Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1942 - Part 10

6 July 1942
MONDAY
UP AT 0300, ON THE
MOVE BY 0430, ARRIVED
DESTINATION ABOUT 1030
CAN HEAR THE GUN FIRE
& SEE THE FLASHES QUITE
PLAINLY - FRONT LINE
IS ABOUT 7 MILE FROM
HERE. - 4 JERRY PLANES
FLEW OVER AT 1145 AND
[[?]] A LINE OF [[?]]
[[?]] 14 CASULTIES 2 WHERE
[[?]], 2 SERIOUS, REMAINDER
MINOR WOUNDS - JACK
THOMPSON FROM OUR COY
WAS BADLY WOUNDED
 

7 July 1942
TUESDAY
[[S]]PENT THE NIGHT DIGGING
A SECTION POST [[?]]
[[?]] SOLID ROCK. -
AND TO 0430 -0530
CONTINUED DIGGING 
DURING THE DAY, ALL THE BOYS
ARE ASLEEP ON THEIR PINS 

30 August 1942
SUNDAY

31 August 1942
MONDAY
CONTINUING OUR
FIELD WKS.
AM VERY SORE & STIFF
FROM YESTERDAYS
EFFORT AT THE
BEACH. 

MEMORANDA

1 September 1942
TUESDAY
DOING A COY EXERCISE
IN THE A.M.
THE SKY IS LIKE A
METROPOLITAN HIGHWAY.
THE DRONE OF PLANES
CAN BE HEARD ALL DAY
JERRY IS UNUSALLY
BUSY & HAS A SURPRISINGLY
LARGE NUMBER OF
AIRCRAFT AT WORK.
HAVE SEEN 6 BROUGHT
DOWN TODAY, ALL APPEAR
TO BE OF ITALIAN
DESIGN. 

2 September 1942
WEDNESDAY
TO WORK ON OUR
SECTION POSITIONS AGAIN
- FRITZ IS MAKING
AN ATTEMPT TO BREAK
THROUGH IN OUR SOUTHERN
SECTOR - LATEST
REPORTS ARE ALL OUR
WAY.
MORE AIRIAL BATTLES
TODAY BUT NOT SO
MANY AS THE LAST FEW
DAYS.

3 September 1942
THURSDAY
TO WORK AGAIN.
LATEST SIT REP ENEMY
FORCES REPULSED WITH
HEAVY LOSSES INCLUDING
TANKS.
OUR 43^RD 017" BNs WERE
ATTACKED DURING THE
NIGHT BY 200, & 80 RESPECTIVELY,
ENEMY DRIVEN
BACK WITH CASULTIES &
40 P W TAKEN.
AT 1620 SEEN A PLANE
CRASH VERY STEEPLY &
BURST INTO FLAMES THE
PILOT BAILED OUT 

4 September 1942

Friday

A LITTLE WIRING TO

DO TODAY AND DIGGING

AS WELL - 1105 SEEN

THE BEST DOG FIGHT

OF THE WAR ONE NONE

AND IT WAS ALL BRITISH,

COME EXCEPTIONALLY 

SKILFUL MANOEVERING B

BOTH PILOTS, 2 MORE

JERRIES APPROACHED &

OURS WISEL MADE OFF.

   THE ENGLISH PLANE

FLEW OFF UNDER DIFFICULTIES 

AM DOUBTFUL IF

HE WOULD MAKE HOME.

 

5 September

SATURDAY

OUT TO A GRENADE

DEMONSTRATION, IN THE

A.M. & WAS QUITE AN 

EFFECTIVE ONE & VERY

IMPRESSIVE.

TOOK THE REMAINDER

OF THE DA EAS

SEEN 2 PLANES GO DOWN

IN THE OLD SPOT DO

NOT KNWO THEIR IDENTITY-

THIS SPOT IS GETTING

A REGULAR PLANE DUMP

6 September 1942

SUNDAY

OUT AT 0345 A COY

EXERCISE (DAWN ATTACK) PROBABLY

A REHEARSAL-

4 PLANES SHOT DOWN IN

30 SECONDS, 3 JERRY, 1 BRITISH

7 IN THE SAME OLD SPOT

WILL NOW REFER TO THIS

SPOT AS CRASH HILL-

IN THE PM. A PL 

EXERCISE- RECEIVED 2

LETTERS.

2 MORE PLANES DOWN

ON CRASH HILL IN THE

EVENING.

 

7 September 1942

MONDAY 

AM TO GIVE A LECTURE

TO A.D.S PERSONEL ON

ON INFANTRY RIFLE PLs

-REMAINDER OF PL AT

BEACH.

SIT REPS ON OUR FRONT

VERY GOOD & ENCOURAGING-

SIS ENEMY DESTROYED

ON SAT NIGHT & 500

ENEMY M.T. I THINK THE

ACTION WAS BY THE N.Zs

-JERRY LOT 90 TANKS

IN HIS LATEST ATTECK

WHICH COMMENCED THE

NIGHT 30/31 AUGUST.

8 September 1942

TUESDAY

A QUIET MORNING

WITH NO AIR ACTION.

PL. EXERCISES IN

ARVO.

POSITION STILL O.K.

FOR US, NOT SIGN OF

MOVING YET.

EXPECTA MAJOR

OFFENSIVE TO START

SHORTLY.

 

9 September

WEDNESDAY

ANOTHER QUIET DAY - A

PL SPORTS COMPETITION

IN ARVO.

6 SECTION WERE EASILY

THE NEST & WON

VERY COMFORTABLY

-OUR BEER HAS BEEN

STOPPED.

ENEMY WELL TO THE

WEST AND QUIET -

AIR ACTIVITY ASLO ON

A REDUCED SCALE.

10 September 1942

THURSDAY 

THE WHOLE COY ATTENDING

A MINE LECTURE

& LAYING DEMONSTRATION

TODAY.

N.C.Os LECTURE ON

CAMOFLAUGE IN EVENING

I AM APPOINTED COY

CAMOFLAUGE N.C.O. &

AM TO ATTEND LECTURES

AND DISPLAYS ON SAME

     FRONT STILL QUIET

A.M. SIGN OF AN

OFFENIVE YET, BUT IT 

MUST BE CLOSE.

 

11 September 1942

FRIDAY

WENT TO WITNESS A

EXHIBITION OF POSITION

CONCEALMENT IN 24 BN

PARA, & WAS QUIET.

GOOD & EFFECTIVE -

12 September 1942

SATURDAY

MORE FIELD TRAINING

AND GETTING A BIT OF

RAG TIME.

ALL QUIET ON OUR

FRONT NOW.

POSSIBLY THE LULL BEFORE

THE STORM

 

13 September 1942

SUNDAY

STILL PRACTICING

ATTACKS WHICH MAY BE

CALLED REHEARSALS.

NO CHANGE IN POSN.

HERE.

AIR ACTIVITY DECREASING

ESPECIALLY THE ENEMIES.

-POSN IN RUSSIA 

BECOMING SERIOUS, STALINGRAD

IN GRAVE DANGER,

14  September 1942

MONDAY

FIELD FORMATIONS ETC

AND THE BOYS ARE 

NOT TAKING IT TOO

KINDLY.

COY HELD A 2 MILE CROSS

COUNTRY RUN, MILITARY

BOOTS & REIFLE PLUS

ANYTHING ELSE - OUR PL

FIRST BY 1/4 MINUTE 

MINE WAS BEST INDIVIDUAL

TIME 17 1/2 MINS, NEXT

BEST HAROLD CASS, BART

LINDSAY, & LANCE CHAPMAN

ALL 18 1/2 MINS

 

15 September 1942

TUESDAY

AM I STIFF, FIRST

PRIZE IS F. SLEEP IN

& NO P.I.M AM DOUBTFUL

IF I COULD HAVE 

MANAGED IT

STALINGRAD GETTING 

WORSE BUT STILL HOLDING

OUT