Diaries of Thomas Currie Derrick, 1942-1945 - Part 5

EMERGED APPARENTLY WITH INTENTIONS
OF FLEEING, MYSELF WITH
RIFLE, PTE PETER MARTIN BREN 
GUN, CPL FENNEL & PTE M^cGILL OWEN
GUNS AND { L/CPL WALL PTE HOCKEY PTE DOMALLHANS} RIFLE OPENED
FIRE ON THEM KILLING 4
WOUNDING 1 WHO MADE OFF SCREAMING.
A FURTHER ENGAGEMENT
WHERE BOTH SIDES EXCHANGED
FIRE AGAIN SEEN US ON TOP.-
MEANWHILE SGT ASHBY WITH PATROL
MOVED AROUND EASTERN SIDE
OF VILLAGE TO KILL 3 MOR JAPS.-
ON LIKELIHOOD OF ENCIRCLEMENT
BOTH PATROLS WITHDREW 
AND SAFELY REACHED BN AT 1700.
OUR COY HAD SHIFTED POSN &
IT WAS RAINING HEAVILY THE TASK
OF SETTLING IN WAS QUITE A
PROBLEM AND WELL INTO THE
NIGHT & MUD WHEN COMPLETED
FRID NOV 12
ALL QUIET ON THE SATALDERC
FRONT. - OUR ARTY CONTINUED
TO HAND IT OUT. RECEIVED PRELIMINARY
INFORMATION ON COMING ATTACK
WHICH I FANCY TO BE MADE
SUNDAY MORNING.
RATIONS GOOD & PLENTIFUL, ALL
TROOPS IN THE PINK & CONFIDENT.
SAT NOV 13^TH
THE HIGH LIGHT OF

WEEK, MELBOURNE CUP DAY. I
HAVE INVESTED £1 ON PRECEPT
5/- EACH WAY HEARTS DESIRE. &
DRAWN CLAUDETTE IN A SWEEP.
THE CUP HAS STOLEN THE THUNDER
FROM THE COMING ATTACK AND
WE ALL FEEL SORRY FOR THE
POOR COWS AT HOME THAT CANT
GET OFF FROM WORK TO SEE THE
CUP, - IT IS A CRUEL WORLD.

SUN NOV 14^TH
SAME PLACE - 9 PL
OUT ON PATROL, RETURNED 1730 AM
DID NOT REACHED OBJECTIVE
ENEMY ENGAGED AT S.S. VILLAGE
ONE KILLED NO INJURIES IN 9 PL.
ORDER TO MOVE CANCELLED ONE
HOUR AFTER IT WAS GIVEN.
RAIN AGAIN AND THE WHOLE AREA
AND TRACK A QUAGMIRE.
MON 15 NOV
NO CHANGE. - HAVE
BEEN NOTIFIED THE INITIAL ATTACK
COMMENCES IN THE MORNING.
RELIEVED ANOTHER ORDER TO MOVE
IT IS REPEATED DONUT RIDGE

INCLUDED.

TUES NOV 16TH

UP BRIGHT & EARLY

START TIME IS 0830 HRS [[?]]

ORDER OF ADVANCE 8 & 9 FIRST

ENEMY POSNS 300* AWAY.

EVERYTHING GOING TO  PLAN &

Coy WERE 1ST F.O.P. IN NICE

TIME - BY THE TIME THE ARTY

OPENED ALL WAS OKAY & EVERYONE

CONFIDENT & EAGER.

7 PL ENCOUNTERED ENEMY ON TOP

OF GREEN RIDGE APPROX 50 STRONG

THEY MOVED TO RIGHT FLANK.

MYSELF WITH 4 SEC WENT TO

LEFT FLANK, ADVANCE VERY SLOW

& DIFFICULT. TWO SECTIONS OF

7 PL MADE FINAL CHARGE KILLING

15 AND DRIVING REMAINDER

FROM RIDGE. PTES [[?]] BRECHEN

& MAX TREN[[?]] WERE KILLED

BY MACHINE GUN FIRE ON TOP OF

ENEMY DUG OUTS. [[8]] PL THEN

TOOK OVER VANGUARD AND PUSHED

 

ON SLOWLY WITHOUT MEETING 

FURTHER OPPOSITION. REACHED 

OBJECTIVE AT 1445 HRS AND FOUND

IT RECENTLY VACATED. - COY

FORMED FIRM [[?B]]. DON COY WHO

WERE OUR RESERVE SUPPORT SENT

OUT A PATROL AND LOCATED JAPS

80 YDS UP TRACK OCCUPYING BN

M.G. POSN. POSN WE OCCUPIED

FOR NIGHT AND NO FURTHER TROUBLE.

WED NOV 17TH

C. Coy AND DON B Coy

MOVED UP AT DAWN. SUPPORTED

BY ONE TROOP OF TANKS, THEY

ADVANCED 100 YDS AND WERE

FIRED ON BY M.Gs, THESE

WERE SOON PUT OUT OF ACTION

PTE XACKEA C Coy WAS KILLED 6

OTHERS WOUNDED. - AT THIS [[?SPARE]]

& MORTAR FOUND DON Coy WOUNDING

FIVE. ENEMY OPPOSITION ON

COLONIST RIDGE VERY STIFF. THE 

FORWARD TANK HAVING A TRACK

SMASHED BY A MORTAR, BLOCKING

THE [[? ? ?]] TRACK

B COY WERE PUSHED IN AND A

GLORIOUSDISPLAY OF ATTACK

DISLODGED ENEMY [[?]] IN

POSN. - [[? ?]]

PTE DIXEN WERE KILLED AND APPROX

20 WOUNDED [[?]] [[?]] ROBINS

SGTS BAS[[?]] [[?]], [[?]] SMITH

GEOFF [[? ? ?]], SQUEAK

[[?]] - JACK REWEN

DON COY MOVED UP TO JOIN

THE 2 F [[?]] [[?]] CONTINUED

ADVANCE ALONG COLONIST RIDGE.

2 LARGE [[?]] BUNKER POSNS

WERE HOLDING UP THE SHOW, &

AT NIGHT FALL THE TANK HAD NOT

BEEN REPAIRED, IT BEING

 

UNDER FIRE FROM ENEMY M.Gs. -

THE 2/25 BN FURTHER NORTH HAD

TAKEN THEIR OBJECTIVE WITHOUT

MUCH TROUBLE. THE 2/23 BN ONE

Coy ADVANCING UP FROM SISI VILLAGE

STRUCK ENEMY EARLY, BUT GOT

WITHIN 250* OF STEEPLE TREE AND

WERE HELD UP BY A STRONG FORCE.

THURS NOV 18TH

TANKS NOW OPERATING

AGAIN & RIDGE OCCUPIED

AFTER A BRIEF BUT HARD FIGHT.

A Coy MOVING UP TO TAKE

OVER ADVANCE WITH TANKS. -

ORDER OF ADVANCE 9PL 7PL 8PL,

HAD ONLY GONE 150* ALONG ROAD

WHEN 2 M.Gs OPENED ON THE

FWD TANK AND 9PL WERE PINNED

DOWN. - 9 DETOUR BY No2 TANK

FOUND HIM IN BETWEEN BOTH

GUNS WHICH KEPT FIRING FOOLISHLY

AT THE TURRETT. A MOVE FWD BY

9PL RESULTED IN 2 CASUALTIES, PTEs

STARK & ROWE - FINALLY 8PL SCRAMBLED

OVER THE RIDGE TO SILENCE

THE RIGHT FLANK [[?]] 9PL

MOVED ALONG THE ROAD RELIEVED

[[?]] CASUALTIES CPL TOM WOODALL, CPL

BILL SNIDER, PTES GEORGE [[?CHAR]]MAN &

JACK STEVENS. TOM WOODALL DIED

LATER - BY LUCK WE HAD PUSHED

THE JAP OFF & SUPPORTED BY DON

Coy CONSOLIDATED THE DON POSN.

FRID NOV 19TH

A Coy TO CONTINUE

THE ADVANCE, MOVING WITH TANKS

A LITTLE OFF THE ROAD & TO THE

RIGHT. - FOR THE NEXT 250* THE

ROAD WAS COVERED BY HUNDREDS

OF GUN POSNS, ALL WERE VACATED

& IN MANY INSTANCES M.Gs.

 

were left also one 37'mm A K 

GUN WITH THE CREW A MANGLED

BLOODY HEAP NEAR IT. [[?300*]]
 FROM OUR START POINT WE

CONTACTED THE JAP AGAIN HOLDING

A HIGH JUNGLE FEATURE ON A VERY

SHARP BEND IN THE ROAD, HE 

APPEARED TO BE HERE IN CONSIDERABLE

STRENGTH - 7 & 9PLs A Coy FIXED

THE ENEMY IN THE FWD SLOPED, 8

PL REMAINED TANK PROTECTION, DON

Coy MOVES 2PLs UP TO COME ON

ENEMY FROM THE REAR, HOWEVER

HE HAD HIS BACK DOOR COVERED

JUST AS WELL & THE SHOW WAS 

HELD UP. DON Coy HAD SEVERAL

CASUALTIES TRYING TO STEAL FOOD.

AFTER NUMEROUS PLANS HAD 

BROKEN DOWN & DARKNESS WAS 

APPROACHING, MR BARRIES PL DON Coy

7PL & 8PL A Coy CHARGED UP

THE SLOPE FIRING FROM THE HIP,

THROWING GRENADES, AND GIVING THE

NOW BECOMING [[?E]] HO HO YELL

AND THOROUGHLY DISORGANISED THE

ENEMY WHO FLEDIN [[?]], LEAVING

BEHIND SEVERAL DEAD & NUMEROUS

WEAPONS, INCLUDING M.Gs & 75mm

MOUNTAIN GUNS.

SAT NOV 20TH

OUR Coy REMAINING ON

PRESENT FIXTURE WITH DON Coy -

B Coy [[A?]] [[?]] OVER THE ADVANCE,

THEIR OBJECTIVE THE 2400

FEATURE. 200* AND SLAP BANG

INTO THE ENEMY WHO HAD

APPARENTLY BENEFITED IN EXPERIENCE

AND KEPT FURTHER AWAY FROM

THE ROAD. - FIGHTING WAS HARD

& BITTER WITH CASUALTIES MOUNTING

UP. SGT SNOW DANSFORD

BEING [[KILLED]] WHILST USING A

 

GLORIOUS LONE ASSAULT ON JAP

BUNKER POSNS- THE END OF A 

DASHING, COURAGEOUS &, FEARLESS SOLDIER

EASILY THE BNS BEST.- THIS MAY

BE GATHERED FROM THE CEREMONY

WHICH TOOK PLACE AT HIS BURIAL

THE NEXT DAY, 50 PER CENT OF

HIS COY ATTENDING TO PAY THEIR 

LAST TRIBUTE TO A GREAT MAN.

BY 1700 HRS B COY HAD CAPTURED

THE POSN, - A COY MOVED UP TO

[[?]] PEREMETER WITH THEM.

DIGGING IN WAS MOST DIFFICULT &

WAS NOT CPMPLETED UNTIL [[?]] HRS

 

SUN NOV 21^ST

I AM SENT FOR BY

THE [[COL?]] AND PLACED IN COMMAND

OF 11 PL B COY, THEY HAVING 

LENT ALL BUT ONE OF THEIR LEAD

ERS. - WAS IMMEDIATELY GIVEN 

PATROL WHICH OCCUPIED 6 HOURS.

ALTHOUGH NO ENEMY WERE [[?]]

ERED INFORMATION OBTAINED WAS