29 August 1942

A group of 39th's wounded unfit to fight are sent back down the Track to safety at Alola. When they hear their mates are in dire straits, 27 out of 30 head straight back to Isurava. Those who couldn't had lost a foot, had a bullet in the throat and a forearm blown off.  

Ai Isurava the Japanese break through the defences of 2/14^th and threaten battalion HQ. Private Bruce Kingsbury joins a counter-attack. Firing his Bren machine gun from the hip, he charges the enemy, kills 25-30 and sends rest fleeing back in the jungle but he’s killed by a sniper ias he reloads. He will later win the only VC awarded in the Kokoda Campaign.

Enemy numbers are overwhelming and Arthur Key decides to withdraw his force to prevent encirclement. He orders them back to Isurava Guest House position halfway between Isurava village and Alola.

Cpl Charlie McCallum holds off charging Japs to allow his mates to withdraw. He fires Bren gun from the hip. When he runs out of ammo, he picks up a Tommy gun from a wounded mate and fires it with one arm while he reloads Bren and fires it from the other. Estimates he kills at least 20 enemy as his mates escape. Then he calmly walks out.