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O.P Russell of the 503rd Parachute Regiment Headquarters at Gordonvale RECALLS: "Forty river crossings had to be made on a rope crossing. We had to go cris-cross across and drag ourselves across on a rope. Three paratroopers fell off the ropes and were drowned. Others have told me there were about seven drownings. One body was recovered on the bank of the Mulgrave River near Aloomba some months later. A lot of equipment was lost in the river. Lieutenant Dick who was in charge of us obtained a Burra (mule) from somewhere to pack A 60mm mortar. The Burra went up the first hill all right, but then sat down and refused to any any further, so we had to carry the mortar ourselves. We started off about 30 dogs and came home with three. They just seemed to vanish. It was a very wet year in Babinda, the rainfall being 360 inches."