwyer

re transfer to Y.M.C.A.

as time was getting short,

{all our unit was due to be split up

tomorrow, some to 8th special

others to training wing.}

he granted it on the spot.

"what great things the Lord

can do."

Monday 2.6.41

Saw Mr Watson, then travelled

up to Jerusalem arriving

6 P.M. on the way up meeting

an Austrian chap who was

very interesting indeed.

We afternoon tea coffeed together.

3.6.41.

Tues.

Still in Jerusalem, strolled

round today, had a look at

things besides buying quite a few

items, including a printing outfit.

Went to Y.M.C.A. theatre to hear

the P.B.S. orchestra conducted

by Lascha Parnes.

"Beethoven Concert".

P Walter Pope Pojer & his friend also came.

Wed.  4.6.41.

Wed. 4.6.41.

Up early to catch train to Gaza.

Arrived Gaza about 12

then on to 1 A.G.H. YMCA.

where I cleaned up

then later in the day

Mr Watson took me to

hill 95 my future home.

where I have now installed

myself.

Thurs.

all day installing gear etc.

Fri.

pay day

 

[*wrote to Mum.*]

Sun 8th

Mon 9th wrote to Jack Prowse.

also to Jean.

Changed camp today for four 

days, while Cpl Lounge went

on four days leave.

Am praying about this job

as I am A1 & there will

possibly be difficulty about the

transfer.

This job can call for everything

one has got originality,

prayer, Bible study, service.

Tues Sun 22nd June.

Since last entry things have

been going along very well

I have been getting the

way of things all right.

Russia at war with Germany.

[*wrote to Herb.*]

Also heard a rather

thrilling account

of our Y.M. austin & tow

truck probably entered

up drily in a despatch.

most of the exciting

& dangerous jobs are.

"Caught in an ambush

with the troops, for 3 days

caught under heavy artillery fire.

sniped at, nerve strain at

right then the finish

of it all, the Y.M truck

crashed over the side of

a steep mountain pass.

Nobody hurt. "

 

[*wrote to Mrs Rogers

     "       "   Joyce Roberts.*]

Mon 23rd June

Wed wrote to Nancy Imray.

Sat 28th.

"I will make you fishers of men,"

plenty of fish about too,

what keen anglers we should

be, if we abide in Him, 

He will abundantly bless &

bring to fruition.

A new C of E padre arrived

this evening, seems very keen

to get things going amongst

the boys too, to know &

understand them.

I think that more than ever God

is watching interestedly this

work here, willing to provide

from His boundless & always

full "quartermasters store"

of the good treasure of heaven.

5.7.41.

A new padre has arrived

here, he came last week

& seems a jolly good sort,

one well calculated to deal

with these chaps here

& make himself liked,

which of course is the prelude

to making Christ liked.

6.7.41.

Paid a visit to Gaza today

with Bob Gibbs & Bill Roy,

Bill wandered round & disappeared

somewhere or other, while

Bob & I sauntered thru the

old town, watching the

villagers at their particular

trades,

all very interesting indeed to

watch, the blacksmith at

his fire, the tinsmith,

watching others again dyeing

wool, & then into the mosque

to look around after which

we paid a visit to the C.M.S.

stationed here, a large & palatial

residence set inside a

fairly extensive tract of land

bounded by a thick brick

wall, a large garden, reminding

me of S. Melb, tennis court,

chapel, hospital, & school.

Dr & Mrs Hargreaves are in charge

(English) both very keen evangelicals.

We went to morning communion,

(in Arabic) then afterwards came

back for tea at 4.30, evening

service at 6, what a 

change from the camps, music

hearty singing, a "real"

service.

Afterwards we had supper &

then a gathering round the

piano afterwards singing

hymns.

We finally departed at 9.30

arriving back in camp at

10.30.

7.7.41

wrote to JEAN

8.7.41

wrote to home.

10.7.41

wrote to Ken Robertson

Tom Jones.

Mary McKech

26.7.41

wrote to home.

Peter & Geoff. Helen

Rosemary.

Pat

Dad.

 

wrote to Jean 30.7.41

     "      "

3.8.41

wrote to Ian

Mrs Mackay

5.8.41

Visited Tel aviv for the

first time, what a com

cosmopolitan place,

jews, poles, greeks, arabs, english

aust, french, german &

all the rest & what profits

from us, in fact wherever

the soldiers go be sure that

they pay dearly for everything

jewish "culture".