Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 12

14 July 1941

Monday      

AND HOWS THAT FOLKS
ONLY ONCE AGAIN, -HA
A VERY QUIET NIGHT,
TOO QUIET TO BE HEALTHY.
- WENT OUT TO
WHITE NOLL & A SHADE
FURTHER ABOUT 2000 YDS
OUT, DID NOT ENCOUNTER
OUR ENEMY, BUT THINK
THEY WERE WAITING
FOR US. - SLEPT ALL
DAY. - GOING OUT TONIGHT
AGAIN APPROX 5AM
VICINITY UNDER SGT ZEISING
HERES TO IT AGAIN
DIVER 

15 July 1941 
Tuesday 
BACK AGAIN AND HAD A
BIT OF LUCK. - BILL & I

CREPT FORWARD TO WHITE

NOLL AND ENCIRCLED IT &

WAS IMMEDIATELY FIRED 

ON BY ENEMY WHO USED 

M.Gs MORTARS & RIFLE.

MADE A CAUTIOUS RETREAT 

FOUND OUR COVERING 

PARTY HAD LEFT US TO IT

MADE OUR WAY BACK TO 

CAMP DODGING ALL FIRE

FOUND REST OF OUR PATROL

THERE. - ACCOMPLISHED

OUR OBJECTIVE, TO FIND IF 

[[?]] WAS OCCUPIED

16 July 1941

Wednesday

NO MORE PATROLS FOR 

A WHILE, AN ATTACK IS SET

FOR TOMORROW NIGHT. -

MUST REMARK ON THE 

GAMENESS OF SGT ZEISING 

ON PREVIOUS NIGHT, I

DID NOT THINK REST OF

PATROL WOULD WALK OUT

ON US.

GOING OUT AGAIN TONIGHT 

TO SHOW ATTACKING PARTY

THE LAY OF THE LAND. -

RECIEVED MORE MAIL I

SEEM TO BE GETTING IT 

PRETTY REGULAR NOW

17 July 1941
Thursday
[[?]] [[?]] SET  FOR [[?]]
[[?]] BY B Coy 2/28 AT
[[2000?]] HRS [[BUT?]] - WILL SLEEP UNTIL 
THIS EVENING [[?]] [[?]] [[?]]
OUT HAD ATTACKED FROM
[[TOP?]] OF OUR POST, ENEMY 
PUT UP A HELL OF A [[RE?]]
[[?]] [[?]] [[POSNS?]] WAS VERY DIFFICULT 
TO ADVANCE. - DO NOT
KNOW OF RESULT YET.
[[?]] AT POST FOR
REST OF NIGHT & TURNED
IN AT 0830 FRIDAY
MORNING

18 July 1941

Friday

TIME NOW 1730HRS & HAVE

JUST BEEN AWAKED, MUST

PREPARE FOR MESS & I

COULD EAT A MANKY HORSE

- HAVE A CHARMED LIFE

SO FAR LAST NIGHT A

SHELL LANDED WHERE I

HAD BEEN OBSERVING AT

[[?]] FROM, HAD MOVED

FROM THERE 2 MINUTES 

BEFORE, AN OUNCE OF LUCK

IS WORTH A TON OF JUDGEMENT
19 July 1941

Saturday

A QUIET DAY AND NOT

MUCH DOING.

WENT TO DON Coy TO 

PLAY MILDE CRIB, LOST

40 AKKAS (10/-)

RECIEVED MORE MAIL

PREPARING TO MOVE

I THINK IT WILL BE

MONDAY NIGHT, HAVE BEEN

IN THIS POSITION 3 WEEKS

HAVE BEEN INFORMED

THAT I AM NOW A

CORPORAL AND RECIEVING    

EXTR PAY FROM

15^TH JULY

20 July 1941

Sunday

THE WORST AMOUNT

OF ARTY OVER US, NO

CASUALTIES, ALTHOUGH A

NUMBER HAVE BEEN

HORRIBLY CLOSE. - -

A STAND TO AT 1800 HRS

ENEMY SEEN MASSING

ON OUR COMPANY FRONT

REMAINED BEHIND GUNS

UNTIL 2130 HRS THEN

TO BED FOR SOME SHUT

eyE.

21 July 1941

Monday

[[?]] ATTACK ON US

[[?]], BUT WAS A HEAVY

ARTY CONCENTRATION ON

OUR RIGHT IN VICINITY

OF DERNA ROAD.

SPENT THE DAY PREPARING
FOR OUR MOVE.

HAVE HAD 4 REINFORCEMENTS
JOIN MY SECTION

WHICH IS NOW NINE

[[IN?]] NUMBER.

22 July 1941

Tuesday

RELIEVED AT 0130 HRS

BY C Coy 2/28^TH, MOVED

TO RESERVE POSITION

AND OUR NOW RESERVE

BATTALION FOR THE

WHOLE FRONT LINE.

-- THIS NEW POSITION

IS NOTHING BUT WIND

& DUST, WHICH IS THE

HARDEST OF ALL TO

PUT UP WITH.
 23 July 1941

Wednesday

JUST ABOUT FED UP

WITH THIS PLACE, ITS

JUST ONE BIG SAND

STORM, AND LOOKING

FORWARD TO OUR NEXT

MOVE WHICH I BELIEVE

IS 100 YDS FROM THE

SEA.

- RECIEVED LETTER

FROM BERYL.

24 July 1941

Thursday

SAME PLACE, SAME DUST

BUT DO NOT GET MUCH

SHELLING ONLY A STRAY

ONE NOW AND THEN

- A FAIR AMOUNT OF

S.A. FIRE GETS OVER

TO US BUT IS ALL OVER

FLOW

- JAPANESE NAVAL

VESSELS REPORTED MOVING

SOUTH AND JAPAN THREATENING

INDO-CHINA.
 25 July 1941

Friday

ALL QUITE, BUT STILL

IN THE DUST STORM

- NO FURTHER NEWS OF

JAPANESE MOVEMENTS

- THINK AMERICA WILL 

FIX JAPAN

26 July 1941

Saturday

SAME THING, BUT

ARE MOVING TONIGHT

AND GOING NEAR 

BEACH.

- LEFT BIANCA AT

2130 HRS ARRIVED NEW

REST PLACE 2400 TURNED
IN AND HAD BEST

SLEEP FOR SOME TIME

NO SENTRY DUTY TO

DO.

27 July 1941

Sunday

AWAKE AT 0700 HRS

AND WAS THAT SLEEP

ANY GOOD, - LEFT FOR

BEACH 1½ MILES AWAY

0930, HAD A SLASHIN

TIME AND RETURNED

TO POST AT 1330 HRS,

- ANOTHER GOOD SLEEP

AFTER A CANTEEN SUPPLY

OF CHOCOLATES & TOFFEE.

- CANT BELIEVE THERE

IS A WAR ON NOW

28 July 1941

Monday

DOWN TO BEACH AGAIN

FOUND DIVING BOARD

ON EDGE OF CLIFF.

AND MADE A DECENT

SPRING BOARD OF IT.

- BACK TO CAMP AT

1830 HRS TO HEAR THAT

7 AND 9 PLATOONS ARE

GOING TO ATTACK ON

WESTERN PEREMITER

FROM POST SA 21. -

I AM MOVING TO OUR

NEW POSITION ON FRONT

LINE. - MOVED OUT AT

2200 HRS, ARRIVED AT NEW

POSITION 0200 HRS
 29 July 1941

Tuesday

NOW IN TRENCHES ON

THE SALIENT, AND DID

WE GET A RECEPTION

FROM FRITZ, PRACTICALLY

IN SAME POSITION AS

WE WERE ON MAY 4^TH-13^TH

NOW RELIEVING 32^ND BATT

CANNOT PUT YOUR

HEAD UP 2 INCHES DURING
DAY AND AM

WAITING FOR DARKNESS

TO COME. -

HOPPED OUT OF DUGOUT 

AT 2030 HRS AND

WAS IT A BREAK

30 July 1941

Wednesday

STAYED UP ALL NIGHT

AND WAS GLAD TO DO

IT, SNIPERS AND MGs

VERY ACTIVE. - TURNED

IN AT 0630, HAD A NUMBER
OF FRITZ MORTARS

LAND VERY CLOSE TO 

US, NO DAMAGE DONE.

- SLEPT ALL DAY

WAS AWENED FRITZ

MORTARS & SHELLS AT

1830 HRS, AGAIN NO DAMAGE.

- REST OF PLTN

MOVED IN AT 2345 HRS
31 July 1941

Thursday

THE BOYS ARNT [[?]]

[[?]] ABOUT THIS POSSY

THEY CERTAINLY ARE

RIGHT. - BOB MAC & [[?]]

ERIC SARGENT ARE AT

R.A.P. LEAVES 6 IN SECTION.

ENEMY A LITTLE QUIET

TODAY. -

ANOTHER ONE OF SECTION
GOING TO R.A.P.

JESSE JAMES, - BOB MAC

CAME BACK THE ENEMY

[[?]], STILL 6 STRONG

1 August 1941

Friday

A REAL BRIGHT DAY

RECIEVED MAIL FROM 

WIFE, BUTCH, & TINY CAME

- BUTCH HEARD IT WAS

FOR COVER.

PLANNING AN ATTACK

[[GET?]] BACK CEMENT.

[[?]] BAKER BY

FRITZ APRIL 30^TH-MAY 1^ST

[[2?^TH]] BATT TO ADVANCE

[[?]] [[36 8 S7?]], OUR PLTN

TO TAKE POSITION HELD 

BY ENEMY ON FOWARD

[[?]] 700YDS ON OUR

RIGHT AND TO LEFT OF

[[?]] TOWER  [[B S G?]]