Emmett, Robert Reginald (Sergeant, b.1900 - d.1993)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of NX12064 Sergeant Robert Reginald Emmett, 2/1 Machine Gun Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, United Kingdom, Egypt, Greece, Palestine, and Australia, 1940-1942.

Wallet 1 of 1 – Consists of one diary of Sergeant Robert Reginald Emmett, containing entries dated between 4 May 1940 and 30 March 1942. It covers the period of his embarkation, service with 2/1 machine Gun Battalion in Egypt, Greece and Palestine, and return to Australia.

In his diary, Sergeant Emmett writes about embarkation, life on board the ship, a mutiny of the ship’s crew, having leave in Cape Town, South Africa, interacting with the local people at Freetown, Sierra Leone, disembarking in Scotland, settling in a camp in England, air raids close to the camp, training, seeing aerial dog-fights, going on leave in London, doing guard duty, being inspected by the king, playing cricket, driving a truck in convoys, rainy weather, playing two-up on pay day, being issued with equipment, being targeted by German fighter aircraft, having leave in Scotland, practicing military manoeuvres, doing route marches, moving camps, travelling to the Middle East via South Africa, celebrating Christmas on board the ship, his first impressions of Egypt, receiving mail from home, working hard, severe sandstorms, leave in Alexandria, attending lectures and specialised training, being lost in the desert, travelling to Greece under German bombardment, his first impressions of Greece, driving through the Greek mountains in his truck, being surrounded by dropping bombs and flying shrapnel, carrying ammunition to other battalions, having no air support, transporting the wounded to a dressing station, burying the dead, retreating from the Germans, hiding in an olive grove at Kalamata, the embarkation and subsequent sinking of the vessel 'Costa Rica', being rescued by the Royal Australian Navy, losing significant amounts of equipment, arriving in Crete, frequent air raids, the destruction of towns, evacuating from Crete to Egypt, being on cookhouse duty, leave in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, unit re-organisation in Palestine, digging trenches, becoming an instructor at a School of Mechanics, hearing news of the war, doing road convoy work, paying his respects at the Australian War Cemetery, and returning to Australia. The diary also contains newspaper clippings, several poems (probably written by people other than Sergeant Emmett), training notes, and names and addresses of acquaintances.

Robert Reginald Emmett enlisted to the Australian Imperial Force on 29 May 1918, at 18 years of age. He embarked for oversea service as a private with 25 Reinforcements on 7 November 1918. However, he was returned home several weeks later due to the armistice.
On 11 April 1940, Emmett enlisted to the Second Australian Imperial Force, declaring that he was six years younger than his actual age. He served with 2/1 Machine Gun Battalion as a Sergeant. With this unit, he served in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Greece, Crete, and Palestine. Sergeant Emmett was discharged on 19 October 1945.