Diaries of Signalman W H L Woodgate spanning November 1941 to October 1945 - Part 4

[*TUES*]

WENT TO TH= GARDEN PATCH. THERE IS A 
[[?]] ON TODAY & NATURALLY NOT TOO MANY TURN UP.

WE HAVE ENOUGH GROUND DUG TO GROW ENOUGH VES TO PEEL

THE WHOLE OF THE SIGS "BUT" WHAT TO PLANT & THEN THE

AFTER CARE & ATTENTION IS WHAT WILL BE THE NEXT JOKE..

WE ARE STARTING AT THE WRONG TIME OF THE YEAR & 

WILL HAVE TO CART OR PUMP TONS OF WATER & THAT IS WHERE

THE FUN WILL START.  OUR BREAKFAST THIS A.M. CONSISTED OF

SOUP & 3 BISCUITS I AM WELL SATISFIED ABOUT OUR COOK. TOO [[?]]

[[?]]- FAIR & THE TEA WAS OF USUAL CALIBRE. "UPTA"

ONLY 4 DAYS TO A BIRTHDAY WONDER WHAT IT WILL BRING & WHAT

WILL HAPPEN BETWEEN THIS & NEXT.  WE GET A LITTLE NEWS[[?]]

MOSTLY THE PRODUCT OF SOME FERTILE IMAGINATION WHICH

GETS INTO THE HANDS OF SOME FAIR ORATOR & THEN AWAY

GOES & OF COURSE IT IS ALWAYS "AUTHENTIC" WE ARE A BIT [[SH?]]

AT PRESENT AS WE HAVE NO WIRELESS. HAVE A NEW HAT. A

REAL TIGER CATCHER.  I SWAPPED TINY MATHER A TIN LID FOR

IT YESTERDAY MUSN'T FORGET TO GET IT AUTOGRAPHED

BEFORE I GO HOME.  THERE WAS A CONCERT ON HERE TONIGHT

ONE THING ABOUT OUR COOK HE CAN RUN A GOOD CONCERT

[*WED*]

WENT TO THE DENTIST THIS AM & ALSO SAW

MAJOR EDDY. RE THIS TIREDNESS NO MEDICINE

AVAILABLE SO WILL HAVE TO LET IT TAKE ITS

COURSE. BLUDGED ABOUT MOST OF THE AM &

WENT TO THE CABBAGE PATCH IN THE PM. NOT A

VERY INTERESTING DAY. TEDDY BEAR SHAW THE

CAPT. WHO BROUGHT US OVER GOT AWAY WITH THE

MOB OK. BUT WHETHER HE GOT HOME IS ANOTHER

MATTER. WELL AM GOING TO SEE RUSSELL [[?]]

STOP TILL THEN. SAW THERE 

THE THING HE MISSES

MOST IS "A POTS" SAW ROBBY & FIXED THE [[MARELLA & DARRA?]]

ADDRESSES. ALSO ARRANGED A RUTHER REUNION FOR TOMORROW

[*THUR*]

TODAY WAS A BIT OF A DEPARTURE FROM THE USUAL

EXCEPT THAT THE COOKING IS JUST AS BAD AGAIN. TODAY 

A SWARM IN A LOU WILL GET THEM AT FIRST 'OTPY' WENT TO

OUR REUNION ON THE BOARDER OF OUR AREA. ALL THE RUTHER

CHAPS ARE HERE. THEY ARE RUSSELL HENDERSON. BILL BARKEL

PLUGGER BRIGGS & SELF ALSO JIM HOLOHAN [[?]]

WE HAD A GREAT OLD YARN AND AS THE TALE WAS RATER

DRY WE DECIDED TO HAVE OUR NEXT YARN ON T AT

HOME ON THE SILENT COP AT THE CROSS ROADS IN RUTHERGLEN

AND IT IS GOING TO BE A WET MEETING TOO BELIEVE ME

ITLL BE WET ALRIGHT. THEY ARE COMING OVER AGAIN TOMORROW

NIGHT  THINGS ARE STARTING TO MOVE A BIT A STAND THE JOINT &

THE BOYS ARE IN GOOD TRIM. WE HAVE ALSO LOCATED ONE OF

THE CHANDLERS HE IS IN HOSPITAL & WE ARE

GOING TO LOOK HIM UP AT FIRST "OPTY"

[FRI 6/3/41*]

THIS  AM WE OCCUPIED H.A. QUIZ AND RATER

ENJOYED OURSELVES.  AM 007 NO TO THE

G JACK TOMORROW  DONT LIKE THE FEELING OF A LUMP

IN A GROIN AND THE NEXT EPISODE IS THAT WE HAVE

VOTED OUT OUR COOK AND PUT A PETITION TO THE

MAJOR ANOTHER CHAP & I VOLENTEERED FOR THE JOB

BUT I THINK THIS TIME THE COOK WILL SEE REASON

[*SAT 7/4/42*]

BIRTHDAY TODAY. WHAT A PLACE TO CELEBRATE IT

WE HEAR TODAY THAT GERMANY HAS TOSSED

THE TOWEL IN? THESE RUMORS I HAVE OFTEN

READ OF THEM & HOW THEY ANIMATE IN PRISON

CAMPS IF THEY WERE NOT SO TRAGIC THE WOULD BE

FUNNY BUT THEY ARE NOT  THE LOT SWALLOW

THEM Newspaper article see original document

[*SUN 8/3/42*]

[[B?]]URNT OFFERINGS. SAW VIC LEVY TODAY. WE OUR YACHT IN ARGUMENT

I THINK NEIT∧HER OF US NO TOO MUCH ABOUT IT

MUST WRITE A FEW MENUS INTO THIS TODAYS & EVERYDAYS DINNER

WILL BE WRITTEN IN. "RICE 1 HALF PEACH & JUICE 2 BISC WITH

FISH IN BETWEEN. TEA NO MILK OR SUGAR." I WILL ALSO WRITE IN A

FURPHY BUT WILL WAIT TILL NIGHT TO PICK THE BEST ONE.

I HAVE TWO. ONE GERMANY HAS ONCONDLY SURRENDERED

TWO KINGSFORD SMITH IS A PILOT IN AIRFORCE. WELL THEY ARE

[[DR?]]EAMS. WHEN FULLY PUT UP & HOW THEY RUSH IN WITH THEM

DARWIN.GERALDTON.BROOM TOWNSVILLE

[[?]]

[*MON 9/3/42*]

AM THINKING OF CHUCKING THE FARMING. 16 OF US ARE

DOING A GOOD JOB & THEY WANT DUTIES ON TOP OF THAT

WELL THERELL BE NO MORE CABBAGE PATCH. WE WORK ALL "AM" ON

THE GARDEN & ALSO IN PM. THE DUTIES FOR US ARE FINISH

THE POTATOES? THE DUCKS? & THE MONKEY MAN FROM

BELGRAVE? THE AGRICMAN & THE BURNT OFFERING? & HOME

TO TEA 3 COURSES SWEET RICE BULLY & BREAD & BISC'S & FISH

& IT NEARLY BEAT ME. THE NEWS SOUNDS GOOD BUT, HOW GOOD?

TONIGHTS "FURFY" GERMANY REQUESTED 3 DAYS TRUCE TO [[?]]

DEAR IN BERLIN & RUSSIA REFUSED IT?? WILL THESE BLOKES EVER

WAKE UP. MY TWO NEWSBOY SMILEY & TREG HAVEN'T BROUGHT IN

ANYTHING [[?]] THE NTIL TONIGHT YET I CAN ENJOY THE YARNS

FROM TODAY IF THEY DONT GET TOO THICK. THE CIGAETTE

POSITION IS GETTING RATHER ACUTE. NOW I JUST SWOPPED

RON CRAIG A PACKETT OF SMOKES FOR A CIGARETTE

CASE GENUINE SILVER ILL GIVE IT TO HIM BACK ONE OF THESE?

DAYS FOR THE SAME PRICE. WHEN WE ARE HOME

& ALL IS OVER FROM THIS AM SEEING DON TONIGHT AM FEELING OK

NOW & CAN GO A FAIR WILE OF A DAY NOW.

TOMORROW ITS BEES MAKE ONE FEEL AT HOME AGAIN

[*TUES 10/3/41*]

STARTED OFF TODAY BY GOING WITH BAUNE TO SEE THE

BEES AND THEN ON THE ROAD HOME WE SCROUNGED ENOUGH

BOXES BOARDS ETC TO MAKE ONE BODY AND SOME FRAMES

BY TIME HE ARRIVED BACK WE HAD QUITE A LOAD WE

SORTED UP OUR STUFF AND I SPENT THE REST OF THE

DAY MAKING A SMOKER AND A BODY AND FRAMES

I HAVENT WORKED SO HARD FOR A WHILE I FINISHED

JUST BEFORE TEA AND WENT OVER TO THE HIVE

BUT I HAD BETTER DWELL A WHILE THE TOOLS I HAD TO

DO THE JOB WITH CONSISTED OF A ROUND PIECE OF IRON

AN OLD SAW HANDLE BROKEN A PAIR OF SCISSORS & 1 PAIR OF

PLIERS & A POCKET KNIFE  THE SMOKER IS NOT A

BAD JOB & DOES ITS WORK WELL. THE BELLOWS LEATHER

IS OUT OF AN OLD GOLF BAG. THE WOOD COMES OUT OF

DRAWERS AND THE BARREL IS AN OLD ETY TIN MADE SPOUT

AFTER TEA WE WENT TO THE HIVE WHICH WAS ABOUT ¾ MILE AWAY

THERE WERE AS USUAL THE NORMAL MOB OF 6 BUT THEY CAME

ON CONDITION THEY LEND A HAND AT FRAME MAKING ETC

WE REACHED THE HIVE & I GOT INTO IT WE HAD A LITTLE EXCITEMENT

GETTING THERE IT TOOK 10 MINS TO ROB BOX & GET WE CREATED

A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST BRINGING THE HIVE BACK &

WE ARE ALL VERY PLEASED AT OUR EXPLOIT THE ADDITION OF BEES

HERE HAS CERTLY CAUSED A RUSTLE AMONG BOYS AND THERE ARE A LOT

INTERESTED & SO ENDS A VERY BUSY DAY WITH MANY THOUGHTS

OF MY BEES & ALL AT HOME WONDER HOW THEY ARE DOING THERE

& WHAT COND'T'N MY BEES ARE IN?

(4)

 

Newspaper article see original document
 

SEE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT