back. They had won positions under fire, held them until relieved, and 
now they were being asked to win them back. They grumbled, but ne- 
vertheless they went to get them back! 

On one occasion The Lincoln-Washington Battalion, in support near 
Villanueva del Pardillo were for long shelled, bombed and straffed, 
in turn. When the onslaught ceased they were just in time to rush to 
reinforce the line and repel a Fascist attack. Subsequently, on another 
sector, they and the Franco-Belge were instrumental in repelling a 
break-through by the Fascists. The British Battalion was sent to hold 
a key-position on the extreme end of the line which ran south from 
Villafranca del Castillo, and just at the point where the line turned 
west towards Brunete. The main brunt of the Fascist attack fell on the 
Brigades holding Brunete. When their lines were pushed back the Bri- 
tish were isolated for periods and enfiladed. On July 24, they found 
their flanks in the air, and when they finally fell back it was to disco- 
ver that an order for their retirement sent hours before had failed to 
reach them. 

Other Brigades in a dashing attack re-entered the ruins of Brune- 
te and held it long enough to ensure a rectification of the lines. The 
XV Brigade, living up to its traditions, returned to occupy designated 
positions which it continued to hold until relieved and sent into re- 
serve when the violence of the Fascist counter-offensive had spent itself 
on July 26. 

The Fascists were to inflict one more blow. On the day the Brigade 
was to reach reserve positions Major Nathan hurried back to ensure 
that food would be ready for the various Battalions. Italian planes drop- 
ped what were to prove the last bombs in the counter-offensive. Major 
Nathan, who throughout the most trying days of the three weeks’ figh- 
ting had been cool and cheery as if on manoeuvres and who had esca- 
ped death by a hairsbreadth a dozen times was wounded by a bomb 
splinter, and died a few hours later. 

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