Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 16

6 October 1941

Monday

SAME PLACE, BOMBERS 
GOT A LITTLE CLOSE

WITHIN 400 YDS, HAVE

NOT HEARD REPORT [[YET?]]

- - JUST HEARD REPORT
ON BOMBING, [[OP?]]
KILLED 3 INJURED INCLUDING
ART BLAND [[FR?]]

BERRI - ABOUT 20 [[SMALL?]]
BOMBS DROPPED IN A

LINE THROUGH B.H.Q
AREA.

7 October 1941

Tuesday

[[VENT?]] SEEN BILL MILDE

[[ND?]] HIM, JIM, AND I
WENT INTO TOBRUK FOR
A LOOK SEE. WALKED
ALL ABOUT THE TOWN
AND COULDNT FIND ONE

BUILDING UNTOUCHED BY
NAZI BOMBERS - PLACE-
DESERTED EXCEPT FOR 

MILT, SALVATION ARMY ROOM
[[ONE?]] PROVOST. --

STRUCK IT LUCKY & GOT
[[INTO?]] SOME CHOCOLATES
[[GHT?]] £2 WORTH BETWEEN
US.

8 OCTOBER 1941

Wednesday

IN CHARGE OF [[WORK?]]
PARTY TODAY. JUST
OF TOBRUK MAKING
CAMOFLAUGE NETS, - I
[[ED?]] AT 11.00 HRS, AND

B.S.A. ROOMS AND P
BILLIARDS AND TABLE
BACK TO CAMP AT
1630 AFTER A VERY

DECENT DAY.
EXPECTING TO [[LEAVE?]]

TOBRUK ANYTIME [[NOW?]]

AND LOOKING FORWARD

TO IT.

[[?]] October 1941

Thursday

[[THER?]] WORK PARTY
[[AY?]], - WEST OF TOBYS
WADIS NEAR BEACH
LOUVA SANSARS FOR

[[OMING?]] TROOPS - 

[[?]] BRADLEY LEFT US
[[S?]] MORNING. IT APPEARS
[[?]] REGIMENT WILL NOT 
[[?]] RELIEVING US.
WE HEARD IT IS THE 
[[?]] LIGHT INFANTRY
[[AT?]] WILL RELIEVE US.

 

10 October 1941

Friday

NOW HERES A [[MON?]]
THREE CPLs INCLUDING

MYSELF & 12 MEN ARE
GOING SOME PLACE AT

1300 HRS. - 
TIME NOW 1430 HR.
HAVE BEEN ALL OVER 
TOBRUK AREA, & AT
[[ORST?]] WE KNOW IT [[A?]]
[[ARA?]] MINE SPOTTED
IN HARBOUR ON THE
NORTH SIDE.

11 October 1941

Saturday

WELL WOULDNT THIS

ROTATE YOU, - - WE ARE

IN THE WRONG PLACE
[[ND?]] ARE NOW MOVING
TO SOUTH SIDE. - ARRIVED
[[.30?]] HRS AND ME THINKS
THIS PLACE IS GOING TO
BE OKEY DOKE.
AT 15.00 HRS BARDIA BILL
SENT A FEW OVER [[?]]
[[ANDED?]] A LITTLE TOO
[[LOSE?]] TO BE PLEASANT.
[[?]] [[TURNER?]] , 1 3[[HORNELL?]]

[[?]] 2 [[?]] [[?]]

[[ME?]] [[?]] [[?]] 

14 October 1941

Tuesday

AHA, A DECENT DAY, AS

THE DUST HAS GONE
ANOTHER QUIET NIGHT
NO SHIPS IN. - WAS 
ENTERTAINED BY TOMMY
OVER THE PHONE FOR

2 HRS, - JESSE & I HAD
TO PUT ON A TURN IN
RETURN. - NO MAIL YET
AND NO NEWS OF LEAVE

TOBY YET, BUT  THINK
ITS 'CLOSE'

15 October 1941

Wednesday

PUT ON THE MINE

POTTING JOB AND CAN
[[TAND?]] QUITE A LOT OF 
THIS.

HAD ANOTHER CONCERT

OVER THE PHONE LAST

NIGHT & IT WAS A GOOD
SHOW. - NO SHIPPING IN
FOR SEVERAL NIGHTS
NOW - BARDIA BILL
HAD A GOOD GO THROUGH
THE NIGHT, BUT NO 
DAMAGE DONE
 

12 October 1941

Sunday

WASN'T A BAD NIGHT
FOUR AIR RAIDS BUT
ONLY DROPPED BOMBS

NONE OF WHICH WERE 
ON OUR SIDE.
THIS IS SURE A 
GREAT LIFE AND COULD
STAND QUITE A LOT OF
THIS.

13 October 1941

Monday

ANOTHER GOOD NIGHT
BARDIA BILL OPENED
UP JUST AS CRUISERS 
& DESTROYERS WERE 
ENTERING HARBOUR - FIRED
[[?]] DOZEN ROUNDS. THEN
[[EASED?]], NO DAMAGE DONE

SHIPS LEFT AT 2330 BEING
IN ONLY 1¾ HRS.
AND WHAT A DAY THIS
IS, A PROPER DUST STORM.
HAVNT HAD IT AS BAD
AS THIS BEFORE
 

16 October 1941

Thursday

AWAKE AT 0700 AFTER

A BUSY NIGHT, SEVERAL

RAIDS FROM 0400, MOST
ON NORTHERN SIDE OF

HARBOUR, A NUMBER OF
FLARES DROPPED BUT NO

MINES. - ONE TRAWLER
ARRIVED THROUGH THE
NIGHT. -  HAD A GOOD
DAY SWIMMING & YARNING
TO TOMMIES OF
206 COASTAL BATTERY
AND THEY ARE A BLOODY
GOOD CROWD.

17 October 1941

Friday

[[ELL?]] TODAY OUR  [[PIONEER?]]

[[LEASES?]] AND WE ARE TO 
BE RELIEVED ABOUT 100.
- RELIEVED AT 1445 BY

SECTION FROM D.[[ L.I.?]]

& BACK TO COY AT

FOOD DUMP AND

WAITING TO LEAVE

TOBRUK - HAD 5 LETTERS
FROM BERYL ONE FROM

HOME & ONE FROM MARG.
- OUR ADVANCE - PARTY

GONE FROM TOBRUK

18 October 1941

Saturday

BACK TO USUAL
ROUTINE & THIS IS

NOT AS GOOD AS 

THE MINE SPOTTING

LOST £12 AT TWO 
UP LAST NIGHT, [[MUST?]]
TRY AND MAKE AMENDS

TONIGHT.
HAVE HAD A GLORIOUS 
TEA AND AGAIN LOST
AT TWO UP £7 THIS
TIME. - HAVE DRAWN
FROM PAY BOOK, FIRST
SINCE DEC. 6^TH.
£10.5.4

19 October 1941 

Sunday

EXPECTING TO LEAVE
ANY DAY NOW, HAVE
EVERYTHING READY TO

HAND OVER, EXPECT TO 

BE RELIEVED BY ZEVECS
[[?]] THEIR ADVANCE PARTY

IS ALREADY IN
THE TIDE HAS TURNED
AT TWO UP AND WON 
£11 IN THE EVENING.

 

20 October 1941

Monday

GETTING NEARER NOW

OUR RELIEF DUE IN 
AT 2200 TOMORROW

NIGHT.
HAVE BEEN BUSY [[MAKING?]]
[[BOZOVENIRS?]] THIS 
LAST THREE DAYS

WROTE A SHORT LETTER

TO BERYL THIS MORNING
- WON A FURTHER £4

AT TWO UP, GETTING
NEAR SQUARE AGAIN
NOW.

21 October 1941

Tuesday

AM IN CHARGE OF WORKING

PARTY MAKING CAMOFLAUGE
NET AT
TOBRUK CROSS ROADS
LEFT PARTY & JESSE

& I WENT TO SEE OUR

MINE SPOTTING FRIEND
HAD DINNER THERE

RETURNED AT 1530,

THEN BACK TO CAMP

AND A GAME OF TWO
UP WITH A PROFIT
OF £7.

22 October 1941

Wednesday

HAD A BUSY NIGHT

SHOWING IN OUR RELIEF
WHO ARE CZECHS, AND

BELIEVE WE ARE [[MOV?]]
OUT TONIGHT.
HAD A VERY INTERESTING
TALK WITH CZECH CPL
JAN SCHWARZ & LEARNT

QUITE A BIT OF [[EUROPEAN?]]
HISTORY  - MOVE

AT 1930 HRS. - OUR TRUCK

RAN OFF ROAD BUT 

LUCKILY NO ONE INJURED.
AIR RAID AS WE WERE
MOVING. -- EMBARKED

AT 2350 HRS.

23 October 1941

Thursday

WOKE THIS MORNING TO
FIND US WELL OUT, THE

[[HIP?]] IS THE H.M.S. KINGSTON
12200 TONS & A NICE
TUB IT IS. - 45 SHIPS

IN CONVOY, ENCOUNTER
LATONA 8

HAD A GOOD TRIP ALL

THE WAY, ARRIVED ALEX

600 HRS, IN TRUCKS,

HAD TEA AT AMYREA, - 
ENTRAINED THERE & OFF

ON A LONG TRAIN

JOURNEY - 

24 October 1941

Friday

BEEN HAVING AN EXTRA
GOOD TRIP SO FAR.

ARRIVED AT KANTARI
& CROSSED CANAL - HAD
BREAKFAST & OFF TO 
PALESTINE AT 1100 HRS
AND STILL A GOOD
TRIP, ARRIVED BIET

JIRTA 1715, HAD TEA, A
FEW BEERS AND INTO
BED

25 October 1941

Saturday

UP EARLY AND OFF ONCE
MORE IN TRUCKS TO

CAMP JULIUS, MET MY 

OLO PAL BUTCH, AND

LOOK LIKE GETTING 

HIM BACK IN THE 
SECTION
THIS LOOKS LIKE BEING

A GOOD EASY CAMP.

RECIEVED 7 LETTERS

AND HAVE JUST BEEN
INFORMED THAT 
TOMORROW I GO TWO 
DAYS LEAVE TO TEL

AVIV.