ly in command of the 6th, ordered "A" Company to move forward
and take F13. On receiving this order Major Downie led Nos. 3 and 4
platoons over the parapet, the right half-company under Captain Morton
following them at a short interval. Their route led along the lower end
of F12A, which had been almost pounded out of existence by our high
explosives. There were several casualties while traversing this zone,
including Major Downie himself who received a severe bullet wound in the
head.

Reaching F13 the company drove the enemy a considerable distance up the
trench until checked at a point 70 or 80 yards beyond its junction with
F12A. Here the Turks, possibly reinforced, made a determined stand
behind a traverse or interior work of some kind and a comparative
deadlock ensued, both sides maintaining a heavy fire at a distance of
less than 30 yards, but neither being able to gain any ground.

At this stage, through some misunderstanding, two machine guns arrived
from another unit in response to a verbal message passed back through
the crowded trenches asking for "a machine gun in a hurry."

The enemy had all along been using grenades freely, and very soon after
the arrival of the machine guns a vigorous counter-attack was pushed
against our narrow front under cover of a perfect hail of bombs.
Sec.-Lieut. J.W. Malcolm, who was with our most advanced party and had
been handling his men coolly and steadying them by a splendid example of
courage and endurance, was killed.

Simultaneously with his fall one of the machine guns was disabled and
put out of action. The men, deprived of their leader, gave back about 20
yards, leaving the machine gun behind, while the Turks pushed on still
under cover of a storm of bombs, to which our men could not reply as
they had not been issued with grenades.

For a time the situation was critical. It looked as if "A" Company were
to be driven back and the trench lost. But they soon steadied down to
hold on. The Turkish grenade had a fuse which burns for 8 to 10 seconds;
it therefore rarely explodes until some seconds after it has fallen.
Recognising this, some of our bolder spirits began to pick up and throw
back the enemy's grenades. Pte. J. Melrose and Corporal A.R. Kelly were
amongst the first to attempt this and their example was quickly followed
by others. It was a deadly dangerous game, for it was impossible to tell
how long any fuse had still to burn and the grenade might explode at an