April, 1943

Thursday April 1: Papers from home. Duty 1-5pm - very quiet. Shocking weather, evening a concert. I could not attend, I was on duty all night.

Friday April 2: My birthday, 26 today. Went to Arba with Harry, got more air-graphs. Played cards with Pick. Served Mass. Duty 8-1pm. Moved to new site on airfield. Duty 6-10pm, as we reached our new site Jerry came over very low. Five were brought down and five probables. We lost three Kites. Later this evening Jerry straffed the drome.

Saturday April 3: Organised the tent. Very hot. Washed socks. Duty 1-5pm Group Capt. Gilroy doing well. Junkers 88 brought down in the sea this evening. On night shift. Took bombers out.

Monday April 5: Washed socks. Jerry followed our bombers back 170+. 14 destroyed on the airfield. Tunis, Sicily and Sardinia bombed. Duty 8.30-1pm, very busy with sweeps.

Evening duty Mr Jones asked for 10 volunteers, Harry and I joined the party to leave at 9am tomorrow.

Tuesday April 6: Reached Mateur.

Wednesday April 7: Weather too bad for flying. Move postponed. Advance due to start in the morning. Moved to Le Kef at 2pm.

Thursday April 8: AM. Duty for two hours. Medjez again, duty 2pm.

Sunday April 11: Reached our site beyond Le Kef. Pitch camp, everything OK. Our work a success, went into Le Kef in the evening.

Monday April 12: On the air for two hours.

Tuesday April 13: Waiting for orders. Back to Souk el Kemis. Went for a bath in Souk el Arba. Met cousin (chef) gave us some extra grub. Cooked supper in the tent. Bostons no operating from our airstrip.

Thursday April 15: Duty 8.30am, very busy. Yanks shot down one of Spitfires and damaged another. Duty 5-10pm. Mr Jones on duty - very busy. Hurricane shot down a Junkers 88.

Friday April 16: Enemy Kites very high overhead. They bombed us. One Boston blown up and three damaged. Two soldiers killed. I lay under a lorry with Jack during the raid. We were scared stiff. Duty 11pm the Hurricanes did not operate but our bombers were out all night.

Saturday April 17: In bed lying on my ground sheet. Warned by Mr Dennent that we are the German bombers target in 10 minutes, scatter and good luck.

I dived into a trench with Doug, Pickaver, Jim and Jock. We were frightened and Pick and I ran and lay under a lorry. With all the flares it was like daytime. We decided to run across the field and dived into a bomb crater and sat there until the raidwas over. I then noticed that my trousers were back in the tent. One Junkers 88 brought down. Hell of a night. My backside covered in blood from sitting on a cactus, but I never felt it.

Sunday April 18: Duty 8.30am - 12 hostiles over. Photos taken of the airfield. On my way to the Operations room Jerry dive-bombed the drome just on my left - I lay in a trench and thought the end had come. There was shrapnel all around but had to move on as I was expected on duty despite the fact that the hostiles were dive-bombing again. Lucky to be alive. Duty 5-10pm 12 aircraft attacked at 6 pm. Informed another enemy raid at 9pm. They came on time and bombed the airfield - felt the blast quite close. The lads called a meeting to decide who was the most frightened airman during the raids. We all told a story. My true story was that I sat on a cactus with no trousers on during a raid and returned to the ten with my backside covered in blood and full of needles which the lads pulled out. I was elected President of The Heroes Club and presented with a special card. On the card it stated 'This card will ALWAYS be carried'.

Monday April 19: Duty 1-5pm, over 100 aircraft sent from here bomb targets near Tunis. Hurricanes sent out at 6pm to the same target. We waited all night expecting Jerry. On night duty - very busy - area raid on Bizerta.

Tuesday April 20: Tropical kit to be work. Went to Thyba with Mr Gray. Went to Mass and Confession. Many new lads arrived - had a booze up.

Wednesday April 21: Duty AM and PM. Eighth Army have taken Envidaville and Banana Road retaken with a Bayonet charge by the guards near Medjez. Attack to start at midnight on Medjez. 1,500 tanks ready. The Yanks and the 8th Army to take Pont Du Fahs and then on to Tunis by April 30. Waited for the barrage to start at midnight.

Thursday April 22: Duty on 898 radar station. Very busy. We gave Jerry Hell-Hell-Hell. The enemy only had 14 Messerschmitts approx up and we had hundreds of planes airborne.

Friday April 23: Went into Tyba, arrived at 3pm. Bought some wine. Watched a Junkers 88 coming down in flames.

Saturday April 24: Reported sick. To go into hospital when the battle is over. Duty quiet, weather poor. Killed a rat. I reported interceptions. We lost 10 aircraft, three enemy down.

Easter Sunday: Managed to get to Mass and Communion via a jeep. Duty 1-8pm.

Easter Monday: My sister is getting married today. Washed my shirt. Warned to be ready to move, Yanks to be first in Bizerta.

Tuesday April 27: Very busy, dog fights all over the front line.

Wednesday April 28: Duty 1-5pm. Very busy - stand off.

Thursday April 29: Night duty. A Beau fighter shot down four enemy aircraft.