Early on 24 June 1941, the Pioneers heard a great deal of noise, especially near the fort in Merdjayoun. A platoon moved forward and fired their weapons. There was no reply. They entered Merdjayoun, which was in shambles. The French had deliberately destroyed buildings and homes and destroyed goods in shops. There were many dead on the ground. Most were French. They found the Pioneers who had been lost on 17 June and buried them. On the right, a company was ordered to take Kheibe. They were able to enter Kheibe without any opposition, but then took mortar and machine gun fire from the northwest. General Wavell visited Brigadier Berryman's headquarters. While there, General Wavell that they should go on the offensive as soon as they could.
The picture shows General Allen, Brigadier Frank Berryman, and Brigadier Baxter-Cox.
In this spirit, Brigadier Berryman decided to attack Col's Ridge with a company of Pioneers. The attack was to hit the ridge from the north and roll up the French flank, if all went well. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Australian Official History.
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