As it got light I could examine our position and the nature of the terrain. We were on a steep slope. The hillside of soft volcanic rock was very rough and broken. Ridges and gullies were everywhere covered with sparse vegetation, thistles, coarse yellow grass and other cactus like plants. I saw no trees. It was ideal ground for cover both for the attacker and the defender. The Jap however had the advantage, as we were pinned down and he knew where we were. During the night he had infiltrated our lines in many places. Wearing rubber sneakers and light equipment, their helmets camouflaged with greenery, they were hard to detect. I learned that they also carried a week’s ration of rice that enabled them to stay out on patrol for several days.
While climbing over the top of the hill, back of the pillbox, I came upon an English artillery Observer studying the enemy’s position through his binoculars. He was surprised at their rapid advance and its boldness. “By George.” He remarked. “They are even flying battle flags. We will soon take care of that.”
And he hurried away, as I supposed to his battery. But we never received any artillery support in the vicinity.
When I joined Lieut. Birkett he was lying behind a rock on the slope in front of the pillbox. On our right we could see small figures moving slowly backwards. This, we were told by Lieut. W.V. Mitchell who made his way over to us in passing, was A Company of the Grenadiers. He wanted to know what unit we were. He also said that he thought we had fired at A Company. This was possible in the confusion when we first took our position but as Lieut. Birkett pointed out, it was much more likely that the fire came from the enemy who was attacking our own position and who now, nearly surrounded us. Lieut. Mitchell was able to rejoin A Company, which we did not see again.
The Japs firing was increasing. Trench mortar shells were bursting on the hill. The twang of bullets and flying pieces of rock followed any movement. We lay flat behind cover and returned the fire with our rifles, grenades, three Bren guns and two Tommy guns. After studying the situation our Commander decided that we were too spread out and that it would be better to have all the defenders on the crest of the hill, in or behind the pillbox. He therefore gave orders that our forward guns were to be withdrawn. Under heavy fire he then started to climb the slope. He had almost made it when I noticed that his leg was dragging. He had been hit, but continued. I was told later that he took up position with one of the Bren guns on the roof of his objective.
There were two Bren guns, and their crews, in my immediate vicinity. One, who had heard Lieut. Birkett’s order, was withdrawing. The other, manned by Bugler K. Simpson and Private L. Hallett, lay a little to my left. Taking advantage of all cover I crawled over to warn them. I lay just above them on a ledge behind a rock. Their position was at the base of an almost perpendicular drop of about six feet. I lay flat on my stomach in a firing position, my rifle pointed towards the enemy. I called to Hallett and got an answer. Just at that moment, right in front of us, a Japanese officer jumped up waving a sword and shouting “Banzai! Banzai!”
