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15 October 2014
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My Dad's Wartime Diaries 6 of 7

by cornwallcsv

Contributed byÌý
cornwallcsv
People in story:Ìý
David Robins
Location of story:Ìý
La Karib, Testour Teboursouck,El Arousa, Bonarda, Goubella Plain
Background to story:Ìý
Army
Article ID:Ìý
A4452888
Contributed on:Ìý
14 July 2005

The following story has been added to the website by ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Cornwall CSV Producer Nina Davey, on behalf of the author David Robins, who understands the site's terms and conditions.

1944
Thursday April 1st wet again two messasmit flew over today early……

Friday 2nd more sunny today pretty quite………

Saturday 3rd very nice day a lot of our planes over head , late evening Meagy was dive bombed 1 messasmit was shot down by spit , pilot baled out , went hunting for wild flowers and turtles……

Sunday 4th fine weather quite ………

Monday 5th nine Stukas bombed a little way from us or they were made to ,the ack ack was tremendous they dropped 25 bombs and killed 6 cows…..

Tuesday 6th fine weather fairly quite , have just heard that twelve spits ran into twenty Stukas ,knocked out fourteen in 5 minutes…..

Wednesday 7th our artillery fired all day started four o’clock this morning attack started plenty of stukas and messasmit and one messasmit down quite near, pilot captured , spits over later…….

Thursday 8th sounds of battle thick and heavy , plenty of planes overhead , fairly good day very windy…

Friday 9th weather OK , sounds of battle died down , plenty of air activity….

Saturday 10th plenty of Me`s over today other wise fairly quite ……..

Sunday 11th very hot , plenty of planes about moved back to cactus position…….

Monday 12th fairly quite few Jerry shells coming over can hear there whistle but out of there range……

Tuesday 13th a bit cloudy today , not much doing a few planes , moved wagon line to a farm about 2 miles away, doing the cooking……

Wednesday 14th bombing last night many flares dropped , got one of the parachutes , thought at first it was a parachutist.. weather OK plenty of our planes over Fortresses
some of our rari bombers dropped there bombs in the wrong place, so the bofers fired and brought one down, bomb dropped near us……

Thursday 15th fairly quite today weather cloudy……

Friday 16th weather still OK not doing much today moved ….

Saturday 17th spent last night on the road convoy got lost , spent today in a waddi under cover moving on tonight……

Sunday 18th April arrived at new place last night in between El Arousa and Bonaroda, on the Goubella Plain plenty of our artillery here , can see Jerry shells bursting opposite to us hope he does not swing his guns round…

Monday 19th weather a bit cloudy first thing , but cleared over , met some 8th army fellow, plenty of our planes over……

Tuesday 20th weather still OK plenty of our planes over also road jammed with traffic moving up, guns tanks and every thing….

Wednesday 21st Barrage started early this morning , Battle commenced stuff still coming up …..

Thursday 22nd Battle still on planes plenty, very few Jerry, …………

Friday 23rd moved up this morning ,still plenty of traffic ,now attached to the 18th Armoured Division , eighth army stopped the night , in a position just of the road wagon broke down…….

Saturday 24th moved up again this morning , I stopped behind till the wagon was towed back to DHQ, weather cloudy ,Me`s were diving and machine gunning the road, yesterday two were shot down, plenty of our bombers going over………….

Sunday 25th we did not get towed back, they came last night and started putting new parts on , battle still going on , plenty of our bombers and spitfires going over……….

Monday 26th still here hope to be away by this afternoon , Jerry bombed near here last night , flares right over head some bombed quite near . left the BHQ whilst having tea there a lorry went over a mine about 20 yards away but nobody hurt but lorry smashed……

Tuesday 27th stopped the night at HQ another raid last night FW raided this morning quite close , moved back to section right up the front………

Wednesday 28th no raid last night artillery on both sides bashing away, Jerry shells landing in front of us they are over the other side of the lake, some of our bombers going over plenty of Jerry ack ack , some Yankee bombers dropped there load on our lines , just on the next ridge could see the bombs burst………

Thursday 29th again no raid last night although flares dropped in distance, bit of an artillery dual all round, fairly quite so far……

Friday 30th no raid last night our artillery started early this morning, Jerry reply . it is now one o’clock and they are still going it only not so fierce, plenty of thumps from the Meagez region……

Saturday 1st MAY fairly quite night no planes over, artillery still going every now and then…..

Sunday 2nd once again a quite night fairly quite day except for shelling weather OK….

Monday 3rd left again for Meagez area harboured for the night ………

Tuesday 4th left again for La Karib and once again harboured via Testour Teboursouk.

Wednesday 5th big push coming off leaving again with the 7th Armoured Division eighth army for Teboura…..

Thursday 6th stopped last night on the road side at El Arousa, moved on again next morning at 5 o’clock moving up with the 7th division over the fields over the hills
through the gap the infantry made , now in front of artillery , some in front of us and to the sides up by the ghurkers pushing through to Tunis. Over 300 bombers over today bombing the roads jammed with Jerry transport, 108 went over in 5 minutes the rest shuttle cock service. Jerry on the run on all fronts, plenty of burnt out vehicles on both sides , plenty of graves on both sides . blood wagon going to and fro, now in position in field might move on again tonight Tanks just in front of us ours. Indians going in tonight…….

Friday 7th still moving up slowly plenty of our aircraft about no Jerry, in fact plenty of ours moving up all through the gap here. Just heard the 11th Hussars in Tunis went in position on the flank where the Jerry’s are cut off about 8 miles from Tunis…..

Saturday 8th moved on again went through Tunis what a reception people clapping hands , yelling and cheering could hardly drive the lorry through the crowds, took up position by the docks , rear of old Jerry position but they had blown everything up ,
thousands of prisoners marching through , four Iti`s gave them selves up to us , went back through Tunis to another place. Stopped the night plenty of wine…..

Sunday 9th moved back to watch 4 miles off Tunis, took up another position…..

Monday 10th have not moved yet , still plenty of bombers going over no signs of any Jerry planes, every thing fairly quite , all over bar the shouting……

Tuesday 11th still here moved back to RHQ. at Souk El Khemis believed to be going back for a spot of training……

Wednesday 12th still at RHQ……

Thursday 13th moving further back this afternoon back to Bougia for training…..

Friday 14th still travelling ………..

Saturday 15th still travelling ………..

Sunday 16th arrived at Bougia………..

Monday 17th started training on the beach……

Tuesday 18th still training………….

Wednesday 19th still training………

Thursday 20th not much to do …….

Friday 21st not much to do except bath in the med………..

Saturday 22nd loaded lorries and guns on LST for practice invasion………

Sunday 23rd went aboard ……….

Monday 24th spent night aboard went ashore this morning at 5.30…….

Tuesday 25th still on gun sight on manoeuvres ……….

Wednesday 26th manoeuvre fine back to camp……..

Thursday 27th nothing , usual camp life……..

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