Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1942 - Part 11

16 September 1942
HAVE BEEN APPOINTED 
UMPIRE ON BRIGADE
EXERCISES, BEING ONE
OF 6 CHOSEN BY THE C.O.
EXERCISES COMMENCE 
TOMORROW NIGHT & ARE
NIGHT ATTACKS FOLLOWED
BY A DAWN EXPLOITATION
1 INF BN & ALL SUPPORTING 
ARMS PLUS 1 REC
OF TANKS VALENTINGS. -
2ND AUS DIV CAV TO ACT
AS ENEMY

17 September 1942
HAVE BEEN SENT TO 
2/23DN C.COY 13 F2
THE MARCH ADVANCE
TOTAL APPROX 16 MILES
7 THE SHOW WAS NOT 
VERY IMPRESSIVE, - 
ORDER OF ADVANCE 
DIAGRAM - SEE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT
C & b TO EXPLOIT 3000 AT 

18 September 1942
FRIDAY
BOUT CONCLUDED 0900
[[?]] ONLY SO SO HOWEVER
HAVE LEARNT A
NUMBER OF INTERESTING
& HELPFUL POINTS.
HAD A BEER WAITING
ON MY ARRIVAL AT 
OWN PL. BACKED UP
WITH A JOHNNY WALKER
AND SLEPT LIKE A 
DRUNK

 

19 September 1942
SATURDAY

REPORTING TO 2/2 BN
A COY 8 PZ & WILL BE
DOING SAME EXERCISE
HAVE NOT QUITE SO
FAR TO TRAVEL.
14TH C.O. USED DIFFERENT
TACTICS & OBTAINED A
MORE SUCCESSFUL RESULT
 DIAGRAM - SEE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT

20 September 1942
SUNDAY
FINISHED EARLIER THIS
TIME, ARRIVED HOME

0815, AGAIN, A BOTTLE
OF LAGER NO [[SKENCH]]
REMAINDER OF PL AT
BEACH FOR 2 DAYS.
ALL QUIET ON OUR
LOCAL FRONTS
RUSSIANS STILL HOLDING
OUT UNDER HEAVY PRESSURE.
BRITISH TPs STILL FIGHTING
IN MADAGASCAR

21 September 1942
MONDAY
HAVING AN EASY TIME
UNTIL THIS EVENING
WHEN OUR BN WILL BE
DOING THE SAME STUNT.
- BN MOVED AT 1930Hs
TO ASSEMBLY AREA.
DONE A FAIRLY GOOD
JOB, BUT HARDLY AS
GOOD AS 24^TH BNs.
LOCAL FRONT STILL QUIET
& IN ORDER

 

22 September 1942

TUESDAY

HEAR WE ARE MOVING

SOME PLACE OUT DO

NOT KNOW WHERE,

1600 HRS INFORMED I

AM TAKING ADVANCE

PARTY TO OCCUPY A

FRONT LINE POSITIOM

WEST OF TEL ELEISA.

MOVED AS SAID, ARRIVING

DESTINATION 2215.

EMJOYED A BOTTLE OF

JOHNNY WALKER THEN

OFF TO BED.

 

23 September 1942

WEDNESDAY

SLEPT WELL & AWAKENED

AT 0600, HAD A LOOK

SEE AND ARE WITHIN

75 YDS OF OUR FORMER

POSITION.

WE ARE RELIEVING 2/15^th

BN THEY HAVE BEEN

HERE 5 DAYS. 

IT APPARENTLY IS A LOT

QUIETER THAN OUR LAST

SATY HERE.

COY ARRIVED AT 2245

& FRITZ WOKE TO IT

GIVING US AN UNEASY 

TIME BUT NO CASUALTIES

24 September 1942

THURSDAY

COY ALL FAMILIAR WITH

SURROUNDINGS, AND

HAVE DECIDED TO MOVE

IN DAYLIGHT WITH TONS

OF DESCRETION & NOT

MAKE TARGETS.

NEW FROM RUSSIA A

SHADE BETTER, ALTHOUGH

PSOTION IS STILL [[?]]

OUR FRONT IS ALSERENE

THE DAY AND NIGHT WAS

FREE FROM ALL ENEMY'S

DISTURBANCES - Mr McXin 

TAKING OUT A FIGHTING

PATROL

 

25 September 1942

FRIDAY

ALL IN ORDER, PATROL

RETURNED O300, NOTHING

TO REPORT & DID NOT

EVEN SEE JERRY.

RELEIVED SOME LIGHT

BATTERIES OF ARTY DURING

DAY, ONE CASULTY

IN B. COY.

    BRITISH MARCH INTO

CAPITAL OF MADAGASCAR.

JAPS PREPAING FOR

MAJOR RUSH ON PT MORESBY

RUSSIANS STILL HOLDING

OUT.

26 September 1942

SATURDAY

PATROL RETURNED AT 0325

& ALL OK; NO ENCOUNTER

WITH ENEMY, BUT APPROACHED

TO WITHIN 150 YDS

OF A VERY LARGE WORKING 

PARTY, BUT WERE TOO MANY

-RECEIVED A REC, ONE

HOPE 5^th CAMERON HIGHLANDERS

HAS BEEN IN AFRICA 8

WKS & NO EXPERIENCE.

    FRITZ SENT OVER SOME

HEAVY MUCK AT 1900 HRS,

NO CASULTIES - REMAINDER

OF DAY QUIET.

 

27 September 1942

SUNDAY

AT STAND TO A HEAVY

MIST MADE VISIBILITY BAD

NOT LIFTING UNTIL 0800

   THE REMINDER OF

THE DAY QUIET WITH

A FEW SHELL TOWARDS

EVENING

28 September 1942

MONDAY

NO CHANGE IN OUR

AREA ARTILLERY DUALS

CONTINUE & WE COLLECT

A GOOD DEAL OF JERRIES

25 PDRS FORMERLY

BRITISH, AND ARE ALL

NOW CONVINCED THEY

ARE BY FAR THE WORST

OF ALL.

RUSSIANS STILL HOLDING

OUR AT STALINGRAD -

MADAGASCAR QUIET AGAIN 

-JAPS BEING WORRIED

IN NEW GUINEA

 

29 September 1942

TUESDAY

NO DIFF THE LAST

24 HRS, SENT OUT PATROLS

DURING NIGHT,

ONE OF WHICH FROM

DON COY CAPTURED 1 PW 

(GERMAN) WE HAVE A OFFR

2 ORs MISSING

STILL RECIEVING OUR

SHARE OF SHELLS, BUT

NO DAMAGE DONE.

HAD THE C.C. WIRELESS

AT OUR PL HQ

THIS ARVO, AND SOME

REAL GOOD NUMBERS

WERE WELL RECIEVED

30 September 1942

WEDNESDAY

HAD A LITTLE

EXCITEMENT THIS MORNING, 3

OF OUR CARRIERS RETURNING

FROM PATROL

WE CAUSED A STAND TO

AND IT WAS WORTH

WATCHING, EVERY MAN

ON HIS JOB IN ABOUT
30 SECS, & 2.7K GUNS INCLUDED,

& I FANCY OUR

CARRIERS WERE MIGHTY

LUCKY.

GOING ON A FIGHTING

PATROL THIS EVENING

FIRST THIS TIME IN

LEFT 1830 HRS WITH 5 [[?]]

Mr McKINNON TO CONTACT

US AT 2115 WITH A SIMILAR

NUMBER - REPORTED

A JERRY PATROL WAS 

OUT ALSO.

DID NOT CONTACT MacK

SO WENT FOR A WALK

ABOUT, GOT TO WITHIN

200 YDS OF ENEMIES

F.D.Ls BUT ENCOUNTERED

NO ONE, RETURNED

TO PL 24 & MET MacK 

& CO AT 0250, RETURNED

TO POST AT 0330

AND FOUND 2 LETTERS 

FROM BERYL AWAITING

ME THE FIRST FOR

SOME WEEKS.

TURNED IN AT 0600

AND ASLEEP QUICK &

LOVELY

 

1 October 1942

THURSDAY

AWOKE AT 1430 HRS &

FOUND QUITE A HEAP

OF WORK CONFRONTING

ME, CANTEEN GOODS

REPORTS, ETC.

A FEW MORE FROM

JERRY BUT STILL A

FEW YARDS AWAY.

-NEW GUINEA POSN

IMPROVING - STALINGRAD

STILL OK, AND WE ARE SITTING

PRETTY.

2 October 1942

FRIDAY

ALL QUIET AT STAND

TO. A FEW ENEMY

PLANES OVERHEAD DURING

MORNING, A JERRU

GOT A LITTLE CLOSER

WITH SOME 75MM

STUFF.

PM ONLY LIGHT SHELLING

REMAINDER OF

DAY UNEVENTFUL

 

3 October 1942

SATURDAY

AT STAND TO WE SEEN

THE FIRST SIGNS OF

THE COMING WET WEATHER,

BUT FORTUNATELY

IT MISSUED US BEING 

WELL TO THE NORTH.

     DARK SKIES AGAIN AT 

1400 & LIGHT RAIN FELL.

POSN IN GOOD CONDITION.

TAKING A PATROL OUT

AT 1430 TILL 0300.

A IRISH, PTES BERTRAM EDWARDS,

PEARCE, BALL &

STANLEY. 4 TSMC, 1 BR5N

& 2 RIFLES, 6 3m [[?]]