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soldiers' stoush, with 'Pud' Ross going up again and again to hurl grenades at the enemy. He was wounded by shrapnel in the leg. Major O'Donnell still estimated the enemy at platoon (plus) strength and did the correct thing. The VC used to say that when in contact with the Australians, you had to watch your flanks. They were right. The OC [officer commanding], going by the book, sent Rod Smith and 1 Platoon out to the right to outflank the enemy. Rocket fire again slashed through our company with sickening concussion. 'Jock' Sutherland received a direct hit and lost a leg and an eye. Second Lieutenant Ross repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire while throwing grenades so that his men could adopt better fire positions. He dragged two wounded men to safety. During the remainder of the battle, he reorganised his platoon and moved around it under heavy fire, encouraging his men and directing their fire on the enemy. Although he suffered a shrapnel wound to his leg, he refused medical attention until the enemy had been beaten off and all the other wounded had been treated. Private Dennis 'Bottles' Bathersby, a machine gunner in the platoon, was wounded in the arm when he exposed himself to fire in order to gain a better position to return fire. He continued the battle, throwing two grenades with his left arm. He then saved a badly wounded comrade by dragging him back to a safe area, returning to his machine gun to keep firing. Finally, his right arm became completely numb. He was then ordered back, but at platoon headquarters he continued to help the other wounded and went around giving out cigarettes. Private Keith Downward, a forward scout in 2 Platoon, came under heavy fire early in the battle. He continued to crawl towards the enemy until he was within 10 m of a machine gun that was causing the casualties. He leapt to his feet and, disregarding his own safety, charged the machine gun, killed its operator and captured the weapon. He was wounded shortly afterwards by a hand grenade but continued to bring fire on the enemy. When it became necessary to order him to move rearward for treatment, he dragged a wounded comrade with him. Lieutenant Clark's narrative continued: Meanwhile I had the guns in to about 400 metres at Battery Fire for Effect. I was following Regimental Standing Orders for Close Targets, and, in fact, had them open in the mud before me. It was at this stage that 1Platoon was hit from their right flank. Far from outflanking the enemy they had walked straight into them. We began to revise our estimates of the enemy strength. As 'Speedy' O'Connor was dragged past me, the top of his head shot away by the VC machine gun, and moaning 'for Christ's sake, for Christ's sake', I seemed to see quite clearly the urgency of the situation. I ended my present mission and began two more: a Close Target with 106 Battery to our right front (NE) and a more distant (and, I hoped, deterrent) mission to our front with the 155 mm howitzers