Diaries of Signalman W H L Woodgate spanning November 1941 to October 1945 - Part 1

H W L Woodgate
VX 63817
Today 18/11/41 is the
last day of my final
leave. Vera Bray
on behalf of the
Rglen Younger set
comfort fund presented
me with this book &
wallet. (Ive got a
quid in it already)
The Comforts fund
official body presented
me (LAST NIGHT) with
the biggest bloody
joke of my life.
They were ably assisted
by the R. C. comforts
crew which
the worst dust storm
I have ever met. tonight
between Rglen & Bonegilla
arr back at 10 pm
left the bus up at
WILLIAMSONS.
19/11/41 And revelly @ 6 am.
didnt hear the bugle
today. too much
leave
20/11/41
[[Wgal?]]
21/11/41
What a bloody
day getting ready
for Melb March 

22/11/41 xxxx
Melbne March
We left Bonegilla @ 4 am
and arr Melb 11 am had
dinner in the Botanical
gardens & so to the march
and back to the gardens
I met Gwen & her mate &
she brought us 2 bottles
of beer arr home at
12 mdt as fired as hell
23/11/41 Saturday
Recuperation day
up 8 am and not
much doing Went to Rglen
in the little bus & over to
Corowa pictures with Vera
& Tiny Mather. and Vera drove
us back at night in the
Chev.
24 Sunday
Chiltern
Went to church
this morning &
met father Rees a very decent
little chap who invited me
to go to the Albury orphanage
with him in the P.M. We went
there & had a rather good
time. After tea we went to
Chiltern & Dorrie came over
We went to the Oration
comps & I didn't feel to
happy in shorts said
goodbye to a lot of the old
mob. 

25/11/41
LAST DAY BONEGILLA
sicks
Evening of the 27^th Stan & self
visit relations & finish
up with fish supper
26/11/41
Bonegilla to Caulfield
Dorrie Vera & the two mps
Two bottles
and to [[Balls?]] or [[?new]]
28/11/41 Getting ready
for embarkation
and left Caulfield at
7/0 hr arr at boat
MARELLA AT 7/30
We [[? round? tea?]]
10/30 & to bed the cabins
are very nice
mine 24 upper birth
29/11/41
And so from this date
till 1 month later
the 28^th Dec 1941 I have
made the T.S.S MARELLA
my home and at the
date of writing am
still on it.
And still at Bloody
Darwin the rottenest
hole on Earth. We are
supposed to be stopping
the Japs from taking
it. Hell what for?
Wrote to Mrs Peake. 230 SAM ST
KALGOORLIE, in appreciation
of her Xmas hamper. 

After 2 wks abd AGUATANIN
ARR Rondesvous at 9 am
amid beaut surrdgs Islands
[[?]]. Jack the Spud king
and gear ready and up
warships. supply ships
small transports
and continuance of
Diary.
Wednesday 21/1/41

At 11 am we moved off.
16 of us 7 supply & TRANS
& 9 warships YANK.DUTCH.BRIT.AU
we stick to the coast
and are accpd by Planes
22^nd & the poultry?
23^rd Aust expectation is
high copped a duty but
it must have fizzled
out 11 am & A.W. The day passed
without event.
24^th 1. 41
Arrived Singapore a
most Beautiful
Place. I can see no sign
of any Bombing, and into
a troop train enroute
to our base. We got into
the wrong train and had
to transfer to third train
Marched 4 miles to the
Reinforcement base and
then by truck to our
Unit Some of the lads
rcd mail I didn't.
Just into bed and and an
air raid alarm std
at Singapore then later
at Jahore to our unit
these lads are well stuck
into it and some bloke
has just got back from
the long end. he was W.O.
and is all out well the
other 3 didn't get back 

25.1.41  Had an air raid alarm
here today and it was
dinkum the japs bombed hell
out of our dromes &
one of our hurricanes copped
a Jap close to us. We will
probably evacuate this
place
26/1/42 Shifted to a girls school
and went to the Dr
with this Bly Dingue feel
like hell.
27/1/42 Exam but too crook.
No good looks like a shift
any minute.
28/1/42 We shift to Singapore
island our first retreat
we cant go much further
Erecting tents & making
the place ship shape
We look like making a perm
camp here.
A
29/  Still erecting etc.
30/  Ditto
31^st  Into Singapore for
poles and she's some
bombed and pong?
1^st Sunday and a day of rest
? We shift tents today
and this afternoon we
went for a stroll & met
some very well educated
chinese and spent a
very enjoyable day in an
oriental garden.
We ate coconuts & drank [[them?]]
pineapple and several
other fruit.
2^nd Reported a/c Dingue
today & much to my
surprise got bunged
into hospital?
Feel pretty right but think
over done it a bit on
the tents & poles. We
are about 6 mile from the
front line which is now
the Causeway 

3/2/41  Last NIGHT. A JAP BOMBER WITH
RIDING. LIGHTS. & CABIN LIGHTS. FULL
ON FLEW IN AT ABOUT 200' & BOMBED. HELL OUT
OF THE PLACE & AGAIN THIS A.M. HE CAME
AGAIN & SET. ALIGHT TO THE OIL TANKS
ABOUT. 300 YDS AWAY & WE. WENT TO EARTH
HE ALSO DROPPED PAMPHLETS. DEPICTING
A DIGGER KICKING CHURCHILLS' HEAD AWAY
& THROWING DOWN HIS ARMS. MY FIRST CLOSE
TASTE. OF MACHINE GUNNING FROM THE
AIR. SOME OF OUR BOYS LEFT FOR THE FRONT
TODAY & SOME ARE IN HOSP. HERE WITH ME.
AND THE DAY FINISHED WITHOUT INCIDENT
4/2/41  HAD. A. GOOD SLEEP LAST NIGHT AND
NO RAIDS. I. HAVE JUST BEEN. READING
THE PAPER & ITS MARVLS HOW IT DIRECTLY
CONTRADICTS ITSELF. ONE PAGE LOOSING NEXT
PAGE WE'LL HOLD OUT. NOTHING DOING TODAY
& WE SEE OUR AIRFORCE? I WONDER WILL
THE BLOODY "SELL OUT" ENGLISH GOVT EVER
WAKE-UP? THE JEW. BASTARDS. CANT THEY PROF OUT OF HERE.
5/2/41 NOTHING DOING TODAY EXCEPT
WATCH THESE NURSES AT WORK I'VE OFTEN
WONDERED AT WOMEN TAKING UP NURSING
BUT WHEN YOU SEE THESE WELL
ITS BEYOND MY COMP. THERE ARE MEN HERE
SUFING FROM DINGUE TO NUTTS & THE
PATIENCE WITH WHICH THESE WOMEN
WORK IS REMARKABLE. QUITF IN A
CONTRAST WITH THE BOONG BRICKLAYERS
WHO HAVE PUT UP HPT OF WORK IN ONE DAY
6/2/41  ANOTHER DAY OVER & TOJO
NOT TOO BUSY OUR PLANES UP
7.2.41  AND. WHAT A DAY TOJO SHELLED
HELL. OUT. OF THIS HOSPITAL TODAY K2 W4
I WENT. TO. EARTH. SHELLS. WHISTLED OVER
& SHRAP. FLEW EVERYWHERE. SHE. WAS. SOME
DAY. THE CLOSEST. SHELL. WAS 70 YDS. OFF
QUEER BUT I HAVEN'T FELT. WINDY ONLY. HIGHLY
EXCITED THE BARRAGE. LASTED. FOR ABOUT 3 MINS
ALTHOUGH THEY WERE ABOUT 60 LBs THEY
DID NOT DO MUCH DAMAGE.
8.2.41  TODAY WAS TOJO'S ALL DAY LONG HE
SHELLED DIV HQ 4/5^TH DIV SIGS. AND 2/19
DONT KNOW HOW THE SIGS FARED YET
BUT. THOUSANDS OF SHELLS FELL. HE ALSO
HAD A GO TO LAND TROOPS BUT I THINK
THAT. HOPLESS AT THIS STAGE.
SHELLS ALL NIGHT FELL. TO WITHIN 160 YDS
OF HERE. NOT MUCH SLEEP. BUT. LAND HE. DID
9/2/41 THE PLACE IS COVERED IN SMOKE
HIS ALNIGHT BARRAGE HAS PLAYED
HELL WITH THE PLACE.
10/2/41  Still shelling hell out
of us & its not too good
Thurs
11/2/41 All day. Now within
mortar range. Nurses leave today letters sent.
Shelling all night
12/2/41 And they give us
12 hrs to surrender
The Japs have not yet hit
the hospital we vacate 

Friday 13^th February 42
I am in the Cafe [[?]] bldg
which is supposed to be
shell proof & Bomb proof?
The bottom is full of chows.
Etc the top is full of [[wold?]]
digs The bombs are falling
like hail & the din is
hellish. I have now a party
of 5 6 or 7 and we expect the
order urges everyone for
himself it is 1/30pm by Dole
& that time must be right
Young Syd is out on a
scout. We stayed all day
& the shelling kept up.
Sat 14^th  We are still in
hospital not too good
Con Depot & Trip shells everywhere & Dead.
Sunday 15^th Mass 7.30 & then
to the Dr Medicine
changed wish I could
raise a gallop to the
Con Depot at 12.00
& its brown out
The carnage is finished
and xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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R Heymeyer & his
rotten crowd have a few
coming & they'll get it.
Well from now on I am a
prisoner of war and all the
lads are of the same opinion

as myself? We have no doubt
we will be well treated the
Japanese have been clever &
gallant fighters. And were too
many for us? Profit before guns?
Monday 16/12/41
Sent to con Depot
in theatre and out
to G B D at 4/30 pm
we drove till 9 pm &
no one would own us
so back to a few 

Tuesday 17^th
Had my watch taken off
me today by a Jap soldier
When I get square for that
I shall certainly do so with
compound interest at
100% P.A.

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Wednesday 18^th
We are still poking
around the Japs gave
us a bit of a picture
show today and it
wasn't too bad
I here we are going to
fort changi
nothing doing much
Thursday 19^th
Roll call tonight and
out to units in the 

morning will have
to hock
Friday 20^th Off to the mob today
We march 10 miles see to coast and Digs
in a truck also many dead
and stack of loaded coffins
what a sight we arriving at
the Unit all the boys OK Peter
M^cShene missing 

Sat 21  Settling down day
and meet the whole of the mob
All the lads in good spirits.
We build a wash dam.
The rashons are pretty light
but expect them to be less yet
Sun 22^nd Feb  I sleep out at night but
the dews are rather heavy.
Church parade find it takes
mass nearly over & out in pm.
Mon 23^rd Work about the place
cleaning up etc and General
jobs
Tues 24^th We still clean up arou
the place.
Wed We parade this PM for
inspection by Japanese Col
and then back to hear our C.O.
His remarks are not generally heard
such as in the argument about form
he challenged any man to give
him facts and then told us we
were not game to state anything
to him. One fellow took him up
& stated a pretty clear case
he allso told us that it was
from us being too panzied
that the war here was lost.
The lads are VERY HOSTILE & QUITE SO
NO ONE JUST OUT OF A BATTLE LIKE WHAT
HAS PASSED ARE TAKING THAT KIND OF
BAITING & I EXPECT SOMETHING TO
COME OF IT. ALSO WHEN THE LADS
SHOWED APPRECIATION FOR THE
GUTS OF THE CHAP THAT TOOK
HIM UP. HE (CO) SAID HE DID NOT.
WANT ANY SOVIETS.? MINE OPINION
C.O. BUYS TROUBLE?
Thurs 26 Usual routine under orders
WITH. WISE ARGUMENT BETWEEN THE BOYS THEY
TOUCH THE MOST TICKLISH PROBLEMS. OF THE
HIGH COMMAND DOWN TO BIKE SPIKES & I MUST NOT
FORGET MEAT SKEWERS. THE EVENT OF
THE DAY DIGBY (THE UNITS HUCK)
HAD A BATH ALTOGETHER IT WAS
RATHER PLEASANT. DAY OUR FOOD
ISSUE AS STATED AMOUNTS TO ABOUT
2½ LBS FOOD PER MAN PER DAY & 40 CTGS
PER MONTH DID NOT HEAR THE XXX
TONIGHT GENERALLY A FURFY OR
TWO GOING THE ROUNDS.
FRI 27^th  WE GO ON A SWIM PARADE
& WHAT A BEACH THE. SMELL
OF IT WAS ENOUGH FOR ME.
& SO BACK TO BED.
As this book is getting
done I will put it up
& commence new one