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

W H L Woodcock
VX 63817
Today 18/11/41 is the
last day of this final
leave. Vera Brayy\
on behalf of the
[[?]] [[Younger?]]
comforts 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 [[Rolen?]] comforts
[[crew?]] which
the worst dust storm
I have ever met tonight
between [[Role?]] & Bonegilla
arr back at 10 pm
left the bus up at
WILLIAMSONS
19/11/41  And reveilly @ 6 am
didnt hear the bugle
today. too much
leave
20/11/41
[[?]]
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 [[?]]
in the little bus & over to
Corowa pictures with Vera
& Tiny Mather. and Geradine
as 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 & [[Doug?]] came over
We went to the [[?]]
[[?]] & I didn't feel to
happy in shorts said
goodbye to a lot of the old
mob. 

25/11/41
LAST DAY BONEGILLA
[[sick?]]
Evening of the 27^th Stan & self
visit relation & finish
up with fish supper
26/11/41
Bonegilla to Caulfield
Dorrie Vera & the two nips
Two [[?]]
and to [[?]] or [[?]]
28/11/41  Getting ready
for embarkation
and left Caulfield at
7/0 hr arr at boat
MARELLA AT 7/30
We [[???]]
10/30 & so [[?]] the [[?]]
are very nice
mine 24 [[??]]
29/11/41
And so from this date
till 1 month later
the 28th 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 hamber. 

After 2 wks abd AGUATANIN
ARR Rondesvous at 9 am
amid [[??]] Islands
[[?]]. Kack the Spud king
and gear ready and [[?]]
warships. supply ships
[[?]] 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.BRITAN
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 incident.
24^th 1 41
Arrived Singapore a
most Beautiful
Place. I can see no sign
of any bombing, and with
a [[?]] train [[?]]
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 but I didn't.
Just into bed and xxx an
air raid alarm std
at Singapore then later
at Jahore. So our unit
these lads are well stuck
into it and [[some?]] bloke
has just got back from
the [[fang 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  Shifting to a girls school
and went to the Dr
with [[??]] 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 can't 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
[[?]] and [[?]] some
bombed and [[?]]?
1^st  Sunday and a day of rest
? We shift tents today
amd 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 [[?]]
pineapple and several
other fruit.
2^nd Reported [[??]]
today & much to my
surprise got bunged
into hospital?
Feel pretty right but think
over done it a bit on
the tents & [[frolics?]] 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 LICKING 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 HOLD OUT. NOTHING DOING TODAY
& WE SEE OUR OWN 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. QUITFINA
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 H2W4
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 5 MINS
ALTHOUGH THEY WERE ABOUT 60 LB^S THEY
DID NOT DO MUCH DAMAGE.
8.2.41  tODAY WAS TOJO'S ALL DAY LONG HE
SHELLED DIV HQ 4/5TH 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 HOPELESS 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 HAD PLAYED
HELL WITH THE PLACE.
10/2/41  Still shelling hell out|
of us & its [[???]]
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 hours to surrender
The Japs have not yet hit
the hospital we vacate
 

Friday 13th February 42
I am in the Cafe [[?]] bldg
which is suppose to be
shell proof & Bomb proof?
The bottom is full of [[chows?]].
etc the top is full of [[?]]
[[?]] the bombs are falling
like hail & the din is
hellish. I have now a forty
of x 6 or 7 and [[?]] the
order urges everyone for
himself it is 1/3 [[?]] by [[Roll?]]
& that [[?]] must be right
[[??]] is out on a
[[?]]. 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
& it [[brown?]] out
The carnage is finished
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They never & 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 now doubt
we will be well treated the
Japanese have been clean &
gallant fighters. And were too
many for us? Profit before guns?
Monday 16/2/41
Sent to con Depot
in theatre and out
to G B D at 4/40 pm
we drove till 9 & [[?]]
no one wounded [[?]] us
[[??]] to a few
 

Tuesday 19 42
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.
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 change?]]
nothing doing much
Thursday 19^th
Roll call tonight and
out tho units in the morning will have
to [[hack?]]
Friday 20^th Off to the mob today
we march 10 miles to coast and [[?]]
in a truckalso many dead
and stack of loaded coffins
what a sight we arriving at
the [[?]] 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 22nd [[?]]  I sleep [[?]] at night but
the dews are rather heavy.
Church parade fine it takes
mass nearly over & out in pm.
Mon 23^rd  Work about the place
cleaning wh etc and general
jobs
Tues 24 th  We still clean [[?]]
this place.
Wed We parade this PM for
inspection by Japanese [[Gov?]]
and then back to hear our C.O.
The remarks are not generally heard
such as in the argument [[?]]
he challenged any man to give
him facts and then told us we
were not game to state anything
to him. One fellow [[?]] him [[?]]
& stated a pretty clear case
he also told us that it was
from us being too [[?]]
that the war here was lost.
The lads are VERY HOSTILE & QUITE SO
NO ONE JUST OUT OF A BOTTLE 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
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
7 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 [[?]]
& commence new one