The basic format of this war diary blog is quite straightforward as I have copied everything George Hickman wrote down word for word. Unfortunately certain parts of the original diary are illegible due to the fact it was handwritten in ink and suffered some water damage. There are also some military abbreviations and expressions that I am still trying to decipher, so essentially this is still a work in progress.
Entries in green are standard notations printed in his army diary by the publisher.
Entries in brown are research notes I have added myself. In some cases these will link to external sites to provide more detailed information.
Entries in brown are research notes I have added myself. In some cases these will link to external sites to provide more detailed information.
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| George Hickman having a quiet drink before WW2 kicked off. |
1st January 1943
I go on my course Monday for seven days. Receive two air-graphs, one from Gwen one from mother. We are getting good food here. Guard 12 - 1. Looks orderly. Plenty of work but also plenty of grub. Pictures in camp. This month Reuters. Good. Guard 1 hour.
Click on the Reuters link to see an excerpt of the film that George would have watched.
2nd January 1943
Visited by Major and other officers. Gun drill. Laying on Turkish Hurricanes. Guard 1 hour.
Hawker Hurricanes were fighter planes that saw extensive action during WW2.
3rd January 1943
(2nd after Christmas - Sunrise, 8.6 a.m : sunset 4.3 p.m.)
Hear that I have got to go to Jerusalem on the cable laying course. Should be okay. Guard 1 hour.
During WW2, cable laying was an essential for maintaining mobile communications and thus control of the amoured forces. It was a time consuming job, as the average regimental vehicle carried 15 miles of cable that had to be set down by the troops. Rather dishearteningly 70% of damage to surface cables came from our own troops! For more information please click here.
4th January 1943
Go by lorry to Allenbury Barracks in Jerusalem. Lectures on cable laying. Very interesting. Go to pictures at night. Have supper in Y.M.C.A.
5th January 1943
First air-mail letter card from Gwen. Lectures morning and afternoon, very interesting. Weather is very cold here as Jerusalem is very high up. Good picture at night 'Little Foxes.'
Click on the Little Foxes link to see an excerpt of the film that George would have watched.
6th January 1943
Lectures getting a bit dry. No guards for a change.
7th January 1943
Painting tel wires in the morning, switch board in afternoon. Go to King George Pictures at night. Supper in Y.M.C.A which is the biggest in the world.
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| Aerial view of Jerusalem Y.M.C.A - Photo courtesy of A30yoyo |
(Evacuation of Gallipoli, 1916.)
Examination. Pretty easy, I think I have passed okay. Afternoon spent outside cable laying. Break a fourteen pound hammer in one hit. Pictures - 'Four Women In White.'
Click on the Four Women In White link to see an excerpt of the film that George would have watched.
9th January 1943
(Battle of Kut began, 1917.)
Lectures in morning. Reconnoitering (gathering military information) for gunsites in afternoon outside Jerusalem. Last day tomorrow. A very long time we have had here. Y.M.C.A. No guards.
10th January 1943
Laying out gun-site wires to Territorial Headquarters. Interesting. Lorry supposed to call for us at nine o'clock, turns up at twelve. Go back to gun-site. Moving out tomorrow. Guard 1 hour.
11th January 1943
(Hilary Law Sittings begin)
Start early in the morning. Meet convoy. Go through Jerusalem to Jericho. Hell of a place. Pitch tent. Thirteen sleep in small tent. I am picked for guard - just my luck!
12th January 1943
Pitching all the tents in lines. Raining mostly all the day long. Orders for scrubbing webbing (apparently this was a process that involved cleaning straps that held the haversacks, water bottles etc in place). All we do is mess around. No guards.
13th January 1943
Marching drill in road, finish up with an hours Anti Tank. Weather here very warm. New Sergeant M.M.
14th January 1943
Put in for a twenty four hour pass to Jerusalem. Scrubbing packs of the webbing. Having a pretty easy time here. No guard tonight.
15th January 1943
Go with Arthur to Jerusalem on lorry. Leave Jericho. Weather great. Arrive at Jerusalem pouring with rain. Good feed at Y.M.C.A and book bed for the night. Good show at night. Forces night.
16th January 1943
Start back to Jericho. Arrive and picked for picket duty tonight. Lecture by M.M Sergeant about Crete. Interesting. Send £10 home.
Jericho is a city located near the river Jordan in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. During WW2 the British built fortresses there with the help of the Jewish company Solel Boneh. Bridges were also rigged with explosives in preparation for an invasion by German forces. Interestingly Jericho is described in the Hebrew Bible as the "City of Palm Trees," although these days it is probably more like the City of Matchsticks.
17th January 1943
Day of rest. Laying miles of cable from T.H.Q (Territorial Head Quarters) to B.H.Q (British Head Quarters). Tough job. Get it down and have to pull it back up again. Start five in morning and up at ten o'clock at night. Dog tired. Fed up.
18th January 1943
Work my loaf. Get off the mobile do, easy day. Should have been on guard but I got away with it. Send photos home to Gwen.
 Gwen and George - They kept in touch by letter and married on January 12th 1946. |
1hrs Physical Training - games, running, marching. Hectic but great. Get a new pullover and hat from Quartermaster Sergeant. Detailed for maneuvers for tomorrow with gun crew.
20th January 1943
Join convoy in position with gun. Fine view, highest mountains in Palestine. Starts pouring with rain. Get drowned. On picket at night.
21st January 1943
Asked by officer who I stopped while on guard if I was dry. Thought for a minute he was going to buy us a drink but he just wanted to talk about the rain. Physical Training for an hour. Great.
22nd January 1943
Finishing here in afternoon. Good nights sleep. Certainly needed it. 1 hr Physical Training - walking and running on road. Rest of the day on parade and fatigues. Moving from here soon. Two new officers over our troop.
23rd January 1943
Battery parade. Fatigues in morning putting up tents. Do a bit of scrubbing in afternoon. Rest of the day off. Picked for picket, but glad to relate it was cancelled.
24th January 1943
(3rd after Epiphany - Dogger Bank Naval Battle, 1915 - Sunrise, 7.51 a.m. ; Sunset, 4.34 p.m.)
Church parade. Read out for main guard tonight. Moving out at nine in the morning. Packing up our kits etc. Glad to see the back of this place.
25th January 1943
Arrive at Haifa at 2 o'clock. Get gun in action. Pretty good site. Have an alsatian pup given us, also a cat. Good hut to live in. Bunks to sleep in. Gil on top and me underneath. Guard at night 1 hour.
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| Guide Map of Haifa 1943 - Taken from a welfare handbook given to soldiers. |
26th January 1943
(Australia Day.)
Find a difference here in weather. Pretty cold. Go down to check canteen at night time. Mail from home has been delayed this last week or so.
27th January 1943
Cleaning ammo in dump all morning. Digging a garden outside the hut in afternoon.
28th January 1943
Raining all day long. Ammo dump gets flooded. Have to bail it out with a bucket. Go to chez camp N.A.F.F.I and pictures at night. Guard 1 hour.
29th January 1943
(Victoria Cross instituted, 1856 - LastQtr.,8.13am.)
Pretty interesting on this post as we are near docks, railway, oil refinery and main roads to all parts. Go to showers in glass works. Great.
30th January 1943
Read a good book called in 'The Steps Of The Master'. Pretty interesting as all the places it mentions in Palestine I have seen myself. Still pouring with rain and still bailing.
31st January 1943
(4th after Epiphany - Partridge and Pheasant Shooting ends - Sunrise 7.41 a.m. ; Sunset 4.46 p.m.)
Food here is under the arm. Very poor rations, just a bit of meat and had a biscuit for dinner. Glad when I get out to buy something. What a life.
February 1st 1943
Still raining and still bailing. Fag issue pretty good this week, generally no good and give them to the Italians.
February 2nd 1943
Cleaning about two hundred rounds of ammo. Some job. New Sergeant comes on post. M.M nice bloke. Guard 1 hour at night.
February 3rd 1943
Have a chat with Sergeant MacAlister, certainly has had some rum do's. Still pouring with rain. Bailing etc.
February 4th 1943
(New Moon, 11.29 p.m - A total eclipse of the Sun, Invisible at Greenwich.)
Easy morning. A few questions by officer. Afternoon pass to Haifa with Gil. Pictures - The Westerner. Good. Get some photos to send to Gwen. Good feed. Back to gun-post.
February 5th 1943
Cleaning gun in morning. Bailing etc. Shall be glad when dry weather comes. Brigadier was to visit us but did not turn up. Made a pipe out of bamboo, works ok. 1 hour guard at night.
February 6th 1943
(Army Council Instituted, 1904 - New Zealand Day.)
Gun gang cut to seven men. Rest go on a course. Afternoon recreation. Letter from Sam, first I have had from him for months. 1 hour guard at night.
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| George and Sam in civilian clothes with unknown bloke. |
February 7th 1943
(5th after Epiphany - Sunrise, 7.30 a.m ; Sunset 4.59 p.m)Easy day. Air raid warning, first for a month. Plenty of air and night guards. Take over gun number 1.
February 8th 1943
Sergeant MacAlister goes to new Battery. Gun drill on road and air raid warning while I am on air raid sentry. Playing lexicon and crib at night (card games). 1 and 1/2 hours guard at night.
February 9th 1943
Predictor. Drill in morning number 1. Air raid Junkers 88 overhead but too high to have a crack at. Photos took with some camera. 1 and 1/2 hour guard.
The Junkers Ju 88 was one of the most versatile aircraft in the Luftwaffe (German air force). There were several different versions of it including bombers, heavy fighters, destroyers and D series models which functioned as reconnaissance bombers. For more information please click here.
February 10th 1943
Mail from home is very bad at present, hardly anything come in the last few weeks. Routine and guards.
February 11th 1943
(Salmon fishing begins on certain Scottish rivers.)
Padres services. Cleaning ammo. My afternoon pass, go to Haifa with George Hale. Pictures afternoon and night. Go to cafe for a drink. Good night. 1 hour guard.
February 12th 1943
(Battle of the Straits of Dover, 1942.)
Pay day. One or two air raid warnings but no action. New bloke reinforcement, nice fella. Guard 1 and 1/2 hours.
February 13th 1943
Terrible stink from the oil refinery all day long. Get all the ammo out of the dump as water is running in too quick. Guard 1 hour.
February 14th 1943
Charlie comes on our gun post for a short stay as we are short of men. Playing crib till gun drill. 1 and 1/2 hour guard at night.
February 15th 1943
Mail is a lot better. I received two air graphs from Gwen and one from Mother. Cat having some kittens, looks like having them on my bed as she is always on it.
February 16th 1943
Plenty of gun and Predictor laying. Okay. 1 and a 1/2 guard at night.
During WW2, gun laying was about setting up an artillery piece. The Predictors were electro-mechanical analogue computers used to aim anti aircraft guns. Please click here for more information.
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| A Number 1 Mark III Predictor - photo courtesy of Nick NJR ZA |
February 17th 1943
Gun drill by officer and air raid warning. Go to pictures at night - Eagle Squadron. Good. 1 and 1/2 hour guard at night.
February 18th 1943
2 vaccinations today. Mail okay now as I have got all the passed time. Weather pretty warm. Soon be able to go about without shirts. 1 and 1/2 hour guard.
February 19th 1943
Packing up for a move. Plenty of work to be done. Do a bit of scribing at night. Rest of chaps come back from course. 1 and 1/2 hours guard at night.
February 20th 1943
Start for a new camp in morning. Arrive and spend the rest of the day tent pitching. Pitch at Mount Carmel. Great view of Haifa and harbours. 4 hours picket at night. Just my luck. On a forces procession tomorrow with our troops Six Guns. Meet with all my old pals.
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| Old pals reunited. George is sat in middle row, 2nd from right with a massive grin. |
(Septuagesima - Jericho captured 1918 - Sunrise, 7.4 am ; Sunset, 5.24 p.m.)
Cleaning gun and tractor for the do. Look great ??? webbing etc. Proceed to Haifa. Just as we are all recalled to go back to action stations, arrive back at oil refinery.
February 22th 1943
Take over from the 1st Battalion Palestine. We are equipped with Italian B????. Start the old guards etc.
February 23rd 1943
We cannot go out from this gunpost as one of the new boys was took away with smallpox. Just our luck.
February 24th 1943
Orderly morn today. Easy time with plenty of grub. Sell all my V fags to the Jews for seven bob. 1 1/2 guard.
February 25th 1943
Bud packs in his tapes as they are no good to him. Gunners pay is as much as bombardiers. Pouring with rain nearly all day. 1 1/2 hours guard at night.
February 26th 1943
Receive my birthday parcel from mother (his birthday was on 13th October, shows how slow mail was. The Christmas card he sent in 1942 arrived in 1943 too.) Cleaning ammo and messing around. 1 1/2 hours guard at night.
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| George's Army Christmas Card which he sent in 1942. |
Gun drill in morning. I go on afternoon pass to Haifa, get a lift down on jeep. Go for a good feed and then to the pictures. Guard at night. Pouring with rain all the time. What a dog's life.
February 28th 1943
(Sexagesima - Wild Bird Shooting ends - Sunrise, 6.50 a.m. ; Sunset, 5.37 p.m.)
Our cat has four kittens, we hide them in a bucket. Now little blighters out in the cold, so I put them under my bed. Routine. 1 1/2 hours guard at night.
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| George with his kittens. He loved animals. |
