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The brigadier visited a 61st company that afternoon but:this didn’t at all raise my hopes and I came to the conclusion that too much timewould be lost and nothing effective done with tired troops. Saw the GOC [Bridgeford]and reluctantly asked that steps be taken to relieve the Bde. He was very kind andsaid if anyone was going to worry it would only be myself. We could go out withflags flying.158A staff report put the matter more clinically. ‘After discussion with sub-unitcomds of 61 Inf Bn 9 and 10 Apr [Bde Comd] decided time required to revitalise61 Inf Bn NOT warranted as whole Div Ops being delayed’.159While the 25th Battalion’s relief was rapidly expedited, the relief of the brigade’sremaining battalions took considerably longer. The 61st remained tasked withrear area security, whilst the 9th Battalion was instructed to continue the advanceto the Hongorai River. The 9th was not fully relieved until 4 May, but it was notuntil 12 May, almost a week after Field’s order of the day, that the majority of 61stBattalion was back in Torokina.160 During this protracted period morale did notimprove. Matthews observed on 10 April that ‘Bill Fry having a lot of trouble with61 Bn. They have been ordered to takeover task of 25 Bn and most troops won’tbudge.’161 What difference Fry may have made was negated by his unexpectedpromotion to command another battalion in the division, something which Fieldtook ‘a poor view of … with the present situation in 61 Bn’.162 Ewen noted aroundthis time:We are well past the previous record established by the 15 Bde for contact with theNips in the SWPA. Their record was 70 days. We have been in now for 89 days, justthree weeks too long. The Bn is in a bad way as the men are all cracked up. Today 9from D Coy and three from B refused to go on patrol and I believe that A Coy patrols158 Field’s diary, 10 April 1945, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 7.159 ‘STA FF Staff Captain’s Report – Period April 1945’, Appendix 155 to 7 InfantryBrigade War Diary, April 1945, AWM 52, Item 8/2/7.160 ‘7 Aust Inf Bde Report on Operations 26 Oct 44 to 16 May 45’, p. 51, 7 Infantry BrigadeWar Diary, August 1945, Appendices, AWM 52, Item 8/2/7.161 Ewen’s diary 2, 24 April 1945, AWM PR89/190.162 Field’s diary, 11 April 1945, AWM 3DRL6937, Item 7. It was not until 30 May thatLieutenant Colonel T.J. Farrell arrived as the permanent CO. 61 Infantry BattalionWar Diary, 30 May 1945, April–May 1945, AWM 52, Item 8/3/96.A tale of three battalions — 37