Diary of George William Edward Clark, January 1941 - September 1942

Clark, George William Edward (Gunner, b.1914)

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Places	Africa: North Africa, Libya, Cyrenaica, Barce Africa: North Africa, Libya, Cyrenaica, Benghazi Africa: North Africa, Libya, Cyrenaica, Benghazi, Benina Africa: North Africa, Libya, Cyrenaica, Derna Africa: North Africa, Libya, Cyrenaica, Tobruk Area, Tobruk Africa: North Africa, Western Desert, Western Desert (Egypt), Mersa Matruh Europe: Austria, Karnten, Wolfsberg Europe: Austria, Spittal an der Drau Europe: Greece, Athens Europe: Greece, Peloponnese, Corinth Europe: Greece, Peloponnese, Kalamata Europe: Yugoslavia, Croatia Middle East: British Mandate of Palestine, Palestine, Gaza
Accession Number	AWM2019.22.82
Collection number	PR01035
Collection type	Digitised Collection
Record type	Item
Item count	1
Object type	Diary
Physical description	131 Image/s captured
Maker	Clark, George William Edward
Place made	Austria, British Mandate of Palestine: Palestine, Egypt, Greece, Libya, Yugoslavia
Date made	1941-1942
Conflict	Second World War, 1939-1945
Copying Provisions	Digital format and content protected by copyright.
Source credit to	This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government.

Description

Collection relating to the Second World War service of NX1058 Gunner George William Edward Clark, 1 Battery, 2/1 Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, 1940-1988.

In the second of five diaries, Clark documents his active service as a gunner with 2/1st Field Regiment in the Middle East and Europe. He pens his first entry after entraining from Gaza on New Year's Eve 1940, and proceeds to detail his experiences during the first major Australian battle of the war at Bardia and the subsequent Capture of Tobruk over the opening months of 1941. In the course of providing artillery support in the vicinity of Bardia, Tobruk, and Derna, he comments on thronging transport routes, periods of heavy shelling, air raids, destroyed aircraft at Benina aerodrome and Italian prisoners. He also makes note of attending a speech given by Prime Minister Robert Menzies in the Western Desert on 11 February 1941.

After embarking for Athens on 10 April 1941, Clark details a frenetic month of service spanning the Greek Campaign and its aftermath. His entries during this period vividly describe the unfolding chaos of the ill-conceived campaign as he traverses much of the country following faltering attempts to advance into position, only to suddenly turn back and begin a hurried retreat from advancing German forces. Other entries for this period cover evacuation attempts at Kalamata, the surrender of Allied forces stranded in the city, being taken a prisoner of war and a demanding period of internment in Greece.

After entraining at Corinth on 7 June 1941, Clark covers his journey through Greece and Yugoslavia to a prisoner of war camp in Austria. Subsequent entries document his internment for the remainder of 1941, primarily at Stalag XVIII-A in Wolfsberg and Stalag XVIII-B in Spittal an der Drau. He devotes particular attention to describing rations, but also makes regular and detailed references to camp conditions, work activities, the composition and treatment of prisoners and medical matters including a serious case of appendicitis. Closing diary entries largely focus on a somewhat subdued Christmas period and Red Cross parcels.

A number of diary entries were retrospectively annotated by Clark with rueful but humorous observations whilst hospitalised in August 1941. The diary also includes monthly financial memoranda, a summary of events through to September 1942, miscellaneous notes and a handmade mock calling card.