Desert War & Other Ephemera

Discussion in 'North Africa & the Med' started by Charley Fortnum, Oct 19, 2015.

  1. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    I stumbled across this archive:
    https://archive.org/details/MargaretEatonSchool_redeemer_226

    Contained within are some pretty high-definition scans of original documents (slowish loading .pdfs look the best), for example:

    226.17.1 Alamein song lyrics about war
    226.19.1-2 Map of Rimini, Italy
    226.30.1 Letter from H.D.G. Crerar, Commander of the Canadian Corps (October 16, 1943)
    226.31.1 Letter from H.R. Alexander, Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies in Italy, to the Soldiers of the Allied Armies in Italy (May 1944)
    226.32.1 Letter from Oliver Leese, Lieutenant General, to the 8th Army (Italy, May 1944)
    226.33.1 Letter from H.R. Alexander, Commander in Chief of the Allied Armies in Italy, to the Soldiers of the Allied Armies in Italy (July 1944)
    226.34.1 Letter from Oliver Leese, Lieutenant General, to the 8th Army (Italy, August 1944)
    226.35.1 Letter from E.L.M. Burns, Lieutenant General Commander of the 1st Canadian Corps, to the 1st Canadian Corps (August 1944?)
    226.36.1 Letter from Oliver Leese, Lieutenant General, to the 8th Army (Italy, October 1, 1944)
    226.37.1-2 Letter from R.L. McCreery, Lieutenant General, to the 8th Army (October 12, 1944)
    226.40.1-2 Union Jack: The Newspaper for the British Fighting Forces, Sicily Edition (November 11, 1943)
    226.45.1 Letter to Bert from Richard L. McCreery, Lieutenant General (December 15, 1943)

    And several other more specific items of paperwork, such as:
    226.22.1-2 Map of Valence, France and Restricted: Army Supply Route from Marseille to Brussels

    I thought it may be of interest to somebody.

    Edit: I'd be grateful if a moderator could move this post if it's in the wrong section.
     
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  2. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    I've been looking at this stunning photo that I came across online and thought some of the sharp-eyed among you might be able to add some flesh to the bones. I've found it captioned as 'British scouts await the inevitable attack of the Italian 23rd Corps south of the Ruweisat Ridge​' and 'British recon element on Egyptian Libian frontier' [sic], but I've no reason to believe either is authoritative!

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    And, back on the subject of ephemera, somebody might appreciate this:

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/archivesnz/19730952855/in/album-72157657787512192/


     
  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Looking at the patch on top of sleeve I'd say they were Australian.

    http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/patches/2aif.htm#plate40


    2/8th Bn

    [​IMG]
     
  5. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    After taking Tobruk, they chased the Italians further into Libya however Churchill was looking at Greece.

    The 6th division was sent to Greece in April 1941 and 40% of the Australians were either killed, wounded or PoW. Then they were withdrawn to Crete which added a further 274 killed, 507 wounded and 3,102 captured to the division's casualty list.

    They were then involved in the Syrian campaign, then Garrison duties there however were recalled to Australia after the attack on Pearl Harbor and left the Middle East in January, arriving back in Australia in March 1942.

    I have the History book of the 2/8th so I will see if there is anything that matches.

    2-8th bdge.jpg
    Edit: Nothing I could find in the history to place them there. (2/8th)

    Cheers

    Geoff
     
  6. DavidW

    DavidW Well-Known Member

    Ruweisat wasn't that close to the coast.
     
  7. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    Sollum?

    All the best

    Andreas
     
  8. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Thank you for the suggestions and detective work:

    An interesting set of photos of North Africa and Italy here:

    http://www.joewillis.co.uk/JAWillis/images/

    The years (1940-44) are links to subfolders full of images.
     
  9. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    That's a great site. Thanks!

    All the best

    Andreas
     
  10. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

  11. Richard G

    Richard G Junior Member

    That pic has got me intrigued. Is that a sealed road down on the bottom towards the right? When were Tommy guns issued to the Australians? My best guess at the moment is not Egypt, maybe Tobruk or Greece? But that sealed road???? Not Halfaya Pass?
     
  12. Andreas

    Andreas Working on two books

    I still think it's a view of Sollum from the escarpment.

    All the best

    Andreas
     
  13. Richard G

    Richard G Junior Member

    Agree with you now Andreas. Pictures of the Sollum area show that sea inlet and small protrusion as part of a wide curving bay, the sealed road would be right too, going west towards Halfaya Pass.
     
  14. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

  15. Richard G

    Richard G Junior Member

    Yes, it's a big book, borrowed it from the local library the other day. Have read it before but it has so much information it's hard to take it all in at one go.
     
  16. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Last edited: Jan 18, 2018
  17. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

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  18. Richard G

    Richard G Junior Member

    Excellent, thanks Charley.
     
  19. Charley Fortnum

    Charley Fortnum Dreaming of Red Eagles

    Came across a few good-sized folders of interesting Middle-Eastern photographs here. My guess is that the photographer is either a New Zealander or and Aussie named 'Clif Oram':

    Cairo, Luxor & Aswan [Dec '41]:
    Clif Oram Album 4, September - December 1941
    Maadi, Palestine, Syria, Western Desert, Alexander & Cairo [Oct '41 to Aug '42]:
    Clif Oram - Album 5
    Alexandria, Tripoli, Egypt, Jerusalem, Palestine [Oct '43 to June '43]:
    Clif Oram - Album 6

    There are other early/post-war sets that could identify the likely origin of the photographer:
    Fiji (1940-41): Fiji 1940 - 1941
    Elsewhere (1945-47): https://www.flickr.com/photos/129717603@N06/albums/72157651628829755
    Apologies as ever if these pictures belong to a member here - thanks for uploading them.
     
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  20. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

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