Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 13

2 August 1941
Saturday
43^RD BATTALION OUR LEFT
FLANK TO ATTACK R.6
& R.7. - ZERO HOURS
SET AT 0330 ON NIGHT
OF 2^ND & 3^RD AUGUST.
- EVERYTHING WELL IN

HAND & FEELING EXTRA

FIT & WELL SO ONLY

NEED THE ODD OUNCE

OF LUCK & SHE'LL BE

OKEY. - TIME NOW

0230 & FRITZ IS UNUSUALLY   
ACTIVE WITH

M.G. FIRE - MAYBE HE

IS IN THE KNOW TOO.

GOOD LUCK DIVER?

3 August 1941

Sunday

HELL OF AN ARTY BARRAGE

GOING OVER AT 0325

WE MOVED AT 0327, ALL

REACHED TOWER [[WAD?]] [[IS?]]

[[FRight?]] & AWAITED SUCCESS

[[?]], RED, GREEN, RED, — [[IN?]]

[[?]] [[LITRA?]], GOOD POSITION

[[?]] M.G. NESTS. — [[MAX?]]

[[?]]  AND NO SIGNAL [[?]]

[[?]] [[?]] THROUGH HEAVY

FIRE JUST BEFORE DAYLIGHT

MET 2 S.Bs WITH VICTIMS

[[?]] SAID 28^TH WERE

[[MARKED?]] BADLY

4 August 1941
Monday
[OUR? ACT[ON?]] LAST NIGHT

TO TRY & CAPTURE S.6

JERRY OPENED UP WITH

EVERY [[?]], HAVE, BUT MAD[[E?]]

ESCAPMENT & [[R2 R12 HIT?]] - [[ROW?]]

2 WOUNDED FROM NIGHT

BEFORE - ALSO FOUND

STRONG RESISTANCE FRO[[M?]]

ENEMY [[LINES?]] OCCUPY S 6

& HAVE RE-INFORCED M.G.

POSITION IN SAME AREA

TOO STRONG FOR 10 MEN

TO TACKLE & ONCE AGAIN

RETURNED THROUGH HEAVY

ARTY & MORTAR FIRE.

5 August 1941

Tuesday

SEEN A HUMAN SIDE OF

THE WAR YESTERDAY ARVO

RED CROSS PARTYS BURYING

DEAD & TREATING WOUNDED

ONE OF OUR PARTYS WERE

FIRED ON BY ENEMY MG I

WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER IT
— TODAY HAS BEEN QUIET

SO FAR, TIME NOW 1730. -

LOOKS LIKE THE CALM

AFTER THE STORM EVERY

THING GONE QUIET

6 August 1941

Wednesday

TIME 0500 & HAVE

JUST FINISHED A GOOD

NIGHTS DIGGING - 

FRITZ HAS OUR POSSY

WELL STACKED NOW, HAD

A NARROW ONE WHEN

BULLETS IT SPLIT TOP OF

SAND BAGS — HEAVY

MORTAR FIRE DURING

AFTERNOON ONE OF 

WHICH LANDED ON BOB

MACS DUG OUT, LUCKILY

HE WASN'T IN IT AT 

THE TIME.

ONE LETTER FROM BERYL.

7 August 1941

Thursday

OUR ARTY SENT SOME   

OVER ON HUN M. G.

POSITIONS ON OUR FRONT

HAS A VERY QUIETENING

EFFECT ON THEM

— TIME 2300 JUST FINISHED
MESS & PREPARING TO

TAKE OUT PATROL  — —

A BURST OF M G THE

FIRST FOR NIGHT & BERT 

NASH IS HIT IN BACK

OUT NEAR PELVIS IN A

VERY BAD WAY, — HELPED

CARRY HIM 1700 YDS TO

R.A.P TRUCK. - IS IN A BAD

WAY BUT TAKING IT WELL

8 August 1941

Friday

OUR LAST DAY HERE

& NOT SORRY, BEING

RELIEVED BY C COY 2/[[?]]

— HAS BEEN FAIRLY [[QUIET?]]

TODAY SO FAR — TIME 1700

— MOVED OUT AT 2345

HAD A DECENT WALK OF

ABOUT 4 TO 5 MILES, ALL

WENT SMOOTHLY, NO CASUALTIES
— TURNED IN

AT 0400.

9 August 1941

Saturday

HAVE LOOKED POSITION

OVER AND ITS NOTHING

TO BE PLEASED ABOUT, BUT

IS A TON UP ON WHERE

WE JUST CAME FROM

PLAYED BRIDGE IN AFTERNOON 
AND WON 40 PIASTRES

NO SHELLS LANDING HERE

ARE 200 YDS SOUTH OF DERNA

[[?]] & ABOUT 2000 YDS N.E.

OF [[?]] TREE. — A NICE

QUIET & DUSTY PLACE. PLACE 

[[E?]] [[?]] CORES

10 August 1941

Sunday

STILL HAVING A QUIET

TIME, BUT ARE MOVING

AGAIN TONIGHT.

MOVED AT 2330 ABOUT 

16 MILES EAST AND ARE

NOW ON EASTERN SIDE

OF TOBRUK SOME 800 YDS

SOUTH OF BARDIA ROAD

— ANOTHER GOOD SLEEP

WITH NO DISTURBANCES

[[?]]

11 August 1941

Monday

MOVED OUT AT 0830 HRS

[[?]] [[?]] [[?]] — ARE

NOW ANTI PARA TROOPS

OUR PLATOON BEING THE —

PARA TROOP PIQUET AND

ARE TO DEAL WITH ANY

PARA SHOOTERS — — NOT MUCH

CHANCE OF ANY WARNING 

12 August 1941

Tuesday

GETTING A DECENT

REST, ONLY AN HOUR

DUTY THROUGH THE NIGHT

—  — HAVEN'T LOST THE 

SAND, DUST, FLIES OR FLEAS

YET, BUT HAVE HAD THEM

FOR SO LONG NOW

THEY SEEM PART OF US

— — A LETTER FROM 

BERYL MADE THE DAY

A PLEASANT ONE. 

13 August 1941

Wednesday

STILL LOUNGING ABOUT.

HAD A PRACTICE STAND

TO FOR PARA TROOPS &

WASN'T A BAD EFFORT.

— SPENT REST OF THE 

DAY MAXING OUT CROSSWORD
PUZZLES.

— NO NEWS OF OTHER

[[?]] — RUMOURS GETTING

AROUND AGAIN REGARDING

PUSH FROM SOLLUM 

14 August 1941

Thursday

DOWN TO BEACH FOR

[[2?]] HOURS & IS IT
HARD TO TAKE. —

SEEN ITALIAN SHORE

BATTERY OF 8'' GUNS

EMBEDDED IN WITH

UNDERGROUND CEMENT

TUNNELS CONNECTING

EACH GUN. — THESE

TUNNELS ARE AT LEAST

20 FT DOWN AND WELL

DONE OUT.

SEEN 30 WOMANS UNDER

CLOTHING THERE, — SO

MAYBE WHAT EH?

15 August 1941

Friday

HAD A LATE NIGHT

PLAYING POKER, CAME

OUT ON RIGHT SIDE

WINNING 600 AKKAS

A SWIM BEFORE 

BREKK A ANOTHER

AFTER IT AND BACK

TO POSSIE IN THE 

DUST AT 1200 HRS

16 August 1941

Saturday

STILL IN THE DUST

HOLE.

CALLED OUT AT 1400

AND AM ADVANCE GUARD

TO NEW POSITION, ALL

THIS IS VERY UNEXPECTED.

ARRIVED AT SAMA

WHICH IS NEAR FOOD

DUMP ON DERNA ROAD

AND DUSTIER THAN

EVER HERE.

REST OF Coy ARRIVED

AT 0300 SUNDAY 

MORNING

17 August 1941

Sunday

THEN WHAT A DAY

NEVER SEEN SO MUCH

DUST IN MY LIFE.

THOUGH I HAVE THE 

BEST SHACK IN THE 

Coy.

WENT AND HAD A YARN

TO THORPY WHO IS

GOING O.K. ALSO SEEN

[[MIKE?]] JENKINSON IN THE

MIDST OF AN AIR RAID

— HAD A TALKIE. WITH

HIM AND HE IS OKEY

DOKE. — SEVEN RAIDS

OVER TOBY FOR THE DAY

DROPPED MINES IN HARBOUR

18 August 1941

Monday

WALKED 3½ MILES TO

BEACH, HAD A GOOD 

SWIM AND USED THE

NOSE TO GET A GOOD

DINNER AND RIDE

BACK WITH 7^TH DIVVY

A.S.C.D SUPPLY COLUMN

— ARE MOVING AGAIN

TONIGHT.

LEFT AT 2130 AND

ARRIVED AT BIANNCA

2315.

19 August 1941

Tuesday

THE SAME OLD PLACE

HAVE BEEN HERE

BEFORE AND ARE NOW

RESERVE Coy TO THE 

SALIENT.

PRETTY QUIET HERE,

JUST NOW

HAVE PLENY OF DIGGING
TO DO HERE

20 August 1941

Wednesday

NOT MUCH LIKELY

TO HAPPEN HERE

SO WILL MAKE

OTHER USES OF THESE 

PAGES

SOUND

21 August 1941

Thursday

WE HEARD SOME PECULIAR

NOISES & SOUNDS OF 

DIFFERENT KINDS — 

ON STREET AND SHOP

& ONE ROLLING PLANE, THE

SORT ONE USUALLY FINDS

BUT THE NOISES HOME IN

AUSTRALIA SELDOM BRING

AN ENQUIRING LOOK

AND CAN'T COMPARE ^IN INTENSITY

WITH THE NOISES

OF TOBRUK.