Lodewyckx, Karel Axel (Lieutenant, b.1910 - d.1990)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of VX18980 Lieutenant Karel Axel Lodewyckx, Headquarters 1 Australian Force, Second Australian Imperial Force, Australia, at sea and the Middle East, 1940-1943 [1987].

Wallet 1 of 1 – Consists of one handwritten transcript of a diary of Lieutenant Karel Axel Lodewyckx [the original diary is believed to be held by the family of Lieutenant Lodewyckx]. The diary contains entries dated between 13 August 1940 and 26 February 1943, and was transcribed in 1987. It covers the period of Lieutenant Lodewyckx’s service with Headquarters 1 Australian Force in Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Lebanon. In his diary, Lieutenant Lodewyckx writes about his embarkation, life on board the ship, attending training lectures, having onshore leave in various ports, having extended leave in Bombay, travelling in convoys, arriving in Egypt, travelling to Palestine, his daily duties as a member of Headquarters, seeing films, sightseeing while on leave, working on administrative tasks, doing official visits to Army facilities, meeting local people, visiting local villages, Christmas celebrations, seeing concerts, being promoted, conducting investigations, and transferring to a different Headquarters unit. He goes on to write about travelling through the Western Desert, seeing war destruction and Italian prisoners of war, his impressions of the local environments, interactions with local civilians, getting lost in German territory, German air raids, the defence of Tobruk, hearing news and rumours about the war on other fronts, questioning German prisoners, consistent artillery activity, dust storms, and being relieved from duties at Tobruk. Lieutenant Lodewyckx continues, writing about attending dances and parties, visiting various villages in Palestine, conducting interviews and interrogations, travelling to work in Syria and Lebanon, investigating ‘war wives’ of Allied soldiers, and returning to Australia by boat.