5 November 1944
November 5, 1944
Today we reached the Philippines. We disembarked in Leyte harbour, and this is how it was done. In the well deck of Casa Grande were
Colin Kerr
(1912 — 1982), Australian journalist. Assigned for two months in Leyte with the PWB (US Psychological Warfare Branch).
6 November 1944
November 6, 1944
A troubled night. Alerts sounded every hour or two, and at each one the chaps in my tent began to debate whether it was worthwhile
7 November 1944
November 7, 1944
Alerts throughout the night, but no bombs dropped. Watkins has an amazing collection of souvenirs to send home. Among them is a pink merry-go-round about
8 November 1944
November 8, 1944
A beastly day—driving rain and a 40 m.p.h. wind which laid our tent flat. We got soaking wet salvaging our belongings. Tonight we’ll have to
10 November 1944
November 10, 1944
We’ ve had a few busy days getting ourselves installed. I’ve had a good look at our home, the Catholic Institute. It is situated in
11 November 1944
November 11, 1944
Went to H.Q. again today. We are still on the offensive. Raids last night were frequent but distant. We hear the 155’s firing. They are
12 November 1944
November 12, 1944
Very little sleep last night. There was heavy firing from the heavy, medium & light AA all around us until 9 p.m. Then there were
13 November 1944
November 13, 1944
A black day. We are to be thrown out of our building—ourselves and our 37 tons of equipment—to make room for 200 nurses. We don’t
14 November 1944
November 14, 1944
Another quiet night, but Japs started flying in out of the sun while we were at breakfast. The AA gave them all they had, &
21 November 1944
November 21, 1944
Nothing of great interest has happened. We have sunshine & rain, alerts and all-clears, noisy nights & quiet ones. Three days ago, I think it
23 November 1944
November 23, 1944
Thanksgiving Day. Turkey for dinner at GHQ. Two air raids and an earth-tremor during the night. A bomb fell on the EM’s mess hall at
24 November 1944
November 24, 1944
A great hullabaloo during breakfast. Six Jap planes—bombers and fighters—hell-roaring over the harbour and town. Flak everywhere. A 50-callibre bullet hit the earth near my
26 November, 1944
November 26, 1944
Learned that last night they dropped bombs on base K area, not far from us. A few men were killed outright & four men sheltering
27 November 1944
November 27, 1944
Yet another night of alerts, but they didn’t come directly over us. The moon is nearing the full and the nights are clear. The Air
28 November 1944
November 28, 1944
Last night we were told that a battalion of Jap paratroops had landed in the Dulag area that afternoon, & that further landings were expected.
3 December 1944
December 3, 1944
Jap air activity has slackened off considerably. This is no doubt due partly to bad weather & partly to the fact that their airfields in