THE CONVOY ARRIVED

BJb.NWM.HMC

G.H.79

78 Rochester Castle, Melbourne Star and Port Chalmers, arriving safely at Grand Harbour between 06.00 –06.30hrs on 13 August.

79 MV Brisbane Star arrived on 14 August, a torpedo; the last surviving merchant vessel, the gallant tanker SS Ohio, actually arrived early on 15 August, rudderless and without power, slowly sinking with her decks almost awash after a torpedo hit and many near misses, towed into harbour strapped between HMS Penn and HMS Bramham. The captain of SS Ohio, Captain Dudley Mason, would be awarded the George Cross by King George VI on 4 September for bringing his ship through the ordeal. His medals, and memorabilia from SS Ohio, are now proudly displayed on board HQS Wellington, the headquarters of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners, on the River Thames. There is also a large display commemorating Operation PEDESTAL at the National War Museum, Fort St Elmo. See: The Heritage Malta

National War Museum, Heritage Malta, 2022.

During the morning a small formation of bombers tried to bomb the 15th

16th

17th

19th

In afternoon I went swimming at Sliema. Afterwards I went to 18th night.

20th

80 Twelve Beauforts from 39 Squadron with twelve from 227 Squadron (newly formed at Luqa on 20 August) had carried out an unsuccessful torpedo attack against the Italian tanker Pozarica, escorted by destroyers, coast of Italy (Ionian Sea). Two Beauforts and one though the Beaufort crews were picked up by the destroyer escort. See: Ken Delve, Malta Strikes Back, Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2017, pp.211-212, and John Hamlin, Military Aviation in Malta GC 19151993, Peterborough: GMS Enterprises, 1994, p.95.

81

Donald Brisco, from navigator Sgt Douglas Paterson were shot down (Ben Jinks’ kite “S”) by Pozarica. Fortunately, they managed to swim to shore where they were taken prisoner, spending the rest of the war in prison camps. See http://www. aircrewremembered. com/brisco-donaldgilfrid.html night. I got out of bed 31 times to s__t.

82 This second strike on 21 August against the tanker Pozarica, now nearing the coast of Greece, was successful. The tanker was hit by two torpedoes, and forced to beach herself. One Beaufort was downed, its crew being picked up by an escort destroyer. See: Malta Strikes Back, op cit.

24th went.

25th during night.

83 Probably the 1938 version of the original 1932 American auto-

84 69 Squadron had been much depleted during the January–May 1942

Maryland was withdrawn by the end of April, as the Squadron began re-equipping with newly arriving PR (photo-

It was reinforced with Baltimores in June and July. Adrian Warburton, now a Squadron Leader, took over as Commanding and 69 Squadron was split into three Flights: ‘A’ Flight operating Baltimores, ‘B’ Flight and ‘C’ Flight operating special duties Wellingtons. Simultaneously, on 20 August 1942 a detachment of

Squadron at Luqa was designated 227 Squadron and became operational immediately, escorting Beauforts in their attacks on enemy shipping. It was during this period of re-organisation that Ben Jinks was re-assigned from 69 to 235 and then 227 Squadron. See squadron histories in John Hamlin’s Military Aviation in Malta GC (op cit) (69 Squadron pp.83-86; 227 Squadron pp.95-96), and also https://web.archive.org/ web/20150924123030/ http://www.raf.mod.uk/ history/227squadron.cfm.

Children’s enthusiasm on St Barbara Bastions, Valletta, greeting the arrival of what was left of the life-saving Operation PEDESTAL, locally aka ‘Sta Maria Convoy’, NWM.HMC

85 A 1939 American colonial Australia.

86 The serious interruption to Axis convoy supplies by Malta-based planes, refuelled and re-armed following the Operation PEDESTAL convoy of mid-August, materially of the Battle of El Alamein in late October, and ultimately the outcome of the whole of the North African campaign.

87 A 1939 British thriller novel ‘The Four Just Men’ by Edgar Wallace. The Four Men are British World War I veterans who unite to work in secret against enemies of the country.

by Ben

slight injuries.

13th

During night there was two warnings. searchlights were in action. Some bombs

14th engaged them, also A.A guns.

88 ‘Balalaika’ was a 1939 American musical on the 1936 London stage musical of the same name. It follows the romance of a Prince and a singer (a secret revolutionary) in Imperial Russia on the eve of World War I.

89 ‘At the Circus’ was a 1939 Metro-Goldwynstarring the Marx Brothers (Groucho, Harpo and Chico) in which they help save a circus from bankruptcy.

15th

90 ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’ is a 1939 on the 1850 novel by Alexandre Dumas, drawing on the French legend of the Man in the Iron Mask, and featuring D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers.

26th

29th

20:00 but went out to sea. A.A guns were in action.

91 ‘Remember?’ was an American romantic comedy released on 19 December 1939, starring Robert Taylor, Greer Garson and Lew Ayres. It was rushed into production to capitalise on the publicity generated by Greer appearance earlier that year, in the deservedly still popular ‘Goodbye Mr Chips’.

92 ‘Bullets or Ballots’ is a 1936 gangster after 22:00

Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane, and Humphrey Bogart. Robinson plays a police a crime gang. This is featuring both Robinson and Bogart.

3rd good. the sea.

2nd night, but it was our machines that came in.

4th

10th