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concerned about his lines of communication; subsequently a company from the61st Battalion was placed under his command, on 5 December, to provide rearsecurity. Inauspiciously, two of its soldiers were wounded in a grenade accidentwhilst preparing to move forward.76 While this company was kept busy with patroltasks it was not involved in any of the subsequent fighting.The 9th’s next task was to secure Artillery Ridge, the final obstacle beforethe capture of Pearl Ridge. In the lead up to this attack Matthews clashed withBrigadier Field over what was considered the battalion’s excessive use of artillery.Matthews’s recorded on 16 December:I rang up the Brig after tea … he does not agree that arty fire is better than casualties!Would not give me a direct order to take Arty Ridge; says its up to me. Says my object isto hold Pearl Ridge and secure it and told him this would take a month. He got annoyedand said if I couldn’t do it somebody would!… It seems he wants me to take Arty Ridgeso that he can get the honour and glory, but will not order me to do it, and passes thebuck. His previous policy was no casualties, push on slowly.77Five days before Field noted that ‘Matthews is realizing his responsibilitiesin commanding a Bn in the presence of the enemy and contrary to my idea thathe might be too hasty and impetuous requires pushing at times to get the jobdone’.78 Despite these misgivings, C Company succeeded in taking the ridge on18 December, killing twenty-five Japanese for five dead and eight wounded.79 Thebrigade commander believed that the attack ‘once again proves my contention thatthe average Australian can do anything given good leadership, encouragementand man management – whether he be AIF or Militia’.80 The 9th Battalion wassubsequently relieved on 21 December, after almost a month, in ‘order to conservethe troops as much as possible for later divisional operations and to give others76 61 Infantry Battalion War Diary, 4 December 1944, December 1944, AWM 52, Item8/3/96.77 Extract from Matthews diary, 15 December 1944, AWM 67, Item 3/260, Part 2.78 Field’s diary, 9 December 1944, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 6.79 ‘Attack and Capture of Arty Ridge’, Appendix D to ‘9 Aust Inf Bn Report on OperationsPiaterapaia-Sisivie Areas, 23 Nov 44 – 21 Dec 44’, 9 Infantry Battalion War Diary,December 1944, AWM 52, Item 8/3/46.80 Field’s diary, 20 December 1944, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 6.16 — A tale of three battalions