The camp site chosen bordered the lagoon and was south of Salipal Beach, not far from the Salipal native village, which was one of the largest native villages on the island. There was a drop of about 10 feet from the edge of the camp into the lagoon, and although the temperature was high at all times, a cool breeze from the lagoon made conditions more pleasant. Once again the jungle had to be cleared, tent sites prepared, and a cookhouse and ration store erected. On this occasion the clearing of the jungle presented few difficulties, for in the first place a bulldozer from the New Zealand engineers was obtained for a few hours, and in that brief period not one minute was wasted. Then an American bulldozer was used. An American Seabee unit were assisted in the making of a road near the camp, and the driver of the bulldozer had been approached so often for the loan of his machine that at last he weakened. One evening, he dropped the hint that the bulldozer was full of 'gas' and that he would not be returning until the following morning. The appearance of the camp site changed overnight! During the following days, after persuasive talk, graders and carry-alls were lured into the area and it was not long before the site was level. The tents and bedcots arrived from Guadalcanal with the third echelon, five days after the battle, and it was only a matter of days before we were comfortably settled down once again.

The biggest handicap was the shortage of water. At first, the allowance was only one gallon a man each day for all purposes, but when the water condensing machines commenced operating this was increased to two gallons. Each man was entitled to two page 51water-bottles full each day, the remainder of his allowance being used for cooking purposes. However, once the tents were erected a spouting was placed around the sides, and rain water was caught in 44-gallon petrol drums. Previously, personal ablutions and the washing of clothes were done in salt or brackish water, but this was anything but satisfactory, consequently the fresh water was a gift from heaven. Although our water diviner, Sam Alsop, located water, when a large hole was dug it was noticed that the depth of water in the hole rose and fell with the tide. At first it was fair, but after a while it became very brackish. The absence of fresh meat and vegetables was expected, but this was remedied when it was found that there were plenty of fish in the lagoon. To catch enough for the squadron it was necessary to use explosives. The method adopted was to throw two sticks of gelignite into the water with a lead from a battery. A grenade was then exploded which killed off the small fish and thus enticed the larger ones. At the right time the gelignite was exploded and willing helpers dived in to bring in the catch. Later on small boats were constructed which enabled the fishermen to proceed to different waters. The cleaning of the fish was done mainly by Major Rutherford, but on occasions he had other helpers!

There was very little to do during the day apart from the usual maintenance of tanks, working parties, and general fatigues. The main jobs allotted to the work parties were the unloading of petrol, the cutting of coconut logs for the building of the Salipal Pier, and last, but by no means least, the digging of the cemetery. This latter task was the hardest of all, for the cement-like coral ground was difficult to penetrate even with pneumatic shovels and drills and the free use of explosives. The 14th Brigade had received no previous training with tanks in support, therefore a scheme was started by which, from week to week, officers and men of the infantry battalions were exchanged with the same number of personnel from our unit. The object was to familiarise the infantry with the tanks, and on the other hand to increase the knowledge of the tank personnel regarding infantry procedure.

There was still plenty of spare time on our hands, and as it was too hot to indulge in strenuous sports and ground accommodation was limited, tenakoits became popular. Once again the souvenir makers, whether private enterprises or companies, went into production, and gradually the hours of each day were filled. page 52Then Sam Alsop built a boat. From then on a new craze developed, and many small boats were constructed, from about 18 feet down to 14 feet long. By fair means or foul, motors were obtained from various sources and some of the boats were able to discard sails and oars. Boating became very popular and fishing trips were more successful than ever. Any day, the tank squadron 'fleet' could be seen chugging or sailing to and fro on the lagoon.

The division organised an axemen's carnival, and although we had no entry from our unit most of us went to view the events, and also to risk a few dollars on the tote. The Third Division's band was in attendance and we enjoyed listening to the items. The carnival was held beside the airstrip, and planes were arriving and departing regularly. It was certainly a busy day on the airstrip that day, for there was hardly one minute when a plane was not arriving or leaving. Days did not seem so long with tenakoits, boating and fishing, and we found Nissan Island one of the best islands we had visited in the Pacific. Admittedly it did not come up to the glamorous word pictures painted about atolls, but our stay there was pleasant. The sunsets were beautiful, and in the fading light of the sun the outline of New Ireland could be seen in the distance, and we knew, although we were quite safe and happy, that the enemy was not far away.