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
DROPPED A LINE OF 16

STICKS 14 CASULTIES 2 WHERE
FATAL, 2 SERIOUS, REMAINDER
MINOR WOUNDS. - JACK
THOMPSON FROM OUR Coy
WAS BADLY WOUNDED
7 July 1942
TUESDAY
SPENT THE NIGHT DIGGING
A SECTION POST, HAVE
STRUCK SOLID ROCK. -
AND TO 0430, -0530
CONTINUED DIGGING DURING

THE DAY, ALL THE BOYS
ARE ASLEEP ON THEIR PINS 

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

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 & 17^TH BNs WERE
ATTACKED DURING THE
NIGHT BY 200, & 80 

RESPECTIVELY, ENEMY DRIVEN
BACK WITH CASULTIES &
40 PW 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,

SOME EXCEPTIONALLY 

SKILFUL MANOUVERING BY

BOTH PILOTS, 2 MORE

JERRIES APPROACHED &

OURS WISELY MADE OFF.

THE ENGAGED PLANE

FLEW OFF UNDER

DIFFICULTIES, AM DOUBTFUL IF

HE WOULD MAKE HOME.

5 September 1942

SATURDAY

OUT TO A GRENADE

DEMONSTRATION IN THE

A.M. & WAS QUITE AN 

EFFECTIVE ONE & VERY

IMPRESSIVE.

TOOK THE REMAINDER

OF THE DAY EASY

SEEN 2 PLANES GO DOWN

IN THE OLD SPOT DO

NOT KNOW 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

& IN THE SAME OLD SPOT

WILL NOW REFER TO THIS

SPOT AS CRASH HILL. -

IN THE PM. A PL EXERCISE.
- RECIEVED 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

AN INFANTRY RIFLE PL¹/₂

- 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 LOST 90 TANKS

IN HIS LATEST ATTACK

WHICH COMMENCED THE

NIGHT 30/31 AUGUST

8 September 1942

TUESDAY

A QUIET MORNING

WITH NO AIR ACTION.

PL. EXERCISES IN

ARVO.

POSITION STILL OK

FOR US, NO SIGN OF

MOVING YET.

EXPECT A MAJOR

OFFENSIVE TO START

SHORTLY.

9 September

WEDNESDAY

ANOTHER QUIET DAY. - 
A PL SPORTS COMPETITION

IN ARVO.

6 SECTION WERE EASILY

THE BEST & WON

VERY COMFORTABLY.

- OUR BEER HAS BEEN

STOPPED.

ENEMY WELL TO THE

WEST AND QUIET. -

AIR ACTIVITY ALSO ON

A REDUCED SCALE.

10 September 1942

THURSDAY 

THE WHOLE COY ATTENDING

A MINE LECTURE,

& LAYING DEMONSTRATION

TODAY.

N.C.Os LECTURE ON

CAMOFLOUGE IN EVENING

I AM APPOINTED Coy

CAMOFLOUGE N.C.O. &

AM TO ATTEND LECTURES

AND DISPLAYS ON SAME

FRONT. STILL QUIET

& NO SIGN OF AN

OFFENSIVE YET, BUT IT 

MUST BE CLOSE.

11 September 1942

FRIDAY

WENT TO WITNESS AN

EXHIBITION OF POSITION

CONCEALMENT IN 24 BN

AREA, & WAS QUIET

GOOD & EFFECTIVE -

12 September 1942

SATURDAY

MORE FIELD TRAINING

AND GETTING A BIT

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 & RIFLE PLUS ANYTHING 
ELSE. - OUR PL

FIRST BY ¼ MINUTE 

MINE WAS BEST INDIVIDUAL

TIME 17½ MINS, NEXT

BEST HAROLD CASS, BART

LINDSAY, & LANCE CHAPMAN

ALL 18½ MINS

15 September 1942

TUESDAY

AM I STIFF, FIRST

PRIZE IS P. SLEEP IN

& NO P.T. , AM DOUBTFUL

IF I COULD HAVE 

MANAGED IT

STALINGRAD GETTING 

WORSE BUT STILL HOLDING

OUT