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

2 August 1941
Saturday
43 ^RD BATTALION OUR LEFT
FLANK TO ATTACK A6
& R7. -ZERO HOURS
SET AT 0330 ON NIGHT
OF 2^ND & 3^RD AUGUST
-EVERYTHING [[?]]

HAND & FEELING [[EYTS?]]

FIT & WELL SO ONLY

NEED THE OLD CUNCE

OF LUCK & SHELL BE

OKEY. - TIME NOW

0230 & FRITZ IS UNUS

UALLY ACTIVE WITH

MG FIRE - MAYBE HE

IS IN THE KNOW TOO.

[[GOOD LUCK?]] DIVER?

 

3 August 1941

Sunday

HELL OF AN ARTY BARE

RAGE GOING TO OVER AT 032[[?]]

[[?]] MOVED AT 0327, ALL

REACHED TOWER [[WADS?]]

[[?]] & AWAITED SUCCESS

[[BE?]] [[G?]], RED, - [[IN?]]

[[?]] [[GOOD?]] [[R?]]

[[?]] M.G NESTS. [[M?]]

[[?]] [[?]] [[?]]

[[?]] THROUGH HEAVY

FIRE [[JUST?]] [[BEFIRE?]] [[DAYBREAK?]]

MET 2 S.Bs [[?]] [[?]]

[[?]] SAID 28^th WERE

[[?]] BADLY

 

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

TO TRY [[?]] CAPTURE S [[6?]]

[[?]] [[OFE?]] WITH

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

ESCAPMENT & [[ALAI?]] - [[ROW?]]

2 WOUNDED FROM NIGHT

BEFORE - ALSO FOUND

STRONG RESISTANCE FRO[[M?]]

ENEMY [[WINS?]] OCCUPY S 6

& HAVE RE-INFORCED  [[PT?]] [[?]]

POSITION IN SAME AREA

TOO STRONG FOR 10 MEN

TO TACKLE [[?]] ONCE [[?]]

[[RETLANEY?]] THROUGH HEAVY

ARTY & MORTAR FIRE

5 August 1941

Tuesday

SEEN A HUMAN SIDE OF

THE WAR YESTERDAY [[ARVE?]]

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

[[?]], TIME NOW [[1730?]].

LOOKS LIKE THE [[ENEMY?]]

[[?AFTER]] THE STORM EVERY

THING GONE QUIET
 

6 August 1941

Wednesday

TIME 0500 & HAVE

JUST FINISHED A GOOD

NIGHTS DIGGING - 

FRITZ HAS OUR POSEY

WELL TACKED [[?]] HAD

A NARROW ONE WHEN

BULLETS IT [[SPLITHE BAP?]] [[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 HUNT M G

POSITIONS ON OUR FRONT

HAS A VERY [[?QUIESING]]

EFFECT ON THEM [[?]]

- TIME 2300 JUST FINISH

ED MESS & PREPARING TO

TAKE OUT PATROL - - 

A BURST OF M G THE

FIRST FOR NIGHT & BERT 

NASH IS HIT IN BACK

OUT [[NEAR?]] PENUS IN [[B?]]

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 [[HEAR?]]

& 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 [[CAS?]]

[[UALTIES]]. - TURNED IN

AT 0400.
 

9 August 1941

Saturday

[[HAVE?]] LOOKED POSITION

[[?]] AND ITS NOTHING

TO BE PLEASED ABOUT, BUT

[[A?]] [[TON?]] [[UP?]] ON WHERE

WE JUST CAME FROM

PLAYED BRIDGE IN AFTER

NOON AND WON 40 [[PIAS?ED?]]

NO SHELLS LANDING HERE

[[ARE?]] [[100?]] YDS SOUTH OF [[DERNE?]]

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

OF [[?]] TREE. - A NICE

[[?]] & 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

[[?]] 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 0530 HRS

[[?]] [[?]] [[?]] - ARE

[[?]] [[ANTI?]] PARA TROOPS

OUR PLATOON BEING THE

PARA TROOP PIQUET AND

ARE TO DEAL WITH ANY

PARA SHOOTERS - - NOT [[?]]

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

[[?LL]] LOUNGING ABOUT.

[[?]] A PRACTICE STAND

[[TO FOR?]] PARA TROOPS [[?]]

WASN'T A BAD EFFORT

- SPENT REST OF THE 

DAY MAXING OUT CROSS

WORD PUZZLES.

- NO NEWS OF OTHER

[[?]] RUMOURS GETTING

[[AROUND?]] AGAIN REGARDING

[[?]] [[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

[[?]] [[?]] [[?]] AT LEAD

[[?]] DOWN AND [[?]]

DONE OUT

SEEN SO WOMANS UNDER

CLOTHING THERE, - SO

[[MAYBE?]] WHAT EH?

15 August 1941

Friday

HAD A LATE NIGHT

[[PLAYING?]] [[?TER]], CAME

[[?]] 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 UNEX-

PECTED.

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

EVER 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?]]

[[?]] [[?]] ALSO SEEN

THE JENK[[INSON?]] IN THE

MIDST OF AN AIR RAID

- HAD A TALKIE WITH

HIM AND HE IS OKEY

[[DOOKS?]]. - SEVEN RAIDS

OVER TOBY FOR THE DAY

[[?PED]] [[?MINES] [[IN?]] [[HARBOUR?]]
 

18 August 1941

Monday

WALKED 3 MILES TO

BEACH, HAD A GOOD 

SWIM AND USED THE

[[?]] TO [[?]] 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

[[?]] AND ARE NOW

RESERVE Coy TO THE 

SALIENT.

PRETTY QUIET HERE,

JUST NOW

HAVE PLENY OF DIGG-

ING TO DO HERE

20 August 1941

Wednesday

NOT MUCH LIKELY

TO HAPPEN HERE

SO WILL MAKE

OTHER USES OF THE[[SE?]] 

PAGES

//

*SOUND*

21 August 1941

Thursday

WE HEARD SOME PECULIAR

NOISES & SOUNDS OF 

DIFFERENCE KINDS

SEREET AND SHOT

& ONE ROLLING PLAINS, THE

SORT ONE [[UPSTAIRS?]] [[?}

BUT THE NOISES HOME

AUSTRALIA SELDOM [[B?]

AND [[EN???RING?]] LOOK

AND CAN'T COMPARE ^IN [[INTENSE?]]

[[?]] WITH THE NOISES

OF TOBRUK