大象传媒

Don鈥檚 War Diary Settling in Sicily August 1943
With the campaign in Sicily over, Don鈥檚 group settle in, briefly, to a routine and get to know some of the locals. As an artist, he draws panoramas of the areas over which 78 Division have fought. Then, after some leave reported in another document, they prepare to leave by commercial ferry! to Italy.

Wednesday 19th August
Our early this morning with drawing kit all ready on Thompson鈥檚 truck. Went via Bronte, Adrano and Regalbuto to Catenanouva then up to our roadhouse on Centuripe road. Started drawing the required panorama from small balcony of house, unfortunately over the top of mule stable resulting in many flies. Later the boys of the family returned and we brewed up again. They were helpful and took an empty cigarette tin and got some milk straight out of the cow. They also brought some figs. We gave them in return some cigarettes and biscuits. About 15.00 we moved on to Centuripe and stopped to do a sketch. An old lady came out and drew my attention to the fact that there were some unused 2鈥� Fiat mortar bombs under some stones and would we do something about them. I told her in my best Italian to go and inform the local AMGOT She then told me that her house had been bombed and the AMGOT had given her a new house with which she was very pleased. To finish she rushed to her house and brought an apron full of almonds and thrust them in my pocket.

Friday 20th August
Up at 01.00 to finish packing. Packed up and tea at 02.45; I found some biscuits, which I was glad of. Got on bike at 03.15 and found about a cap full of petrol. Road bumpy with shell holes. Arrived at Randazzo about 04.15. Very badly knocked about, fires still burning. Outside Randazzo some lousy declines and inclines 鈥� diversion because of bridge blown by RAF. Hair raising. However, managed to stay on. Smudger came off. Road improved considerably after this and we climbed a range of mountains and were through S.Dominica by daylight where I ran out of petrol and filled from Frank. Roads white with dust and all smothered. Beginning to run into better country now. Via Naso-Castell, Umberto to Capa Orlando where we ran into terrific traffic jam about 10.45, so Redman and I went down to the Cape for a spin. Met some American speaking Italians there. On return was detailed to go to new HQ with four trucks. Pushed on along coast road via Brolo where the Princes castle had a beautiful hole through the tower and the road ran through a tunnel nicely mined and the sea wall removed for you to go over. Through several more towns along this marvellous coast road with green small coastal plain on the left and mountains on the right. Lipari island very clear. Nuts and all fruits being thrown at you by the population. Eventually arrived at guide (Hawthorn) and went on to LAD place. On again with rest of convoy to follow but they got tied up and I stood in the village of Tindari awaiting them from 15.30 till 20.30 鈥� much to the interest of the local inhabitants. Our new location right on top of a mighty great hill 2000feet above the sea immediately below it 鈥� blue with small lagoon bar boats etc. Hospital and church (a place of pilgrimage) with Italian PoWs there as well. We occupy the hotel and grounds! We made our beds in a flowerbed!

Saturday 21st August
Good sleep but still feeling drowsy. Bags of work, but sent chaps to bathe in afternoon. They came back absolutely whacked after climbing hill face after two Italians (guides in civvy street!). Cole says I may be able to get some leave. Hope so. People friendly and good workers. I have not yet sampled bathing 鈥� chiefly too busy but also wary of the climb 鈥� not worth it. Hard at it all day. Brigadier pleased with snaps and panoramas. Italian kids around all day for cigarettes. One handsome young kid of 15 (Salvatore) came in this evening and gave us a little tuition in Italian. Went up to see chaps in the RAF observation post. Sgt there knew Auchinleck very well. Eynon preparing for day fishing tomorrow with Salvatore. Harry French gave me another 100 feet of film. Good old Harry.

Monday 23rd August
Hard at it all day. Brigadier had a word with me this morning when I took up the Centuripe map. Pleased with job and panoramas Promised me a holiday when two of each done. Harold away bathing etc all day 鈥� returned without fish. This evening went up to air force place. Salvatore came in this evening and gave us a few lessons in Italian. Decent kid and well educated. He works in the Church. We bought some souvenirs from the church shop. Went in church and saw the famous 鈥淏lack Madonna鈥� apparently of Turkish origin. A magnificent piece of work. Found that gin mixed with raw lemon juice makes a good drink. Boys bring the lemons in whenever required. Rained heavily during the night.

Tuesday 24th August
Hard at it all day. Bought more souvenirs today. We were all at it all day. In the evening Jimmy and I went up to the RAF joint. There met an American doctor and orderlies. Talked long with him. Apparently one of his staff has connection with Calabria 鈥� the birthplace of his parents. Stopped there a long time, changed a few English fags for American and had some cocoa with them. Doctor promised me some medical supplies. This afternoon 15 Italians with a pass to inspect electric light installation appeared in large truck. After usual pow-wow learnt they wanted to replace tyres off a decent derelict Italian truck 5 kms down road. Told BM he said send one of my chaps down to Frank and get his authority. Harold went and apparently Frank wants that wheel to replace one on our HD truck of the same make so Italians couldn鈥檛 have it. Anyway, whilst two had gone to see another truck down the road, the remaining had whipped the wheel off whilst Frank was having tea. He only got there in time. He raved, so did they. They said 鈥淲e are fighting for light鈥� Frank said we are fighting for life! Anyway, they said they would see me tomorrow.

Wednesday 25th August
They turned up with another note this time signed by 鈥淛oe B鈥� the Major鈥檚 interpreter!!! With a flash of inspiration I sent them to AMGOT 鈥� Patti. I expect AMGOT will turn up next. BM leaving tomorrow came up to say goodbye. Major Ball his successor. Lots of fever 鈥� not malaria in about 90% cases. American doctor gave me a box of supplies. I gave him 10 gallons petrol in exchange. We have 2000gallons we don鈥檛 know what to do with.

Thursday 26th August
Still working. Finished two sets of maps and took them to the Brigadier only to be told that another set was wanted as soon as possible!! I nearly wept. However, we got cracking again and made good progress. This evening Harold and I went out with a couple of locals to buy some wine. One Effore of Milan a naturalized Spaniard( 30 years in Spain) and just out of the army. He was in uniform when we arrived at Tindani. He is an Anarcho-syndicalist kicked out of Spain by France shoved straight into the army by Mussolini. The other chap, Dante, small and quiet a bank clerk from Palermo. Had three children, one unfortunately died depriving him of exemption from military service. They were a good pair of companions and they took us to the wine shop at La Scala where we got vino. La Scala very rural and untouched.

Thursday 2nd September
Back to routine. Tusky brought me tea early. Capt. Hobbs of 56 Recce now our I.O. A damned nice fellow and I hope he stays. We shall get on well. Carried on with the maps.

Friday 3rd September
This morning Capt Greydon came and took service in our recreation room, the school room in via Teatro Greco. Very good attendance. He promised to come up this evening but eventually couldn鈥檛. We invade Italy!!

Saturday 4th September
Maps again. Expected Greydon up this evening but through a balls up he didn鈥檛 so I arranged a debate on 鈥淐amp followers鈥�. A good evening and well spoken. Motion defeated by 26!

Sunday 5th September
My seventh wedding anniversary and Duncan鈥檚 fifth birthday. However, I celebrated by going to service at the hospital, on the roof, and Communion after. Greydon came up this evening for prayers and discussion on after the war. He made a good speech and stimulated a good debate.

Monday 6th September
Progress in Italy slowed by demolitions. Gathering concourse of people in the area owing to Festival. All classes have arrived. We now have a quarter guard from each battalion every day. Most impressive. This evening a sing-song in recreation room. Sent chaps and prepared my talk on the appreciation of art. I never thought I should forget as much as I have. Finished panorama of Centuripe and duplicated.

Tuesday 7th September
More people than ever have arrived here. LIR on guard, very smart. Sgts. mess opened. Terry O鈥機onnor gave me battery so I have W/T set going.

Wednesday 8th September
This evening we had the Divisional Concert Party up. Quite good. Today has been the festival of the Sanctuary here and there have been hundreds of people up here for it. Numerous vendors of food and souvenirs also beggars of both sexes. One of the most amazing things is to see people walking about with long strings of baked nuts (hazel or cob). They taste good.

Sunday 12th September
This morning the BM gave us a talk on saluting of US officers. Rather feeble. Service and communion with Capt Radice in recreation room. Quite nice. This evening Capt Greydon came along and we had a discussion on whether our fathers were better than we were! A good discussion and many good points. We decided that man鈥檚 instinctive goodness or badness was the same all the time. Afterwards, when I got back to office we celebrated National Thanksgiving day by drinking 4 bottles of wine 鈥� good stuff. We were very merry by midnight.

Monday 14th September
According to radio position pretty serious but advancing well from toe and heel. Much air activity over us. 36 Brigade concert party gave us show. Very good, but one鈥檚 mind had to be very broad!

Wednesday 16th September
Today Capt Hobbs told me of our impending move over to Italy. I am sorry that our former hopes of going home were KO鈥檇 but I鈥檓 glad that, if we are to stay out here that we are going to Italy.

Friday 17th September
Today the inoculation racket is on again. Damned funny we should be here for such a hell of a time and at the last they have to do it just as we are moving! Fortunately, BM gave me some jobs just as the hour arrived and I missed it. . Finished maps for Brigadier only to be told that he wanted yet another copy! Apparently we are going over on a static job 鈥� airfields. Griff no 3 published. My article Colonel Blimp in Griff.

Saturday 18th September
Booze up in the officers鈥� mess tonight. Had a drop of their rum punch. I shall be sorry to leave Tindari because we all seem to have settled down here OK. I have my bed nicely set up with mosquito net on hoops, water laid on for washing, tea brought in at 07.00

Sunday 19th September
Still cracking on with maps. Went to communion service with Rev Radice in the hospital. Afterwards went to recreation room for Capt. Greydon鈥檚 discussion on 鈥淗ow are we going to revive religion after the war?鈥�
Monday 20th September
Cowboy hard at work on the map case he is making for Capt. Hobbs. He is a sticker. Hell of a party in the Officers鈥� mess. Webb-Brownings 21 St Pipers yelling and they put all the lights on on the balcony overlooking the sea. Rather ludicrous as we have been warned to put our head inside a truck when lighting a fag. Consequently a notice (hand written) appeared on the detail board. 鈥淧ut your head in a truck to light up. Remember officers only are entitled to endanger your lives!鈥�!

Wednesday 22nd September
Today spent in packing up, which we finally accomplished about 18.00. Then we got down to it for a few hours. We made our farewells to the Tindarians 鈥擲ebastiano(I shall miss his excellent washing), Salvatore etc. The night was awfully hot and sticky. I finished my bottle of whisky before I went to bed. I am sorry to be leaving Tindari. We had got used to the place and people.

Thursday 23rd September
Reveille at 02.00 after a few hours sleep! Packed our kit and after breakfast at 02.45 we pulled out of Tindari at 04.00. Capt. Hobbs, Brigadier and SC had gone on about 03.30. We made our way east towards Messina by the coast road through somnolent towns that reeked of newly made wine. The tubs and barrels are all over the place. Through Olivine, Faalione, Barcellone, Stadofusta and then by the serpentine and steep hills which lie behind Messina. You cannot see either Italy or Messina until you reach the top of this hill. The valley is a long was down with Cyprus trees studding its white sandy floor. The hillsides are meticulously terraced and cultivated with small trees and cypresses and occasionally an elegant building, which looked very beautiful against the blue Mediterranean I got well in front of the column up the road on which there were many hairpin bends and demolitions and ran into Messina about 08.30. The road entering the town is very bad with buildings badly knocked about. There were thousands of people walking about which made progress slow. Stopped and talked to an MP as a junction. He told me of the life in Messina. Apparently there are reckoned to be 3000 prostitutes in the place and they have only arrested 200 so there are a good few left for those who indulge. The convoy came along and we went through the town to the south where we concentrated near some buildings. We hadn鈥檛 been there long before we were besieged by Messinans selling everything from razor blades, fruit, wine, cutlery, religious souvenirs post cards (clean) and the inevitable barber. I bought several small bottles of vermouth, a knife and fork and some postcards. We had breakfast and lounged about until after dinner when Page-Backhouse came back with the tickets for the ferry (we were never asked for them) and we moved off to the dock area. Here we stood close up and expected to go on at any moment but as there were other vehicles after an hour or so we knew we should be there for a long time. Several had a push round the surrounding streets, which had been terrifically damaged. I went into the bottom floor of one large block of flats and picked up a small Italian New Testament and a small pewter jug. The Signals were also busy with the Signals Office vehicle trying to procure a piano but the news got round and the project was stopped by the intervention of the CMP. After dinner we were informed that we were likely to go over tonight! However, with Major Wilson 152 Fwd Ambulance I explored the remains of the station. It appears that it was still being built 鈥� it will almost need rebuilding now. It鈥檚 a magnificent edifice with tessellated floor and ceiling, all modern fittings and design. I picked up a few tickets off the floor at random for Duncan. There was not one truck or carriage in the station that was untouched. Large chunks of the line were uprooted. As it fell dark we were moved down to the dock proper where we were told we were to go over in two parties 鈥� one at 23.30 and the other at 03.30 the next day. I was in the latter. On the way down I nearly found a hole about four feet deep, just cleared it. Whist we were waiting we sang part songs. With the prospect of a chance of sleep, Redman and I fortunately found a shack made of oil drums, roofed with bits of the station, and we got down to it therein preference to the concrete slabs of the dock itself. Unfortunately the overpowering smell of dead bodies which hung over the piles of masonry round the docks seemed fullest around where we slept but it didn鈥檛 distract us.

Friday 24th September
Called at 03.00 and after 6 hours of sound sleep we got aboard the ferry (the real one) The ferry itself fits dead into a horseshoe shaped dock with a first floor 鈥� very elegantly designed. Soon after 03.30 we had shaken the soil of Sicily off our feet. I went straight off to sleep again on top of a hatch and did not awaken until we arrived off Reggio. It was rather funny as all our lot had done the same and the crew (Captain a Russian, mate a Spaniard) had to awaken all the chaps who were sound asleep. We were all ashore by 06.30 but it took some time before we got to the concentration area in river bed on the way to Catona.

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