National Army Museum

The Lines of Communication Sub-Area East was a high sounding name given in 1940 to the stretch of road, railway, sand and scrub along the Egyptian coast from  Alexandria some 130 miles from Westto Qasaba. Fourth Brigade was ordered at the end of August to take over the command, protection and administration of this unexciting district, and it was to the western end of it that 18 Battalion, all unsuspecting, was directed. Once again hopes of action were to be frustrated. The sector to be commanded, protected and administered by the Battalion lay between Fuka and Qasaba, a distance of 25 miles.

Eighteenth Battalion, after a grand final weekend spree in Cairo, finished packing at Maadi on 2 September. An Advance party left that day for the new sector to find out ‘what is what’ and to direct the main convoy when it arrived. Early on the afternoon of 4 September, after dropping D company off at Fuka the Battalion reached Baggush. The Battalion  was by no means the only New Zealand unit in Baggush, an assorted crowd, artillery, divisional Cavalry and machine gunners had been in the vicinity for about a week, digging up the desert round Baggush and Burbeita wells. This was all right with 18 Battalion, let them dig was the attitude, we have had our whack of digging. For the first days it looked like being a holiday and there wasn’t much to do for nearly a week. The carriers, when they arrived, were split up between Fuka and Baggush. D company spent its time patrolling the beach at Fuka, as much in the water as out of it. The rest of the Battalion had the usual morning and evening stand to, and manned the anti aircraft machine guns around the camp. This wasn’t on 18 Battalions ideas at all, the men had enough of digging by now, it looked as if there fate for the whole war would be to dig holes in the desert, how ever there was no help for it, and began to dig once again.

The Italian airmen began to take a hand in the game. On 6 September 18 Battalion had its first battle casualties, when Private Jimmy Roiall and Private Reg Buckingham were caught in an air raid while collecting petrol from Mersa Matruh, there truck was damaged and both were wounded. The Italians had a new ace up there sleeves. One night 14 September a bomber came flying low over Baggush, next morning there lay on the ground dozens of small round things like Thermos flasks, the difference was that when you touched these they were apt to explode.