Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 15

10 September 1941

Wednesday

STILL SAME JOB.

17 PLTN OF DON Coy

CAPTURED ONE GERMAN

PRISONER WHO WAS WALKING
IN TO OUR FRONT

WIRE. - 16 PLTN SHOT UP

HUN PATROL OF 3 MEN

ONE OF OUR BOYS SHOT

IN THE MOUTH BUT NO

SERIOUS - MANAGED TO

GET 25 ROUNDS FOR MY

GAT FROM PRISONERS

TOMMY GUN. 

11 September 1941

Thursday
SAME OLD THING AND
STILL GOING FOR A [[HEKE?]]
AT NIGHT. — FRITZ. ARTY
STILL SENDING OVER
PLENTY AND GETTING
EM HORRIBLY CLOSE TOO
— HAD A YARN WITH
[[SER?]] JENKINSON TODAY
& GOT A DECENT SOUVENIR.
 

12 September 1941
Friday
STILL ON THE
SAME JOB AND
GETTING USED TO IT
NOW.
FRITZ HAS BEEN LANDING
SOME HORRIBLY
CLOSE AND THIS HAS
BECOME A HOT SPOT
 

22 September 1941
Monday
HAVE COMPLETED
OUR SECTION POST
NOW, AND MEBBE WE
WILL HAVE A LITTLE
MORE TIME FOR POKER
23 September 1941
Tuesday
STILL PUTTING UP
WITH THIS SEMI
EASY LIFE.
HAVNT HAD ANY
MUCK DROPPED NEAR
US FOR SOME TIME
ALTHOUGH FRITZ PLASTERS
OUR ARTY WHICH
IS ABOUT 700 YDS
IN OUR REAR.
 

24 September 1941
Wednesday
HAVE HEARD WE ARE
MOVING TO SALIENT
AGAIN, HOPE ITS QUIETER
THAN LAST TIME.
HAVE BEEN HAVING
A VERY EASY TIME
THIS LAST MONTH OR
SO, AND ABOUT TIME
WE GOT INTO IT AGAIN
25 September 1941
Thursday
BEEN VERY BUSY ALL
DAY HANDING OVER
TO 2^ND 24^TH
MOVED AT 2045 HRS
WITHOUT A HITCH.
ARRIVED NEW POSITION
IN SALIENT AT 2350 HRS
— REMAINED IN READINESS
ALL NIGHT.
 

26 September 1941
Friday
OUT EARLY, HAD A GOOD
LOOK SEE ABOUT AND ARE
JUST LEFT OF POSITION
WE OCCUPIED ON AUG 1^st
— GOT A BIT CHEEKY AND
HAD A GOOD LOOK ABOUT
FRITZ CERTAINLY HASN'T
THE UPPER HAND THIS TIME
— THE SECTION POST IS
A LOT BETTER THAN LAST
TIME, BUT STILL CAN'T KEEP
THE HEAD UP FOR TOO
LONG.
27 September 1941
Saturday
QUITE AT HOME NOW &
GIVING FRITZ A LOT OF
TAFFY WHEN WE SEE
HIM WHICH ISNT TOO OFTEN
— HAVE A JOB OF WIRING
TO DO TONIGHT ON OUR
FRONT — LEFT POST AT

2100HRS HAS WORKED ON WIRE
TIL 0300 HRS AND [[RERANGE?]]
[[?]] HAD A SHOOT AT
[[?]] AND SENT OVER [[?]]
DECENT RECEPTION. —
ADVANCE PARTY FROM THE
YORK & LANCASTER REGIMENT
IN TONIGHT — MAYBE [[THIS?]]
IS GOOD. —
 

28 September 1941
Sunday
HAD A YARN WITH TOMMY
CORPORAL, JIM BRADLEY &
APPEARS THEY ARE RELIEVING
US — THIS FELLOW
IS VERY INTERESTING AND
HAS SEEN A LOT OF ACTION
AT NORWAY, FRANCE, CRETE
& SYRIA.
OUT TO FINISH WIRING
TO NIGHT & DID SO AT
2230. —GAVE FRITZ
SOME TAFFY WITH BREN
ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT
& ONLY A FEW 3" MORTARS
SENT BACK.
29 September 1941
Monday
STILL WAITING FOR FRITZ
TO SHOW HIMSELF, — SURE
PUT IN A BAD

SPOT NOW — 1215 OBSERVED
5 HUNS MAKING FOR A DUGOUT,
IMMEDIATELY GAVE EM
THE WORKS, — THEN UP
GOES RED CROSS FLAG, OUR
ARTY HAS SCORED DIRECT
[[HIT?]] ON A M.G. POSITION
& THEY ARE DIGGING THE
VICTIMS (4 IN ALL) OUT, — 
WAITED UNTIL S. BEARERS
HAD FINISHED, THEM LET
EM HAVE IT.
 

30 September 1941
Tuesday
A QUIET DAY NO ENEMY
SIGHTED ALL DAY
— JIM BRADLEY IS MOVED
TONIGHT & POLISH REGIMENT
WILL BE TAKING
OVER. — WOULD SOONER
SEE THE TOMMIES IN
THAN THE POLES, BUT IF
THE POLISH INFANTRY
AS GOOD AS THEIR ARTY
THEY'LL DO US.
 

1 October 1941
Wednesday
[[?]] [[signs?]]
Tobruk 2/13 [[?]]
PLUTONOWY}
PLUTONORVY} to SARG
PREPARING TO MOVE
OUT, HAVE A POLISH
LIEUT AND SARGENT
 

2 October 1941
Thursday
[[?Polish ]]
[[?Polish]] "good luck" [[? Polish]]
[[??]]
Tobruk [[???]] B S K
I wish [[symphatic?]]  [[?]] of our
section "good luck" for [[contin?]]
way of war.
KRASNOBESKI, CYRIL
[[PORUGINIKA?]]. N. [[?]] 1153
[[POROOCHIN?]] Lieut 2^ND
POLISH BATTALION
TOOK OVER AT 2300 HRS
MOVED OUT & ALL WENT
SMOOTHLY
3 October 1941
Friday 
ARRIVED NEW POSITION
AT 0230. — HAVE BEEN
IN THIS POSSIE BEFORE
JUST OFF ROAD NEAR
FOOD DUMP.
SLEPT ALL DAY
NAZI BOMBERS FLEW
OVER & DROPPED SOME
AT 1200 HRS — 2.30
SEVERAL TIMES THROUGH
THE NIGHT.
 

4 October 1941
Saturday
WELL THIS IS A
DECENT LIFE, NOTHING
TO DO ALL DAY, NO
DUTIES AT NIGHT.
JUST WAITING TO
MOVE OUT OF TOBRUK
WE HOPE. — MY GUESS
IS THE 15^TH.
JIM BRADLEY IS WITH
US AGAIN & AWAITING
HIS BATTALION, WHO WE
BELIEVE TO BE OUR
RELIEF.
5 October 1941
Sunday
ANOTHER DAY OF REST.
BOMBERS WERE OVER
AGAIN AT IRREGULAR
INTERVALS THROUGH
NIGHT, NO DAMAGE
DONE, NEAREST TO US
IS 600 YDS
FRITZ NOW BOMBING
WITH MOLOTOFF BREAD
BASKETS.
HAD A GLORIOUS VIEW
OF TOBRUK HARBOUR AS 
MOON ROSE DIRECTLY
BEHIND IT.