Long, Jeffrey Joseph (Staff Sergeant, b.1918 - d.1997)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of NX26866 Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Joseph Long, 2/24 Field Park Company, Second Australian Imperial Force, at sea, Palestine, Egypt and Libya, 1940-1941.

Wallet 1 of 1 – One diary, consisting of typed and handwritten pages, of Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Joseph Long, containing entries dated between 26 December 1940 and 28 September 1941. This diary was written while Staff Sergeant Long was serving with 2/4 Field Park Company in Palestine, Egypt and Libya. In his diary, Staff Sergeant Long writes about his embarkation from Sydney, travelling in convoy, life on board the ship, sightseeing in Ceylon, recreational activities, settling into a camp in Palestine, sightseeing while on leave, travelling to Tobruk, his impressions of the war destruction in the Tobruk area, demolition of strategic infrastructure, air raids, being under siege at Tobruk, action on the front line, being dependent on captured Italian supplies and equipment, large number of flies, dust storms, attacks on hospital ships, being strafed and bombed by enemy aircraft, hearing of the fighting on Crete, speculation regarding the Germans’ next move, hygiene and diet, using a captured Italian truck for transport, repairing damaged water pumps, the death of a comrade, receiving recognition from Major-General Morshead, and evacuating Tobruk on a destroyer. This diary also contains several poems written by Staff Sergeant Long and other servicemen.