Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 18

12 November 1941

Wednesday

13 November 1941

Thursday

OUR FRIENDS WHO

STAYED AT HOME

COMPOSED BY A GUNNER

IN THE 2/1 FIELD REG

SINCE KILLED IN ACTION

 

IM PULLING OFF MY COLOURS

I'LL FLING AWAY MY WEB

IM GOING DOWN TO CAIRO

TO DRAW MY PAY &

GET A BED

IM TIRED OF BEING A SOLDIER

SO HELP ME ..... I AM

OF CHEWING MOULDY

BISCUITS

14 November 1941

Friday

AND EATING BREAD & JAM

OF FIGHTING DIRTY DAGOS

]?] HERE ALL ON [?]

WHERE I THINK OF DEAD

[....................................................?]

AND MY FRIENDS WHO

STAYED AT HOME

[....................................................?]

I'LL BET THEY'RE WALKING

DOWN THE STREET

THEIR CHESTS PUFFED

OUT WITH PRIDE &

BUT [?] TO THEIR

COBBERS

15 November 1941

Saturday

HOW THEY SAVED THEIR

WORTHLESS LIVES

WHILE WE HERE IN THE

DESERT [?]  [?]

AFRAID TO SHOW OUR HEADS

IN CASE SOME "ROTTEN DAGOS"

SHOULD FILL IT FULL OF LEAD

WHEN I TOLD MY MOTHER

I HAD VOLUNTEERED TO FIGHT

SHE SAID GOD BLESS YOU

AND BRING YOU BACK ALRIGHT

[..................................................................?]

THEY CALLED ME [?]

LATE [?]

A FIVE BOB TOURIST TOO

 

16 November  1941

Sunday

THEY SAID YOU NEVER

SEE THE FRONT

OR NEVER GET A VIEW

THEY SAID YOU'LL HAVE

A PICNIC.

THEY WERN'T GAME TO

FACE IT

MY FRIENDS WHO STAYED

AT HOME

THEY ARE NOT BAD

SHOTS EITHER

AT RABBITS ON THE [?]

BUT THEN THERE IS NO

DANGER

 

17 November 1941

Monday

[?] RABBITS DON'T

SHOOT BACK

THEY SHINE BEFORE THE

BARMAIDS

THEY BRAG THEY'RE FULL 

OF FIGHTING

BUT THE CORNER OF

THE STREET

IS WHERE THEY DO THEIR

FIGHTING

A BILLIARD CUE IS THEIR

RIFLE

THEY [?] THEIR FIGHTING

DONE

 

18 November 1941

Tuesday

FOR THEIR AINT NO

BULLETS THEIR

FOR MY FRIENDS WHO

STAYED AT HOME

[................................................?]

SO NOW I PICK UP A

LEE ENFIELD

AND BUCKLE MY [?]

THOUGH I'M ONLY A 

FLAMING GUNMAN

I'LL DIE WITHOUT A [?]

FOR THEY PUT THE [?]

ON IT AND

MY FRIENDS WHO STAYED 

AT HOME

19 November 1941

Wednesday

THIS SORRY TALE HAS

ENDED

[?] OUR POET PAL HAS DIED

BUT HIS WORDS WERE ALL

FAIR DINKUM

FOR WE KNOW HE NEVER

LIED 

HE DIED FOR DEA

OLD AUSSY

SO FAR ACROSS THE SEA

HE GAVE HIS LIFE

FOR FREEDOM

HIS FRIENDS AND LIBERTY

HIS COMRADES ALL FEEL

PROUD OF HIM

 

 

20 November 1941

Thursday

MOUNTED GUARD LAST

NIGHT. -

BEEN HAVING A REAL

SLASHING TIME, GOOD

FOOD, PLENTY OF IT,

NOT MUCH WORK AND

A FEW BEERS.

PLENTY OF MAIL

INCLUDING PARCELS

AND COULDNT BE

DOING IT BETTER

BUTCH IS ALSO O.K.

 

 

21 November 1941

Friday

WE KNOW HE GAMELY

FELL

BUT TO HIS FRIENDS

WHO STAYED

IT MUST BE BLOODY HELL

IF THEY WERE MEN THEY'D

REINFORCE

US RATS OF OLD TOBRUK

AND THE STORY OF THE

FIGHTING

WOULD READ JUST LIKE A

BOOK

TODAY THE TIDE HAS

TURNED

 

22 November 1941

Saturday

AND WE'VE JERRY ON THE

RUN

WE'LL CHASE HIM OUT

AFRICA

THE DIRTY ROTTEN

THEN ACROSS THE SEA

TO GERMANY

TO FINISH OUR JOB ALSO

FOR WE'LL GET [?]

FROM THEM

OUR FRIENDS WHO STAYED

AT HOME

 

13 November 1941

Sunday

WE'LL GET THEM NAZI MANIACS

END HAND HIM ON A TREE

THEN WE'LL KNOW WE'VE

DONE OUR JOB BOYS

AND ALL THE WORLD IS FREE

WE'LL SAIL BACK HOME

AUSSIE

NEVER MORE TO ROAM

AND I'LL BET THEY'RE

WAVING FLAGS TO US

THOSE FRIENDS WHO STAYED

AT HOME

2 December 1941

Tuesday

 

 

3 December 1941

Wednesday

JESSE JAMES HAS

BEEN TRANSFERRED TO

2/3 M.G.

HAD A BOOZE UP AT

NIGHT AND WILL NEVER

FORGET IT. .... JESSE

GOT AS BLIND AS A 

LORD...... WE PUT

HIM IN A TRUCK AT

2230 AND AWAY HE 

WENT

 

6 December 1941

Saturday

JEB RIDE HAS TRANS

FERRED TO SECURITY

GUARD AND I THINK

IT WILL BE BETTER

FOR HIM

THE SECTION IS NOW

10 STRONG

 

7 December 1941

Sunday

BUTCH HAS BEEN SENT

TO C.R.S. FOR A 

FEW DAYS

 

Memoranda

GNR.C. SNOW

1577950

206 COAST BATTERY

ROYAL ARTILLERY

M.E.F.

__________________________

GNR H. WILDBERG

837966

206 COAST BATTERY

ROYAL ARTILLERY

M.E.F.

__________________________

2/10.501.269

Cpl IAN SCHWARZ

11 [Ged?] Int Bn

M.E.F.

 

HERTA BONDY

C/O GLASEL

HAIFA

POB 254

___________________

No 4743415

L/Cpl T.J. BRADLEY

THE YORK & LANCASTER

REGIMENT

MIDDLE EAST FORCES

_________________________

Mrs. T.J. BRDLEY

8 SAWN MOOR VILLAS

THURCROFT

Nth ROTHERHAM

YORKS 

ENGLAND

VX 33438

DRIVER R.G. MEW

10TH DIV PETROL COY

A.S.C.

A.I.F. ABROAD

 

VX 8936

DRIVER R.J. MORRIS

9TH VID SUPPLY COY

A.S.C.

A.I.F. ABROAD

 

VX 9563

C.W. BUTCHER

[?] DETAILS

[..............................?]

 

K. THORPE

S. TREVELYAN

WAYVILLE

 

 

L.MARTIN

55 KENSINGTON RD.

KENSINGTON

S.A.

 

Broadbent

Co. WE [?]

171 Childers Tc,

North Adelaide

____________________

C.Y. BUTCH

9502

1st Australian

Convalescent [?]

____________________

S 26650

Pte H.C. JONES

[?]   O.M.F

[.................................?]

[.................................?]