Free Joyce's War by Joyce Ffoulkes Parry

tomorrow morning but aren’t allowed to go away from Alexandria. The big push has begun and it was announced tonight that Sidi Barrani has fallen and that we had taken 4,000 prisoners and some of the wounded, we hear, are expected here early this morning for the huts. 22
    I am very glad indeed to be off night duty. The report last night was painful enough to read but completely agonising to write. I found that in the morning I had written that Athenordon’s ‘pulse was very thin’ yet I had not the slightest remembrance that I had taken his pulse all night, so why I should have elaborated on it is beyond me. I’ve had the greatest struggle this time to get my ‘short and simple annals’ written at all. The ward has changed rather in the last fortnight. We had very few in at first but now there are more than 80, many of whom are Australians. Poor Rifleman Smith died – the worst leg I have ever seen. The poor kid must have gone through absolute hell for many weeks. An awful pity they didn’t remove his leg weeks ago. Then we had a youth of 20 admitted with multiple shrapnel wounds. He developed gas gangrene and although I rang up the orderly medical officer and they rushed him to theatre at 3.30am, he died before coming back to the ward: a sad business.
    Then, there is a case of Mona’s: a survivor of the Warspite . He came in here with a history of insomnia and night hysteria and as a result of weeks on the Maine and incessant air raids, he’s had two lots of shrapnel and had been through Narvikas well as Taranto . So no wonder his nerves are frayed. He’s been very good really, sleeping quite well but getting fearfully depressed at times. Today he had a cable from the War Office saying that both his parents have been killed in air raids on Liverpool last week. His younger brother and sister had fortunately been evacuated to Canada at the outbreak of hostilities. Poor Morris, no one had been near him all day – I suppose they would feel that he wanted to get away – but he did want to talk about it and go over and over it. I felt that he did so I went to sit on his bed, which I imagine is still verboten , and stayed with him for a very long time. Poor kid – he feels that everything beneath him has crumbled away and he hasn’t seen any of his people for over the three years and now they won’t be there when he does go back.
    Then there is Hetherington, an Australian, who has been very ill and Chapman, who is on the DIL and NYD lists. Such nice boys and, of course, there is Stewart, who has been transferred to the huts. He is ready for discharge and goes on Friday so I shall see him again. And now tomorrow, for a sleep! ‘Hark, hark, the dogs do bark’ everlastingly here and the cats scream and scramble without – a noisy country, Egypt.
    December 14th 1940
    I have just made myself some coffee on Beatrice at 7.30pm and hope shortly to get to bed for the night. This is the end of our leave and tomorrow Mona goes to AIW Medical, and I to Hut 5, Surgical. Only 56 beds so it won’t take long to get to know the patients. I remember how hopeless it seemed when I first went to B, with 108 beds.
    Events have been moving fast in Egypt in the last three days. We have taken 40,000 casualties and the RASC has been instructed to get supplies for 60,000 prisoners here and we are told they don’t know where to turn to get food. There is no doubt that they will, and have, become a problem for, of course, the poor wretches have to be fed. There is a rumour also that Sollum has also fallen, or soon will. That leaves Egypt practically free but I suppose we shall continue to push on into Libya. It looks as if Mussolini’s number is up, as there is also talk of revolts in parts of Italy.
    There has been a marvellous moon for nights and we haven’t had a plane over. Quite a change. They had one convoy in at 1.30am, but although everyone was on call, it wasn’t necessary to get everyone up. It seems, however, that they are