Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 8

30 April 1941

Wednesday

STAND TO 0530, AND AWA

EN TO FIND 3 HUN PLANE

OVER US, - WHACKO THE 

AK AK HAVE HIT ONE &

DOWN SHE COMES 5 MILE

AWAY, BANGO & SHE'S UP

IN FLAMES YOU BL. BEAUTY

-WENT TO BEACH FOR A

SWIM & WAS EXTRA GOOD

-THE D. Bs OVER AGAIN

SEEN ONE BROUGHT DOWN

A GLORIOUS SPECTACLE

TODAYS TOTAL FOUR DOWN

-JERRY ARTY OPENED ON

US AT 1930 TURNED IT

UP AT 2300 - NO DAMAGE 

Memoranda

HAS BEEN A MONTH OF

DISSAPOINTMENT, FROM A

MARVELOUS TIME AT DERNA

TO SOMETHING ROTTEN AND

FEARFUL, NEVER KNOWING 

WHEN ONE WILL COME

OVER WITH YOUR S.X

ON IT

NEWS FROM HOME BEING 

VERY FAR APART, AND

NOT KNOWING HOW THIS 

AFFAIR IS PROGRESSING

ON THE OTHER SIDE

-STILL DON'T FANCY

OUR CHANCES OVER MUCH

Memoranda

FRITZ SEEMS TO HAVE

THE SAY IN THE AIR

COMES OVER IN 50^S

AND IS NOT TACKLED BY

OUR PLANES AT ALL-

PERHAPS WE HAVE NONE

BUT ONE MUST CARRY

ON AND HOPE FOR A GOOD

RESULT.

ALL THE BOYS SEEM CON

TENTED AND CALM AND

HAVE NO DOUBT ABOUT

THE ATTITUDE THEY ALL

WILL ADOPT WHEN THE 

HUN INFANTRY BOBS UP 

1 May 1941

Thursday

HAVE BEEN SHELLED ALL

NIGHT, BUT STILL SLEPT

WELL - OUR ARTY LAYING 

15 ON STRONG & HEAVY NOW

-THE D. Bs AGAIN ABOUT 30

SEEM TO HAVE SCORED ONE

HIT - 30 HUN TANKS HAVE 

BROKEN THROUGH- LET EM COME

1800 HRS & WE ARE GOING

TO ATTACK, OUR PLN ON 

EXTREME LEFT FLANK,

WENT TO FAR LEFT &

WALKED IN WITH HUN [[?]]

A REAL DEATH TRAP &

PLENTY OF CASULITIES WITH 

DREW ONE MILE AT 2400

2 May 1941

Friday

OUT EARLY AFTER A TER

RIBLE EXPERIENC - DIGG-

ING IN ABOUT 1½ MILES

FROM FRONT LINE -2/10''

ONGOING FORWARD TROW2 -

P2/25 G 2/24 CUT A [[BOUT?]]

1. MORE THAN US  WELL I

O NEVER FORGET THE BLOODY

R BLUE OF MAY THE FIRST

OF MY COBBER (HIM) BILL GATES

SHOT IN HEAD WITH MG.

FIRE, DIED IN A FEW [[MIN?]]

TI SAYINGS GOOD BYE TO HIS

WINS [[EPANABLE?]] PAL (WAINA)

H- WHO IS IN A PRETTY

BAD WAY ABOUT IT.

3 May 1941

Saturday

GETTING OVER THE BLOODY

BLUE A BIT NOW- HAVE

JUST LEARNT ONE OF THE 

ORIGINAL TEAM JOCK [[HOOH?]]

WOUNDED WHEN TRUCK HIT

BY SHELL, LUCKILY NOT SERIOUS

-FRITZ STILL SHELLING-,

8 CASUALITIES IN 9 PLT

IN TRENCHES.

THE RAY OF SUNSHINE

AGAIN LETTER FROM WIFE

HAVE ANSWERED IT IMMED

IATELY.

4 May 1941

Sunday

HAD A NIGHT OF ALERT

NESS 9 AM BADLY IN 

NEED OF SLEEP - THE 18^TH

BRIGADE HAD A GO AT 

OUR BTN OBJECTIVE OF MAY

AND COULD DO NO BETTER

-SEEN THE TEAM FROM

THE 2/10 MAX PADDICK WENT

YESTERDAY.

MOVING FORWARD AGAIN

TO FRONT LINE, ARRIVED 

AT POSITION 0100- 2/10^TH

MOVED OUT, OCCUPIED POST

FOR DAY & HALF [[?]] 48^TH

RELIEVES THEM

5 May 1941

Monday

TOOK SOME WAKING THIS

MORNING, HAD A LOOK SEE

AT NEW POSITION & ITS

NOT THE BEST. --JERRY

VERY CLOSE NOW- TWO

OF OUR BOYS [[GULLY?]] & [[MITCHELL?]]

DIED FROM INJURIES RE-

CIEVED ON 1^ST MAY

HAD A FEW SHELLS

SENT US AFTER TEA

NOTHING SERIOUS 200YDS

AWAY, MAYBE SOMETHING

WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT-

-THATS HOW IT GOES, AL-

WAYS WAITING FOR SOME

THING- DRIVES US NUTS

6 May 1941

Tuesday

STAND TO IS OVER, & ALL

QUIET ON FRONT, FUNNY

THING BUT ITS A [[?ES]]

TERN FRONT AT THAT

-OUR BOYS DROVE OUT 

A MACHINE GUN CREW

SOME 800YDS AWAY

ALL TOO DAMMED QUIET

-REMEMBER BACK SOME

SCORE OR MORE PAGES

HOW BAD I WANTED TO 

GO SOME PLACE, - WELL I

HAVE, TO A BLUDDY ROTTEN 

PLACE IT IS TOO- HAD 

NOTHING BUT WIND & DUST

ALL DAY, EVEN FOR 3 MEAL

7 May 1941

Wednesday

NO CHANGE YET, ONLY

WAITING FOR SOMETHING

TO HAPPEN & WONDERING

IF I'LL STILL BE ABLE 

TO ENTER IN THIS DIARY

-HAVE LOCATED AT

LEAST 10 HUN M. GUN

NESTS ON OUR FRONT.

1500 TO 2,000 YARDS OUT
^__ GOING TO MOVE FUR

THER TO OUR RIGHT &

WILL BE RESERVE PLTN

^__ FRITZ PLANES CAME
OVER & BOMBED TOBY

FIRST TIME FOR 3 OR 4    

DAYS

8 May 1941

Thursday

FINISHED DIGGING IN OUR

NEW POSITION, MAY BE WE

WILL STAY HERE A WHILE

LONGER. - IRREGULAR ARTY

& M.G FIRE THROUGHOUT THE

NIGHT BY BOTH SIDES

- HAVE BEEN IN FRONT

LINE 4 WEEKS NOW &

STILL GOING STRONG - IT

MUST BE GETTING NEAR

ZERO TIME AGAIN NOW

9 May 1941

Friday

SAME THING AND NOT WAR-

[[IEU?]] OVER MUCH LATELY 

BY JERRI. -- THE

SAND AND DUST MAKE

[[?]] FOR FRITZ WHEN HE

IS QUITE.

BEEN HEARING FAV-

OURABLE NEWS FROM

SOLLUM, HOPE ITS GENU-

INE - MAYBE WE CAN

PUSH FRITZ RIGHT OUT

NOW

LOST ALL POSSESSIONS

WHEN PLTN TRUCK WAS

BURNT

10 May 1941

Saturday

MORE SAND, HELPS THICK-

EN THE TEA A LITTLE

-- HAVE BEEN ERECTING

CONCERTINA BARB ON

OUR FRONT & ARE TO 

STAY HERE UNTIL FRITZ

PUSHES US OUT, OR WE

DO IT TO HIM, WOULD

SOONER US MAKE THE 

ATTACK.

TODAY HAS BEEN HOTEST

SINCE GETTING OFF SHIP

- SNIPERS CONTINUE

TO TAKE SHOTS AT US

NO SCORE YET

11 May 1941

Sunday

A QUIET NIGHT AND

HAVE JUST FINISHED A

GOOD BREAKFAST AND

WILL NOW TAKE THE 

OPPORTUNITY TO WRITE

A LETTER.

FRITZ STILL SENDING

OVER SOME ARTY MUCK

BUT DOSN'T SEEM TO

BE DOING ANY DAMAGE

- WONDER HOW LONG

THIS BLUDDY THING

WILL LAST

12 May 1941

Monday

SAME THING, SAME HEAT

SAME DUST, SAME SHELL

FIRE, SAME BLUDDY WAR

AMD IM JACK OF IT ALL

- BUT HOLD IT FOLKS

4 LETTERS 3 OF THEM

FROM WIFE, - - -  GUESS

ITS NOT A BAD WAR 

AFTER ALL

MANAGED TO GET HOLD

OF SOME MORE CLOTH-

ING.

THE D.BS OVER TOBY

47 OF THEM 3 SHOT DOWN

H.M.S LADY BIRD SUNK BY BOMBS

13 May 1941

Tuesday

HAD THE D.BS OVER

TOBY ALL NIGHT DO

NOT KNOW RESULT YET.

- MAJOR OF TANK Coy

FOUND TO BE 5^TH [[?]]

AND CAN QUITE UNDER-

STAND IT NOW, SEVERAL

TIME NE HAVE BEEN

LET TO IT BY OUR [[T?]]

-- AND HOWS THIS

WE ARE GOING OUT FOR

REST SOME PLACE - 

MOVED AT 2230 AND 

HE IS PRETTY ROUGH

GOING

14 May 1941

Wednesday

IN THE REST HOME

WHICH IS STONE DUG

OUTS ON THE SLOPE OF 

A HILL ABOUT 2 MILES

FROM TORBRUK AND

HERE WE HAVE DUST

AT ITS HEIGHTH, BUT

ARE WELL ACQUANTED

WITH IT NOW.

WENT TO BEACH FOR

SWIM, A LITTLE COLD

BUT STILL EXTRA

GOOD.

15 May 1941

Thursday

HAVING A VERY EASY

TIME, HAVE NOT BEEN

SHELLED FOR TWO DAYS

AND COULDN'T PUT UP

WITH THIS JOINT, DUST

OR NO DUST.

HAD FIRST NIGHT OF

FULL SLEEPING FOR

10 WEEKS AND WAS IT

A BIT OF ALRIGHT

I'LL TELL THE WORLD

-PLAYED MILDE CARDS

ALL AFTERNOON, JUST

LIKE GOOD OLD DAYS

IN BERRI

16 May 1941

Friday

STILL RESTING.

- LEFT AT 0930 FOR

BEACH, HAD A GLORI-

OUS DAY SWIMMING

AND LAYING ON THE

SAND, WAS HARD TO

IMAGINE THIS BLUDDY

GOD DAMMED WARE

WAS STILL ON - 

LEFT AT 1530 AND

BACK TO THE "DUST

REST HOME"

STILL NO NEW OF 

WAR'S PROGRESS - ! -

MAYBE WE'RE DOING

ALRIGHT (DOUBTFUL)

17 May 1941

Saturday

ANOTHER DAY OF 

COMPLETE REST - GOING

FOR ANOTHER SWIM

PRIOR TO MOVING TO

FRONT LINE AGAIN.

RE TURNED FROM BEACH

AT 1700 HRS AND PRE-

PARING TO MOVE.

- ARRIVED NEW POSITION

2330 HRS APPROX 12 MILES

EAST OF TOBY NEAR

BARDIA ROAD.

OUR COMPANY IN RESERVE