Thursday 11th December 1941

A depressing day of rumours. Cold, dusty, high wind. Eventually we rigged up a bivouac tent; what a relief to crawl into a still, unstirred pocket of air and smoke a cigarette. In mid-forenoon nearly all our lorries were handed over to our gallant allies, the Poles. Our stores and equipment however, are still stacked in one of the gun pits. Bloody chaos.

Now it is stated that A and D Troops are to be the artillery of a mobile column. Bits of B and presumably E Troops are, for the present to remain in Tobruch as garrison artillery. The rest of us are to be infantry men in the mobile column!
Stevens, Ling and Search remain here as wireless operators and ammo numbers. Naden goes to “A” Troop and Tubby Cartwright back to the water cart. Around here (excluding “wastes” of course) that leaves Grant, possibly George, Andrews, Scott, Strain, Tiny Plane, and myself for the mobile column. It should be an interesting experience if it “comes off” but the idea is really too fantastic to be true!

British planes in great numbers roar about all day above Tobruch. The Bardia road is crowded with vehicles as convoy after convoy clatters in from the frontier. There are obviously still enemy troops in the vicinity of Tobruch. at night we can see their flares rising. They are over to the west, possibly in the Pilastrino and Medauuar sectors.