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"Our meagre daily ration of water tasted awful because of the brackish salt and a generous dose of chlorination ..." [1]
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| AS YOU might expect water is a precious commodity in a desert. Before the fighting began, water was piped to Tobruk from Derna. When Derna fell into Axis hands the pipeline was cut and Tobruk had to rely on other sources of water. Tobruk had two water distilleries fed by three pumping stations (Wadi Auda, Wadi Sehel was outside the perimeter). The distilleries were operated by Italian civilians before they were shipped out and maintenance and upkeep passed to Australian engineers of the 2/4 Field Park Company. During the siege Axis bombers tried unsuccessfully to destroy the distilleries; the building housing No1 was severely damaged but the distillery itself kept functioning. The distilleries had to be stopped regularly to de-scale the condensers and they also suffered regular breakdowns due to shortages of spare parts and prior poor maintenance. There were also sub-artesian wells and cisterns within the perimeter which supplemented the garrison's water supply. Also, the Italians had left behind a large stockpile of Riccaro mineral water. Naturally, a water ration was in place. Initially it was 1/2 gallon (2.2 litres) per man per day. After June 19 it was increased to 3/4 gallon (3.4 litres). Each man had to shave, clean and drink using only the allotted ration. The water the troops drank most had a high salt content and was heavily chlorinated. As tea disguised the brackish taste of the water, brewing up became the most popular pastime in Tobruk. Troops sometimes used flakes of cordite to boil water for the brew. Troops used petrol and sand to clean their clothes; however this practice was stopped when the garrison started running short of fuel. Dirty water was filtered through cloth into radiators. |
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Soldiers actually drowned in the desert. Sudden heavy rains could fill bone dry wadis with torrents of raging water.
TOBRUK, LIBYA. 1941-09-11. THE WATER DISTILLERY IN THE 24TH INFANTRY BRIGADE AREA.
TOBRUK, LIBYA. 1941-09-14. MEN ENGAGED ON THE WATER DISTILLERY PLANT. |
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