stick it out u<nless you give that”. He got the order to retire. Even then, the Brigade order to “hold out at all costs” was in the minds of these men who did not know what defeat means. Some of the-m, retreat- ing under orders, saw the remnants of No. 1 Company holding out around Conical Hill. So back up they went again.

Later in the afternoon a written message reached us. The runner had lost his way in the woods trying to avoid the cross-fire. Our Commander recelived it three hours after it was written by Briskey, Commander of No. 3 Company, on Conical Hill. It told us that “Kit” Conway, Irish Company Commander had been badly wounded, that Ken Stalker who had taken over command had been killed, that Briskey with the remnants of the two Companies was “holding out well” but wanted help. But, by the time we got it, Briskey was dead, and after a heroic four hours’ stand, all that were alive of his men were falling back, disputing with re:d—hot rifles every yard of the way.

Towards sunset, with tank shells and artillery pounding all around,

-and the light m«achi+ne—guns of the Moors blazing at point-blank range

the survivors of the Battalion evacuated Conical Hill and came up the bottle—neek of the valley to the ridge above. Of the four Company

> Commanders, Conway and Briskey were dead, Overton not in action;

only Fry, Commander of No. 2 Company remained. Now Fry, and Fred Copeman (the latter with a wounded hand) were racing against time to get the machine—guns i11to action. In the gathering dusk they dragg- ed their guns, one belt .in each, to the ridge that had been Battalion Headquarters. Conical Hill was empty, so was White House Hill; our men were falling back through the olives at the left. The Moors sweep- ing over and around Conical Hill, their light machine—guns raking the olives, came forward iii a charge that would have gained them a footin-g on our ridge.

Our guns roared out. For three minutes, thcy blazed in unison. A full Battalion of Moors was caught in the open, from an unexpected angle. Their charge ended there, in veritable «mounds of corpses. That half of them got back to cov-er was due simply to the fact that there had been time for us to fill only one belt per gun.

Another group of Fascist machine—gunners, Germans this time, ap- peared on White House Hill, and while Fry and Copeman were refilling their gun—belts by the same laborious hand—Ipro~cess, our retreating men lost heavily. Our guns crackled again and the fire of those Germans was halted for all time.

The last to come back were a group led by Sam Wilde. They cover- ed the main Withdrawal and brought in their wounded. Sam with five

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