Grandad’s WWII Diary – Monday 26th October – Tuesday 3rd November 1942

Lady Freyberg, New Zealand Forces Club, Cairo, Egypt. New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. War History Branch :Photographs relating to World War 1914-1918, World War 1939-1945, occupation of Japan, Korean War, and Malayan Emergency. Ref: DA-02387-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23032681

Click here for entry for Tuesday 20th October – Sunday 25th October 1942

Monday October 26

Day 569

Leg & foot put into plaster – very sore & paining. Food ration not very good.

Tuesday October 27

Day 570

Leg a little easier – sent cables away by Padre. Iti prisoners & Palestine Arabs doing orderly work on wards. Sisters very considerate.

Wednesday October 28

Day 571

Lady Freyberg around visiting NZ soldiers giving us tobacco & writing material. Started writing home. News from front seems good.

Thursday October 29

Day 572

Doctor fitted false heel onto plaster. Able to get up tomorrow.

Photo borrowed from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz which shows the names of Wootton family members of Upper Riccarton who served during WW2 including G Wootton. — Photo borrowed from http://www.nzhistory.net.nz which shows the names of Wootton family members of Upper Riccarton & Sockburn who served during WW2 including G F Wootton.

Friday October 30

Day 573

Allowed to get up during afternoon – very awkward walking – classed now as an up patient – go to dining hall for meals – large convoy arriving from front.

Saturday October 31st

Day 574

Heel not a very good success. Hard to walk on. Met Gordon Wootton (I believe he may have been a cousin of my Grandmother). Went to pictures at night saw “Brigham Young”. Good show.

Sunday November 1st

Day 575

Informed soon going to Con. Depot (convalescent depot) sooner the better – half-starved. ??? twice a week. Pictures at night “Grapes of Wrath”.

Monday November 2

Day 576

Packing on heel renewed. Spent most of day laying? on bed. No word on going out.

Tuesday November 3

Day 577

Mrs Chapman of Lowry Hut visited us, receiving sweets & cigarettes. News from front great : believe heavy casualties in div.

The following extract from World War 2 Timelines website in order to put the above into perspective.

http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/war-in-the-desert/war-in-the-desert-index-1942.htm

26/10/1942	The Eighth Army begins re-grouping its divisions at El Alamein for the final breakout.
27/10/1942	A counter-attack by the 21st Panzer-Division to push the attacking British forces back into the German minefields fails, costing them 50 Panzer’s. This leaves the axis forces with just 81 operational tanks.

02/11/1942	Operation ‘Supercharge’, the breakout at El Alamein gets under way. Rommel has only 32 Panzer’s left intact.
03/11/1942	Rejecting out of hand Field Marshal Rommel’s proposal to withdraw the Afrika Korps, now down to about 40 tanks, to the Fuka line, Hitler orders him to stand and fight.

Click here for entry for Tuesday 10th November – Monday 16th November 1942

8 comments

[…] Click here for entry for Monday 26th October – Tuesday 3rd November 1942 […]

Sat 31st Movie was Brigham Young. e was leader of the Mormon church in US Wiki says the movie ,.After the murder of their founder, Joseph Smith (Vincent Price), members of the Mormon Church flee to the West in search of a place to practice their religion in peace. Leading the way is Brigham Young (Dean Jagger), who brings the Mormons to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Seems a funny movie to show to a lot of soldiers!