Private Papers of H H Kassman – Excerpts from Book by Kenneth Rankin, Parade Magazine, December 20, 1941
Date:
20.12.1941
Location:
טוברוק
Personnalités:
H. Henry Kassman, Kenneth Rankin
Organization:
הצבא האוסטרלי, הצבא הבריטי
Nom du fonds d’archives:
Imperial War Museum (IWM)
Folder Number:
Gunner HH Kassman 11-12.1941
Description
Book excerpts and magazine article extract included in a file of Gunner H. Henry Kassman’s correspondence between 1941-1943 compiled by his daughter in 2010. File’s contents are primarily typed letters and other correspondence, occasionally reproduced (often in addition to the typed version), and also include photographs, diary entries from Kenneth Rankin’s book Top-Hats in Tobruk, some other written materials, and some explanatory material. For further information, please see the folder summary. For all posts about this collection, please click on the “H. Henry Kassman” tag in this post.
Top-Hats in Tobruk by Kenneth Rankin is a published version of the author’s diary from his time in Tobruk while serving as an officer in the 152 HAA Battery, 51st HAA Regiment RA during World War II. The titular top hat was the Battery’s insignia. Excerpts from this book were likely chosen for inclusion in this file due to Kassman’s having been in 153 Battery (and later 152 Battery as well), in order to round out and give additional context to the events described in his correspondence.
Pages 6-8: Extracts from Top-Hats in Tobruk by Kenneth Rankin (152 Battery).
Compiler’s timeline note: “7 December 1941: Siege of Tobruk Lifted”
Excerpt from epilogue of Top-Hats in Tobruk: “1. The Final Count”. Summary of activity in Tobruk and some aftermath.
Epilogue section 4: extract from Parade Magazine, “Goodbye to all that [s]ays a Sergeant, seven months in Tobruk”. Account of army life in Tobruk, including fighting, from Sgt. Perry, Left Troop (Heightfinder No. 1).
Comment from the preface of Top-Hats in Tobruk on the effectiveness of the British and Australian “Rats of Tobruk”.
2.5 pages, typed. Dated December 20, 1941 (Parade Magazine article), 1983 (book publication date). Contains some short explanatory notes by the compiler.
