Frank wrote 2 diaries, both of which are in a very fragile condition and have been ravaged by damp and decay. A substantial part of the first diary is illegible. However, the start of diary 1, where he left England in August 1940, and its end, which is the second Battle of El Alamein, can be deciphered. Although the second diary is also difficult to read, I have managed to transcribe most of it, with a few omissions where the paper has decayed and larger 'gaps' where the ink has disappeared.
Explanations and quotations from other sources have been written in italics. All the text in the diaries in plain print, was written by Frank.
It seems that some sorts of ink have either faded or dissolved completely. Faded sections can sometimes be deciphered but I haven't yet found a means of reading the totally blurred sections. Fortunately, large parts are clearly written, and the transcriptions in the 'Diary' section are reproduced exactly as he wrote them. I have used Frank's exact words, and where I have inserted comments, they are italicised.
I have attempted to 'fit together' what was happening during the longer 'missing sections' the longest of which covers the time when he was in Cyprus, from which only photographs remain. To do this I have used the Regimental War diaries, a day-by-day account of what the Regiment was doing, and which are present for most months. These are accessible from the National Archives in Kew.
I have occasionally added a sub-heading, giving a name by which a certain battle has become known - it is only after the event that a particular battle is 'named.' If I have given an explanation for abbreviations, or other details, such as quotations, I have shown them in italics.
The vast majority of photographs used were taken by Frank, or given to him. They were sent home to his family who saved them. After the war, my mother and father made an album with some of them, which is largely chronological, and the rest were kept in a tin box, which when we emptied it, said it was made from the metal from a German staff car, during the siege of Tobruk. Most of the photos have written information on the back, but I am grateful to many members of the WW2 Talk internet forum for their assistance in accurate identification of many of the tanks and other vehicles, as well as their patient explanations. The few photos not taken by Frank are either taken by members of his family or are acknowledged, and the film posters are taken from internet sources.
Unfortunately, Frank never named the photos of people, except occasionally for a nickname, but I have included them - perhaps some-one might one day recognise them. While in Italy, Frank bought a collection of black and white photos of the 'sights' of Rome, and I have included some of them, as there are far fewer photos from this time. |
Another interesting information source has been a book, 'Pippin's Progress,' published in 2001, and written by Major Richard Heseltine, M.C., who was in the same Regiment, 3rd King's Own Hussars, sailing from England, and returning there years later, on the same ships as Frank did.
Many of the battles and situations he describes are easily recognisable in Frank's diaries.
It is available through Amazon's second hand section .
'Pippin's Progress,'- Richard Heseltine, ISBN 0 9541623-0-7, published by Silver Horse Press.
If anyone should wish to use, or reproduce, sections of Frank's diary, or his photographs, they should contact June Denton via the contact form on this site.