[Image] A Rat in a Hole Vol 2.

September, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

A very creative doover.

This soldier of the 2/23rd Infantry Battalion takes shelter from the blistering sun of the Libyan desert in his doover improvised by hanging a hammock between the rocks of a sangar built on the side of a small rise.

In the shade, yet open to the breeze on one side the hammock would allow the air to circulate around the Digger and keep him as cool as possible in the situation.

image 020493 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] Rare reprieve for 2/23rd Captain.

June, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

VX15648 Capt. Edwin P. Tivey takes a rare break.

Capt. Ed Tivey of the 2/23rd Battalion takes a moment of quiet reflection to smoke a cigarette inside the dugout of the Headquarters of the 26th Brigade.

With conditions for officers at HQ areas better than those of the men at the front lines they were hardly luxurious. Often the positions of the HQ areas were plotted by German spotter planes and relayed to the artillery who then would launch a barrage of shells onto the locations. More than one HQ was destroyed by direct hits by the German artillery during the Western Desert Campaign.

Capt. Tivey would have been responsible for 4 platoons of infantry totalling 129 men. It is no wonder that a quiet cigarette in the solitude of his dugout would be a welcome relief from the pressures of command.

Unfortunately research into Capt. Tivey has revealed that he died from illness in Italy on 26th March, 1943. At the time of his death in an Italian POW camp, then promoted Major Tivey was 34 years old. As his service record is yet to be digitised by the National Archives I am unable to ascertain the circumstance behind his capture and transfer to Italy.

Major Edwin Peter Tivey is memorialised at the Roll of Honour here http://www.awm.gov.au/roh/person.asp?p=147-23753

image 020151 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] Wounded 2/23rd patrol returns

17th September, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

2/23rd Patrol returns through the wire.

This patrol from the 2/23rd Battalion returns through a gap in the wire in their Red Line posts. At this time the 2/23rd had just relieved the 2/48th the night before in their positions on the Western salient.

This seven man patrol returns with two wounded. One carried on a collapsible stretcher the other with a bandaged thigh wound is carried by a mate piggy back style. Casualties in this part of Tobruk were high.

image 020669 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] Tommy got you covered

1st September, 1941. Tobruk, Libya.

VX31704 Cpl. Warwick Brownrigg & his Thompson.

VX31704 Cpl. W. Brownrigg aims his American made Thompson sub machine gun out a firing slot in the sandbag defences of his position in the Red Line of Tobruk's outer perimeter.

Cpl. Brownrigg, of the 2/23rd Infantry Battalion out of Victoria, featured in a number of photos taken at the time by members of the Military History and Information Unit. In this one he has a rare Tommy Gun with a larger 50 round drum magazine inserted. It also has the fore grip fitted, which with the added weight of the larger magazine made it a necessity for semi-accurate firing.

Cpl. Brownrigg is listed as having been discharged from the Army on 22nd October, 1942. As his service record has not been digitised by the National Archives I am unable to say for certain why. I suspect that his discharge date being so close to the date of the Second Battle of El Alamein that he may have been so severely wounded that he was not expected to be able to return to service and thus discharged. At this stage this is nothing more than an educated guess.

image 020503 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] The P.M. and the Private.

5th August, 1942. El Alamein, Egypt.

The Hon. Sir Winston Churchill.

The Prime Minister of England, Sir Winston Churchill, visits the 9th Division forward lines at Alamein. Dressed in Suit, Tie and with Pith Helmet, Mr Churchill uses a horsehair fly swatter to keep the insects at bay. He smokes one of his trademark cigars whilst he is escorted by Major General L.J. Morshead, GOC 9th Australian Division.

And the Private.

SX13319 Pvt. Stanley Collins

2/23rd Infantry Battalion.

When touring the front lines Mr Churchill stopped to speak with Pvt. Collins of Adelaide. What happened next ensured that Pvt. Collins was the most famous man in the 9th Division for a day. He bummed a cigar off the Prime Minister of England.

When later asked by curious mates if he intended to smoke it, Pvt. Collins joked that he was going to take it home have it sealed in glass and would then pass it down as a family heirloom. Pvt. Collins survived the war, discharging in September, 1946 as Staff Sergeant Collins. It is not currently known if he did indeed take the cigar home with him in early 1943.

images 024760, 013354 & 013355 Australian War Memorial.

[Image] "...a brave, dashing and resourceful soldier." - Morshead.

VX27678 Pvt. Morris J. O'Connell M.M.

2/23rd Infantry Battalion.

1st January, 1942, Palestine.

At the time that this photo was taken on New Year's Day in 1942, Pvt. Morris O'Connell was taking a break from competing in the Hockey tournament of the 9th Division Sporting Day.

Pvt. O'Connell was awarded the Military Medal (MM) for bravery in the field at Tobruk. The final sentence on the citation for the award, written by Morshead himself, called Pvt. O'Connell a "...brave, dashing and resourceful soldier". Further investigations into Pvt. O'Connell reveal a soldier with a few more disciplinary issues than the citation would have you believe, but in true Australian fashion some of the bravest soldiers in battle are often the most defiant outside of it. In any case you judge for yourself.

Pvt. O'Connell's citation for the Military Medal reads;

"The Commander-in-Chief, Middle East has approved the immediate award of the Military Medal to VX27678 Pvt. M.J. O'Connell of the 2/23rd Inf. AIF."

"Pvt. O'Connell was a member of a party that carried out a raid successfully against enemy forces of unknown strength west of Tobruk on April 22nd, 1941. He took part in the capture of the first enemy post and then dashed ahead on his own."

"Jumping into a sangar he threw a Mills Bomb (hand grenade), killed several of the enemy and captured an officer and seven other ranks."

"During the withdrawal of the patrol he escorted his prisoners back to the perimeter, a distance of 3,000 yards, in the face of intensive artillery, mortar and machine gun fire. A brave, dashing and resourceful soldier".

Looking at Pvt. O'Connell's service record at the National Archive's website one can see a few disciplinary issues. Before embarking to the Middle East, Pvt. O'Connell faced a Board of Enquiry when the Army truck that he was driving crashed into a private bus when he was on leave and not supposed to be in control of an Army vehicle. He sustained a rather bruised buttock and was fined.

In Tobruk in March of 1941, a mere 12 weeks before his MM, Pvt O'Connell was charged with two offenses.

1. "Failing to appear at a place of parade appointed by a commanding officer" for which he was fined 10 shillings and 7 days pay.
2. "Conduct prejudicial to a Commanding Officer's Military Discipline" for which this offence cost him a fine of 20 shillings.

In spite of his reported disciplinary issues Pvt. O'Connell showed all of his commanding officers that they were wrong about him and proved himself a soldier when it mattered most, when with his mates and under fire.

It was whilst Pvt. O'Connell MM was with his mates and under fire at Tel el Eisa on the night of 22nd July, 1942 that he was killed in action. He is buried at the El Alamein War Cemetery. He is memorialised on the Roll of Honour here;

http://www.awm.gov.au/roh/person.asp?p=147-17814

At the time of his death, like too many of the men killed at Alamein, Pvt. Morris Joseph O'Connell was 23 years old.

image 022764 Australian War Memorial

Pvt. O'Connell's entire digitised service record can be viewed at the National Archives Website. See the link in the sidebar on the right under "Research Links".

[Image] Sgt. Jones' improvised banjo

Tobruk, Libya, 3rd September, 1941.

Sgt L Jones of the 2/23rd Battalion's improvised banjo.

Made whilst serving in the Red Line of Tobruk's outer perimeter this banjo was constructed by Sgt L. Jones of the 2/23rd Infantry Battalion out of an old kerosene tin and a packing case.

Australian troops in Tobruk faced shortages of most necessities and luxuries were virtually unheard of. Leave it to resourceful Aussie scroungers to make what they cant otherwise have. There was very little in the way of entertainment in the Red Line and the long monotonous times in the front could be made to pass quicker with a musical instrument.

There are numerous accounts that I have read of Australian troops in Tobruk playing musical instruments to the Germans. There was even one account of a soldier from the 2/13th Battalion playing German songs on his trumpet on the Salient causing the Germans to cease firing for as long as he played. Obviously things of small beauty in an ugly place caused even the Afrika Korps to pause for thought.

image 020566 Australian War Memorial.

author's note: In keeping with my policy to try and identify by name and service number as many of the men as possible in photos I'm afraid I am unable at this time to identify the service number of Sgt. L Jones above. There were 323 men with the name L. Jones in the service of the Australian Army during the Second World War. Time permitting I will attempt to positively identify Sgt. Jones in the future.

[Image] 2/23rd Bren Gunner at Tobruk

3rd September, 1941

Tobruk, Libya.

VX26227 Pvt. George E. Jeffs, 2/23rd Infantry Battalion

Private Jeffs mans a Bren Gun in a weapons pit on the Red Line at Tobruk. This is a great photo of the tripod mounted Bren light machinegun (LMG) in action from a perspective not often seen in Australian war photos. The smiling face of Pvt. Jeffs adds a very Australian charm to it. Pvt. Jeffs wears his Tin Hat high on his brow so that when prone he can see down the sights of his Bren gun whilst dispensing .303 calibre welcoming presents to "Gerry".

Sadly, Private Jeffs survived all that the Axis had to offer in North Africa only to be Killed In Action (K.I.A.) by the Japanese at the Quoja river region, New Guinea on 17th November, 1943. At the time of his death (the promoted) Cpl. George Edward Jeffs was 24 years old.

VX26227 Cpl. G.E. Jeffs is memorialised on the Roll of Honour here: http://www.awm.gov.au/roh/person.asp?p=147-11899

image 020558 Australian War Memorial.