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

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
ILL 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

[[POSITION?]] HERE ALL ON ME OWN

WHEN I THINK OF DEAD
[[DEPARTED?]] AUSSIES

AND MY FRIENDS WHO

STAYED AT HOME

I'LL BET THEY'RE WALKING

DOWN THE STREET

THEIR CHESTS PUFFED

OUT WITH PRIDE

BUT SKITING 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 DAGO

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 CHOCOLATE

SOLDIER

A FIVE BOB TOURIST TOO

16 November  1941

Sunday

THEY SAID YOUD NEVER

SEE THE FRONT

OR NEVER GET A VIEW

THEY SAID YOU'LL HAVE

A PICNIC.

THEY WERNT GAME TO

FACE IT

MY FRIENDS WHO STAYED

AT HOME

THEY ARE NOT BAD

SHOTS EITHER

AT RABBITS ON THE [[TRACK?]]

BUT THEN THERE IS NO

DANGER

17 November 1941

Monday

CAUSE RABBITS DON'T     

SHOOT BACK

THEY SHINE BEFORE THE

BARMAIDS

THEY BRAG THEYRE FULL 

OF FIGHTING

BUT THE CORNER OF

THE STREET

IS WHERE THEY DO THEIR

FIGHTING

A BILLIARD CUE IS THEIR

RIFLE

THE BAR 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 WEB AS

THOUGH IM ONLY A 

FLAMING GUNNER

ILL SEE THIS BUSINESS OUT
ILL DIE WITHOUT A [[MO?]]

FOR THEY PUT THE KYBOSH

ON IT AND

MY FRIENDS WHO STAYED 

AT HOME

19 November 1941

Wednesday

THIS SORRY TALE HAS

ENDED

AND OUR POET PAL HAS DIED

BUT HIS WORDS WERE ALL

FAIR DINKUM

FOR WE KNOW HE NEVER

LIED 

HE DIED FOR DEAR

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 THEYD

REINFORCE

WE 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 WEVE JERRY ON THE

RUN.

WE'LL CHASE HIM OUT OF

AFRICA

THE DIRTY ROTTEN HUN

THEN ACROSS THE SEA

TO GERMANY

TO FINISH OUR JOB ALONE

FOR WE'LL GET NO HELP

FROM THEM

OUR FRIENDS WHO STAYED

AT HOME

13 November 1941

Sunday

WE'LL GET THE NAZI MANIAC

AND HANG 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 TO

AUSSIE

NEVER MORE TO ROAM

AND I'LL BET THEY'RE

WAVING FLAGS TO US

THOSE FRIENDS WHO STAYED

AT HOME.

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 TRANSFERRED 
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 Gedslovak Inf Bn

M.E.F.
HERTA BONDY

c/o GLASEL

HAIFA

[*SASSY*]  POB 254
No 4743415

L/CPL. T.J. BRADLEY

THE YORK & LANCASTER

REGIMENT

MIDDLE EAST FORCES
MRS. T.J. BRADLEY

8 SAWN MOOR VILLAS

THURCROFT

NR ROTHERHAM

YORKS 

ENGLAND

VX 33438

DRIVER R.G. MEW

10^TH DIV PETROL COY

A.S.C.

A.I.F. ABROAD

NX 8936

DRIVER R.J. MORRIS

9^TH DIV SUPPLY COY

A.S.C.

A.I.F. ABROAD

VX 9561

C.W. BUTCHER

N.Q. DETAILS

[[?]] CAMP

[[?]] 699

BERRI

[*K. THORPE

S. TREVELYAN

WAYVILLE*]
L.MARTIN

55 KENSINGTON RD.

KENSINGTON

S.A.

Broadbent

Co. WE [[Hill?]]

171 Childers Tc,

North Adelaide

C.H. BUTCHER

Sr 9502

1^st Australian

Convalescent Camp

S 26650

PTE H C. JONES

[[D?]]   O.M.F

[[?]]

VIA [[?]] CRES

PR82/190
(1)
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL