Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1940-1941 - Part 10

6 June 1941 

Friday
ALL QUIET EXCEPT FOR

AIR RAIDS ON TOBY

A LARGE FIRE STARTED

LAST NIGHT DO NOT

KNOW WHAT IT WAS 
 

7 June 1941

Saturday

AS PER USUAL AND

WONDER IF ANYTHING

WILL HAPPEN AT ALL

- SEEN SOME OF OUR

PLANES TODAY THE FIRST

FOR 8 WEEKS.
[[?]]
S.B. 150 KILLED
 

8 June 1941 

Sunday

STILL WAITING FOR
IT TO HAPPEN.
BRITISH FORCES ENTER
SYRIA 120 MILES WITHOUT
INTERFERENCE. [[?]]

RESULT OF NAZI D. 30

OVER TOBY
PERIOD 9^TH APRIL - 31^ST MAY
PLANES ENGAGED 631
PLANES SHOT DOWN 49

PLANES SEVERELY
DAMAGED BUT NOT
SEEN TO FALL 42 
 

9 June 1941 

Monday
STILL LAZING ABOUT,
IS A GREAT LIFE, PLENTY
TO EAT AND NOTHING
TO DO
ENEMY SIGHTED 2500 YDS
IN FRONT OF [[?]]
TAKING OUT PATROL TONIGHT.
MIGHT DUMP SOMETHING.
BEEN HEARING GOOD NEWS

REGARDS OUR MOVEMENTS
HERE AND IN EGYPT.
 

10 June 1941 

Tuesday
RETURNED FROM NIGHT

PATROL 0530 WASN'T A 
BAD NIGHT AND DIDN'T
SEE SIGHT OF FRITZ.
A GOOD BREAKFAST
AND WILL NOW TURN
IN TO BLANKET "STREET"
PERHAPS THE FLIES WILL
GIVE ME A BREAK AND
LET ME GET SOME SHUT
EYE. 
 

11 June 1941 

Wednesday

SAME THING AGAIN, NOTHING

TO DO AND A LONG
DAY TO DO IT IN
HAVE BEEN EXPECTING
SOME MAIL AND IT
SHOULD BE DUE SOON

- -  LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER
FAIRLY HOT TIME AHEAD
HAS BEEN UP AROUND

THE 100 TODAY.
 

12 June 1941

Thursday

JUST ANOTHER DAY OF

NOTHING TO DO-

OUR BATTALION MOVING

BACK A FEW MILES, BUT

OUR COMPANY STAYING HERE

STARTING TO GET SICK

OF THIS JOINT NOW-

AM TO TAKE OUT A PATROL

FROM BATTALION JUST

MOVES IN (24^TH) AND IT 

LOOKS LIKE AN EXTRA

COLD NIGHT

BRITISH TROOPS ADVANCING

IN SYRIA. 
 

13 June 1941

Friday

RETURNED AT 0530 HRS

COLD AS A [[?]]

ALL THE BOYS WERE

NEW CHUMS AND WAS 

QUEER TO WATCH THEM

BUT ALL DONE A GOOD 

TURNED IN AT 0830

AWAKENED 1230 BY IKE

HUSKINSEN ARE [[DICK?]] [[PAX?]]

HAD A GOOD POW WOW

[[?]] [[?]] [[?]] CHINA

[[?]] JOCK IS DOING

ALRIGHT

[[?]]UTCHLAND REPORTED

{{?]]

14 June 1941

Saturday

STILL PRETTY HOT AND 
NO CHANGE IN SIGHT

BRITISH STILL ADVANCING 
IN SYRIA. -NO NEWS

OF FIGHTING HERE OR

AT SOLLUM. HAVE SEEN

SEVERAL OF OUR PLANES

ABOUT HERE THIS LAST 

FEW DAYS.

IS NOW 1800HRS AND TOLD

TO PREPARE FOR MOVE

IN MORNING, -- LOOKS

LIKE WE'LL BE HAVING

A GO AT FRITZ AGAIN
 

15 June 1941

Sunday

EVERYTHING READY AND

IN ORDER BY 0830 HRS

NOW WAITING TO MOVE

AND HAVN'T MUCH IDEA

JUST WHAT IS ON.

1900 HRS HAVE JUST BEEN
TOLD OUR OBJECTIVE.

INFINFANTRY AND 1 MACHINE

[[?]] BATTALION TO BE TAKEN

BY US - NO WITHDRAWAL

NOW STANDING TO.

16 June 1941

Monday

WELL SHE DIDNT 

COME OFF LAST NIGHT

MAYBE TONIGHT

VERY QUIET ALL DAY

EXCEPT FOR SOME SHELL

FIRE LANDED WELL OUT

ABOUT 500 YDS FROM US

- CONTINUE TO SEE

MORE OF OUR AIR

FORCE ABOUT WHICH IS

VERY HEARTENING

GOOD NEWS FROM

SYRIA, BRITISH TROOPS

DOING WELL OVER

THAT WAY
 

17 June 1941

Tuesday

ANOTHER NIGHT OF

REST AND HAVE HEARD

THAT ONE ENEMY BATTALION 
HAS PULLED OUT

- WONDER WHEN IT 
WILL HAPPEN.

HAVE BEEN CROOK IN

THE STOMACH ALL DAY

ALSO A TOUCH OF  DISENTRY.

1200 HRS - FEELING OK

NOW AND WILL BE ON

THE MOVE OUT TONIGHT

SO HERES HOPING FOR

AN OUNCE OF LUCK SIS

18 June 1941

Wednesday

BACK TO THE SAME 

OLD THING AGAIN-

AND THE MOVE WE 

WERE EAGERLY WAITING 

FOR IS PUT OFF ---

THE ATTACK WE MADE AT

SOLLUM WAS DECLARED

TO BE SUCCESSFUL, AT

THE SAME TIME OUR

TROOPS WERE PUSHED

BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL 
POSITIONS, MAYBE

OUR TRUMPS NO WHAT 

THEY ARE DOING
 

19 June 1941

Thursday

NO FURTHER NEWS

OF THE AFORE MENTIONED

ATTACK, SO GUESS WE 

GO BACK INTO SECLUSION

FOR A TIME.

OUR TROOPS DOING

GOOD WORK IN SYRIA

[[?]] ARE INTO THE

[[?]] NOW.

HAVE FAILED TO SEE

ENEMY PLANES OVER

TOBRUK THIS PAST

FEW DAYS, ONLY THEIR

[[?]] PLANE COMES OUT

THESE DAYS

20 JUNE 1941

FRIDAY

ALL QUIET ON OUR

SECTOR NOW, ITS

NOT REALLY A BAD

WAR AFTER ALL, ALTHOUGH 
WE DO SEEM MAROONED

AND ISOLATED.

A LONG TIME SINCE

WE HAD ANY MAIL

AND COULD DO WITH

A LETTER OR TWO.

 

21 June 1941

Saturday

WOW! WHAT A NIGHT

HAD A FRITZ ARTY

BARRAGE FROM 2 OCLOCK

THE NEAREST LANDING

ABOUT 40 YDS AWAY

AND PLENTY LOUD ENOUGH

TO KEEP US AWAKE

AND WONDER WHAT

IS GOING ON- EXPECTED

AN ATTACK AT FIRST

LIGHT, BUT WAS DISAPPOINTED 
FRITZ WASN'T 

HAVING ANY.

22 June 1941

Sunday

THE LULL IN MY LIFE

IS HERE AGAIN, THINGS

ARE BACK TO THE OLD

QUIET STAGE.---

WHACK WHATS THIS,-

YES- SOME LETTERS

3 FROM WIFE ONE

FROM HOME AND ONE 
FROM BLUE JONES.

IT HAS BEEN ANNOUCED 
RUSSIA & 

GERMANY ARE AT WAR

WILL GIVE FRITZ SOME

TAFFY NOW
 

23 June 1941

Monday

ALL QUIET ON ALL OUR

FRONTS. RUSSIA BEEN

DOING SOME FINE WORK

HAS CAPTURED 500 HUNS

300 TANKS P BROUGHT

DOWN 73 PLANES+ 60

PLANES ALSO BROUGHT

DOWN BY R.A.F-

AUSSIES STILL ADVANCING

IN SYRIA.- -

LOOKS LIKE SHE'LL BE

OVER BY XMAS. HOPE

TO CHRIST IT IS

24 June 1941

Tuesday

WHAT A DAY- MY WEDDING 
ANNIVERSARY, TWO

YEARS TODAY AND 

STILL THINK ITS GRAND

NO ACTIVITY REPORTED

HERE -USSR STILL

DOING GOOD WORK -

BRITAIN STILL BOMBING

GERMANY & NOT 

STRIKING MUCH OPPOSITION

-A GERMAN PLANE

DROPPPED LEAFLETS, ASKING
US TO SURRENDER

DONT THINK WE HAVE 

THE TIME.

 

25 June 1941

Wednesday

HAVE THOUGHT THE IDEA

OF SURRENDERING OVER

CAN'T DO IT TODAY. -

PRESERVED FRUIT ON

RATIONS FOR TEA.

- -FORGOT TO MENTION 
OUR GYMNASIUM

HAVE HAD IT IN OPERATION 
FOUR DAYS NOW

BOXING ; SKIPPING ETC

AND AM STARTING TO

FEEL EXTRA WELL, MOST

OF THE BOYS ARE ANXIOUS

TO LEARN BOXING, HAVE

BEEN DOING SOME

SCHOOLING