THE WATER FROM MATRUH

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 120, 23 May 1945, Page 8

THE WATER FROM MATRUH

SOLLUM MEMORY

ONE CHRISTMAS EVE

By H.J. 31530. The Army' of the* Nile was pushing Graziani back and every man had his part to play in this battle of the. few against the many. Selected New Zealand sappers.were manning barges bringing up water from Matruh and we had to meet them at the Solium jetty. .Our | transport was composed of Italian vemcies . found abandoned fit the desert. We had managed to find a few water carts, and I loaded some tanks on . trucks and hoped , with these to be able to alleviate the urgent demand for water. Progress was slow, the vehicles were far from new, and some: of them suit carried the Italian's name from whom they had been requisitioned. A solitary Macchi made a half-hearted attempt to dispose of us, but was soon satisfied witn the day's work. So were we: , ■-. The half-finished road from Barrani to Solium, with .heaps: of stone,, abandoned steam :■ rollers .and other marks of thai Eytie retreat were a sore trial. The outskirts of Solium were at last sighted and. spirits were soon up and we were commenting on the signs of the Italian occupation of the tbwn.. . , . Out in the bay were units of the "Inshore Squadron." We recognised and admired the "Terror" and "Ladybird, well known for their . achievements. Drawing up near the jetty we reported to the R.A.S.C- officer of a BritlshCypriot transport company, w<ho had to take over from us. On the jetty were, other and. we had to wait. Quite suddenly- the air was filled with the whistling-of falling bombs..s Louder i and louder it grew and men scattered. | and dropped to the ground:: Subsequent> explosions and "the noise of water fountains returning to their element announced the. climax. -....'■ . . • , *~ No one had heard the plane and, the I unanimous opinion credited the fact that the bombing was done from high level and the precision with which the jetty, was straddled, to an acquaintance with a Jerry plane. ■ , ■ A British lieutenant-colonel passed us and, answering our salute, remarked: "Sorry about your officer, sergeant, we had no officer there, but.soon knew what he was talking about. There was little shelter on the jetty and direct hits caused quite a bit of damage. The officer we were told about belonged to the N:Z.R.M.T. Amongst others was j a comrade of ours, badly wounded and in his last moments "of consciousness. He . recognised us and, gripping the hand he 1 asked for, he. gave his last confidential instructions. ,•■',,. :*. .-, „ f Lips could hardly voice what the heart was craving to say: The mind was reviving early days in' Trentham, on the Canal and the many things that • connect men in the same unit. In times of stress the confidence of the parting compensates for past controversies caused by exigencies of service. „„■„. .„„ We had to finish our job, fill the water tanks and deliver them to R.A.S.C. Company H.Q., situated under the escarpment 1 near the Halfaya *>ad. ..Oritur i way out we passed the tall of a U.A.. bomb that had burled Itself five yards from our tail vehicle. Fifty yards past the last building of Solium the burial .'party was already at work. ■■ ■. : P Woe to some moments; the survivors have to live. The vivid impressions, of some happenings live as an everlasting memento and in these moments is horn the spirit of unanimity between soldleis. Pledges born in those times are> kept against all adversity and bound to the silence of the grave that constitutes the bin Aust g ralian artillery was firingr on Bardia and gunners in Christmas mood were singing chorals. Red flashes illuminated the drawn faces of sapper I dr ßack'at section H.Q. the report on. our first battle casualty was .made Grim ■details arid thoughts of. the immediate j task ahead marched abreast. May those around us never forget that, the returned shared the parting of the dead.