| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | AWM2020.22.239 |
| Collection number | PR00910 |
| Collection type | Digitised Collection |
| Record type | Wallet |
| Item count | 1 |
| Object type | Diary, Letter |
| Physical description | 40 Image/s captured |
| Maker |
Goulston, Eric |
| Place made | Ethiopia |
| Date made | 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copying Provisions | Digital format and content protected by copyright. |
| Source credit to | This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government. |
Wallet 1 of 1 - Letter and diary of Eric Goulston OBE, 1941
Description
Collection relating to the Second World War Service of NX70332 Captain Eric Hyman Goulston, 2/5 Australian General Hospital, Greece and Eritrea, 1941.
Wallet 1 of 1 - Letter and photocopy of typed transcript of a diary of Captain Eric Goulston, medical officer with 2/5 Australian General Hospital.
The letter, to Mrs Nancy Adelaide Goulston, was written over 1-17 May 1941, during the retreat of the Australian forces through Greece to Navplion (he had been based at a hospital at Ekali) and then on HMAS Phoebe to Crete, and thence to Alexandria, Egypt. It describes fighting during the evacuation, especially German air raids and defensive preparations on Crete, but is largely personal and concerned with his own concerns and activities.
The diary transcript, titled 'The Patriot Attack on Gondar (with "Shep" Force)', was taken from a notebook kept by Goulston while subsequently serving with a British force led by a Gurkha Major 'Bimbashi' Sheppard, which conducted operations against Italian forces in Eritrea (Abyssinia). The diary covers the period 9 November - 6 December 1941 and describes mobile operations against the Italians and hostile local people, culminating in the capture of Gondar. Goulston's own activities included managing Italian prisoners of war and relations with friendly locals, as well as providing medical support to Shep Force.