| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR00910 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | 1 wallet: 1 cm |
| Object type | Diary, Letter |
| Maker |
Goulston, Eric |
| Place made | Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Greece |
| Date made | 1941 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
Goulston, Eric OBE (Lieutenant Colonel, b.1906 - d.2006)
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War Service of NX70332 Captain Eric Hyman Goulston, 2/5 Australian General Hospital, Greece and Eritrea, 1941.
Wallet 1 of 1 - Letter and photocopy of typed transcript of a diary of Captain Eric Goulston, medical officer with 2/5 Australian General Hospital.
The letter, to Mrs Nancy Adelaide Goulston, was written over 1-17 May 1941, during the retreat of the Australian forces through Greece to Navplion (he had been based at a hospital at Ekali) and then on HMAS Phoebe to Crete, and thence to Alexandria, Egypt. It describes fighting during the evacuation, especially German air raids and defensive preparations on Crete, but is largely personal and concerned with his own concerns and activities.
The diary transcript, titled 'The Patriot Attack on Gondar (with 'Shep' Force)', was taken from a notebook kept by Goulston while subsequently serving with a British force led by a Gurkha Major 'Bimbashi' Sheppard, which conducted operations against Italian forces in Eritrea (Abyssinia). The diary covers the period 9 November-6 December 1941 and describes mobile operations against the Italians and hostile local people, culminating in the capture of Gondar. Goulston's own activities included managing Italian prisoners of war and relations with friendly locals, as well as providing medical support to Shep Force.