Tobruk - A First Hand Account
The pages below are scanned from Arthur Shannon's personal diary, which he kept every day throughout his war service.
The copied pages have been treated with a blue wash to enhance the clarity of Arthur's handwriting.
The diary extract begins as the 9th Division moves across Egypt into Libya, to take on the Axis forces advancing westward with the intention of taking the Suez Canal.
It makes for gripping reading.
The Australians realize they are outnumbered and cannot hold the advancing enemy. They then begin a retreat, with Arthur's group having several close shaves getting past the encircling enemy.
They retreat to Tobruk, where they establish defences and look for an early arrival of reinforcements. Instead, the Siege of Tobruk begins and what was expected to be a short stay turns into months.
Arthur's personal diary is interesting in that, in the midst of action he still finds time to create a garden and observe the flowers, shrubs and trees of the area.
He also continues with his love of geology, collecting rock samples and fossils.
The selected diary extracts below continue until the end of the third month of the siege.
The copied pages have been treated with a blue wash to enhance the clarity of Arthur's handwriting.
The diary extract begins as the 9th Division moves across Egypt into Libya, to take on the Axis forces advancing westward with the intention of taking the Suez Canal.
It makes for gripping reading.
The Australians realize they are outnumbered and cannot hold the advancing enemy. They then begin a retreat, with Arthur's group having several close shaves getting past the encircling enemy.
They retreat to Tobruk, where they establish defences and look for an early arrival of reinforcements. Instead, the Siege of Tobruk begins and what was expected to be a short stay turns into months.
Arthur's personal diary is interesting in that, in the midst of action he still finds time to create a garden and observe the flowers, shrubs and trees of the area.
He also continues with his love of geology, collecting rock samples and fossils.
The selected diary extracts below continue until the end of the third month of the siege.
Click on each page to enlarge.
Benghazi Handicap Recalled
While serving in Syria , Arthur noted in his diary entry for January 28th 1942, that the Russians were still advancing, but so were the Japanese.
In Libya, the Allies had made a withdrawal.
"Hope it doesn't develop into another Benghazi Handicap " he wrote.
"What a muck up ours was!.
Our Intelligence summaries for a few weeks before had given details of the great German concentrations in Tripolitania ( we knew all right), but yet they sent the half-trained, very poorly equipped 9th Division to garrison and hold the place.
On the day before the retreat our air recce saw a large column of armoured vehicles moving towards Mechili. Reported they were ours.
Because of that we were turned back to our position near Maddalena when we had started to withdraw on the night before the big rush. Hence the big rush the following night, when it was discovered that they were enemy tanks and had reached Michili - thereby threatening our withdrawal."
In Libya, the Allies had made a withdrawal.
"Hope it doesn't develop into another Benghazi Handicap " he wrote.
"What a muck up ours was!.
Our Intelligence summaries for a few weeks before had given details of the great German concentrations in Tripolitania ( we knew all right), but yet they sent the half-trained, very poorly equipped 9th Division to garrison and hold the place.
On the day before the retreat our air recce saw a large column of armoured vehicles moving towards Mechili. Reported they were ours.
Because of that we were turned back to our position near Maddalena when we had started to withdraw on the night before the big rush. Hence the big rush the following night, when it was discovered that they were enemy tanks and had reached Michili - thereby threatening our withdrawal."
The problems of inadequate training and a shortage of supplies and equipment was set out in a previous page of this website. To return to that page now, CLICK HERE.
Arthur was also critical of the desert campaign in an earlier entry in his private diary:
December 29th 1941:
"Believe that present campaign in destert was a terrible shomozzle till Tobruk.
Our propaganda is terrific lot of lies.
Our tank losses were 2 to 1 German --- published losses 1 to 3."
December 29th 1941:
"Believe that present campaign in destert was a terrible shomozzle till Tobruk.
Our propaganda is terrific lot of lies.
Our tank losses were 2 to 1 German --- published losses 1 to 3."