Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 7

10 April 1941
Thursday
CALLED [[?]] AT 0300 AND
ON THE MOVE BACK, [[HUNS?]]
WITHIN A MILE OF US
DUG [[?]] ABOUT 42 MILES
FROM TOBRUK AGAIN
JERRY SENT A FEW SHELLS
OVER [[??]]
- [[CAP?]] WATSON OUT AT 1400
AND [[???]] TO FRONT
[[?]] - - ARRIVED AT
POSIE 1700 HRS & PLACED
[[?]]
DON'T THINK THIS IS THE
FRONT LINE — [[?]]
VERY LIVELY [[?]] AND
AS TIRED AS A DRUNK
CALLED AT 0530, BUT
NO ATTACK ON, SO HAD
AN EXTRA GOOD BREAKFAST
— WAS BUSY ALL DAY
REFORTIFYING OUR POSITION,
BY WORKING ON GUNS
— SOME FAST ARTILLERY
FIRE ABOUT A MILE AWAY
ON OUR LEFT, BUT
NOT NEAR US. HEARD
TRIPOLI HAS DEFINITELY
FALLEN. 5 HUN TANKS
HAVE BROKEN THROUGH
OUR LINE & THEY LOOK
MAGGIES MEAT NOW
 

12 April 1941
Saturday
ORDERED TO STAND TO AT
0530, & AGAIN NO HUNS CAME
— 26 HUN TANKS HAVE SURRENDERED
TO US IN TOBRUK
— REMAINED AT POSTS
ALL DAY & NIGHT AND
I'M READY TO FALL ON
THE COT. - SHE'S [[?]] LINE
RECIEVED ANOTHER TWO
LETTERS FROM BERYL
TOTAL NOW 42 ALSO ONE
FROM HOME.
MUST TRY AND GET
A LETTER AWAY SOMEHOW,
BUT WILL BE
PRETTY HARD.
13 April 1941
Sunday
THE DAY OF REST, BUT
NOT OVER HERE, SEEN
SOME HUN VEHICLES
MAKING TOWARDS US
BUT ALAS - THEY STRUCK
OUR MINE FIELD AND
1 ARMOURED CAR, 1 MOTOR
CYCLE & A TRUCK AND 6 MEN
ARE NO MORE. - TOOK
OUT A COVERING PATROL
AT 1400 HRS BUT NOTHING
EVENTUATED; RTEURNED
1530 HRS - SHELL FIRE
STILL HEAVY ON OUR
LEFT PERIMETER.
 

14 April 1941
Monday
WHACKO THERE HERE -
JERRY PLANES I MEAN
[[?]] of THEM & BOMBING
HELL OUT OF THE JOINT.
SEEN [[???]] MAY
[[?]] LATEST IN [[?]]
PRESS 13 HUNS 3 [[?]]
15 TANKS CAPTURED WITH
LOSS OF 23 [[?]] 25 POUNDERS
- AND I [[?]] FOLK
HAVE BEER MADE ACTING
CORPORAL & NO REASON
WHY. [[?]] SHOULDNT CARRY
ON [[??]] TRY [[?]]
TO DISRATE ME [[??]]
13 APRIL 1941
TUESDAY
HAD A BUSY NIGHT, TWO
OF MY SECTION LOST
SPENT 2½ HRS LOOKING
FOR ^THEM EVENTUALLY TURNED
UP. [[?]] THE MOON
EXPECTED JERRY THIS
MORNING BUT AGAIN IT
WASN'T ON [[?]]
TIMES NOW 1830 HAVE
JUST FINISHED TEA [[?]]
RECIEVED ORDERS TO STAND
TO, JERRY ADVANCING ON
OUR RIGHT FLANK.
2400 HRS HAD A GO ON OUR
LEFT FLANK BUT DRIVEN BACK
 

16 April 1941
Wednesday
STOOD TO OUR POSTS ALL
NIGHT & AGAIN HE HASN'T
COME OVER - AM NOW
ASLEEP ON MY FEET —
RECONSTRUCTED BARB
FENCING ON OUR FRONT
— JERRY NOW SENDING
OVER 5 INCH MORTAR BOMB
& MOST UNPLEASANT THINGS
THEY ARE, GAVE OUR NO 3
PLATOON A HAMMERING ALL
NIGHT — WAS AGAIN
WAITING THE ATTACK AT
NIGHT BUT STILL HASN'T
CAME.
17 April 1941
Thursday
COULD HAVE BET ON THE
UP OVER THIS MORNING
BUT WOULD HAVE DONE
THE PURSE — MAJOR BULL
& COY CAPTURED 700 PRISONERS.
— & NOW TO BED 1000 HRS
AWOKE FOR DINNER TO
FIND JERRY SHELLING
CHRIST OUT OF US, 2 MEN
KILLED IN B COY ON OUR
RIGHT FLANK — 15 HUN
TANKS BROKE THROUGH
AND OUR GUNS ACCOUNTING
FOR 7 OF THEM — HAD
A SNIPER POTTING US
FROM 200 YDS AWAY
 

18 April 1941
Friday
A REASONABLY QUITE
NIGHT, AND JERRY IS AT
US AGAIN, HAS GOT 9
STRETCHER BEARERS FROM
B. COY WHEN THEY SHELLED
AN OLD BUILDING
LET A FEW BURSTS GO
AT TWO ENEMY TRUCKS
2000 YARDS AWAY, MADE
THEM GO TO GROUND
QUICK SMART, BUT DID
NOR SCORE DIRECT HIT
GETTING A CRACK AT
THE ENEMY OCCASIONALLY
ALL [[?]] DOING GOOD
WORK HERE.
19 April 1941
Saturday
SAME THING THIS MORNING,
& AGAIN DISAPPOINTED
— WENT FOR A STROLL
TO NEXT FRONT POST
& JUST IN TIME TO HELP
CAPTURE 3 PRISONERS
JACK STODDARD & MYSELF
WENT OUT AFTER THEM.
OPENED FIRE AT 400 YDS
AND GOT 2 ITALIAN OFFICERS
ONE HUN WALKED IN
COLLECTED WATCH FROM
MY VICTIM I THINK. HE
WILL LIVE, OTHER CHAP
SNUFFED IT BEFORE WE
GOT HIM BACK
 

20 April 1941
Sunday
BATTALION STILL
GETTING A FEW MORE
PRISONERS — WAS SHELLED
WHILE ERECTING [[?]]
BUT STAYED & FINISHED
THE JOB.
HAVE ORDERS TO
CHANGE OUR POSITION
DO NOT CARE FOR THE
IDEA MUCH. OUR PRESENT
POST IS THE MOST
FORWARD OF FRONT
LINE DEFENCES . —
EVENTUALLY MOVED AT
1600 HRS, ONLY 400 YDS
BACK
21 April 1941
Monday
NOT IN LOVE WITH
NEW POSITION, PLATOON
H.Q. ARE HERE IN SAME
DUG OUT. — JUST LIKE
LIVING WITH YOUR MOTHER
IN LAW.
JERRY STILL SENDING
OVER SOME ARTY BUT
NOT DOING MUCH DAMAGE
— HAS BEEN
VERY QUIET TODAY.
STARTED LETTER HOME
BUT COULD NOT GET
IT FINISHED
 

22 April 1941
Tuesday
STILL KEEPING ON THE
ALERT, BUT STILL JERRY
DIDN'T ATTACK.— C.COY
3 TANKS, 3 BREN CARRIERS
AND 3 ARMOURED CARS
WENT OUT AT 0645 TO
TAKE A PROMINENT HILL
RETURNED 0900 WITH
370 PRISONERS; OUR CASUALTIES
1 KILLED 7 INJURED
— — JERRY DIVE BOMBED
& MACHINE GUNNED US
FOR ½ AN HOUR, HAVE
NOT HEARD OF ANY CASUALTIES
YET — — FINISHED
LETTER TO BERYL.
23 April 1941
Wednesday
A REASONABLY QUIET
DAY. JERRY STILL SENDING
OVER SOME ARTY
FIRE, BUT STILL SEEMS
TO BE ON THE WRONG TARGET.
PLANES CONTINUE TO
BOMB TOBRUK DAILY
— CANNOT SEE MUCH
OUTSIDE NEWS
FRITZ APPEARS TO BE
DIGGING OVER ON SLOPE
ABOUT 200 YDS FROM US
 

24 April 1941
Thursday
MAYBE ITS ON TODAY
JERRY BEEN SHELLING OUR
FRONT LINES ALL NIGHT
— 100 ENEMY SEEN ADVANCING
ON OUR FRONT.— WERE ENGAGED
BY No 7 PLT AND
DRIVEN BACK AT 1230.
MY SECTION SENT OUT ON
RECCE TO BRING IN PRISONER
— [[?]] AND 7 GERMANS
WOUNDED AND 7 DEAD, NO
INJURIES RECIEVED. — [[?]]
[[?]] AUTOMATIC & FIELD
GLASSES, — PASSED IN A
TOMMY GUN. — TOOK DEAD
TO PIONEERS FOR BURIAL
25 April
Friday
STAND TO STILL 0530, NOT
A SHOT FIRED THROUGH [[?]]
HAVE ME BEAT AS TO
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN
— HAD NO REACTION
AFTER YESTERDAYS HORROR
SCENE AND SLEPT LIKE
A DRUNK
NEWS FROM GREECE
NOT VERY HEARTENING
 

26 April 1941
Saturday
THE SAME THING ALL
QUIET ON EVERY FRONT
— THIS WAITING FOR
SOMETHING TO HAPPEN
WILL DRIVE US ALL NUTS
— HEARD OF 15 SUPPLY
SHIPS BEING SUNK NEAR
TRIPOLI & THAT THE
TOWN HAD BEEN BOMBED
AND SHELLED TO PIECES.
— ONLY HOPE TO CHRIST
ITS RIGHT.
A BRIGHT MOMENT ARRIVED
ONE LETTER FROM WIFE
27 April 1941
Sunday
ALL QUIET ON EVERY
FRONT. — BEEN HEARING
SOME VERY BAD NEWS
AND AM INCLINED TO
FEAR THE WORST, WISH
TO CHRIST IT WERE ALL
OVER.
JERRY KEEPS PEPPERING
US WITH ARTY FIRE
BUT DOESN'T SEEM TO
BE DOING MUCH DAMAGE
— HAVE WRITTEN TO
WIFE TODAY ALSO HEARD
MAIL PLANE HAD BEEN
SHOT DOWN
 

28 April 1941
Monday
HAVING A BUSY DAY
PREPARING TO MOVE.
DON'T KNOW WHY THEY
KEEP SHIFTING US EVERY
DAY — SENDS A MAN NUTS
— HAD A NICE FAREWELL
FRITZ D.Bs CAME OVER
AND DROPPED A FEW
EGGS, RESULT 2 INJURED
— 1900 HRS ALL READY
& WAITING TO MOVE,
CAN HEAR FRITZ TANKS
MOVING ON OUR FRONT
MAYBE THEY'RE COMING.
— MOVED OUT 2330 HRS
29 April 1941
Tuesday
ARRIVED DESTINATION
AT 0330 HRS AND READY
FOR SLEEP, — OUT AGAIN
0530, — NOW HAVE TO
DIG IN & ITS ALL ROCK
COUNTRY.
50 D.Bs OVER US AT
0700 HRS BUT NEARER
TOBRUK 3 MILES AWAY.
RESULT 1 SHIP SANK
THE FRITZ AIR FORCE
SEEMS TO HAVE THINGS
THEIR OWN WAY, FEAR THE
WORST, & CANNOT HOLD
MUCH CHANCE FOR OUT
RETURN HOME.