On Sunday night of the 13th I was on picket, having just completed two hours, it was about 11pm and Doug Fraser took over from me. I lay down in the bottom of the tank ditch surrounding post R33, and a flare went up and Doug ducked down, and I said to Doug, "We had better have a look Doug.". Our eyes were at ground level because we were down in the tank ditch and when I looked I saw these people coming through the wire. A group of people we didn't know who they were.

I called Cpl. Tom Cooper, and I said to Tom, "Will I challenge them?" and he said, "No we'll wait a while.". They appeared to be about 100-150 yards away and they were on the sky-line because our eyes were at ground level. And I kept saying to Tom, "Will I challenge them?" and he said "No there is another patrol out, it might be them.". But after waiting five minutes we could hear them speaking in German so Tom called Austin Mackell, and he called the platoon sergeant, section leaders and he gave instructions of what he intended to do, that was to take a fighting patrol of Cpl. Edmondson, Doug Foster, Ron Keogh, Ron 'Splinter' Williams, Edgar Smith and Ron Grant.

They synchronised their watches and Mackell, first of all, he said to me, "I want you to go to Company headquarters and tell Captain Balfe my intention.". He then said, "No you will be required to give covering fire with the rest of 2 Section. I'll send Sid Hurley.". Then he decided to also send Lance Cpl. Dunbar with a written message to Captain Balfe. And the instructions were, that we were to give covering fire when they got in position, and as soon as the fighting patrol started their bayonet charge, we were to cease firing. This went according to schedule.

We saw the members of 3 Section charging and yelling, and we ceased firing.

We estimated [the German] party to be about platoon strength [30], and from our point of view, we could see most of those blokes, - the Germans - take off, heading back through the wire leaving their guns. When we opened up on them to give the covering fire, the retaliated, because Mackell and the fighting patrol were coming in virtually on their flank or nearly behind. 2 Section was giving covering fire and Snowy Holman on the Bren gun from 3 Section, and when the opened up, they wounded him and also Lt. Vincent who was the officer who was going to take over from Mackell, because Mackell was being promoted and sent to another company. He got wounded and was unconscious. The whole situation only lasted twenty minutes at the very most.