Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 4

12 February 1941

Wednesday
TURNED OUT EARLY 5.30
ARRIVED THE HOLY LAND
10.30 HRS - SEEN ALL THE
SACRED PLACES AND HAD
SOME BEERS
THINK THIS IS JUST A
JOINT NOT HAVING A
VERY GOOD TIME.
GOT TWO BOTTLES WINNY
HAD  GOT SLATHERED GOOD
AND PROPER COMING
HOME - LOST FALSE
TEETH IN BUS HOPE
TO CHRIST I GET THEM
BACK 

13 February 1941

Thursday

MOUNTED GUARD 10.AM
TILL 6 PM. - HAVE A
SLIGHT HANGOVER BUT
NOT TOO BAD, - NOT
EATING TOO GOOD WITH
THE CHATS OUT 

14 February 1941

Friday

THE CORN BEEF
SNATCHERS HAVE ME
WORRIED - WENT TO
BARBER AND SEEN
THE BUS PEOPLE HAVE
A CHANCE OF GETTING
THEM.
WENT OUT AT 2 PM
FOR A NIGHT STUNT
MARCHED ABOUT 11 MILES
DIDNT HAVE TEA
UNTIL 2000 HRS
SENT BIRTHDAY CABLE
TO WIFE
BUTCH SENT TO HOSPITAL 

15 February 1941

Saturday
SLEPT LIKE AN OWL
WAS AWAKE ALL NIGHT
- STOPPED MARCHING
AT 22 30 LAST NIGHT
AND THEN HAD TO DIG
IN - CALLED 0530 IN
MORNING AND CONTINUED 
DIGGING -
MARCHED HOME MIDDAY
SLEPT TILL CANTEEN
OPENED AND THEN
WAS SHE ON - I'LL
TELL THE WORLD

16 February 1941

Sunday

WOKE UP ON GOOD

FORM CONSIDERING

THE SESSION WE HAD

WENT TO (B) AGAIN

BUT COULDNT GET ON

TO THE TUSKS

MOUNTED GUARD

1800 HRS

WON 8000 MiLS ON

THE TAILS

FOLLOWED UP LAST

NIGHT'S EFFORT WITH

ANOTHER HEAVY SESSION 

17 February 1941

Monday

SLEPT MY TWO FIRST

SHIFTS BUT BRIGHTENED

UP LATER IN

THE DAY [[?]]

STRUCK IT RICH

WENT TO (B) AND

GOT THE IVORYS
- RECIEVED MY

20TH LETTER FROM WIFE

ALSO ONE FROM

BILL Mac 2/10^TH EGYPT

TOOK TWO LETTERS TO

BUTCH

18 February 1941

Tuesday
JUST ANOTHER DAY
NO SIGN OF ANY
ACTION YET. AND
WEATHER BECOMING
WARMER BUT STILL
VERY COLD AT NIGHT
SENT TWO CUSHION
COVERS TO BERYL
TODAY IS HER BIRTHDAY 

19 February 1941

Wednesday
SAME THING OUT
TO SUGAR LOAF KNOLL
AND RENMARK ORCHARD
WHAT I WOULD GIVE
TO BE IN A FAIR
DINKUM RENMARK 
ORCHARD 

20 February 1941

Thursday
SAME AS YESTERDAY
GETTING A BIT
HARD TO PUT UP
WITH AND MISS
THE LONGFELLOW
MOSTLY AT NIGHT
HE IS REAL
CIRCULAR SAW. 

21 February 1941

Friday
WHEN WILL WE
GET A MOVE, BEEN
WONDERING IF WE
ARE GOING TO HELP
AT ALL.

22 February 1941

Saturday

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

WENT ACROSS SAND

HILLS TO SEA HAD

A SWIM IN THE

MEDITERRANEAN -

AND HAD PRACTICE

WITH PRISMATIC COMPASS

ON WAY HOME

WORKED OUT TRUE

TO SCHEDULE.

LOST 36000 MILS AT

SWY ALL IN ONE SPIN

AM NOW AS FLAT AS

A   _  _ 

23 February 1941

Sunday
A-HA THE DAY OF

REST SLEPT IN TILL

6.30 WHAT A LIFE

WENT TO R.C. CHURCH

AGAIN

WON 400 MILLS PLAYING

POKER

RUN THE DICE IN

THE NIGHT AND THE 

PURSE IS 8,000 MLS

STRONG NOW 

24 February 1941

Monday
GOING TO A SCHOOL
TODAY - NOW HERE'S A
CHANCE FOR THEM TO
MAKE SOMETHING OF
ME - WONDER IF ITS
POSSIBLE
STILL HAVN'T HEARD
ABOUT BUTCH 

25 February 1941

Tuesday
BACK TO SCHOOL
AGAIN TODAY AND
IT IS MOST INTERESTING
AM HAVING A REAL
DECENT TIME TOO
HAVE AN EXTRA GOOD
OFFICER FOR TEACHER
LIEUT McLAY. 

26 February 1941

Wednesday
BEGINNING TO THINK

IM NOT ALTOGETHER

HOPELESS AFTER ALL

THINK I AM 
LEARNING HOW TO BE 
[[?]] 

27 February

Thursday
SCHOOL AGAIN STILL
THINK IT'S EXTRA
AND HAVE LEARNT
MORE THIS WEEK THAN
I DID IN THE PAST
8 MONTHS
RECIEVED 7 LETTERS
5 FROM BERYL  4 BOAT
1 FROM HOME
1 FROM MARG FOREMAN
HAVE BUILT THE PURSE
UP TO 17,000 MILS

28 February 1941

Friday
STILL AT IT BUT 
THE GOOD THING IS
COMING TO A CLOSE
RECIEVED ANOTHER
LETTER FROM BERYL
BOAT MAIL MAKING
29 IN ALL
DONE THE PURSE
AGAIN AND NOW IM
SQUARE - - - WE ARE
ALL SQUARE WHEN
WE ARE BROKE
TAKEN AWAY FROM
SCHOOL TO GO WITH
COY. TO GUARD NEW
CAMP FOR THREE
DAYS
THINK SHE WILL BE
A REAL HOLIDAY -
LETS HOPE SO 

1 March 1941

Saturday
LEFT LINES 1600 HRS
ARRIVED NEW CAMP 1700 HRS
MY FIRST SHIFT 2400 HRS
TILL 0200 
NO LIFE HERE JUST
AN EMPTY CAMP AND 
NO CANTEEN - WOULD 
THAT ROTATE YOU