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2/20th Battalion

A.I.F.

BATTLE RAGING

Reaching the rear of Battalion Headquarters on a ridge to our right, we were diverted back behind the ridge on which battalion was fighting desperately to hold attacking Jap forces. There was a terrific amount of fire, the Japs used tracer extravagantly and bullets were whistling past like bees around a hive on a bright hot morning, many missing by inches. We were only aware of them as they zipped past our ears and it was impossible to estimate where they came from. This went on for the next few hours.

Johnny Rowe led 9 Platoon out to the right then to the left up on to the ridge and told us to take up positions on the ridge top. Arriving there, I said to Sid Creek: -

 "I'm not stopping here to be sky-lined, come on down the forward slope."

Down the slope, a small Chinese house was dug into side of hill with a "beaut" excavated bank in front of us. It was a "beaut" site for the Bren gun which I immediately got in position and firing. Sid had a Tommy gun too.

I fired on a Japanese machine gun. There was heavy firing from the ridge ahead of us, at targets to our left and back towards Battalion Headquarters.

I learnt later that 8 Platoon had made a bayonet attack just about then and completely routed the Japs who squealed like stuck pigs and ran for their lives. As Bill Parker told me later, they could have chased them off the Island if only they had had more support.

I had engaged one of the guns firing from the flank on 8 Platoon, although I couldn't see him. It must have been unpleasantly close as almost immediately he gave us a blast, fortunately firing high and bringing a shower of leaves down on top of us from a rubber tree covering the house.

Sid couldn't locate a target, in fact he hardly used the Tommy gun at all. Just then we were recalled.

A runner had told Johnny Rowe we were needed at Battalion Headquarters to help hold Japanese assault. Battalion was about half a mile from the Island's shore and B.C. & D. Companies, plus Headquarter Company, had been fighting desperately all night.

Now, about 7 or 8 am, we retraced our steps to Battalion Headquarters behind a ridge and sheltered from direct fire. The air was still full of lead and mortar shells with bombing and strafing from Japanese planes just above the tree-tops.

Reaching Headquarters, Johnny directed us to take up positions on top of the ridge. I ran up the ridge, leading Company, looking for site to set up the Bren gun. As I ran up some 8 Company lads were screaming out  rather desperately: -

"Anyone got an automatic?"

I said: -

 "Yes, what's your problem?"

They replied that a sniper had them grounded and they were not game to move. They indicated where he was firing from, about 300 yards away, across the road almost directly in front, and in a patch of young rubber.

I realised, that to bring the Bren to bear on the target, I would have to get down in front of the ridge and be exposed to all the Japanese in front. Also, there was no visible cover.

I dived down about I5 yards behind a 9 inch diameter rubber tree - it was not much use but better than none. 

I rapidly got the Bren up and gave the sniper a good long burst. There was no more trouble from that area. Then, I had to change the magazine and as I did, I saw smoke rising from another machine gun position. Strangely, Japanese ammunition wasn't smokeless. Mentally I thought: -

"I hope he hasn't spotted me."

Without cover, I raced to get my gun on target only to discover the gun wouldn't fire. There was no time for fault procedure as his first burst hit about 6 feet in front of me and I was obviously his target.

WOUNDED

I grabbed the magazine off, flicked two or three rounds out, hoping ammunition was the only fault, but had no time to fire as his next burst ploughed into the dirt under my gun's front tripod and I decided it was time I wasn't there.

I had time only to throw myself sideways from the hips up, fortunately into a slight depression, as the next instant his final burst felt as if it was tearing my left leg off. If I hadn't ducked left and down, the shots would have been through my head. The depression was just deep enough for me to lower my vital parts below the line of fire.

I lay dead still for a few moments, giving him time to engage another target and hoping he would think my fling to the left was my last. This worked.

After awhile I got to my feet and staggered back to top of the ridge, leaving the gun. I was a bit shocked and bloodied. John Rowe said: -

 "You'd better get back to R.A.P. and get your wounds dressed."

Sam Gilmore rescued my gun and gave it to my No 21 whose job it was to take over if I was knocked or killed.

My No 21, Sheridan of Tamworth, took and set up the gun but was never seen again. In fact, every Bren gunner in "A" Company was either killed or wounded. The Japanese were apparently astute enough to realise that if they knocked out automatics, they could then wipe out riflemen without much bother - which seemed very effective in my view.

Copyright © 2002, Elliott McMaster, "Glen Ora", Nabiac, New South Wales, Australia, 2428.  Original content in these Web pages is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be produced by any process or any other exclusive right exercised without written permission from the copyright holder.