Pessimistic Pharisees

Observation Post, Volume 1, Issue 3, 5 June 1942, Page 1

Pessimistic Pharisees

We were living on the tat of the land at Crete after the Greek campaign. Everyone with a whole skin was happy, jolly and bright, drinking wine at the local linns,. eating fresh-made peasant bread,’lolling in the * sun among the fresh green grass at the Brook’s Bank and generally.thanking God for small mercies. While some gorged themselves on oranges, the pessimistic pharisees wagged a warning finger and reminded us of the adage relating to gourmandising Romans and Hannibal armies champing at the bit. “Beware, there will be” an invasion” quoth they. “Nerts, ” we replied and continued our frolics. Oh dear, how little we realised what a different tenor life would take only two days later. Our bivouac area was among the olive trees on a slight rise above the road. Occasionally ■it .was our duty, to supply a picket for it. The night prior to the invasion two of us were laughing and talking ’ while we searched passing travellers in the hope we would perchance catch a Fifth Columnist on his 'way to send a message to Der Feuhrcr. . ‘‘Damn this ■ racket,” observed :my companion, ‘‘l’m going to sleep all day to-morrow.” . ‘‘So am I,” replied,!, and with that we handed over to the next relief. At 0800 next day. 'we were relieved by the new guard. Would we go straight up the hill for a sleep, or down to the stream for a wash? After an argument we’decided to have a sleep first. On our way up the hill I noticed one big German bomber circling- over our valley. He wasn’t near us so we kept going. Five minutes later the air was black with bomber Stukas, fighters, diving,- hedge-hopping," machine-gun-ning. Scottty wanted to know what it was all about and put his head, up over the side of the ditch to have a look. A bullet whizzed into the gras only a few inches away. ‘‘Boy, oh Boy, was that close,” said Scotty as we put heads down and tails up—all the same the ostrich.