Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 11

26 June 1941

Thursday

NO CHANGE AND ALL

QUIET STILL , THEN

D.5 [[?]] PLANE DROPPING

EGGS AND GETTING A 

LITTLE CLOSER[[?]]

EACH [[?]]

[[BATTLE?]] IN PROGRESSION

ON RUSSO-POLISH
FRONT,  [[???]][[??]]
 and USED  BY BOTH
SIDES
27 June 1941
Friday
SAME THING AND NO
ACTION YET.
RUMOURS GOING ABOUT
THAT WE ARE MOVING
BUT DONT KNOW WHERE
TO.
MORE LETTERS TODAY
MAKING [[10?]] LETTERS IN
6 DAYS, CAN STAND
A LOT OF THAT
HAVE HAD ONE MAN
TAKEN AWAY (LEVERETT)
THE BEST THING FOR
HIM.
 

28 June 1941
Saturday
ANOTHER WEEK END,
HOW I'D LIKE TO BE
GOING TO THE RACES
AT THE PARK OR IN
THE BOOZER HAVING
A FEW STEADY ONES.
- NOT MUCH NEWS
GETTING TO US, - RUSSIA
SEEMS TO BE HOLDING
THE HUNS ALRIGHT
29 June 1941
Sunday
THE DAY OF REST
AND THATS ABOUT JUST
WHAT I DO, SO INTO
BED AND AWAY I GO
— 1700 HRS AND HAVE
JUST BEEN ROUSED FOR
MESS, AND SAY WHATS
FOR TEA, AND COULD
EAT A HORSE.
 

30 June 1941
Monday 
WELL THE MOVE IS 
ON, GOING TO THE
WESTERN SIDE OF
TOBRUK AND LEAVING
AT 1815 HRS. GOING TO
POST S.13. MAYBE
I'M NOT SUPERSTITIOUS
- PASSED THROUGH
TOBY AT 1900 HRS &
WAITED THE OTHER
SIDE FOR DARKNESS
ARRIVED AT POSITION
AFTER WALKING 4 MILES
AND ARRIVED AT 0045
 

1 July 1941
Tuesday
TOOK OUT NIGHT PATROL
IMMEDIATELY ON ARRIVING
AND KEPT BUSY DUCKING
THE OLD HEAD — RETURNED
AT 0430 HRS, NO REPORT
TO MAKE.
HAVE LOOKED ABOUT OUR
[[?]] POSITION AND THINK
IT'S WELL SITUATED - - -
ON THE SIDE OF LARGER
[[?]] WITH FLAT COUNTRY
[[?]] AWAY FROM
[[?]] WEST, AND
[[?]] GOING WEST AND
[[???]] A DAY  OF EACH
[[???]]
 

2 July 1941
Wednesday
RETURNED AT 0430 HRS
FROM ANOTHER LISTENING
POST; FOUND OUR NIGHT
[[SANCER?]] HAD RECIEVED
DIRECT HIT WITH A
SHELL DURING DAYLIGHT
— THIS IS A PRETTY
[[ANXIOUS?]] POSITION AND
RECIEVE A HELL IN LOT
[[?]] 55 MILLIMETRE SHELL &
5 IN MORTAR AND SORRY
TO SAY THE HUN IS VERY
ACCURATE.
NIGHT PATROL AGAIN
3 July
Thursday
GOT ONE BACK BUT
HAD ONE NARROW SHAVE.
A SHELL LANDED ON BACK
BANK OF DUGOUT KNOCKING
EARTH IN ON TOP OF
US.
PLENTY ARTY FIRE STILL
COMING OVER ALL DAY
AND NIGHT.
HAVE NOW GOT MY [[?]]
[[BREDA?]] SET UP, AND HAVE
GIVEN THE ENEMY SOME
SKRAMMING TO DO. SHE'S
NOT A BAD LITTLE JOB
 

4 July 1941
Friday
HAD A GOOD NIGHTS
REST & DIDN'T EVEN [[WAKE?]]
UP WHEN THE FRITZ
WENT HORRIBLY CLOSE
AND THATS SOMETHING
HE IS DOING TOO OFTEN
- - FRITZ HAS JUST SCORED
A LUCKY ONE ON OUR FIRING
APERTURE AND JACK
BRICE HAS BEEN KILLED
TOMMY HILL A NASTY HEAD
WOUND, JACK PASCOE FACE
INJURIES AND CHEST WOUND
A STRETCHER BEARER ALSO
SLIGHTLY WOUNDED.
5 July 1941
Saturday
PUT IN A GHASTLY
MORNING SWEEPING UP
THE REMAINS OF YOUNG
JACK - - THE OTHER
THREE HAVE BEEN MOVED
TO TOBY.
FRITZ STILL SENDING
OVER PLENTY AND MAKING
THINGS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.
NO NEWS OF SITUATION IN RUSSIA.
 

6 July 1941
Sunday
STILL KEEPING OUR
HEADS DOWN.
TOOK OUT LISTENING
POST LAST NIGHT.
ONE SHELL LANDED
3 YARDS FROM US AND
FAILED TO EXPLODE
MADE A DECENT SHOWER OF DIRT
MILDE CAME OVER
AND I WON 60 MARKS
FROM HIM PLAYING
CRIB.
7 July 1941
Monday
FRITZ HAS EASED DOWN
[[?]], A MORTAR SECTION
[[?]] SAW HARRY HEATH
HAS BEEN DOING SOME
GOOD WORK FROM OUR
POST.CONTINUE TO SEE PLENTY
OF ENEMY 3000 YDS OUT
IN OUR FRONT JUST
A FEW HUNDRED OUT OF
RANGE FOR MY [[FIELD?]]
M.G. s
HUNG OUT WITH A
PATROL AT MIDNIGHT.
 

8 July 1941
Tuesday
ONCE AGAIN I RETURN
SAFE & SOUND AT 0330
SEEN 5 ENEMY RETURN
[[?]] TO THEIR LINES
IN HASTE FROM BETWEEN
US AND OUR
OWN LINES, WAS NOT
IN A [[..F?]] FRIENDLY
[[GOOD?]] PLACE TO ENGAGE
THEM AND WERE TOO
FAR INTO JERRY'S
LINES TO GET OUT AFTER ATTACKING THEM
- SLEPT ALL DAY
WITH THE FLEAS
9 July 1941
Wednesday
A QUIET DAY AND HAVE
DECIDED TO DO SOME
CORRESPONDENCE — I
RECIEVED 6 LETTERS
LAST NIGHT FROM BERYL
3 FROM HOME & FROM MARG
FOREMAN
NO FURTHER NEWS OF
OTHER FIGHTING COMING
TO US AND CANNOT
TELL HOW THINGS ARE
GOING.— BEGINNING TO
WONDER IF WE ARE GOING
TO MAKE ANY ATTEMPT
AT [[?]] TO PUSH FRITZ
OUT OF N^TH AFRICA.
 

10 July 1941
Thursday
STILL WAITING AND
DODGING SHELLS AND
M.G. FIRE - WE RELIEVE
THE OVERFLOW FROM
POST [[SHELLS?]] AND BELIEVE
ME ITS PLENTY - THOSE
HUNS SURE SHOOT HIGH
- WENT OUT WITH
PATROL AGAIN LAST NIGHT
BUT JERRY DIDN'T BOB
UP, NEVER DOES WHEN
WE ARE READY FOR
HIM - TWO MORE LETTERS
FROM WIFE ONE
WRITTEN ON JUNE 19^th
11 July 1941
Friday
SAME THING, WAITING &
WAITING, DO BELIEVE IT
IS GETTING SOME OF US
DOWN, SEE NOTHING BUT
THE SAME FACES. DAY
& NIGHT CAN NOT VENTURE
UP ON TOP FOR TOO
LONG, AND WE'RE ALL
GETTING ON EACH OTHERS
NERVES - AM IN
CHARGE OF A DIGGING
PARTY EACH NIGHT NOW
PREPARING A NEW SECTION
POST & CALL IT
GRAVEYARD FLAT.
 

12 July 1941
Saturday
AND NOW ITS GETTING
US PROPERLY - HAVE BEEN
IN FRONT LINE 96 DAYS
AND SEE NOTHING BUT
THE SAME FACES. — —
STARTING TO GET IRRITABLE
AND TO GET ON EACH
OTHERS NERVES AND AM
SURE A FEW DAYS LEAVE
WOULD MAKE US NEW
MEN. — A FIGHTING PATROL
FROM S 15 UNDER LIEUT.
BEER IS GOING OUT
TONIGHT — — AIM IS TO
BRING IN A PRISONER.
13 July 1941
Sunday
[[?]] FROM DIGGINGS
AT 0100 HAD NO EFFORT
[[IN?]] SLEEPING — RESULT
OF FIGHTING PATROL, SHOT
UP A NUMBER OF ENEMY
AND BROUGHT IN ONE
PRISONER. IT TOOK ENEMY
COMPLETELY BY SURPRISE
[[??]] RONNY —
[[?]] CAME OVER AT 1200
AND I WON 80 AKKAS
FROM HIM AT CRIB. —
OUR POSITION GOING ON FIGHTING
PATROL TONIGHT, [[?]]
[[?]] DRIVER OLD PAL