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Age
20 Years

11th March 1944

I played the lone wolf today as George didn’t want to go ashore. I climbed up to see Fort Guraya. As a matter of fact I didn’t realised when I set out that I would finish up there for I really only intended to see the cemetery. This I did first of all and was amazed at the beauty and apparent expense of the majority of graves. It seemed usual to have a carved book of stone, upon an ornate sarcophagus containing a photograph of the deceased on one page (set in glass) and a suitable “souvenir” on the other. Typical of such souvenirs is  “Time, which erases everything, cannot erase his memory”.

After the cemetery, I walked or rather climbed up beside an old, broken down wall that was originally part of Bougie’s defence. It was approximately 6 feet thick and how it ever came to be built there, I have no idea, but it certainly took me all my time to follow its track. Eventually I came to a winding road and continued on round and round, obtaining a magnificent view the whole time. At last I came to some old, broken down barracks, having white washed walls and red low pitched roofs. Nobody inhabits them now but there are signs that they have been occupied this war. The walls are lined with hundreds of names and addresses, French, English and American. Many of the remarks show how lonely the men were, being nearly 2000ft up.

After the barracks, I continued my climb to the fort on the top of Mount Guraya.

The sudden and magnificent views that I obtained took my breath away. The drop on the other side was practically shear and the fort was vertically unassailable.

One of the many names and addresses on the walls of this fort was of an American:-

Priv. Wm J. Hackney

ASN 13043282

Atlantic City, New Jersey USA

Another was a “diary” of a British Tommy:-

1939 – Aldershot, Southampton, Cherbourg, Sille de Guallam

Guerande, Pornichet, Evin dal maison.

1940 – Roost Warrendon, Belgium, Dunkirque, Newhaven, Birkenhead, Ascot, N Forest

1941 – New Forest, Surrey

1942 – Scotland

1943 – Algiers, Tunisian Campaign

To descend from this height (2175) I clambered down the precipitous rock strewn mountain side, ignoring roads and paths. It was a grand climb.