Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 17

26 October 1941

Sunday

HAD A BAD NIGHT

AFTER GETTING LAGER

WITH BUTCH JOCK & [[?]]

AND HAVE A DECENT

HANGOVER.

1230 HRS AND READY

FOR LEAVE- FEELING

O.K. NOW, SO LETS GO

ARRIVED TEL [[?]]

AT 1430.

RETIRED ABOUT 1700

NIGHT & HAVE HAD A 

REASONABLY GOOD TIME

27 October 1941

Monday

Good luck from a 

girl in Tel [[?]]

 

27^th October Tel [[?]]

Caffe "[[?]]" Allenby

rd. 77

Palestine

[[?]] [[?]].

28 October 1941

Tuesday

WELL TODAY [[?]]

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

GOT [[?]] HAVE HAD A [[GOOD?]]

TIME AND AM LOOKING

FORWARD TO THE NE

[[LEAVELE?]] [[OF?]] [[?]]

BACK IN CAMP AT

1300 AND STRAIGHT

INTO HARNESS. I HAD

TO ERECT TWO- TENT

FINISHED EARLY AND 

HAD [[?]] [[?]]

NOON. [[?]] MORE BEER

AT NIGHT

29 October 1941

Wednesday

[[?]] HAS RETURNED

TO TRAINING BATT

AND WILL BE A FEW

DAYS BEFORE HE IS 

SENT BACK TO THE

[[?]]

THIS IS A GREAT

LIFE AND CAN STAND

A LOT OF IT.

30 October 1941

Thursday

BACK TO THE OLD

BULL RING TRAINING

BUT THE TRUMPS ARE 

MAKING IT VERY

EASY FO US.

DO NOT KNOW HOW

LONG WE WILL BE

HERE, MAY BE TILL

XMAS, BUT I HAVE MY

DOUBTS.

31 October 1941

Friday

THOUGHT 

SAME OLD THINGS

AND ITS NOT BAD.

HAVING A DISAS-

[[?]] TROT WITH THE 

HEADS & TAILS AND 

THE OLD PAY BOOK

HAD BEEN HIT TO 

REG

Memoranda

I THOUGHT THIS

BLUDDY WAR WOULD

BE OVER BY NOW

AND WAS SURE A 

MOVE WOULD HAVE 

BEEN MADE IN 

LIBYA.

OUR NEXT MOVE 

LOOKS LIKE BEING 

SYRIA OR THERE

ABOUTS.

1 November 1941

Saturday

AND TODAY WE GO

FOR A SHORT MARCH

-ARRIVED BACK IN 

CAMP AT 1200 AFTER

A MILE TRAMP, AND

THAT WAS PLENTY

FAR ENOUGH, IT

BROUGHT THE GRAVY

OUT OF DINER.

THE WEATHER IS 

VERY HOT, AROUND THE 

[[?]] I AM SURE

2 November 1941

Sunday

FORGOT TO MENTION

MY WEIGHT IS NOW

[[?]] 13^LB JUST 2 STONE

HEAVIER THAN I WAS 

WHEN I FIRST ENLIST IN

-  MY STRIPES HAVE 

NOW BEEN CONFIRMED

-BUTCH ARRIVED 

BACK TODAY AND 

IS IN MY SECTION

3 November 1941

Monday

BACK TO THE OLD 

ROUNTINE AGAIN

SEEN MORAY MITCHELL

FROM BERRI YESTER-

DAY.

WENT FOR A SWIM

IN FRESH WATER

POOL WHICH IS RIGHT

ALONG SIDE OUR CAMP.

4 November 1941

Tuesday

HAVE A JOB INSTRUCT

ING ON BAYONET DRIL

-MY FIRST ATTEMPT

AND I BELIEVE I WENT 

ALRIGHT.

WAS WINNING £20

AT TWO UP BUT 

FINISHED UP LOSING 

IT ALL

(NEWS FLASH)

SKIPTON WINS

MELBOURNE CUP

5 November 1941

Wednesday

TODAY IS FIRE WORKS

DAY, BUT YOU'D NEVER 

THINK IT, IT IS 

DEAD QUIET ABOUT 

THESE PARTS.

SENT PARCEL OF 

SMOKES TO CHARLIE

SNOW OF THE 206

ALSO WROTE HOME

TO BERYL & SISTER

HAVE RECIEVED 

10 LETTERS SINCE 

ARRIVING HERE.

6 November 1941

Thursday

AM NOW ATTENDING

AN N_CO^S CLASS.

DREW £12 [[?]] FROM

THE BOOK AND [[?]]

PRETTY WEEK NOW

-BACK IN AFTERNOON

FOR A SWIM, HAD

A GOOD TIME.

RECIEVED A VERY

NICE XMAS PARCEL

FROM BERYL.

HAD THE [[?]] LOOING SICK AT [[?]] [[?]]

GET OUT OF IT.

7 November 1941

Friday

AT N.C.O^S CLASS

AGAIN; GOING OVER

OLD WORK AND RE

FRESHING A LITTLE

ON IT.

A REAL EASY TIME

A LETTER FROM

BERYL.- WROTE TO

HER AFTER TEA

WHICH I MIGHT ADD

WAS A FIRST CLASS

MEAL.

6 November 1941

Thursday

AM NOW ATTENDING

AN N_CO^S CLASS.

DREW £12 [[?]] FROM

THE BOOK AND [[?]]

PRETTY WEEK NOW

-BACK IN AFTERNOON

FOR A SWIM, HAD

A GOOD TIME.

RECIEVED A VERY

NICE XMAS PARCEL

FROM BERYL.

HAD THE [[?]] LOOING SICK AT [[?]] [[?]]

GET OUT OF IT.

7 November 1941

Friday

AT N.C.O^S CLASS

AGAIN; GOING OVER

OLD WORK AND RE

FRESHING A LITTLE

ON IT.

A REAL EASY TIME

A LETTER FROM

BERYL.- WROTE TO

HER AFTER TEA

WHICH I MIGHT ADD

WAS A FIRST CLASS

MEAL.

8 November 1941

Saturday

GOING FOR A MARCH

THIS MORNING - - -

RETURNED 1130 HRS WE

6 MILES.

HAD A SWIM IN AFTER

NOON IN THE POOL.

-GAVE THE DICE A

TRY AT NIGHT AND 

WON 1100 MILS

9 November 1941

Sunday

RETURNED FROM R.C,

CHURCH PARADE AT 0900

AND HAD REST OF THE

DAY OFF.

IT IS VERY COLD TODAY

AND LOOKS LIKE RAIN

-WON ANOTHER 8000

AT THE DICE IN THE

EVENING.

10 November 1941

Monday

OUT GO N C O^S

SCHOOL AGAIN TODAY

-A PRETTY EASY DAY

-WON 3000 AT THE 

DICE IN THE NIGHT

WROTE A LETTER H

ALSO ONE TO ENGLAND

-WEATHER STILL COLD

NO RAIN YET AND 

MAY BLOW OVER - - -

WILL BE A BAD PLACE

HERE IF IT RAINS.

11 November 1941

Tuesday

OUT WITH THE COY

TODAY, GAVE LESSONS

ON BREN GUN IN THE 

MORNING, -HAD SPORTS

IN THE AFTERNOON.