October 1942

An order came through the morning to the effect that we were no longer attached to 1st brigade and that we are once more Divisional troops much to my disgust. I was given the order to have the platoon packed up and ready to move by 10 o’clock this morning and so we moved to a new position about a mile in the rear. I have been terribly busy today as my platoon is very short of Non Commissioned Officers consequently I have not only to do my duty as a sergeant but I have to see that the work is carried out to which normally would be done by a corporal, not only that, I am new to most of the men so they think they will try me out and trying to see how far then can go with me. I will give them a bit of rope for the first day though as I hate been a bully but if they persist I am afraid they shall have a rude awakening.

The entire day today was exceptionally quiet even air activity was on a reduced scale but the heat is killing. I was given permission to take a truck and as many of the men of the platoon who wished to go for a swim. The beach, been about four miles from our present position. I stayed at the beach until about 2 this afternoon when most of the fellows seemed to have had enough so I brought them back. Our artillery had a shoot tonight at 8 o’clock and for 20 minutes they blasted away at Jerry. The whole sky been lit up from the flashes of the guns and a constant roar of gunfire. I eventually got to sleep at 10pm only to be woken up again at 10.30 by our Sergeant Major who was frightfully intoxicated having been over to one of the other company’s and celebrating too much. He had completely lost himself and in any case he would never find his way “home” or rather his slit trench in his condition so I took him to his bed. I believe once before he got drunk and slept all night in the centre of our mind field which divides our line from no mans land. Quite a character.

I was awoken at about 4 o’clock this morning by a lightning storm in the north-west direction and for the minute I thought it was either gunfire from our land forces in that sector or a naval battle at sea but then I could distinctly see the lightning hit the ground and run along the earth for a good distance. Evidently there must be a fairly big deposit of Ferris Sulphide (FeSo2) in the desert to attract the lightning and I can remember once my dad told many years ago of the reaction of lighting on the Sudan desert as he spent quite a considerable time there. We had a few drops of rain at about lunchtime, which caused quite a commotion seeing as it is the first any of us have seen in about seven months. Unfortunately it only lasted about 5 minutes after which it was just as dusty as ever but in those five minutes everyone (myself included) had their shirts off and enjoying a good soaking. The rain seemed to me to be on a greater scale over the German lines than ours so I wonder if they enjoyed it as much as us.

Today we had to carry our several exercises with tanks working in conjunction with them and learning the part we are expected to ;ay when the time comes for the attack for which we are now been kept. I’m working with a section which I chose from my platoon and had to give a demonstration as to the method of advancing onto an objective, riding on the back of the tank and then on reaching the object, jumping off and storming it with all the weapons at our disposal. It proved quite successful only I sprained my foot badly once when I gave the order to my section to jump and the tank was doing about 14 miles per hour. I know it does not seem fast but it is a different story when you are loaded up with machine guns and ammunition as well as grenades.

A terrific Hemseen and fighting storm raged nearly the entire day today and increased ferocity towards evening. A Hemseen is something that occurs about once or twice a year in this country and when it does it justifies the killing of your wife (Egyptian). Actually what it is, is a wall like dust storm which advances upon you and can be seen coming for many a mile. You can keep walking in the direction that it is advancing and remain free of it as it sweeps along like a dead straight wall but once you are swallowed up in it, it is impossible to see 12 inches and the sun is totally blacked out. The last one I saw was at Al Adem.

Thank goodness the sergeant should return from leave tonight so that will relieve me of quite a bit of extra work. All day today we could see advance guards of the New Highland Division (Black Watch) who have just arrived here from England, coming up into the line. We thought it was us they had come to releive but no, I understand it is the Australians who are being pulled out of the line. The New Zealanders were in more action at Matruh than in the line here for about a month and then pulled completely out. The Australians have been in this line for about three months and are now evidently being relieved but the South Africans have been in the front line since November last year and have not yet had a break. I don’t think it is quite even at all and yet people are inclined to ridicule the springboks. No wonder the Anzac’s always do so well in any of their action, not that the S.A’s haven’t done so bad themselves but the Anzac’s are always fresh.
It is rather amusing what men can get up to and improvise for themselves when they have to. The other day I noticed in the rations we received six pounds of dried fruit. Today it struck me that we had not eaten it yet so I asked the men what had happened to it and they politely pointed to two old paraffin tins all sealed up and half buried in the sand. They had boiled it with water, added sugar and now sealed it up and waiting for it to ferment. They have promised to give me the first drink of brandy in 4 days. I wonder.

Another terrific storm blew up today and just about blew everything we possessed away, we had to run around and peg everything down. We had a big Stuka raid today and I saw one Messerschmidtt shot down, at about 5 o’clock this evening I counted 12 of our Boltimoors Bombers passing over our lines to bomb Jerry and within 10 minutes they were back again but I could only count eight. I understand one flew back low over the sea but I did not see that one, nevertheless I did see one come back a few minutes later only to crash in our lines. Another crashed right in the centre of no mans land, and Jerry immediately started shelling the plane but our artillery laid down a smoke shell and an armoured car out and brought the crew of the plane in safely.

We had to do a desert patrol this morning and we weren’t out an hour when we were caught in a rainstorm. On returning to our possies we found of our things wet. The rest of this afternoon I spent in digging new trenches and this evening we had a bit of a night manoeuvre. I have not had any news for over a week now but I believe Stalingrad still holds out. This is undoubtedly an outstanding feat of endurance, courage and determination combined with the will to win as Hitler himself wrote in his “Mein Kamph”. Moral is more important than ammunition or words to that effect which is true in every respect. There is a terrific clash about to take place here at any moment now and it will be on no small scale either when it does come. We are armed to the teeth and are doing intensive offensive training. Our roll as a regiment is to be divisional reserves and with us are a regiment of tanks with whom we are now doing our training. When our main force advances they will side step any enemy strong points then it will be our duty to mop up any such strong points.

Our air force played a great part today and Jerry must be suffering a headache after today’s pounding. There were several flights of 16 bombers passed over and even more with as many as 26 bombers that of course is taking into account their fighter escort. All told I think I counted 170 bombers all together operating. Towards nightfall tonight Jerry attempted two feeble Stuka raids on our line. I wonder if that is his idea of a reappraisal, if so, it was a very poor attempt.
This afternoon I had a novel experience of riding or rather driving a tank which was taken up mostly in manoeuvres with infantry cooperating with tanks and after that I was permitted to drive the tank. It was a Valintine Tank of 16 tons and found it very simple to operate also that it glided through the desert and over trenches like a battle ship in water.

From early this morning Jerry has been bombing the sector of our line. South-west of us and right up until late tonight every ten minutes or so I can hear the rumble of bombs. This morning we carried out intensive offensive exercises until we were so fatigued by midday that we were practically collapsing under the burning sun. Actually we gained some very valuable knowledge which we shall be bringing into action in our offensive which goodness knows when that will be but by all appearances is not too distant. I developed a spool tonight but I don’t think it has turned out such a success, anyway I shall be able to tell in the morning when they are dry.

Jerry ceased his pounding of yesterday but we can take it for longer than he can dish it out for. We carried out more manoeuvres today and a church meeting was held just before sundown this evening. I did not go to it as I being a Roman Catholic although I could see what was going on, on the side of the ridge and what struck me as being frightfully amusing was seeing all the fellows lines up with every here and there a Bren gun among them which were taken by the fellows under order to the church service, right through which they had to be manned as protection against enemy aircraft. It may not strike some as being funny but if they just think – God, guns – Saviour, destruction. They don’t seem to be such a good mixture however as from tonight there is s small portion of the moon visible for about half an hour, each night now it will grow bigger and remain up longer so we can expect anything now from a large scale offensive to a number of night operations plus plenty of bombing for the next fourteen nights until the moon disappears again. As I write now I can hear quite a bit of machine gunfire going on. To me it sounds like Spando (German machine gun) fire so most probably it is one of our night patrols got themselves into a spot of trouble with Jerry. Actually Jerry seems to be extremely scared at night and for the least sound he hears he starts shooting off every weapon at his disposal plus a great variety of different coloured flares which tend to make a man feel undressed if he finds himself creeping cautiously up to Jerry’s position when suddenly the whole sky is lit up like daylight with flares.

It was an exceptionally quiet day today except for two Stuka parades, which we had to live through. One this morning and one this afternoon. I wish to goodness I could get some news as it must be easy two weeks now since I heard how the position is in Russia or whether there is a war still on or not. I am really at a loss tonight to know what to write, perhaps it is because we received a beer ration today and the platoon I am in now seems to be just about the driest in the Middle East in so far as about only three of us drink beer, consequently we were left with an entire platoons beer ration to divide between three – not that I am complaining.

At midday today Jerry gave us a “Stuka Parade” supported by a very large number of Messerschmidtts and it so happened that at the same time also a large number of our fighters were out on one of their numerous sorties. The two opposing air forces clashed directly above my head and a terrific fight ensued in which I saw two planes shot down in flames but I was unable to identify them as Jerry’s or ours. The rest of the afternoon we spent in carrying out our usual audios manoeuvres. At about 5 o’clock from inside my tent or rather home made tent that I have rigged up to afford me a bit of shade from the burning desert sun, I could hear from outside – “Look, there is 27 – they are M.E. 1409’s – look they are breaking formation – he is after something – hey there is 19 of ours – Boy what a fight.” And then Brrrrr-brrrrr, I could hear the long bursts of machine gunfire of the planes. I was up and out like a shot and what I saw – well only the sky was literally filled with planes twisting, turning, banking, climbing and diving with intermittent long bursts of machine gun fire as one plane would “draw a bead” as it were on his opponent. One would dive out of the clouds onto the tail of another and with the usual Brrrr, brrr the other would bank or sideslip in a mad endeavour to dodge the stream of hot lead. How they did not crash into one another I don’t know and it will remain a mystery as to me there seemed thousands of them. As soon as one of the Jerry’s would become disabled or out of ammunition he would dive down low and sweep over us on his way home, then it was our chance to get a crack at him. I lost count of how much ammunition I used as I was taking pot shots myself with a German Mouzer Rifle which we captured while I was directing my machine guns fire on them at the same time. The fight must have lasted for twenty minutes and it was a grand show, it is not often we have the privilege of seeing two large-scale dogfights in one day but the S/Major is going to get a fright when I submit my ammunition expenditure and intent for replacements.

There was a couple of Stuka raids today otherwise we spent a comparatively peaceful day, and I was under my blankets fairly early tonight as we have to be on the job at 4.30 in the morning to carry out a large scale manoeuvre consisting of our regiment, a regiment of tanks, battery of artillery armoured cars and even two medical units. Not withstanding this fact I lay awake for many hours thinking over events of today. Our food ration is getting worse by the day and our meal of tonight consisted of army biscuits and jam with a little black coffee minus sugar. I don’t think I need write here how scarce beer is here in the desert, we get a ration of two tins once a week and that doesn’t take ten minutes to drink. Actually not many of the fellows drink in my platoon so I usually get their rations as well. However rare this beverage as I know it to be, today I felt compelled through the feeling of want of some nourishment make the elaborate exchange with y half section of a tin of canned fruit of which he was the proud possessor for a tin of precious beer which I had been so laboriously protecting for the past 3 days.

5 o’clock this morning saw us streaking across the desert on the back of tanks. Advancing onto an objective under a heavily laid artillery smoke screen, which had previously been pounded and reduced to nil with high explosive shells. We stormed the objective and got over the barbed wire entanglement by my throwing my body across it and allowing the balance of my platoon to run over me, for which action I was complimented by the General Dan Pienaar himself though the medium of my company commander. The General watched the whole show and was very pleased with the performance. The rest of today we spent in leisure but Jerry did not for before midnight fall he gave us 3 stuka raids and now tonight by the light of the moon he is continuing to bomb us with single raiders.

Our bombers were over Jerry lines very early this morning and to pile it on our artillery pounded away for about 20 minutes before 0700 hours. Winter has set in here with a vengeance. This afternoon we set out to do another scheme but when we were advancing across the desert a terrific dust storm blew up, just about the worst I have yet seen and consequently we were hopelessly lost as it was impossible to see the man next to me. It was even impossible to try and get any direction from the sun as that was totally blacked out by the dust. After a lot of reconnaissance and compass work we eventually managed to work out a bearing to move on and so found our weary way back to our possies only to find everything covered with sand and to top everything by this time it started to rain. The rain at lease laid the dust but it did not help to dig out our worldly possessions out of the sand, at the time of writing now it is raining and a terrific gale blowing which is bitterly cold. I have got my shelter, which comprises of a piece of sail slung over a hole in the ground, anchored down with a couple of cases of hand grenades and three boxes of ammunition and it beats me how the candle I have stuck in a petrol tin remains alight. I hope my “home” holds out until morning.

It rained the entire night through and all day today continued to be a very miserable nature, consequently all activity over the entire front was very limited and even artillery duels were on a confined scale although our big guns did give it a “fair flap” this morning. This evening we set out on night manoeuvres at 1800 hours from which I have just returned and it is now close on midnight so I think it is time I had some shut eye but my half section thinks differently. He has been out and scrounged, begged, borrowed or stolen some potatoes from somewhere or other. Six miserable looking things and he is quite confident that he is going to make chips out of them before he goes to sleep and what is more I am going to help him eat them, so I suppose I had better get some petrol and help him to transform them.

Today was a much clearer day although we can feel winters cold nip in the air. Again we have been out all evening on manoeuvres and I have just come in. I think the moon has another 3 days to go before being full as already it is very bright and then, I am in the opinion we shall spring our offensive, which is going to spell the collapse of the Axis African Empire. It is inevitable and must come and come soon. All around us offensive exercises are been carried out, night and day and there is a continuous stream of heavy armour pouring into the front line. We have a new platoon commander who has just arrived up here from the Union and already he tells me he is tired of the war and wants to go home, meanwhile he has not been in an action yet and has only been away from home a week. I am very sorry for him as he is very young and what is more he looks a damn sight younger and is very self-conscious about it. He came to me with a very pitiful tale this evening and was very perturbed about. He overheard a private pass a remark to the effect of “Who is this little boy? I bet he messes his pants the first time he goes into action.” I gave him the assurance that he need not worry about that as each and every one of us would damn near do likewise. I can quite understand his position as he feels like a recruit among us who have been in action, not with standing the fact that he is a lieutenant, still I suppose we were the same when we arrived here nearly a year ago and were pushed in among a lot of battle worn men.

Nothing at all startling occurred today and we even had a rest from our usual manoeuvres. Yes it is nearly a year since I arrived here which to me seems more like ten. So much seems to have happened and to be crammed into that short period that now as I look back it seems hardly possible that so much could befall a man in so short a time. There was the unbelievable happiness and bliss I experienced while on leave with my wife and son, marred only with the thought of the coming separation, then followed a long sea trip and I saw Egypt for the first time. Egypt, the land of mystery, the tourist paradise, the schoolgirls romantic dreamland. In reality Egypt, the land of vice and corruption, immorality in all its glory – the sewer of the universe. I was suddenly awoken to the horrors of war, bombs, shells, hot molten lead spat t dizzy rates from steaming machine guns, tanks with their destructive weapons of death and the fearful use of the bayonet. I have known what it is to go over the top and to suffer all the hardships that mere words could never express their magnitude. I have suffered defeat and victory together although defeat has never entered my vocabulary and at the end of all this I have found the peace and comfort in my solitude in a little chapel. That chapel will I never forget with its high, little lead windows which allowed the sunbeams to filter though onto the alter, so cosy and peaceful, in striking contrast with the turmoil of the outside world. Now but one thing remains to complete this one year cycle of mine and that is final victory and peace for evermore.

things are still moderately quiet all day today except tonight when I heard a bit of machine gunfire. This afternoon we had to go out in front of our artillery and dig positions for ourselves where we will move to just before the big offensive and it will serve as our jumping off ground. All around us we are able to observe last minute preparations for “Der Tag” which must entail a terrific amount of organization.

Spent the entire morning in getting rid of surplus kit and stuff we don’t want and packing as we are all certain we will be moving into our new positions that we prepared yesterday, tonight. This afternoon our O.C. called for all the non commissioned officers of the unit for an address by him. He opened his speech with: “Gentlemen, I want your assurance that what I am going to tell you now is not to be passed on to your men yet. Gentlemen, within the next few days you are becoming a part of a great machine that is going to destroy all Germans in North Africa. We are tired of running up and down between Bengazi and Alexandria, the tide of this World War 2 has now turned and the eyes of the world are going to read of the biggest and bloodiest battle of all history and the war of Alamein will be read as the greatest battle of mankind. We don’t want the Germans Gentlemen, our prison camps are full of them, we are going to kill them systematically one by one and I can assure you that if the Germans knew what was massed against him he would clear out. I can assure you Gentlemen he does not know one item of our plans. When our air force, which will play a prominent part, takes the air there will be no room for German aircraft, I can also assure you of at least 1200 tanks of which half are of the latest pattern. Above all that, our guns of which is only a quarter of our S.A Force have orders to fire in the first hour of the attack no fewer than 50,000 rounds of 25 pounder shells.” Winding up his speech he ended with: “We gentlemen, have been given the honour and privilege to partake in this great battle which will be the turning point in World War 2. As Churchill quoted – The wheels of God grind slowly but when they grind they grind exceedingly small.”
I was very impressed indeed and I could see the sparkle in his eyes. At 5 this evening we had to attend the reading of sentence by court marshal on three of our men who were tried for desertion. They received respectively 1 year and 6 months, 1 year and 3 months. 28 days, and my contention is that they deserved every day they received, as there deeds were just an act of cowardice in the face of the enemy. By 6.30 we were all packed up and we were eventually under way by 7.30 and the whole way of about 2 miles to our prepared position. We got settled down at about 10pm and had no sooner done so when all the artillery around us staged a little shoot as a good night to Jerry and our officer was rather nervous as it is his first time. I must admit it is a rather terrifying experience the first time.

All quiet on the Alamein front. Today I was give a brief outline of what is to take place tomorrow night, 10pm being zero time. We, with the remainder of the S.A div will push through the Jerry line and once this is done will turn to the south and, as it were roll up the line. Our first objective being Reweisat Ridge which we have been given 100 minutes to capture, on our right will be the Australians, New Zealand and the Highland Div assisting us in this operation. There will be no fewer than 900 25 pounders and same couple of hundred planes. We are also expecting a big tank fight as we have a fair sized tank force waiting behind us to sweep through us.
General Dan Pienaar came and spoke to a few of us this afternoon and assured us of having the greatest force that Britain has ever massed on any front. Our information tells us that in front of us is the Triette division (Italian) and the 164th and 90th light (both German divisions).

Tonight is the night, I do hope everything goes off to plan. It appears to be quite infallible. There was a dogfight over us this morning in which one of our planes was shot down but the pilot managed to bail out and strange to say the plane continued to fly upside down for about four minutes before it burst into flames on hitting the ground. It would hardy seem we are on the eve of a great battle as this afternoon we sat around and played cards and sang all old songs while waiting for zero.

8pm: Loaded up and got into our battle formation then finally moved west.
9.40pm: Right on time our artillery barrage opened up along the entire front as well as planes in their hundreds. It was terrific and quite indescribable, the noise was deafening and the whole sky was lit up. I felt proud to be one to witness such a scene of so great a magnitude.
10pm: By this time we had moved well across no mans land and twenty minutes later we had crossed the German mine field and assembled among the enemy trenches. Here we left our trucks and got on to our tanks. We came under quite a deal of enemy mortar and machine gun fire and by now his artillery had begun to answer back but our planes were dealing effectively with them as all along the front could be seen white hot molten metal flying into the air.
Midnight: The S. Africans had cleared their first objective and well on the way for our second. By now too many prisoners were streaming in and everywhere were the bodies of the enemy and our own men.

1.20am: we received word that the F.F.B were pinned down with machine gun fire so we moved off to help them.
3am: We moved through the 2nd German mine field. Here our A Coy commander was killed, here too the R.L.I. suffered about 100 casualties, but there were bodies of the enemy lying all around to show that they had done a good job.
4-5am: Jerry started shelling us with oil shells, a ghastly thing which when bursts, throws boiling oil in all directions and roasting everything up within reach. We got word that the Highland div, the Australians, New Zealanders and us were all successful.
The New Zealanders were having a bit of trouble on their left and our 2nd Brigade were held up so we made an attack at dawn with two squadrons of tanks. We had two tanks blown up in the mine field, the crews of which were all safe while the balance caused havoc in mowing the enemy down.
The rest of today we sat waiting for the counter attack by the enemy while our artillery and air force continued to batter the very Hades out of the enemy and the whole air was filled with thick black smoke from burning trucks and tanks and planes. Our Air Force has done a wonderful job as there was not once an enemy plane over us. This morning two of our Boston Bombers were shot down by enemy ground fire but the crews all bailed out. Not once yet have we eased our pounding but we are all pretty well tired out by now, I for one am just about falling asleep standing up but yet we keep going. There is but one thing that is worrying our chiefs – they have not yet been able to locate Rommel and his Panzer divisions yet, anyway at last we are using our sense and instead of sending our big tanks in to get smashed up against fortified gun positions, we are using infantry and keeping our tanks for his tanks. What a wonderful piece of organization, everything timed to a split second and the sights of the past two days I will never forget.

Stukas made their first appearance at about 4 o’clock and 6 this morning but I have never yet seen anything equal the barrage that we put up. Our artillery continued their pounding without a stop yet and at midnight tonight they increased their intensity. One of our officers was blown to pieces today, which was darn tough luck and I was very sorry to hear about it. Up until now we have taken 500 Jerries and 900 Italian prisoners, that is apart from the enormous death toll, meanwhile our casualties are 90 killed and 500 wounded. All this is S. Africans alone as I haven’t as yet got what casualties the other forces have inflicted on the enemy but as far as we S. Africans are concerned I think we have done very well for two days fighting. Our B coy pushed forward this evening but struck heavy fire and had to pull back again. I understand the Aussies are making another attack tonight. One of our own planes dropped a few bombs on us today but I think he had been damaged and had to get rid of his load as I saw smoke coming from him. As I write now there is a terrific amount of machine gun fire going on.

It is seven days later that I write this but how well it is that I remember the events of this day and the following three. Today started off with an order to be ready to advance at 7 o’clock but was later cancelled as the mine field through which we were to pass was enabled to have gaps made in it by our A coy due to severe enemy opposition which they had encountered. During the after noon I met an officer of my old regiment who has just come up the line for the first time from base camp where he has been since we arrived in Egypt, I must of known a thing or two as after I left this officer I managed to find a pouch which I fixed onto my belt at the back and into it I put all my diaries after I had made them up into a parcel and labelled them to my wife and also a few words to the effect of – “Finder please forward and receive reward.” It would break my heart to lose them now after all the work I have put into them. At 4pm we once more received the order to advance only this time it was in earnest and so with a quarter of an hour when our transport came up we were under way. We moved into a position along side the Cape Town Highland Regiment of our 2nd brigade and there we prepared a light meal also we received a ration of beer consisted of one bottle of beer per man. I managed to get three, one I drank and two I put away in my Tommy gun case. Along side us was the remnants of one of our planes that had crashed on being shot down a short while previous. All of the pilot that we could find among the ruins was a left hand, the rest of him had been blown beyond recognition. A runner came up to us and by the look on his face it was easy for us to guess the tidings he brought. At 8 o’clock our company was to push forward 2000 yards and literally liquidate the enemy in that area while one company of the C.T.H. would remain in the rear to consolidate whatever ground we gained. Dead on time we formed up in a line and advanced over a ridge with our gleaming and pushed out in front of us and determination in our hearts, moving in a direction of 246 degrees. Our artillery was busy pounding the enemy positions and we could hear the shells whistling over our heads, some falling short among us but not many. We had not gone 500 yards when Jerry shot up a flare from a position on our right. I will never forget the feeling I got, as though I had been stripped of all my clothes for there we were standing in the middle of no mans land in what appeared to be broad daylight. Next came the deafening noise of what must have been about ten machine guns spitting hot lead at us at a giddy rate mixed with rifle fire and mortar shells bursting all around us. Jerry had seen us and had no intentions of getting out without a fight. Still if it is a fight he was wanting we were going to give it to him. I saw a few of my friends around me go down, one shot in the foot, another in the leg and yet another was shot in the chest and stomach. Poor fellow, he died where he stood. We climbed through Jerry’s barbed wire entanglement and in the next minute we charged his position shooting our war cries and with our guns blazing. A terrific scrap ensued of which I don’t think I remember much but I can still see in my mind, a little L/Cpl along side me split a Jerry’s skull in two with the butt of his rifle. It was not long before what was left of them were coming out of their holes with their hands high in the air and screaming for mercy. I took charge of the prisoners of which there were some 25 odd and to my surprise there were 3 of our own Royal Tank Corps fellows among them who had been taken prisoner three days before. I could never describe their pleasure they registered at been relieved. The one was shot through the leg and the other had a slug in his shoulder and yet the enemy had kept them there in the dirt for 3 days unattended to so we sent them off to a dressing station right away. The third was untouched and insisted on joining in the scrap with us as we made for our next objective.
It was now that the thing happened. A shell burst along side me, it was a terrific explosion, I felt something hit my right leg just below the knee just like a sharp crack but yet I felt no pain. I put my hand down to my knee and suddenly realised I was wounded for what I felt was hot, no boiling and hard. Sitting down I immediately started to dig the metal out with my penknife, which had sunk well into my leg for about 3 inches and in doing so had taken my trousers with it. After a bit of struggling I managed to accomplish my task and one of my men who had seen me drop and stayed with me gave me his bandage and I tied up my wound. With his aid I hobbled back to our lines under intense machine gun fire and to top to my misfortune the moon had now begun to rise which served no other purpose than to silhouette me against the skyline, making me an easy target for the enemy guns. Strange to say I felt no fear of been hit although I could see the bullets striking the ground all around me. I felt I just could not get hit again and my friend stuck to me all along. On nearing our lines I saw a man dashing around in all directions and getting nowhere so I called him. He came and told me his name was O’Reilly of the C.T.H. and that he was scared. Poor kid, his nerves were all shattered and in a terrible state. Although I was getting along alright, I tried to make him forget himself so said to him, “Listen chum every thing is all right but I am wounded so wont you come and help me along?” He came to my side very reluctantly and I put my arm around his neck but he remained in a more or less crouched position with his eyes and head moving in all directions as though he was afraid of some unknown evil and as soon as we were within sight of our lines he was off like a shot. I delivered my prisoners and in a very short while I was in an ambulance and on my way.

It was about 2am this morning that I arrived at a dressing station and by now my leg had cooled off and I was beginning to feel severe pain. I was met there by a catholic padre who on hearing that I was catholic commenced to give me confession and hold communion while I lay on a stretcher with a doctor cutting away all the rough skin and making my wound as neat as possible. It was not long before I was once more on my way and by midday we had reached railhead where I was put on a hospital train that was waiting. There were a few nurses on the train who were ever so sweet and who could not do enough for us. They told us that we were not to be afraid to shout for anything we wanted and said, “you have done your job now it is up to us to do ours.” By midnight we were nearing our destination but I was in terrific pain and no prospects of sleep so the nurse gave me a morphine injection and I think I must have passed out after that.

At 3 o’clock this morning I was woken up, the train had stopped so I arrived at the conclusion that this was our destination. Later we were transferred to waiting ambulances and rushed off and for the first time I learnt that the name of the place was Kas-a-sene and the hospital I was bound for was the 106th S.A. General. The hospital staff were working themselves to a standstill putting us in all the different wards, giving us tea and cigarettes and performing operations. I think it must be a long time if ever that they have had so many patients to deal with at once. All day today and night they had four operating theatres going, operation after operation and I have just to wait my turn. This evening I had to be given another injection to entice me to sleep but it did not help much.

Still today I am yet unable to be taken to the theatre as there is one long continuous line of cases going in and I am really beginning to feel sorry for the doctors and nurses. To them I extend my sympathy as they must be just about done in from the strain of over work. The nearest town from here is a place called Ismail about 16 miles of the Suez Canal midway between Suez and Port Said. From Ismail it is about 40 miles to the Palestine border. The hospital is very well run by South African nurses and sisters who are really charming ladies and can not do enough for your comfort. There are loud speakers in every ward controlled from one set so we never go short for news. Lights are put out at 9.30pm but before going out the padre holds a service and a few prayers over the loud speaker and they finish up by playing a really lovely record followed by the tune of “When we come to the end of a perfect day.” You can actually feel yourself drifting off to sleep.

For the first time this morning time was found to handle my case and still there are hundreds of patients awaiting operations for the removal of bullets, shrapnel etc. I was first x-rayed and as that showed a fracture of the Fibular (Main bone below the knee) or some such name my entire leg from top to bottom was put in plaster. I know really what sort of night I am going to have as I can’t get used to the idea of this terrific weight around my leg. It will always remain a mystery to me, now that I know the extent of my injury how I managed to walk 2000 yards out of no mans land under intense fire but I realize now the great favour I did myself by taking the shrapnel out myself while the wound was still warm. My temperature is well up again tonight.

Spent a beastly night with the result that the night staff had to give me a sleeping draught after which I don’t remember much until I awoke at 6 this morning. Today I spent a comparatively peaceful day and as a matter of fact this afternoon while my nurse was not looking I made a bold effort to put my feet on the ground and stand but when dizziness begun to overcome me I decided it wise to get back into bed. I wish they would stop giving me M & B tablets as I am sure it is them that is draining my strength. I don’t know what sort of a mess I am making of this diary now as I try and write with it along side my head on my pillow with the left eye shut to enable me to get the right focus and not see two books due to this fact I am unable to write too many lines at once.