Storming Purburell Hill 

By H. M. A. 

The first day of the attack on Quinto found the British Battalion, 
for the first time ever, in reserve. The Lister Brigade had gone beyond 
the town towards Pina Station that morning, and cut railway and road 
at the rear. Simultaneously the Lincoln-Washington, Spanish and Dimi- 
trov Battalions of the XV Brigade were attacking the outer fortifica- 
tions, under cover of artillery and anti-tank guns. Throughout the day’s 
fighting, the British were lying about a kilometre way, with nothing to 
do except grin and bear the Fascist shells that were seeking them out. 
There was much humourously-cynical explanation by the men for 
this day’s rest. There was betting as to what “dirty job” was to be gi- 
ven us. We were in a hollow, away from the main road between Hijar 
and Quinto, and our food-truck had to bump across a sheep-track to 
reach us. We could see it coming like a schooner in a storm, rising and 
falling over the bumps, with a big cloud of dust in its wake. Hamish 
Fraser was looking after our grub. Then, and in the weeks that follo- 
wed, he stuck to the one precious truck we had (transport was a big 
problem in Aragon) and fed us whenever he could and wherever we 
were. If he ever found time to sleep it must have been on the truck- 
trips. To economise our slender supply of transport, all Battalion kit- 
chens were combined at one centre. Here Lieutenant Francis, Osborne, 
Aubrey and all our old Jarama staff were doing their bit. 
The next morning found us outside Quinto, on a height from which 
the Americans had driven in the Fascists the previous day. The Church 
and a few other posts in the town were still in Fascist hands. Across a 
gully from us dominating the main road and the town itself was a co- 
nical hill – Purburell Hill. We were told there were a few Fascists on 
it. It looked pretty well fortified, but we were not interested; we were 
told to be ready to enter the town and mop up the remaining posts there. 
In the afternoon Major Merriman came to our positions near the 
Cemetery, and told us we were to take Purburell Hill. The Spaniards 
had scouted it, he said, and reported that it was weakly held. We had 
a look at it before we moved towards it. It was one of two conical hills 

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