Twas the eve of Christmas! Yes our Christmas seem fated to be spent in the wilds of LIBYA – far from our homes and those we love. Ah well, we will make the best of it. We spent the day fitting out the various messes into one big tent for the occasion of the Xmas meal. Went exploring in the wadis and found any amount of German and Italian abandoned material.
What balderdash we get dished up to us by various ministries about ersatz material. It’s just poppycock for the German and Italian material and equipment are far superior to our own in practically every respect. There seems to be no shortage of such equipment either. Where have you heard of aluminium tent pegs! Their tents, built In 1941 are far better equipped than ours. They even have canvas floors for them. Their petrol containers are strongly constructed of the best material and I am wiling to wager that they do not have any wastage at all in transporting their fuel. And we know that our wastage is sometimes as high as 60% in the desert!! German fuel containers are enamelled and make excellent water containers – after being washed out of course! The Italian water bottle is made of aluminium and is far superior to our official issue.
Had a party in the evening, with a few bottles and kindred spirits and after a night of jollification and song – which was re-echoed from all over our camp, Xmas morn was heralded in with a somewhat rustic and tuneless, but very willing, rendition of "Holy Night" outside the O.C's tent and like Samuel Pepys "so to bed”.
No. 102177 Lieut. C. TE WATER-POHL returns to Squadron from an Aircraft Recognition course at No. 3 (M. E.) Training School. Signals Officer No. 103022 Lieut. P. C. VIVIAN promoted to T/CAPTAIN w.e.f. 2 Dec.'42.
Oprep No. 144
Festive Season commences officially
1530
"693” arrived safely with our Xmas dinner etc.
No operations again to-day. There was a great deal of activity in all the Messes as final preparations were made for the Christmas festivities.