Mike then realized that the tin contained nothing else but tobacco and that the whole thing was a leg-pull. He hurled the tin at Stephen, who ducked, but it hit him on the back and bounced off to a spot 15 yards away. He took the whole affair terribly well and rang up Giles at Navy House to thank him and told him all about the joke.
The colonel came down and had dinner with us. Afterwards we had a most interesting discussion, trying to determine in our minds exactly what the war aims of Germany were now, and we concluded that at the moment she would welcome any reasonable peace terms. She must realize that she can never completely conquer England, the Empire and America, even after many years of struggle.
1. Close examination.
2. Taking aim.
3. Scottie being brave.
It’s a strange war, becoming more complex every day, and more difficult to see an end. When we do beat the Germans again, we can’t make the same mistake as last time. They are a highly intelligent people and in many ways similar to us, and must be given a position in the world. It somehow seems strange that this can’t be arranged without the loss of millions of lives (including women and children) especially when 90 per cent of both races don’t want war.
The Higher Command told the colonel last week that we and the Wilts might expect to be relieved here in a week’s time, and that brings us to tonight. We have had information that two destroyers are due in here. Will they bring our reliefs? They are due in any time after 11 o’clock and it’s half past eleven now.
Sunday, 15–Wednesday, 18 June
There has been very little to write about these last few days, the main point of interest being the Commando officers whom we have billeted on us. HQ have also got five billeted on them. Peter Beatty and Randolph Churchill are also with us.
Flash Kellett asked Randolph Churchill to give all available officers, NCOs, and men a talk about conditions in England. He spoke very well and what appeared to be a great deal of sense, pointing out, although we are rather inclined to think so, that ours is not the most important battle front. The Home Front is the most important, followed by the Battle of the Atlantic. He spoke a bit about America, pointing out that although they were giving us all the help that they could, it would all take time as factories had to be built first. He gave the war another 18 months to two years. They do say there will be no further need for these Commando forces. I don’t quite know what they will do if the force is disbanded as most of their regiments are in England. I have an idea that the colonel will try and put Bill McGowan into this regiment if they are disbanded. He asked me all about him.
In the early morning of 16 June we made a big push up from Mersa and captured Fort Capuzzo. The Commando force are up here in connection with that push. Today we heard that they withdrew again in the face of superior numbers back to their original line, which is most disappointing as we had great hopes that Tobruk would be relieved and we should go back to Alex by road.
Randolph Churchill was the prime minister’s son and, although also a Conservative MP, was a serving officer with his father’s old regiment, the Queen’s Own Hussars. In light of the string of defeats, his father had recently been forced to defend himself in Parliament; Churchill’s premiership came under considerable scrutiny at this time, his rallying cries and defiance of the previous summer seemingly forgotten.
Meanwhile, more than 200 tanks had arrived in Egypt in recent weeks so, in conjunction with the operations going on in Syria, and with Rommel seemingly run out of steam, Wavell launched Operation BATTLEAXE, in an attempt to push the Axis back out of Egypt and relieve Tobruk. Unfortunately, within a day of fighting, the British had lost large numbers of tanks, which had rumbled straight into Rommel’s waiting screens of anti-tank guns. On 17 June, BATTLEAXE was called off. The British had taken more than a thousand casualties and lost some 91 tanks.
There was, however, brighter news from Syria, where Free French forces captured Damascus.
Thursday, 19 June
We heard a rumour tonight brought back from the area commander by Randolph Churchill that we have withdrawn to Sidi Barrani. We don’t seem to be able to give these Germans a crack. It really is most disappointing. It’s amazing what stuff the Germans must have got here. Our information is three panzer divisions. It’s true that their lines of communication must be getting very long but I don’t like having the Hun so very near Egypt. We are not making very much progress on the Syrian frontier. The Vichy forces are putting up a strong resistance outside Damascus. There is also talk of a Treaty of Friendship between Turkey and Germany, which is bad, and what with our shipping losses, the outlook this evening is somewhat sorry.
I have very bad flea bites. Two bites on my hip and the glands in my thigh have swollen up.
The general opinion is that we can’t win this war in under 18 months or two years.
Friday, 20–Sunday, 22 June
Our push up to this place has been held up at Sollum and we have withdrawn to our original line back there, which is so disappointing. I understand that they hoped to relieve this place. When eventually Tobruk is relieved it will be interesting to see whether we evacuate by road and hold a line further back. In the mean time we continue to be bombed each day: 286 raids up to the present in the harbour area and we still have no air force here. The heavy AA on the north point do damned well as, during practically every raid, they have been the object of the attack.
On Saturday we sent about 40 of our men back to Jerusalem under the RSM. Our battery sent 20. That leaves us with just one team per gun. A good idea, as that means less people to feed and less to get out if we have to evacuate the place by sea, which I hope will not be the case as the navy declare it will be a most unpleasant job.
At the end of June we will have been here five months.
Still no news from Crete, except that only 50 men got out, including Sergeant Rodger, our old troop sergeant, and Corporal Vickers, one of our troop corporals, in the days when we had horses. All the officers are still missing.
No mail has come through from the family for a great many weeks.
Life goes on much the same each day. We are living on rations completely. For the last few weeks there has been no NAAFI at all, so that means no drink. Personally it does not worry me, although it does some. Things could be very much worse and we can’t grumble. The climate is grand and personally I never find it hot. The fleas and the flies are bloody awful.
Monday, 23 June
We have just heard that Germany has walked into Russia without any declaration of war. So Germany and Russia are at war. Nobody knows Russia’s strength, but this may make all the difference and shorten the war by at least six months or a year.
Obviously, Germany is after the wheat and oil in the Ukraine. Up to the present she has been sure of success before attacking, having well prepared the way by fifth-column activity – let’s hope she has made a very great mistake this time.
Hitler had been planning Operation BARBAROSSA since the previous autumn when he realized Britain would neither come to the peace table nor could be defeated that year. Instead, he decided to bring forward his intended assault on the Soviet Union, hoping to win another rapid victory as he had in the west the previous year. Then, with manpower and resources a-plenty, he could turn back to deal with Britain – and, he hoped, before the United States and her increasing economic clout had intervened more fully. It was an enormous undertaking not least because of the sheer size of the country, the huge logistical difficulties, and the ferociousness of the Russian winter, should victory not be as rapid as hoped. And history, of course, was against Hitler. As Stanley appreciated, Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union was a huge gamble.
Tuesday, 24 June
The Hun had the nerve to drop leaflets during the afternoon. These were addressed to the Aussies, calling on them to surrender. I must try and get hold of one of these pamphlets. I would not care to be in the shoes of any German sitting outside Tobruk, or for that matter in Egypt or Libya a
t all. I am afraid that it might be difficult to get hold of one of these pamphlets as they will be eagerly sought after as souvenirs.
At 6 o’clock this evening we had a debate among the battery in the magazine. We made it voluntary and it really was quite a success. The motion was whether, in the opinion of the house, a horse was a higher animal than the dog. Sergeant Ketchum spoke for the motion and Corporal Darnie opposed. It was then thrown open to the house and we had some very funny remarks. Stephen then summed up and decided the result by a showing of hands. The dog was found to be more intelligent than the horse by one vote only.
The colonel came in during the debate. Somehow he didn’t appear to be in very good form. He wants to get back very badly to find out more news about our troops lost in Crete, and what those who got out are doing now.
We have still got the Commando officers staying with us – Bill McGowan, Captain Dr Sellar and Vivian Berry. They were due to leave Thursday but their departure has been cancelled. No doubt I shall hear the reason in the morning. It’s great fun having them with us. Sellar, the doctor, went out on an expedition last night, about which I can write a lot more after the war. He got in again very early this morning. It was not very successful.
I have a boil on my bottom, which is very painful.
The Commandos spent a lot of time cooling their heels in North Africa after Layforce; the Commando detachment led by Colonel Bob Laycock was deployed to the Middle East in early 1941. One of the outlets that Laycock found for them was as additions to the garrison at Tobruk during the siege. Small detachments were sent on rotation, in order to give them experience of being on the front line. There was a fair amount of raiding too, and this entry probably refers to some such expedition.
Wednesday, 25 June
We had three raids during the day, single bombers coming over and dropping stuff from a high level. After tea I walked with Mike Laycock to see Thompson, who is in hospital here with malaria. He is in the old Italian hospital, which is a pretty grim spot. In the next bed to him there was an Australian with whom we had an interesting talk. He has been on the perimeter and told us that since we started our big push from Sollum there has been a great decrease in the number of German troops round Tobruk and, in spite of our push being somewhat of a failure, we should have made a push from here, as he had been out on patrol practically every night and met absolutely nothing in the way of enemy armoured forces.
We walked back via RHQ. We had to take cover twice when a Heinkel bomber came over and dropped some shit, but nothing very close.
I never knew before that the Italians had built enormous reserve water tanks underground, just close to the old Prison Café. They are at least 60 feet below ground and contain at least 30,000 gallons of reserve water. We found some Aussies in charge, who took us down into the control room, which is also almost 60 feet below ground. We had to climb down a ladder and eventually came into a good-sized hall, which was a kind of control room. Pipes ran all the way down to the harbour from these tanks (concrete) so that the water could be pumped up into them from ships. The sergeant in charge promised to let us have some on the quiet, and added, of course, that he could always do with some whisky if we had any to spare! However, good fresh water can be far more valuable than whisky in these parts.
Smith, my batman, told me today that his wife has given up her job in a factory and has become manageress of a men’s canteen. He is most disturbed about this.
Thursday, 26 June
My day for duty in the BOP. Usual routine during the morning and we had a long hour of signalling. I think I can read Morse code pretty efficiently at 10 words a minute now. I am not so hot at lamp. I had a practice shoot during the morning.
One feels in a way that, after having been here for so long we should really still be here, as part of the original garrison of Tobruk, when the whole place is relieved by a force from Egypt. But who knows? We may yet be here. However, I understand that A Battery will be the last to leave.
Our Commando friends, Bill McGowan, Bill Sellar and Vivian Berry, left last night by destroyer for Alexandria. It has been great fun having them with us.
Friday, 27 June
Last night 40 men and one officer arrived by destroyer to relieve us and take over the coastal defence of Tobruk. They have been sitting in Egypt waiting to come up here for about a month. A certain Major Dockrell was the officer in charge. In spite of having made it quite clear to him that we had absolutely no instruments, that we’d had to improvise for everything, that we’d had to build our own gun pits and put the guns in the pit, he kept asking questions about wind and tide, etc., and then had the nerve to call our BOP very ‘Mickey Mouse-ish’ and the shooting of our guns ‘bow-and-arrow shooting’. However, he knows his job.
He asked Lawrence what we did about wind gauges, to which he replied that we had two methods to gauge the wind, first sucking your finger and putting it in the air and second by feeling the wind on the back of your neck.
Sunday, 29 June
The padre gave us a short service in one of the gun pits. He made quite a good address. We also sang some quite good hymns.
As this might have been our last service here, I could not help feeling that it was rather like the last Sunday at school, and thought that the hymn ‘Now Thank We All Our God’ would have been most appropriate. I mentioned this afterwards to the padre, who said, ‘Let’s get out of the place fast!’
Never in all my life will I experience again that wonderful sensation and happiness of the ‘last Sunday before the holidays’. I don’t care what anyone says, the school days are the happiest, especially the day before and the first day of your holidays. Of course, that all depends whether you have a happy home.
Some bombs fell unpleasantly near the mess.
Monday, 30 June
We had it confirmed that one of the destroyers bringing up our reliefs was dive-bombed and sunk last night. That was the reason why they didn’t arrive. Fortunately they managed to transfer all personnel on to the other destroyer. She sank after they had her in tow. That means we won’t get away as soon as we anticipated.
Tuesday, 1 July
Rather an unpleasant day and quite the most hectic we have had for a long time, from an air point of view. At daybreak we had some ships in the harbour. They were shelled as they came in, which was followed very quickly by some high-level stuff, some of which fell on our point and quite close to our mess. At lunchtime we had about the biggest dive-bombing attack that the place has had, mostly on the harbour. Some estimate that 70 planes were in the attack. The harbour barrage was very effective. Our Hotchkiss gun just behind the mess let off over 400 rounds.
Later in the afternoon we had some shelling. Their guns appeared to be much closer and shells were landing right opposite Navy House and all around the ships.
Finally, in the evening, we had another German high-level bombing attack. In spite of all these attacks, as far as I know, we suffered no casualties and no damage was caused, to the shipping at any rate. At least three enemy planes were brought down.
We have heard that three destroyers are coming in tonight so there is every chance that some more of our relief may be arriving.
I do feel now that I should like to get away from this place, and away from all the war. Steve and I talked about leave together when we do eventually go. What fun it was and what fun it will be.
It’s quite difficult to decide where to go. Alex is not much of a catch with all this bombing they are having there. Cairo is so desperately hot and I don’t particularly want to go to Palestine. We even considered waiting until Syria is ours but then again we have found that if you don’t take leave when you get the chance the chance does not often come again. But, still, we have to get out of the place first.
Wednesday, 2 July
Last night on the destroyers 34 men and two officers of our relief arrived. They were different from the last lot and will relieve either A Battery or Z Battery on this point. Scottie went down to
the docks to meet them and had rather a long wait, which must have been unpleasant when some Hun planes came over.
Thursday, 3 July
When he left here, Bill McGowan promised to send us some whisky up from Mersa. He did this via an air-force officer. In fact he sent two cases. Donny Player went across by truck to the south side of the harbour and broke down. An air-force officer gave him a lift back. They got into conversation and asking the name of Donny’s unit he asked whether there was a certain major called Player. ‘I’m your man,’ replied Donny. The air-force officer then broke the dreadful news about the whisky. Bill McGowan had given him the whisky to bring up and on the boat his batman got somewhat suspicious about the contents as there was such a rattle in the package. They decided to open the cases and found one filled with stones and the other with bully beef. Donny then had almost eight fits of combined rage and disappointment. The whisky will have to be paid for. The question is, do we charge the air force?
We had hopes that more of our reliefs would arrive but no luck.
An Englishman at War Page 19