Friday 16th May 1941

Four Jerries cruised past the OP. The Aussies blazed away. The planes swung off their course, banked left and right, came back, throttles roaring open. ”Look out boys!” We flung ourselves flat, in the sandbagged OP dug-out. The ladder party came scrambling down. I lay near the doorway, phone in hand, watched a plane scream down at an angle of 45 degrees, dead straight. Grey tracer lines at the nose, dead straight. The high-pressure rattle of guns, then it disappeared. Altogether they killed – one man; An Aussie officer who was standing beside his truck and got shot in the throat. (“Figures four enemy aircraft made machine gun attack near the outer perimeter blocks on EL ADEM blocks off sector stop Causalities one officer killed”)

Whilst on watch tonight, I saw gun flashes suddenly commence, from 240 to 280 degrees. It was just after one; I'd been feeling very sleepy until that happened. Presently, two red verey lights went up. This was the Boche signal, “We are being attacked”. Compass at eye, I happily took bearings as the enemy guns fired.