THE 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES 1914 1919 /- f Lassei \ Maqtiicouri ontaine arcoin aume lti /Jniiens ^ February IJlQ Indudin THE 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES 1914 1919 BY CAPTAIN S. G. BENNETT, M.C. (Late Royal Engineers) With a Foreword by MAJOR-GENERAL J. H. ELMSLEY C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. TORONTO MURRAY PRINTING COMPANY LIMITED 1926 7 COPYRIGHT, CANADA, 1926 FEINTED IN CANADA DEDICATED TO THE OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR CONTENTS PREFACE FOREWORD . CHAPTER I CHAPTER II CHAPTER III CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V CHAPTER VI CANADA AND ENGLAND FRANCE AND THE TRENCHES SANCTUARY WOOD THE SOMME VIMY RIDGE PASSCHEXDAELE CHAPTER VII DURING THE LAST GERMAN OFFENSIVE CHAPTER VIII THE LAST HUNDRED DAYS (Amiens, Arras, Cambrai, The Final Advance) CHAPTER IX ARMISTICE TO DEMOBILIZATION APPENDIX I NOMINAL ROLL ..... APPENDIX II GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS . INDEX Page xi xiii 1 9 16 26 44 72 90 115 149 160 338 330 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS LlEUTENANT-COLONEL W. C. VAUX CHADWICK LlEUTENANT-COLONEL SANDFORD SMITH, D.S.O. LlEUTENANT-COLONEL J. F. H. UsSHER LILLE GATE, YPRES ..... SANCTUARY WOOD AFTER JUNE 2, 1916 LlEUTENANT-COLONEL H. D. LoCKHART GORDON, D.S.O. ZlLLEBEKE LAKE AND YPRES IN FAR DISTANCE . INFANTRY ADVANCING WITH A TANK LOOKING OVER CREST OF VIMY RIDGE TOWARD VILLAGE OF VIMY ...... LlEUTENANT-COLONEL W. R. PATTERSON, D.S.O. PASSCHENDAELE CONSOLIDATING IN THE MUD PRIVATE T. W. HOLMES, V.C. . COMING OUT OF THE LINE . . . . CAPTAIN W. H. DAVIS, M.C. ARRAS ....... ENTERING CAMBRAI, OCTOBER 9, 1918 CIVILIANS RELEASED BY 4TH C. M. R., AFTER FOUR YEARS IN OCCUPIED TERRITORY .... PRESENTATION OF COLOURS TO 4TH C. M. R. AT BRAMSHOTT, MARCH 7, 1919 Facing page 2 5 13 15 19 21 23 31 54 63 79 84 97 123 126 139 142 154 LIST OF MAPS ITINERARY 4TH C.M.R. BATTALION JULY, 1918-FEBRUARY, 1919 INCLUDING THE LAST HUNDRED DAYS . SANCTUARY WOOD, JUNE 2, 1916 THE SOMME ...... VIMY RIDGE, 1917 ..... PASSCHENDAELE, OCTOBER, 1917 . Frontispiece Facing page 18 42 70 88 PREFACE WHEN I was commissioned to write this book I found it necessary to adhere rigidly to a definite policy on account of the limits of space. Primarily the book was written for the men and the satisfaction of the next of kin. The Regiment was raised to fight the enemy; those things which helped to advance that cause and were a means to that end were given preference. Despite the necessity of condensation, no time has been omitted or glossed over without some reference to it, so that no man, no matter how short his association with the Regiment, will find a void where his interests centred. All the commanding officers kindly read those chap ters of the book which included the time under their command. To them the author is especially grateful and in particular to Lieutenant-Colonel H. D. Lockhart Gordon D.S.O., who originally proposed this history and throughout its preparation gave, generously, many hours of his days and evenings in helping with various details. Also Lieutenant-Colonel W. R. Patterson D.S.O., whose long service with the Regiment combined with his prodig ious memory, was of the greatest assistance. Captain R. Innes-Taylor, formerly Adjutant of the Battalion, gathered together a large amount of informa tion and prepared material which was of the greatest assistance. The Regimental War Diary was my guide; all dates, names and movements were taken from it and I was particularly fortunate in having one of the best Diaries of any Regiment in the Great War, to consult. This is verified by the reference to it in the Army Quarterly, October, 1924, which printed extracts and commented that, "one Adjutant of an overseas battalion possessed a bright style and used particularly crisp phraseology in compiling his Diary. 3 The Adjutant referred to was xii 4ra CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES Captain Gregory Clark, M.C., to whom I am indebted, not only for his work on the Diary, but for his many courtesies to me during the writing of the book. Captain G. D. Fleming, who succeeded Captain Clark in August, 1918, maintained the high standard of the Diary. Ser geant-Major Featherstonhaugh, who was orderly-room sergeant, with the Regiment from the first and respon sible for the safe-keeping of the records, was of invalu able assistance in checking the proofs. Lieutenant- Colonel G. F. McFarland lent me his excellent personal Diary and read the manuscript. The Historical Section of the General Staff, Ottawa, kindly provided copies of various documents and pre pared other material and were at all times ready to pro vide assistance. The page-proofs of the book were read by the Section and numerous suggestions and minor inaccuracies pointed out. For the assistance afforded, the author is greatly indebted to the Director and Staff of the Historical Section. The maps were inspired by Mr. Emery Walker and drawn in the style of the cartographers of the seventeenth century by Mr. I. H. Kerr, a student attending the Ontario College of Art. I am indebted to Mr. Kerr for his faithful execution and meticulous adherence to detail and also for his artistic page-ends which embellish the book. To the many Officers and men who helped me in various ways I tender my thanks and appreciation, only a few of whom I have space to mention ; Major W. E. L. Coleman, M.C., Major M. M. Hart, M.C., and Major Victor Sifton, D.S.O., impartially advised me. I have tried to give the correct weight and perspec tive throughout. To the best of my ability I have been, I trust, unbiased, neutral and just. S. G. BENNETT FOREWORD AFTER the operations in the area of Festubert and La Bassee Canal in 1915 where our casualties had been heavy, the Canadian Troops were moved North to the Messines Front and remained there during the winter of 1915-1916. All who were on this front well remember the numerical weakness of our Battalions, reduced by casualties to half their normal strength and holding against attack frontages proportional to a Battalion at full strength. They will recall all the general disheartening conditions; the incessant German shelling and discouraging silence of our guns due to the scarcity of ammunition; the never- ending demands for working parties to construct at night new trenches or recondition the old; the continual rains, increasing at times to such volume and violence that the work of one month would be washed away in one night; and the futility of our efforts to drive mines in this quagmire of a front. Fighting did not lower the morale of our men, in fact it improved it, but this unending struggle against the forces of Nature, the lack of warmth and dry clothing, want of sleep and a dry place to sleep in, all began to have an adverse effect on the spirits and courage of our gallant mud-caked fighters and diggers. Effective censorship had dropped an impenetrable curtain behind us, cutting off our view and knowledge Xlll xiv 4 TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES of any possible reinforcements to relieve us in our grave needs. We really began to wonder whether our people at home had forgotten us, or whether in sending one Division and one Cavalry Brigade to the Front Canada had made her one and only stake in this World s War. Our minds assured us that such a situation could not exist; but our weary bodies reminded us that it did exist. Standing one day at a respectful distance from an unhealthy cross-road the censor s curtain suddenly lifted and we saw a column of men approaching, tall, well-built, clean of clothes and equipment, clean of face and hands- something quite foreign to us in our surroundings. Who were they? Our reinforcements at last, the C. M. R. Brigades, and of them the future 4lh C. M. R. Battalion, the familiar faces of the men of Toronto, my home, and of whose deeds and sacrifices you read about in this book. The distant skirl of the pipes brought no greater relief to the besieged Garrison of Lucknow than did the sight of these men to us the Advance Guard of the greater Canadian Forces to come. In this manner I made my second acquaintance with the C. M. R. my first during the South African War over twenty-five years ago. A mysterious organization, these C. M. R., non-existent in Peace but coming to life in War, with territorial associations stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific and embodying men of every walk in life, voluntarily tendering their services during a National peril and u)illing to sacrifice their all in their Country s service the Canadian Fascisti. And as they arrived in South Africa years ago during the dark weeks FOREWORD xv of that campaign where they brought material assistance and consolation to their distressed comrades, so they arrived in France bringing messages of hope and encouragement from our far-distant Canada. Later I had the honour to succeed General V. A. S. Williams as the Commander of the C. M. R. Brigade, composed of the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Battalions, which were subsequently embodied in the 3rd Canadian Division as the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade. Whilst under my Command as a Brigade in this Division, we fought the major offensive operations of the Somme, Vimy, and Passchendcele and the very costly defensive operations of the Ypres Salient. In all these and other operations the C. M. R. contributed their full share towards General Sir Arthur Currie s proud claim at the termination of the war that "the Canadian Corps had never failed to gain their objective in the attack, or permanently lost one yard of territory in the defence," and though I may be accused of prejudice I feel that during my Command of two years no other Brigadier was as fortunate as I in having such loyal and gallant Officers and men under him as the old C. M. R. My best wishes to my old comrades now living: and to those dead, may they rest in peace. THE 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES CHAPTER I CANADA AND ENGLAND r 1^\ HE Fourth Canadian Mounted Rifles under authority Aug. of the Department of Militia and Defence became 1914 a unit of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on November 5th, 1914. Major-General F. L.Lessard, C.B., commanding Military District No. 2 issued instructions that the personnel was to be drafted from four cavalry militia regiments of Ontario, a quota to be taken from the Governor-General s Body Guard, 2nd Dragoons, 9th Mississauga Horse and 25th Brant Dragoons. The command was given to Lieut. -Colonel Vaux Chad wick, of the Reserve of Officers, a former commanding officer of the 9th Mississauga Horse. The establishment called for twenty-eight officers and five hundred and seventy-seven non-commissioned officers and men. At the outbreak of war in August, 1914, cavalrymen were among the first to volunteer their services and were disappointed when they learned that they would not be called up with the first contingent. They were told by the Government, however, that they would be required eventually and the Governor-General, H. R. H. the Duke of Connaught, intimated that cavalry would probably be needed in Egypt. With this encouragement the Governor- General s Body Guard, commanded by Lieut. -Colonel Sandford Smith and the 9th Mississauga Horse commanded by Lieut. -Colonel H. D. Lockhart Gordon on their own initiative opened voluntary training camps, the former at Aurora, Ontario, and the latter on the shore of Lake i i 2 4ra CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES Au s Ontario, near Long Branch. These rival camps, work ing toward the same goal, were soon training men, acquir ing equipment and preparing for the future without any official authority, but with general approval. The City of Toronto and Lieut.-Colonel H. C. Cox, Honorary Colonel of the Mississauga Horse, kindly purchased about two hundred horses to mount these regiments, which enabled them to commence their eques trian training. As soon as authority was given, Lieut.-Colonel Vaux Chadwick began to organize the new regiment, which was first known as the Ontario Mounted Rifles. Subse quently it became the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles and was brigaded with the 5th and 6th Canadian Mounted Rifles in the 2nd Canadian Mounted Brigade, the 5th and 6th C. M. R. being raised in the Eastern Townships of Quebec and the Maritime Provinces. The quota from the Mississauga Horse and the Body Guard was avail able at once and moved to the Exhibition Grounds on NOV. 16, November 16th, followed by the Brant Dragoons on the 21st and the 2nd Dragoons on the 23rd. In order to assimilate the different units, each Squadron was com posed of one troop from each regiment. The new regiment was first billeted in buildings of the Canadian National Exhibition. These buildings, erected to display the prize crafts and stock of the land, now did service in sheltering the officers and men and their horses. The men were of the first and best that Canada offered to the Mother Country. They came from every walk of life and were of the same mettle as those who pierced the Red River country or went to South Africa. Endowed with native ability and characteristic ingenuity, they were soon to be trained and drilled into an efficient fighting force to stand beside the brawn of Britain and honourably acquit themselves. Material sacrifices made by this apparently care-free multitude were small compared to what was probably the greatest decision of their lives; namely, to give up the duty to their loved ones and accept the duty to their country. Once they had made the momentous decision Lieutenant-Colonel W. C. Vaux Chadwick. CANADA AND ENGLAND 3 to answer the call to arms, the men took unto themselves the contagious cavalry spirit. They faced the rigorous and embarrassing physical examination and went on their first parade with mingled feelings of pride and ignorance. The old soldier felt the superiority of his experience, but he, too, was not without his emotions. Training commen ced with a vigour and enthusiasm which could be felt and shown only by men physically fit and carefully chosen, who had volunteered with all the eagerness of youth anxious to serve. In addition to the two hundred horses turned over to the Regiment about five hundred more were received. Unfortunately, or, perhaps, in a way fortunately, no bridles or saddles were available for some considerable time and in consequence this necessary equipment was borrowed from the Mississaugua Horse for the use of officers and troop guides. The men, of necessity, were trained to ride bareback, Indian fashion, with improvised bridles and rope-bits and on one occasion attracted attention by going on a nine-mile route-march through the streets of Toronto, the entire regiment riding bare back. They turned out for their first review by Major- General Sam Hughes, K.C.B., Minister of Militia, before the equipment arrived. Happily, however, the men wore great-coats to cover the deficiency in saddles and they handled their horses so well that the lack was barely noticeable. They trained for the first three months in this way, which probably accounted for the excellent riding displayed, and for the number of prizes the original men won in overseas tournaments. All equipment was slow in coming and the men would J ai *. have suffered considerably from lack of sufficient winter clothing had it not been for the kindness of many people in Toronto who provided felt boots and other urgent necessities so that it was possible to carry on training even in the coldest weather. Those days were long, because they were new. They are remembered because of the impressions which are vivid when not too dulled by tedium. How short in actual time they were, compared with the days to follow! The life at the Exhibition 4 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES {915 Grounds will be recalled with outstanding freshness because of its novelty; the unusually early rising, the ablutions, the cook house, the stables, the business of grooming, feeding and watering the obstreperous horses, all unaccustomed features of a new existence. Musketry practice, which gave some so much pleasure on the ranges at Long Branch, was to others a great trial. The use of a rifle was not a new thing to the many militiamen in the unit, but there were a few who nursed a painful shoulder for the first time. Early in the spring of 1915 the Governor-General, H. R. H. the Duke of Connaught, came from Ottawa for an inspection of the unit and commented in the most glowing terms upon its efficiency and splendid appearance. He remarked that he had rarely seen a regiment so well mounted. This was not surprising, as some of the most valuable hunters in the country were amongst the uni formly splendid mounts. There was a persistent rumour that the Regiment was for Egypt, to be brigaded under General Maxwell, and after the inspection everyone felt that it was the last thing preparatory to leaving. There was great disappointment when this proposal was not carried out. Following this shattered hope came an order which was even more disheartening. The Regiment was called upon to supply horses as chargers for the officers df the Second Canadian Division, then leaving for overseas. No order could have been more discouraging. To be given a strange horse, to get acquainted with him by feeding, grooming, learning to ride him and caring for him, and then suddenly to lose him, was a bitter pill. Many a man, as he toiled over his horse or cleaned his saddlery, dreamed of the day when he would ride him in France where he would have to rely upon his stamina and training to carry him in action. Ma y In May, 1915, the Regiment was asked to volunteer for overseas service as a dismounted unit. There were many regrets, naturally, in abandoning the horses ; never theless, the men were eager to get to the field of action and so, rather than kick their heels forever in a training- camp, three thousand miles from the guns, they accepted Lieutenant-Colonel Sandford Smith, D.S.O. CANADA AND ENGLAND 5 the inevitable as gracefully as possible. Shortly after wards all were moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake, where training was pursued under continued difficulties. The Regiment was over-strength in officers and men, but only half-strength in horses. This unhappy condition was accentuated when orders were received to proceed to Valcartier, with only enough horses to bring the estab lishment to that of an infantry unit. Thus a second parting with horses was made. Regrets at this time had some compensation, as it meant a move nearer the theatre of war. The Regiment arrived at Valcartier in June and at once joined with the 5th and 6th Canadian Mounted Rifles to form the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles Brigade, under Colonel C. A. Smart. At Valcartier, the command changed. Lieut. -Colonel Vaux Chadwick, who had never become reconciled to the Regiment being a dismounted unit, was transferred to Headquarters on June 23rd and appointed Brigade Major of the 7th Overseas Infantry Brigade, composed of French Canadians and units from the Maritime Provinces. Later on he raised and trained the 124th Overseas Battalion, which was another unit recruited from the Governor-General s Body Guard and Mississauga Horse. This Battalion he commanded in France. The wonderful training in discipline and the determination shown by Lieut. -Colonel Vaux Chadwick that nothing should be left undone in the way of prepara tion, bore fruit in the noble stand made by the Fourth C. M. R. in its first action on June 2nd, 1916. In succes sion to Lieut. -Colonel Chadwick came Lieut. -Colonel Sandford F. Smith, with Lieut. -Colonel H. D. Lockhart Gordon as Second-in-Command. The Regiment carried out cavalry drill on foot and did brigade manoeuvres. The men found their month s drilling rather trying after the loss of their horses, but many pleasant escapades can be recalled which helped to pass the time. The famous drag hunts of the Canadian Mounted Rifles will be remembered with mixed feelings. They would start with an innocent canter which would develop into a mad gallop through a wood followed by wonderful 6 4ra CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES J i9?s "fencing" on the flat. Then Lieut. D. MacKay would invariably challenge an unsuspecting officer to join in a race to the finish. By the time they were going too hard to pull up they would come suddenly to a creek too wide to jump that ran into the Valcartier River. The first plunge would land the horses up to their chests; the next moment they had to swim and when attempting to climb up the opposite bank the majority of the riders would lose their seats and roll backwards into the water. Captain W. V. Sifton swears he had to swim the river to save his life and Captain Allan Taylor claimed that he received the marks of a horse s hoof in the middle of his back when he was at the bottom of the creek. The repeated rumours of sailings and getting prepared to leave Canada kept everyone in a state of hopeful enthusiasm. Speculations as to the future, rumours and conjectures were soon consummated in definite orders. The long eight months of training in Canada were near their end. An increasing zeal prior to the expected embark ation was apparent, and when, on the 9th of July, 1915, a party of one officer and forty men sailed for England with the horses of the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles Brigade, the men realized that it would not be long before they, too, would take the journey to which they had so long looked forward. Early in July, H. R. H. the Duke of Connaught made his last inspection of the Regiment and on July 18th the brigade went aboard the transport awaiting them at Quebec. The S. S. Hesperian carried the 4th and 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles and the Brigade Headquarters Staff. At last they were on their way to England. The transport stole noiselessly down the river past the Isle d Orleans and into widening banks, leaving behind on the horizon the historic Citadel; its mystic charm and mediaeval atmosphere became lost in the rolling purple crests of the Laurentians. The twinkling lights in the white cottages nestling on the river s edge beaconed the troops along the winding shores of this ancient river whose restless waters for three centuries had borne armies to and from Europe. The embracing mountains were CANADA AND ENGLAND 7 illuminated in turn by a gorgeous sunrise or an incom- parable sunset until dank depressing fogs rose from the Banks. For several days the mist delayed the voyage, but when it lifted the desolate mysterious landscape soon faded into the hazy horizon of the Atlantic. Submarines were active, but even though these men had known that the very boat* on which they felt so secure was doomed to be torpedoed by the Germans they would have treated this latent menace in their usual frivolous manner. As a precaution against submarines extra watches were kept. All portholes were closed and darkened at night. No lights were allowed which lent a mysterious and eerie atmosphere as the ship ploughed through the darkness of the night. Even though there were fatigues, guards and watches to perform, the passage was a gay climax after months on land. Nevertheless, it was with feelings of interest and excite- j u i y 29, ment that they came into view of the shores of old England. 1915 The transport steamed into the roadstead of Plymouth Sound, which was receiving back younger generations of forbears who, a century before, had sailed from it. Romance was developing rapidly in the lives of these young grandsons of the Motherland. On July 29th the Regiment disembarked and entrained for Shorncliffe. The interest of the men was absorbed in the new and strange things which confronted them at every turn; the trains, the railway carriages, the hedges, the green fields and winding lanes. The troops detrained that night and marched into tent billets at Dibgate Hill. Training recommenced; route marches were made along the macadam roads of Kent; manoeuvres were carried out on the beautiful green downs overlooking the English Channel; musketry was practised at Hythe, where the regiment made the highest average of all Canadian regiments that shot there. This intensive training was punctuated with the inevitable leave" to London. Recreation was found in regimental sports and concerts, or in the much frequented canteens. * The S. S. Hesperian was afterwards torpedoed and sunk by the Germans, while returning on her second voyage after conveying the 4th C.M.E. to England. 8 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES Sept. 23, After two months at Dibgate the Regiment, on September 23rd, moved to Caesar s Camp. Here the men received their Webb equipment, ammunition and all the essentials of actual warfare. Probably nothing was so significant in all these young soldiers preparation as receiving their identification discs. Not even the field dressing or the rifle and its bayonet had the same sobering effect or was so indicative of the seriousness of the conflict in which they were about to participate as the reception of these little metal discs. The last days of final preparation were calm and serious days, camouflaged under a veneer of cheery conviviality. C 9i5 4 Thus, after three very full months spent in England, the Regiment found itself on the eve of departure fit and ready for active service. On Sunday evening, the 24th of October, 1915, the men, in full marching order, proceeded to Folkestone on their way to France. A band played them along the road over which thousands had already tramped. The cheery songs, the witty quips and jocular drollery lightened the bulging packs and heavy equip ment. The church bells were ringing in the channel port. The people from the roadside offered encouraging fare wells and cheered them until they disappeared along the quay and crowded on board the waiting packet-boat. Another great moment had arrived. The long months since enlistment were forgotten in the excitement of embarkation. The endless labyrinth of thoughts that crowded the minds of these men were confused by their strong emotions; memories of families, sweethearts and old associations were mingled with efforts to visualize the uncertain future; cheerful optimism was disturbed by solemn reflections; Spartan-like stoicism was blended with philosophical fatalism. In the waning light of this October Sunday evening the ship, with its living cargo, slipped away from the gull- swept jetty into the swell of the channel, and sped for the chalky cliffs of France. CHAPTER II FRANCE AND THE TRENCHES D Oct. ARKNESS had fallen when the transport glided 1915 into the old port of Boulogne, which had become one of the great funnels into which men and materials were poured for the British front. Disembarking at ten o clock the Regiment marched through the old-fashioned fishing town to St. Martin s Camp, a large base-depot on the hills overlooking the town. Here the troops rested for thirty- six hours, becoming acquainted with the estaminet and cafe, tasting the raw cider, mild beer and wines of the country. Many saw for the first time the weather- beaten Frenchman in his baggy corduroy trousers and heavy clogs, or the fisher-woman in her quaint white bonnet and wooden shoes, or the teamster walking beside his enormous two-wheeled cart drawn by a splendid tandem of native dappled Boulonnais. On October 26th the Regiment entrained at Boulogne 1915 and went ; up the line. " The men had their first experience of a French troop-train with its little trucks, their capacity plainly marked on the outside: "40 hommes, 8 chevaux. A few first-class carriages provided for the officers bore the marks of a year s campaigning. At every stop men were out of the trucks to stretch their legs or to boil water for tea. The short shrill whistle of the engine or a piercing blast on the guard s cowhorn sent them scrambling reluctantly back to discomfort. At Bailleul the Regiment detrained and marched to rest billets three miles from the town, within ear-shot of the guns. This short train journey marked a third momen tous move. It was more thrilling than the last and was surpassed only by the final great stage the file through the communication trench into the front line. 10 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES The First Canadian Division had been in France nearly a year and the Second Division a month, while the Third was not yet formed. Its nucleus, however, was in the form of corps troops composed of the Princess Patricia s Canadian Light Infantry, which had been recently withdrawn from the 27th Imperial Division, the Royal Canadian Regiment, the 42nd Royal Highlanders of Canada and the 49th Battalion. The 1st and 2nd C. M. R. Brigades also became corps troops, and subse quently with the Canadian Cavalry Brigade (dismounted) came under command of Brig.-General J. E. B. Seely, M.P., late Secretary of State for War, and were known as "Seely s Force. 1 The Transport, which had been sent on several days in advance of the rest of the unit by way of Southampton and le Havre, joined at Bailleul, having had an uneventful and tedious journey. NOV. 2, On the 2nd of November the Regiment moved to the east^of Bailleul and went into Aldershot Huts, which were located a little to the south-west of Neuve Eglise in Belgium. They were attached to the First Canadian Division for final lessons on trench warfare, and for a week the squadrons alternately went into the trenches south of Messines, looking into the little village of St. Yves. Each squadron had a forty-eight hour tour. Memories of the first time ;< in" vary with each indi vidual; curiosity, attraction or repulsion, fear or indiffer ence were some of the emotions. On the first tour many things were stamped strongly on the mind of the recruit; the long winding communication trenches with their uncertain "duck-boards," the endless traverses, the pretty Verey lights, the dug-outs and shelters, the machine gun emplacements and silent sentries, the whine of bullets and explosion of shells. Now those vivid scenes are hazy in the memory; one remembers only the sunny days, with bright poppies and blue cornflowers peeping over the parados, while the mud and filth are forgotten. After returning to Bailleul for a few days rest, which included bath-parades and regimental sports, the Regi- FRANCE AND THE TRENCHES 11 ment moved on November 22nd to Bulford Camp, and the Transport to English Farm, half a mile away. On the following day, Seely s Force relieved the 2nd Brigade of the First Canadian Division in the trenches at Hill 63, near Ploegsteert. This relief marked the first time the Regiment had assumed responsibility for the defence of a part of the British line in Flanders. The men spent four days in the front line and four in Divisional Reserve. The Unit moved back on December 9th to Corps Reserve, immediately east of the much-used town of Bailleul, where it remained until the end of the month. With this tour the Regiment began to experience its first serious casualties. On December 1st, while in the forward area a shell burst over "A" squadron billets killing Private W. I. Fulford and wounding five men. L.-Corporal H. B. Hodge died of wounds and was buried at St. Omer. He had been acting as Chaplain to the Regiment and was one of fourteen clergymen who served in the ranks of the 4th C. M. R. The Regiment had just taken over the front line when Private R. J. Craig was killed by a bomb while on duty in a listening-post in a forward sap. On December 3rd a patrol discovered a German working party on the Wulverghem-Messines Road beyond the low ground in the rather wide No-Man s-Land on this sector. The next day it was discovered that a barrier had been erected across the road. The weather was un favourable, it had been raining for several days, visibility was poor and the artillery was unsuccessful in an attempt to remove it. Consequently General Seely came into the lines and asked for volunteers to raid the barrier. The raiding party was to get prisoners for identification purposes, if possible; find out the reasons for such a barrier; make a reconnaissance and return within an hour. Lieutenant G. W. Rutter, a Sergeant, a Corporal and ten men of "C Squadron volunteered. The party started about 10.00 p.m. and were supported by another party located in front of the trench and also by one in the trenches under Captain Donald MacKay. The raid was to take place behind the screen of an artillery bom- 12 4 TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES bardment but unfortunately this drew the enemy s fire in a counter-bombardment and put the opposing troops on the alert. Lieutenant Rutter scattered his party, took one man and crossed the marshy ground to the barrier, making a complete reconnaissance, although entirely exposed to the enemy by flares and rockets which lighted the whole ground. Due to the bombard ment there were several casualties. Captain MacKay, Privates B. Tracey and R. Sears were killed and four men wounded. The killed were buried in the Canadian Cemetery near Hill 63. Captain W. V. Sifton, who was at that time on the Brigade Staff was also seriously wounded during the bombardment. Lieutenant Rutter was not long with the Battalion; he miraculously lived through the terrible bombardment of June 2nd, 1916, but was so badly wounded that he was permanently disabled and invalided out of the service. The first Christmas at the front was passed in rest billets, the day being only slightly different from other days. The men made as much as possible of their Christ mas dinner, comforts from home were distributed and in the afternoon a football match and other sports bright ened this great day, the celebration of which seemed so incongruous. Dec. 31 On the last day of the year, Lieut. -General E. A. H. Alderson, C.B., Commander of the Canadian Corps, spoke to the officers on the re-organization*of the Mounted Rifles. With the formation, on December 22nd, of the Third Canadian Division, commanded by Major-General Malcolm Mercer, C. B., the six regiments of Mounted Rifles were converted into four battalions of infantry, making the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Battalions of the 8th Brigade under Brigadier-General Victor A. S. Williams. The other two Brigades of the Division were the 7th, composed of the P. P. C. L. I., the R. C. R., the 42nd and 49th Battalions, and the 9th Brigade, constituting the 43rd, 52nd, 58th and 60th Battalions. The command of the new 4th C. M. R. Battalion was given to Lieut. -Colonel * The C. M. R. Regiment, though dismounted and acting as infantry, had continued on a cavalry establishment until the reorganization. Lieutenant-Colonel J. F. H. Ussher FRANCE AND THE TRENCHES 13 Saftdford F. Smith. In February Lieut. -Colonel Smith left to take command of the 3rd Divisional Mounted Troops and was succeeded by Major J. F. H. Ussher, who was gazetted Lieut.-Colonel a few weeks later. The month of January, 1916, was spent in learning Jan. infantry drill under instructors from the 7th Brigade. A visit by H. R. H. the Prince of Wales on the 27th enliv ened this irksome month of drilling. In his shy and unassuming manner he was always enquiring of the com manding officers if there was anything that he could do " unofficially" for them. On February 1st, the 8th Brigade relieved the 3rd Brigade in trenches which lay parallel to and south of the Wulverghem-Messines road. After three weeks spent in rebuilding, revetting and draining trenches in one of the most disagreeable months the men " came out " to rest- billets where they remained until March 18th and then moved north to a large encampment of army huts known as 6 B : Camp, three miles to the east of Poperinghe and equidistant from the arc of the Ypres Salient. The transport lines were in an open field half a mile to the west. On March 19th, the Regiment took over trenches in Mar. 19, front of Zillebeke. Throughout the army they were old and known as most unpleasant habitations, and bore the scars of many assaults in the efforts of the Germans to reach Ypres. The very name of the Salient was a night mare to every man who knew it. Going in, the 9th East Surrey Regiment was relieved in Zillebeke-Bund, where safe dug-outs existed in the heavy earthworks which formed the westerly shore on Lake Zillebeke and the 8th Queens were relieved in Sanctuary Wood on the night of March 20th. The weather was cold and raw; it had been snowing. Added to these unpleasant conditions were the discomforts of the sodden trenches. Everyone lived a rodent life ; in the daytime, nothing stirred but at night the Salient was a hive of moving troops and transports, entering in small groups to relieve and ration the men in the front line. Machine guns raked the roads, shells of all descriptions enfiladed this strategic death-trap, high 14 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES explosives crashed on the pave or fell in the town of Ypres. The night was made more unreal by the flares and Verey lights which seemed to surround the mysteri ous darkness. During the days in the front line, the men s lives were menaced by bombs and grenades. Dodging minnenwerfers and repairing their damage occu pied many hours on duty. After four days, in which four men were killed and five wounded, the Battalion was relieved by the 5th C. M. R., and moved to "Belgian Chateau" in Brigade Reserve, where they remained until the 28th, returning and doing another tour both in the front line and Brigade Reserve, April 6, until April 6th, when they went back to B ; Camp. After a week of rest in Divisional Reserve the Battalion took over from the 52nd Battalion in the right sub-sector of the same area. The next three weeks were equally divided between the front line, local support and Divi sional Reserve. The Brigades of the Third Division were shifted to different parts of this Sector, probably to familiarize May 4, them with the area, consequently on May 7th the 4th 1916 C. M. R. went into new trenches, the most northerly they had yet occupied. They were again in front of Zillebeke and in Sanctuary Wood, but looking up toward Stirling Castle. On their left was the " Gap " and "Appen dix" and the village of Hooge and the Ypres-Menin Road, dividing the Third Canadian Division from the Guards Div ision. The water-logged soil did not permit of deep dug outs in this low undulating country. The trenches were built up above the surrounding ground and even then in many places the men crouched in water up to their knees. The weather was cold and wet and except for the wel come braziers, improvised from oil-drums, life would have been unbearable. Toward the end of the month the temperature suddenly became warmer, and the men, instead of being chilled to the marrow and grovelling in slime, were now sweltering in the brilliant sunshine. The weather probably more than any other thing, affected the spirits and outlook of the men; good weather enormously diminished their discomforts, though floods of sunshine FRANCE AND THE TRENCHES 15 did not extinguish their irresistible tendency and privi lege to "grouse" at the elements. For no apparent reason in the early hours of the morning of the llth, the enemy bombarded the front line, support and communication trenches. It had the semblance of an impending attack but it dwindled into a sporadic "strafe." Two men from ; A" and B Companies and three men from : C Company were killed. Such a concentrated shelling was unusual at this time, except as a form of retaliation. The enemy seemed to be expending his ammunition registering on trenches and batteries and was not silenced when our guns raised their voices in protest to the unequal weight of ordnance. On May 16th the Battalion left the protective foliage May 16, of Sanctuary Wood. The leaves had come out again 1916 shading the men from the strong May sun and from the thunder showers, but happiest of all, hiding them from the man high up over the ridge, in his linen-white captive balloon. The relief was accomplished during the night without casualties, an unusually fortunate relief. On nearing Ypres the trenches were left and the paths by the sides of the open roads taken to the town. Hellfire Corner and Shrapnel Corner were particularly unpleasant cross-roads. The Lille Gate and Menin Gate were equally unsafe. It was not until the hollow, haunted town of Ypres, with its crumbled masonry of St. Pierre and St. Martin and the battered remains of the scarred tracery of the Cloth Hall were left behind, that the men felt the temporary relief from the dangers of the Salient. For two weeks the Battalion remained in Divisional Reserve and enjoyed the bright sunlight. They had drill and bath parades and prepared themselves for their next move. Little did they know for what they were preparing. CHAPTER III SANCTUARY WOOD May A BRIEF explanation of the situation on the "Western Front may help to explain the reason for the unprecedented bombardment and assault which almost annihilated the Battalion on its next tour in the front line. The great theatre of activity was at Verdun, where the tenacious, gallant French were holding back insistent masses of Germans. To relieve the pressure on our sorely tried Ally, the British Higher Command began preparations for an offensive, which developed into the famous Battles of the Somme. The British took over more line; the newly formed British Fourth Army relieving many French troops from the Arras sector for the support of Le Mort Homme. The enemy had two large con centrations of reserves, one at Verdun and the other in the north. With the latter he launched another battle for Ypres on June 2nd, 1916. Whether or not the Germans intended to make a further effort to reach the Channel or merely to engage in a counter-offensive to employ the British, was not then known. From inform ation subsequently received the operation was not believed to be part of the general plans of the German Higher Command but rather the ambitious scheme of a Corps Commander anxious to regain favourable distinc tion. May 31, The Battalion had finished one of its longest rests in 1916 Divisional Reserve. On May 31st it paraded after the evening meal in full marching order with gas-masks and iron rations. For the first time the men were taken to Ypres on a well-oiled train, showing no lights and making little noise. They detrained outside Ypres and recog nized again its unwholesome odours; after reaching 16 SANCTUARY WOOD 17 Shrapnel Corner they turned east, past Railway Dug- Outs to Transport Farm south of Zillebeke. Here the guides of the 52nd Battalion appeared and led each com pany into the trenches. The night was quiet, except for an occasional flash of the guns; and dark but for the encircling flares which exposed the grizzled terrain or silhouetted a deserted ruin. "A" Company relieved the right Company, "D" Company the centre and "C Company the left Company of the 52nd Battalion. B ; Company was in local support at Ypres near the Lille Gate. The line taken over that night, was in an old and familiar district. In the latter part of March the Bat talion held the trenches which were now on their immed iate left. They found themselves skirting the south easterly edge of Armagh Wood and holding that strategic elevation, Mount Sorrel. On their right, separated by a gap in front of Hill 60, was the 2nd Brigade of the First Division and on their left the 1st C. M. R. Battalion straddled Observatory Ridge and at the depression near the southerly end of Sanctuary Wood came in touch with the P. P. C. L. I. of the 7th Brigade; the other battalion in the front line of this Brigade was the R. C. R., whose line was separated from the P. P. C. L. I. by the "Gap" at the "Appendix" and ran north across the Menin road through Hooge to join the 60th Imperial Division. Of the rest of the 8th Brigade the 5th C. M. R., were in support in Maple Copse and Railway Dug-Outs at Zillebeke-Bund and the 2nd C. M. R. in Brigade Reserve. The 9th Brigade remained in Divisional Reserve. Daylight on June 1st disclosed clean and dry trenches June i, which afforded the best cover and most comfort of any heretofore occupied. There were good fire-bays and many elephant-shelters with gas curtains protecting the spirit, if not the flesh. It was an unusually beautiful, clear, early-summer day and except for some definite shelling on Sanctuary Wood and the appearance of several captive-balloons, there was nothing to foreshadow an impending blow. Lieut-General Sir Julian Byng, K.C.B., M.V.O., had 18 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES j us t taken over from General Alderson the command of the Canadian Corps. The large concentration of enemy troops, the amount of artillery which had been "register ing" on vulnerable points for days past and the activity of the Germans in building new trenches and saps were menacing, and had been worrying the Staff for some time. Visibility had been poor. Heavy mists had covered the industrious enemy for several days. Preparation against possible attack had been made, new trenches and machine gun emplacements had been vigorously pushed forward; but despite an increasing vigilance no definite indications appeared as to the exact point of attack, or when it would be launched. June 2, On June 2nd, which at sunrise promised to be as other days, everyone was about early preparing for a visit from the Divisional Commander, Major-General Mercer. About 6 o clock, Lieut. -Colonel Ussher went around the front line, making a preparatory inspection and had returned down the communication trench to Battalion Headquarters to meet General Mercer and his A.D.C. Captain L. E. Gooderham, who were accompanied by Brigadier-General Williams, and the Brigade Orderly Officer, Captain Fraser. All left Brigade Headquarters shortly after dawn and arrived at Battalion Headquarters about 8 o clock. Lieut.-Colonel Ussher met them there and escorted them at once towards the front line. It was a calm, beautiful and noticeably quiet morning. Suddenly, without warning, from a heavenly, peaceful sky broke a deafening detonation and cloud of steel which had no precedent for weight and violence. Every conceivable type of gun, howitzer and trench-mortar around Ypres poured everything it had upon the Third Divisional front. The most extravagant imagination cannot picture such a downpour of destruction. Even those who had tasted the bitterest in modern warfare were staggered by the violence of this onslaught. Nothing like it had been experienced heretofore and it is doubtful if its fierceness was exceeded by any later bom bardment. It continued in fullest intensity for four- and-a-half hours. The greatest concentration was direc- SANCTUARY WOOD 19 ted against the 8th Brigade, but even the trenches which J une were shelled the least became mere jagged scars, unfit for defence. That anyone lived through it is a miracle. Trenches were soon demolished, shelters caved in, the ground over which tall weeds and long grass had grown was ploughed, beaten and pock-marked by shells. Sanctuary Wood, Armagh Wood and Maple Copse which a few hours before were verdant woods were transformed into charred, jagged stumps. At 1 o clock the bombardment ceased, but only as a signal for the preparation of further violence. The ground quivered and gently heaved and then came the volcanic roar of a mine. It hurled into the air a large part of the front line and its defenders. Sandbags, wire, machine guns, bits of corrugated iron and bits of men were slung skyward. After this final eruption all was quiet, even our own guns. Immediately the German infantrymen appeared in full equipment, with long spades slung over their backs. They advanced in large numbers with an air of assurance and confidence that all resistance had been removed by their artillery. As soon as the bombardment commenced, all realized that this was an affair of prime importance. The men manned the fire-bays until blown out or buried under the debris; some searched for cover to save their lives for the attack they knew would follow. A few went to the Tunnel," only to be buried or taken prisoner in the defenceless trap. A very few survived to tell what happened on that terrible morning.* Space will not permit of a detailed account of what happened to those who survived or perished, nor can the many acts of individual heroism and self-sacrifice be narrated in this short historical outline. Of the tactics and changing dispositions of the various units of the Division in its defence of this sacred ground, much has been written. For the 4th C. M. R. it was a day of obliteration. Only three officers out of twenty-two came "Lieutenant J. Harvey Douglas, who was injured by a flying missile when the mine went up and later badly wounded, subsequently falling into the hands ofithe enemy, has vividly described his own experiences in his interesting book "Captured." 20 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES back from the trenches. Seventy-three men out of 680 answered to their names on June 4th. General Mercer s body was afterwards found in Armagh Wood and buried at Poperinghe. Brig.-General Victor Williams, who was very seriously wounded, and Lieut. -Colonel Ussher were trapped in the "Tunnel" and fell into the enemy s hands. The 1st C. M. R. on the left had an equally bad time and their casualties were almost as heavy. The 5th C. M. R. which so nobly supported the Brigade in Maple Copse, was also cut up. Both of these Battalions lost their commanding officers. Lieut.-Colonel A. E. Shaw of the 1st C. M. R., and Lieut.-Colonel G. H. Baker of the 5th C. M. R. fell in action. The Germans penetrated the front line and some of the support trenches of the Brigade, but considering their preparatory bombardment and weight of numbers, their advance was small when one remembers that they had seven hours of daylight in which to fight. Major-General L. J. Lipsett, C.M.G., after succeeding General Mercer in command of the Third Division, wrote to the 8th Brigade in very complimentary words: Though on the 2nd June the Division was unfortunate enough to lose some of its Front Line Trenches I think the Battalions which held them and checked the German advance immediately behind fought in a way that Canada has every reason to be proud. The Army Commander in his address testified to this, and I think it well that the facts of the case should be thoroughly realized. The 1st and 4th C. M. R. Battalions had the brunt of the bombardment and an analysis of their losses speaks for itself." During the following day, survivors of the battalion acted as guides and carrying parties to the front line. June 4, They went back on June 4th to Divisional Reserve at "B" Camp, which they had left but a few days. This handful of weary, grimy, unshaven men was all that remained of a healthy, vivacious force which had departed but a short time before for what was expected would be a normal tour in the line. Seven lorry loads trans- Lieutenant-Colonel H. D. Loc^hart Gordon, D.S.O. SANCTUARY WOOD 21 ported all that was left of that picked body of men, who left Valcartier a year before full of hope and splendid virility, fretting under the restraint which kept them back, fearing they would be too late. An interesting sequel to this terrible battle was the number of men of the Battalion who were wounded and taken prisoners and subsequently escaped from German prison camps. Nineteen are known to have gained their liberty; many of them had not recovered fully from wounds and physical disabilities when they made attempts to obtain their freedom. Several tried more than three times to get away and although severely punished when recaptured they were not discouraged or their determin ation subdued by the brutal chastisement meted out to them. They went through the most thrilling experiences, suffering great physical hardships, travelling by night through unknown and closely guarded country, until they reached Holland. By a curious coincidence six men of the Battalion who fell into the hands of the enemy escaped within a month of one another and met in London in the autumn of 1917.* Hardly had the battalion settled in its new billets at the little village of Steenvoorde when the mysterious army-machine began to move. The empty ranks were at once refilled. Reinforcements commenced to arrive before the dead were buried. Lieut.-Colonel H. D. Lock- hart Gordon, who had been attached to the Third Can adian Division, returned on the 7th and was appointed j une 7 Commanding Officer. He found his battalion, with 1915 which he had shared all the trials and tribulations of training and which he had known so well, to be but the size of a platoon. Under his command a new organiz ation was born. Captain W. R. Patterson, who had been attached to the 8th Brigade Headquarters, was recalled to become Second-in-Command. By the 9th, Corporal F. McMullen and Private J. Evans of the 4th C. M. R., in their book " Out of the Jaws of Hunland, " have written an interesting account of their life in Germany and of their several attempts and subsequent escape. They have described also their experiences in the battle on June 2nd, 1916. The other four were, Private J. Hocking, Private F. W. Boyd, Private R. Howitt, Private W. L. Masters. 22 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES five hundred and sixty-three reinforcements had arrived. They were soon followed by smaller drafts, which brought the battalion up to strength. A week later ten officers reported and in a few days twelve more arrived, wondering where they were and where they should go. Several men from the ranks were granted commissions, which helped to swell the already full quota of officers. The new members of the Battalion soon found them selves doing infantry drill. Sergeants from the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards were posted to the Regiment as instructors. These splendid soldiers were admired but not welcome. Many of the freshly joined officers and men had been doing such drill in England for months and had expected that once in France they would merely practise what they had learned. The disappointment was only temporary. Soon the Battalion was rounded again into a fighting machine and after being thoroughly in spected by the Army Commander, General Sir Herbert Plumer, G.C.M.G., by the Corps and Divisional Com manders and also by Brigadier-General J. H. Elmsley, D.S.O., who had succeeded Brigadier-General Williams, the Battalion went in parties by bus to Ypres, where it lived in the Cavalry Barracks, went into the front line for a few days instructional work, and supplied large working-parties for the 7th Brigade. For many men of the new Battalion those days will be remembered as their first experience under fire. The working parties w r ould leave at dusk, laboriously tramp over the uneven duck-boards up the long communication trenches in unknown directions, do their task, and be back before daylight. July The Battalion had been sending parties in turn to Ypres and to work in the line but after another round of inspection the whole Battalion moved by route march on July 13th to Camp St. Lawrence and the following day went to Ypres Asylum and thence to the Cavalry Barracks and other billets in Ypres. These consisted of reinforced cellars and improved shelters in the mediaeval ramparts which encircled the city. Few buildings were standing, and none had been left untouched; their pointed gable- ends still supported by the open fire-places and chimneys SANCTUARY WOOD 23 marked the skeletons of former homes and shops of this. J uly 1916 ancient town. For several nights large working parties of 500 men or more went to the trenches. One of these parties with Lieut. R. Innes-Taylor in charge was digging a fresh sap in "No-Man s-Land under the direction of a C.E. officer when a flare dropped with parabolic grace behind, outlining the men sufficiently for the Germans to dis tinguish the party against the inky blackness. Bombs and rifle grenades heralded their discovery and before they could get to cover one man was killed and two wounded. On July 23rd the new Battalion for the first time took July 23, over part of the front line, relieving the 5th C. M. R. in Sanctuary Wood on the old battle line of June 2nd. The tenancy of the Germans had been short. They had moved their guns forward preparatory to exploiting their temporary success but were driven out by the counter attacks of the First Division and after two weeks of the most bitter fighting in mud and rain the Canadians were again in possession of their old front line. The Irish Guards who entered this sector on June 18th, 1916, occupied the recaptured trenches from the Menin Road south into the north end of Sanctuary Wood. Mr. Rudyard Kipling describes,* ; their right line for nearly half a mile, was absolutely unrecognizable save in a few isolated spots. The shredded ground was full of buried iron and timber which made digging difficult, and, in spite of a lot of cleaning up by predecessors, dead Can adians lay in every corner. It ran through what had been a wood and was now a dreary collection of charred and splintered stakes, to the top of which, blown there by shells, hung tatters of khaki uniform and equipment. There was no trace of any communication trenches. 3 To the 4th C. M. R. this shattered wood was indeed a sanctuary. In the early hours of the 24th the enemy threw several rifle grenades into one of the saps, killing Lieut. F. P. H. Layton and one man and wounding severely Lieut. C. K. *In his book, The Irish Guards in the Great War. 24 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES Hoag, D.C.M. The enemy was very active during the whole of this time. His artillery was not idle and his snipers were most alert. One of them on the 26th killed Lieut. A. H. Bostock who had been with the Battalion only a month. The day before a German sniper had been accounted for while pulling rations into a tree to which he was tied and from which he hung until cut down in the night. July 27, The Battalion was relieved on the 27th and arrived back at Steenvoorde on the 31st. The first week of August was spent in drilling and route-marches. In their spare time the men with characteristic cleanliness washed their clothes and took the opportunity to attack the ever present vermin which so often got the upper hand in the trenches. By the 8th the Battalion had finished its share of rest billets and moved again for the trenches. This time it went to a more southerly sector of the salient. After relieving the 14th Battalion at "Swan Chateau" it provided working parties for a week and then moved into the front line. The Battalion frontage ran six hundred yards north-east from the Ypres-Comines canal a part known as "The Bluff. This was an exceptionally inter esting tour, partly because of the enemy s artillery but chiefly because of the industry of the men in wiring craters, building dug-outs and digging trenches. The warm mid-summer sun cheered the men in their task of burrowing. Those days would have been pleasant days if the enemy s guns had been silent but their activity caused daily losses. They continued to take their toll and on the 19th the Battalion lost four men killed and two wounded. There had been indications that the enemy was tunnel ling under the front line and listening posts were made to try and detect the ominous sounds of distant tappings which meant that men were picking their way gradually under " No-Man s-Land. : So long as the gentle noise continued the men were happy and they found great interest in the daily reports that came from the posts. All doubts as to the enemy s intentions were removed one day when a large area caved in behind the front line, SANCTUARY WOOD 25 revealing the location of a tunnel and checking his mining operations. There were several very large mine- craters in this sector; the Battalion held the lip of an enormous irregular crater which measured over five hun dred feet across at its widest part and was over one hun dred feet deep. On the night of the 22nd the Battalion was relieved. Aug. 23, They left the bone-dry trenches which could change so rapidly with the weather and which offered such a con trast in the winter. By comparison July and August were not unpleasant, the soil was workable, the dugouts were dry and when the day s "fatigue" was over, or the period of vigilance completed, such men as were not detailed for duty would sit in the trenches and follow the course of an aeroplane soaring in the sky by the fleecy- white bursts of smoke, which gleamed against the deep-blue heavens. In these long evenings the birdmen and the skylarks in their lonely altitude were the only living things above the ground. Such dry warm days passed more quickly than the cold wet ones of winter and spring. Nevertheless the men were delighted to be relieved. They cheerfully glued themselves to the sides of the trenches to allow the incoming heavily-laden troops more freedom to pass. This tour was the last the Battalion had in the Salient for many months. It returned in 1918 to Passchendaele but not to the old Salient it knew so well. It was with little regret that the Battalion left this pestilential ^crescent. The enemy threw a few shells into the departing troops, a little souvenir, an unnecessary reminder of this horrible charnel-house. CHAPTER IV THE SOMME Sept. "IT F the Germans, by their activity around Ypres, intend ed to check the preparations of the British Army for the impending offensive on the Somme, they were un successful. The general plan of the Allies was to at tack simultaneously on all fronts and thus pin down the enemy, preventing him from moving his troops from one theatre to another. It also was intended to relieve the pressure at Verdun and gradually wear down the resistance of the Central Powers. While the struggle was called the Battles of the Somme, it was for the British the battle of the Ancre. The river Somme subsequently divided the British and French ; the advance by both armies ran par allel to the river. The first objectives of the left flank of the British were along the eastern bank of the river Ancre which proved almost impregnable. Enormous preparations had been made. A Reserve Army under General Gough had been formed especially for this offensive. Every Division in the Army was to take in turn its share in the assaults. As a result of the great activity of the Ministry of Munitions, guns and shells had been pouring into the country for months. A pre paratory bombardment of unheard of proportions was planned. Instead of the usual intensive shelling on a small front for a few hours this final word in modern warfare was to be a concentration on a large front for a fortnight. In the first bombardment the individual booming of gun or howitzer was lost in the endless roar of innumerable pieces of all calibre. It was like a con tinuous peal of thunder. At night thousands of over lapping flashes illuminated the sky for miles. The many coloured rockets which flared into this blazing firmament lingered at the peak of their flight to signal a garrison s 26 THE SOMME 27 distress or mark the positions of advancing troops. _ The Germans, in anticipation of an attack in force, had made their positions remarkably strong. Every wood and village was converted into a strong-point, garrisoned and rationed with food and ammunition to withstand the most formidable assault. The nature of the ground aided enormously in their defence along the Ancre and they were fortunate also when rain came and mired our armies when they were on the point of breaking through. After the great preparatory bombardment the offensive was launched on July 1st in conjunction with the French. The attack developed in stages, the first resulted in the capture of the German first line of defences in the southern sector which included the villages of Fricourt, Mametz, Montauban and Contalmaison but in the northern sector we had practically no success. There was a slight lull for further preparations until July 14th when another big assault was launched increasing the indentation in the southern sector and extending our line to Delville Wood. On July 18th a third stage marked the capture of Guille- mont, Ginchy, Delville Wood and Pozieres. The salient was pushed yet farther but the northern sector was hardly penetrated. The enemy still held Thiepval which seemed invulnerable. It had a strategic position on high ground overlooking the low valley of the Ancre, and was not reduced until October. Nevertheless, its flank was being turned slowly but surely and when the next big push came it was almost surrounded. The Canadian Corps entered this colossal struggle on Sept. 4, September 4th relieving the Australians, who, in brilliant fashion two weeks previously, had taken Pozieres, on the Albert-Bapaume Road. While there was contin uous fighting to straighten the line and consolidate it, these were minor actions in preparation for the next great stage which commenced in the middle of Sep tember. This was another move along the whole front to threaten further the German flanks and to turn the strong positions at Thiepval. The Canadian Divisions went to the Somme in turn, keeping up a vigorous offensive and joining on September 15th in the general 28 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES advance on the next objectives. They took Courcelette, while the Guards took Flers and other Divisions captured High Wood and Martinpuich. For the first time the mysterious "Tanks" of the Machine Gun Corps, Heavy Section, went into action. These successes were followed ten days later by another advance when the French took Combles, while Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs fell to the British. This great battle had been raging two months when the Battalion went into rest billets near Steenvoorde and commenced training for the Somme. Although the Battalion had been reorganized only three months and was practically a new unit it only had a week of prepar ation for the new offensive. Imaginary trenches were taped out on the ground and attacked in the new "wave 3 formation introduced and already used by the French. They would assault these fictitious defences behind an illusionary "creeping" barrage and go through all the motions of the latest form of attack. They did route- marches and had musketry and bayonet practice. It was a busy week in a quiet, verdant country side. vn* O* 1 the 7th September the Battalion started on its journey to the Somme. It moved partly by motor-bus and partly on foot to Cassel where it entrained at 6 o clock that night; a pleasant change to be again on a train although tlje great discomfort of a night s journey did not justify any great enthusiasm. The men knew approximately their destination but the mystery as to their exact movements added spice to the journey. That night they travelled fast and far, for a troop-train; dawn found them many miles south, in Picardy. They detrained at 5.30 in the morning at Candas and marched west through a beautiful, cultivated country to Franque- ville. They rested a day and a half in this little hamlet which nestled beside a well kept wood far away from the ruined zone and were billeted in the farm buildings which were grouped along the road to Domart. They enjoyed seeing again the children in their black smocks, the zinc-covered bar in the estaminet, the picturesque Town Crier, and the Picardy farms with their manured quad- THE SOMME 29 rangles and community centres so typical of billets in the back area. On the 10th, which was an ideal summer morning, they trekked east again across charming, untravelled roads, past green woods and fenceless fields of stubble and tall lucerne still damp with dew. They were bound for Vert-Galand Farm on the Doullens- Amiens road. Half-way there they received orders to billet at Montrelet. The men found themselves in the next village to Candas and wondered if they had been lost and travelling in circles. They did not realize, perhaps, that they were only one of hundreds of battalions which were kept moving all through this area on the way to the Somme. On the morning of the llth motor buses lined the village road and conveyed the Battalion thirty miles to Albert. The dusty convoy rolled over the flint and chalk roads, through little villages with their steepled churches, public ponds and humble school houses, past farms and hutments crowded with troops and out again along the high road with its rows of tall, trimmed poplars. By noon they were entering Albert through the congested hive behind the battle fields. The Battalion de-bused outside Albert and moved by platoons to the brick-fields at the north of the town. Coming from the Salient, where nothing moved on the surface, to this comparatively open warfare was at first incomprehensible to the men. They never dreamed of such a contrast. All had tried to visualize this great battle-ground to which they knew it would probably be their fate to go. It was what they felt, rather than what they saw that impressed them most; the freedom, the unguarded movements, the disregard for protection. They were stunned by the vastness of the operations; tracks led everywhere across the country, processions of endless traffic moved in all directions, horse-lines covered every flat piece of land, canvas troughs watered thousands of animals, hosts of tents were pitched on the open hill sides. Guns were everywhere, some crudely camouflaged, others without any cover; large naval guns mounted on railway trucks fired regularly from the valleys rocking the whole country-side. Ammunition dumps which 30 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES ?g?6 covere d acres were depleted and replenished with only an occasional hindrance. One enormous dump near Fricourt "went up" for days but was a mere incident in the turmoil and noise. Innumerable troops billeted themselves in tents, lean-to s and old German dugouts. Noisy, high-spirited battalions laden with rations, am munition, sand bags, and gas masks were passed by unshaven, tired and worn companies silently coming out. The brick-fields were congested with bell-tents and transport lines. An occasional shell would frighten a horse from the picket line and start him careering through the tented area followed by an irate groom and cursed by the inmates of the tents. Most of the men of the Battalion did not have a chance to get initiated into this new life because of the sudden orders which reached Sept. 11, them on their arrival. They were told that they had to go into the line that night. This came as a surprise to the officers who had not had an opportunity to orient them selves or make any kind of reconnaissance. By 6.30 p.m. the Battalion less a reserve of Officers, N.C.O. s and details was on the move along the main Albert- Bapaume road through la Boisselle to Pozieres to relieve the 5th Battalion. The men saw for the first time on either side of this congested road the devastation of the Somme battlefields. Not a tree was standing, la Boisselle was a heap of rubble and the remains of its buildings had been used to fill the shell holes in the road. Shell cases were strewn along the roadside or marked old battery positions. Tangled wire and mutilated trenches covered the barren waste as far as one could see. From the high ground beyond Albert the gilded Virgin could be seen hanging at a perilous angle over the ruined Cam panile of the Eglise Notre-Dame de Brebieres. She seemed to be clinging to her tower that the folk-prophecy of victory might be fulfilled. Columns of dust could be seen rising from the town when a shell found its mark in the clay-plaster and brick of the ruins. It was dark when the Battalion left Pozieres. The relief was difficult and unpleasant, the guides getting lost in the maze of trenches in the darkness. During THE SOMME 31 the relief the Germans bombarded with gas-shells causing a number of casualties. Lieutenant J. U. Garrow was gassed and subsequently died. Captain A. S. Hamil ton* finding his men overcome in a gas-saturated trench jumped into it, with utter disregard for his own life, and dragged them to safety. Although so badly gassed that his health was permanently injured, he refused to leave the line and it was not known until later that he carried on throughout this and a subsequent action in great personal distress. For this devotion to duty he was recommended for the Military Cross. Two days were spent in trenches which ran east from Mouquet Farm, 2,000 yards to the north of Pozieres. Here "T" saps were constructed as jumping-off points for the 5th C. M. R. which relieved the 4th on the night of the 13th-14th attacking from these positions on the 15th. The general attack which was launched all along the Sept. is, line on September 15th was preceded by a heavy bom bardment for several days. The tanks, then new mys terious machines of war, were used for the first time. Rumours of their existence had filtered through the army but the knowledge of their whereabouts and appearance was obscure. These lumbering caterpillars made their debut before the masses of troops on this eventful morning. The previous night some of the Battalion saw them crawling into position. They were spinning out white direction tapes under the command of an officer who walked ahead semaphoring with his arms to the operator inside. At that time there were two kinds of Tanks, the female with her trailer being more awkward than the male. Five Divisions of Cavalry were concentrated behind the lines to seize any opportunity of a break through. Great things were expected. It was a red- letter day in the Somme offensive. The 1st and 5th C. M. R. battalions of the 8th Brigade took part in the attack in the early morning and success fully reached their objectives. The 1st C. M. R. was * Captain Hamilton died on April 20th, 1926, at Port Credit, Ontario, after a long illness, a direct result of gas-poisoning. 32 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES ?9ie on ^ e ex t reme left of the Canadian Corps in front of Mouquet Farm. The 2nd Division had pushed well up to Courcelette while on its right the Fourth Army attack had also gone well. By 8 a.m. it was apparent that the enemy had been thoroughly shaken and the Corps Com mander decided to push home his advantage, ordering up the 7th Brigade and also the 4th C. M. R. of the 8th Brigade. It was a warm, dry autumn day. The enemy s artillery was quiet but his machine-gunners and snipers were still fighting. They were in fairly good trenches behind wire, their targets silhouetted against the afternoon sun. The Battalion, which was in the chalk-pits, having come out of the line the night before, suddenly received orders that it was to take part in the attack which was planned to start at 5.00 p.m. There was neither time to issue orders nor, in fact, to consider the plan of attack, if the jumping off point was to be reached in time for "zero hour." Colonel Gordon sent the Battalion forward whilst he galloped to Headquarters to discuss the plan of action with the Brigadier and Major Moore Cosgrave, the artillery officer. It was decided that as the 4th C. M. R. was to be the pivot it should start half an hour after the main attack and a special barrage was immedi ately worked out to protect them. Orders were then written and sent after the Battalion. This change in plan subsequently proved to be the salvation of B : Company as otherwise they would have reached their objective before the troops on their right and would have walked into the barrage which was laid down as soon as the attack started and which caught "C Company. The Battalion was ordered to assemble in a trench two hundred yards in advance of the line held on the llth and to attack at 5.30 p.m. in a northerly direction advanc ing in two waves on a three hundred yard frontage. The first wave was to capture a trench two hundred and seventy-five yards in front of the jumping-off point and the second wave to go through the first and occupy a part of Fabeck Graben trench, one hundred yards in advance of the first objective, keeping in touch with the 42nd Battalion on the right. THE SOMME 33 Major W. Coleman, M.C., commanding " B " Company Sept. was detailed by Colonel Gordon to attack on the left and Captain Hamilton with "C Company, on the right. Major Patterson was placed in charge of the operations with a forward headquarters in the assembly trench. "B : Company arrived at its "jumping off position ten minutes in advance of "zero hour. 1 "C" Company was not so fortunate, the communication trench at Tom s Cut was blown-in and when Captain Hamilton attempted to take his men across the open they came under a withering machine-gun fire which wiped out the most of two platoons. Captain Hamilton re-organized his Company, reported back to Battalion Headquarters that a further advance would be suicidal and received permission to dribble his men across country by another route to the assembly trench. Major Patterson not knowing what had happened to "C :> Company, ordered "B" Company to attack alone. Major Coleman rose to the unequal task, swinging his right flank forward until the men were so close to the barrage that many became casualties from our own fire. Immediately the barrage lifted the men charged the enemy and although the wire had not been completely cut and the Germans from the direction of Mouquet Farm kept up an enfilade fire, they attacked with such spirit that they were quickly in possession of the first objective. The second wave followed in perfect order passing over the first line and pushing forward in the face of heavy shelling to the objective, the Fabeck Graben. They found this trench full of Germans who at first put up a stubborn resistance which soon wilted under the determined assault of Major Coleman s men. As soon as a footing had been gained in the enemy s trench the Battalion Bombers worked their way down either flank. They soon came in contact with the 42nd Battalion on their right and were able to establish two blocks in the system on the left. The Germans could not withstand the relentless pressure of the Bombers under Lieut. H. E. Moore. Some of them fled down the trench toward Mouquet Farm and others broke cover and 34 4ra CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES scuttled across the open to Zollern Redoubt, five hundred yards to the north. Before dark "B" Company was in command of the situation. It was a remarkable achievement for one company and much of the credit was due to the splendid example of leadership set by Major Coleman and Lieut enant Moore. The force was not strong enough to hold its gains if the enemy counter-attacked but help was on the way; Lieutenant Moore, who was wounded after lead ing his Bombers so bravely, successfully reported the situation at 11 p.m. to Colonel Gordon who had already sent "C" Company to help consolidate the newly-won position. Also, a composite company under Captain Gale, after considerable difficulty made its way through the dark and unfamiliar ground laden with water, sand bags, bombs and ammunition to assist in consolidating and help "B" Company in case of a counter attack. Sept. 16, At daylight, contact aeroplanes passed over and the new positions were signalled to them. During the morning information was received at Headquarters that further operations were contemplated but when orders arrived later in the day it was found that the Battalion Bombers under Lieutenant Moore had already done all that was expected. For his tireless, unflinching energy and splendid example of bravery, Lieutenant Moore was recommended for the Military Cross, but unfortunately was killed before he received it. Rumours of further attacks had filtered through the trenches, but the Battalion did not move. It was subse quently learned that the Higher Command had decided to strike again while the Prussians were disorganized. At 5 p.m. on the 16th a surprise attack by the 9th and 7th Brigades was opened in an effort to take the Zollern Redoubt and extend the advantage to Zollern Trench on the right. This famous redoubt was in front of the 4th C. M. R. and as the men stood in their trenches under a gentle rain they saw the troops of the 7th Brigade follow ing the barrage over the gentle slope toward Zollern Graben. It was a remarkable privilege to witness another regiment going forward in perfect formation to THE SOMME 35 attack. They advanced at a steady walk in extended Se P t order with bayonets fixed and rifles at the trail, following under the bursts of high-explosives into the smoke and din of the bombardment. It was a rare, magnificent and inspiring sight. A flushed, corpulent Sergeant of the attacking troops, who had lost direction, bounded into the trench occupied by the 4th C. M. R. thinking he had reached his objective. After mopping his brow, adjusting his "tin" hat and cursing his luck, he rejoined his comrades. That evening the Battalion was relieved by the Lancashire Fusiliers. The Battalion had reason to be proud of its part in this historic battle for Courcelette. It was due to their coolness and steadiness that they were able to march for two hours through heavy fire to their assembly point and be in a position in less than four hours after receiving orders. They accomplished in soldierly fashion their difficult task as pivot troops for the larger flanking movement. Even after their objec tive had been reached they carried on the work of con solidating under heavy rifle and machine gun fire and were not checked by the trench-mortar bombardment which assailed them from Mouquet Farm. They com pleted a long communication trench with the help of a pioneer battalion and when relief came Colonel Gordon was able to hand over a finished system of defensible trenches. Their booty was big; fifty men, including three officers, were taken prisoner and two machine guns were captured. The severity of the struggle was evident from the casual ties; two officers and thirty-two men killed and four officers and fifty-two wounded. The Battalion returned to Albert on the 17th, rested sept. 17, until the morning of the 19th and then marched back to 1916 Warloy where it was billeted for a day. The men were in high spirits. Their first adventure on the Somme had been a great success; they had many mental and material souvenirs. On the following day they cleaned and cleared billets, marching back toward the front to Bouzincourt. They had a week in this little village of 36 4ra CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES Sept. many and varied smells and were able to visit again that pleasant oasis, the Expeditionary Force Canteen. Major-General Lipsett, C.M.G., commanding the Third Division, addressed the Regiment on September 23rd, after the successful attack on September 15th. His remarks were taken down in the field: What I wish to say is how pleased I am with, the work the Brigade and especially this Battalion did during the big attack that was pulled off last week. Both the Corps Commander and Army Com mander have expressed their great appreciation, and are entirely satisfied with what you did. The attack that is going on down here is extended over a large frontage, so that the enemy cannot concentrate his artillery on any particular point as would be the case if the ad vance was only on. a small frontage. It was on September loth, that the Brigade got orders to attack and in the morning the 5th C.M.E. were ordered to attack and successfully accomplished their task. Later, the Brigade got orders from Divisional headquarters that we had to make an attack on a large frontage, taking the German trenches before they had time to settle down after their morning set back. The 9th Brigade had to be moved up, they taking up a position on. the right, the 8th Brigade, which was represented by the 4th C.M.R. only, were given the left position. We know now how well they did their work, and how one company practically did the whole Brigade work. At first we had reports that the "C" Company could not get into position, and had been nearly cut to pieces by machine gun fire. Had we known then what the 4th C.M.R. could do we would not have been so dubious about their success, as shortly afterwards word came that the Company on the left had gone on and had taken and cleared all the trenches allotted to the Brigade. Not only did you take your objective, but successfully bombarded a considerable way down the enemy s trench to the left and erected some very good blocks. The remainder of "C" Company arrived later, and the con solidating work done was wonderful. Later, Colonel Gordon sent up another Company which took over another part of the old German Front Line and did some very good work consolidating under heavy fire. The work of Major Patterson, Major Coleman, Sergeant Layton and a dozen others, I know deserve special recommendations, and I only regret that all cannot get decorations; but a soldier should always remember that he should find his reward for his work in the fact that he is held in high esteem by his comrades. I am glad that the 4th C.M.B. have had this opportunity of wiping off an old score- that of the pounding they got on the 2nd of June. This Brigade now need have no fear of ever having to take second place to any Brigade in the whole of the Canadian Contingent. Sept. 27, On the 27th a hurried move was ordered and the Regiment marched away at 2.00 p.m. down the same road to Albert that it had travelled by bus a month before. The men passed through the outskirts of the town and the brickfields and up the Bapaume Road to Tara Hill behind Pozieres, where they had tea and pushed THE SOMME 37 on through the congested traffic to relieve the 8th and Sept.- 10th Battalions and support the 1st and 2nd C. M. R., who occupied the front line. Three days were spent in carrying up supplies, ammunition, petrol tins of water and in clearing the battlefields of their dead and debris. On the last day of the month they commenced to take over at 7.00 p.m. from the 2nd C. M. R. in the front line and by 2.00 a.m. the relief was completed. Their tem porary abode in the support trenches was wet, cold and costly; ten men were killed and thirty -four wounded. Practically all of these numerous casualties resulted from the heavy shelling. In the early morning of the first day of October, Oct. i, the Battalion was about a thousand yards in front of the ground they had captured in the middle of September. Since that time the troops had been inces santly hammering the German defences until Zollern Trench and Hessian Trench had fallen; the next line of defence was Regina Trench. The Somme offensive had developed into one of attrition. One attack was followed closely by another until bit by bit the razed defences were nibbled from the enemy. The ridge commanding Thiepval, Grandcourt and Miraumont had been taken. Regina Trench was on the reverse slope and formed a defensive flank, which was gradually being thrust back until Thiepval was almost surrounded. The Germans fully realizing the danger of losing Regina Trench made one of the most outstanding and determined attempts to retain it. It was difficult for our guns to reach it as it was just over the crest of the hill. The enemy had the advantage of a deep ravine and several sunken roads which led into Regina Trench from the rear and which enabled him to rush up supplies and provisions to the garrison. It was densely manned with picked troops. A great quantity of concertina barbed-wire had been thrown out to supplement the existing uninviting entanglements. It was a strong position prepared to resist a strong attack. The 5th and 8th Brigades were ordered to storm the bulwarks of this crowning position, and the 4th C. M. .R. 38 4ra CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES Oct. 1916 with their usual luck were on the left flank and had to attack on a six hundred yard frontage with two companies plus one platoon in two waves fifty yards apart. Colonel Gordon ordered : D" Company under Captain L. F. Bishop to attack on the right and "A" Company com manded by Captain B. R. Gale to attack on the left. One platoon of " C had a small frontage and was detailed to place a block in Regina Trench on the extreme left of the Battalion s objective. Major Patterson established a forward headquarters in Gun Pit Trench behind Hessian Trench; machine gunners and bombers were detailed to follow on the flanks of the second wave. "D " Company assembled in Gun Pit Trench, "A" Company collected in a trench running north from Hessian Trench and the platoon of "C" Company had to find the best available place still nearer Regina Trench. The remainder of "C" Company were to garrison Hessian Trench and the communication trench running from it and thereby form a defensive flank. Before the attack took place scouts had reported that the wire was very thick and that it appeared untouched by the artillery. Only one small gap existed on the left of "D" Company s frontage. This information was reported to the Brigade at 7.05 a.m. and explained to the 6th Artillery Brigade at 7.30 p.m. It was decided to pound the wire until 10.30 a.m. and then cease fire for an hour to allow the scouts to examine it again. Word was received at 9.55 a.m. that it was imperative for the attack to take place even though all the wire was not cut. Due to the position of Regina Trench the Artillery had great difficulty in finding the wire. At 11.30 a.m. when the hammering was finished Captain A. A. MacKenzie went out with a few scouts in broad day light and found the wire still a formidable obstacle. " A " Company was ordered to crawl out and creep around the first band of entanglements preparatory to the attack and thus avoid the apparent necessity of finding a way through it. i9i lf ^ ne men wa ited i* 1 the drizzling rain for the barrage to lift. They knew exactly what they were expected to THE SOMME 39 do and looked forward to the same success that had accompanied their enterprise of two weeks before. They itched for the word to go. The unbearable suspense made the minutes seem hours. The tension was not relieved until the two-minute barrage lifted and the attack was launched. "A" Company which had got into position as intended went forward into a blizzard of machine gun bullets which checked them in their first stride. The barrage which was supposed to have been laid down a hundred yards in front of the enemy s trench had gone too far and the Germans without hindrance manned their parapets and wiped out practic ally the entire Company as it struggled to get through. Captain MacKenzie and his men were forced to take refuge in shell holes. The right platoon of the first wave of "D >! Company also met the heavy wire and never got through it. However, one officer and the remainder of the Company, found, as anticipated, the gap in the entanglements which lay on the left of its front and between that of "A" Company, and fought their way into Regina Trench and held it until the last man of them was killed. The platoon of "C" Company made an equally disastrous attempt. As soon as the men left the communication trench they were brought to their knees. Captain Gale gathered the fragments of "A" Company and made another attempt to get to Regina Trench without success. . Part of the second wave of his Company went to the assistance of "C" Company s platoon and tried to bomb their way down the communi cation trench into Regina Trench. Captain MacKenzie and a few men supported them by sniping from shell holes. By 5.00 p.m. the attack had developed into a bombing melee. More grenades were ordered up and the fusillade continued until the ranks were so diminished and the men so worn that they were ordered to retire into the "block" in the communication trench. It was here that Lieutenant Moore was killed. He fought with his Bombers all day, advancing and retreating down the communication trench and at one time obtained a temporary footing in Regina Trench. Man after man 40 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES ?9i6 was Billed beside him but he seemed to bear a charmed life. As the evening approached the sound of exploding bombs ceased and it was known that he had shared the fate of so many of his brave Bombers. This officer was recommended again for the Military Cross but owing to the regulations in force it was not possible to make a posthumous award. The Germans had been more than prepared for such an attack. They were heavily reinforced during the action and would have been even better supported if the over-reaching barrage had not effectively found those who were coming up the sunken roads. The enemy signalled by red and green lights to his gunners who responded accurately to the detriment of the assault. The Germans organized a counter-attack with a view to cutting off the thinned line. About 4.30 p.m. they were seen to leave their trenches but they were driven back with telling effect, Captain MacKenzie and his men in flicting enormous casualties. Finally the enemy made repeated attempts to dislodge the courageous defenders from the communication trench but never succeeded. At 6.30 p.m. two platoons of "B : Company were sent to reinforce the front line and the balance of the company carried up supplies. This attack was not successful, but only in that Regina Trench was not completely captured and held. The Brigade had upheld the established reputation of the Canadian Corps as shock-troops. Even had the wire been cut and the barrage accurately placed on the enemy trenches it is most doubtful if two companies and one platoon could have carried out the ambitious programme. The 5th Brigade and the rest of the 8th Brigade met the same fate as the 4th C. M. R. This was the first attempt to subdue Regina Trench. It proved to be no ordinary line of defence. A week later the 7th and 9th Brigades profiting by the experiences of the rest of the Division> also attacked this stronghold, but with similar results. The 49th Battalion, which relieved the 4th C. M. R. on the night of 2nd /3rd October, made a gallant but unsuccessful attempt a few days later to get a foot- THE SOMME 41 hold in it. The wire and weather were more formidable antagonists than the enemy. The ground, while not a sea of mud as it later became, was a foe in itself, and the entanglements, which were not sufficiently destroyed by artillery, remained as an inanimate adversary too strong for the success of any troops, no matter how indomitable. The Battalion went back to Albert for five days, then returned and did three days in support trenches, sending Oct. 10, up working parties at night. One of these parties on the night of the 10th was met by an Engineer officer and escorted toward the front line to dig jumping-off trenches for an attack of the 4th Division. Unfortunately, on the way up he was badly wounded and his runner killed by a " crump. " Lieut. A. P. Menzies, who was in charge of the right party, is mentioned in the Diary as "showing great courage and devotion to duty under exceptionally trying circumstances" by leading the party himself, without a guide, through the dark to the dan gerous task. It was a typical night s work, a pattern of hundreds of such nocturnal horrors. At the time it was serious and tragic, but now through the haze of pathos can be seen a grimly humorous side which was not evident then. The work lay in the open under a brilliant full-moon. It was approached by a shallow sunken road, running in the wrong direction to give cover to the party, which became a prey to sniping and enfilade fire. This road faded into a flat, bankless track and as the men reached the open they were sniped and their chances of getting out to their work unscathed were poor. The men had been told before they started that they would not be relieved in the line until the work was completed. If this was a genuine threat, it was quite unnecessary. The trench was to be dug five feet deep, but long before the waning moon had disappeared their linear task was completed and the trench had reached an incredible depth. The enemy s machine guns had infin itely more influence on the digging than the orders of a Divisional Commander. The next tour in the line made the fifth and last effort of the 4th C. M. R. in this Gargantuan struggle. 42 4ra CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES The discipline displayed by the officers and men was exceptionally good, especially when one remembers that the Battalion was practically new after the battle of Sanctuary Wood, and with only a few weeks training was thrown into the line five times and took part in two major attacks. Captain R. Innes-Taylor, the Adjutant, gave invaluable assistance to Colonel Gordon during the difficult period of reorganization and preparation for the Somme. The Regiment entered twelve hundred strong and received some two hundred reinforcements. The casualties were greater than the average strength of a battalion; over one thousand men killed, wounded or missing was the contribution of the 4th C. M. R. to that great phalanx of British soldiers which marched into the Battle of the Somme and fell. Oct. 14, On October 14th, 1916, the Battalion turned its back for ever on that sector of the front and started on a cir cuitous route to Vimy. The men marched in easy stages by Albert and Warloy to Antheux, where they halted for three days. Anyone who had seen this band of exhausted troops as they laboured from billet to billet over the flint and chalk roads, would have recognized them as a depleted unit from the Somme. A platoon commander had the significant opportunity of riding his Company Com mander s horse at the head of his batman, two stretcher- bearers and one other rank. The unequal platoons bore sad testimony to the cost of a month s sojourn on the Somme; and only a portion of the time on a few hundred yards of that long front. Oct. 20, On the 20th the Battalion went about fifteen kilometres north to Barly and the following day resumed its trek for ten miles north and west to Berlencourt on the River Canche. It left at 10.00 o clock in the morning and arrived in billets in time for tea. These hamlets were a marked change from the ruins and devastation of the Somme. Berlencourt, a peaceful, straggling little place on the side of a clear stream in a wooded country, was one of those pastoral centres maintaining rural activities within earshot of the heavy guns. On the 22nd the Battalion completed the last leg of the journey, a fifteen mile route \ iffrlcoiirt THE SOMME 43 march to Maroeuil over a slight watershed of rolling agricultural country, dotted with little villages and old chateaux with wooded parks, and bearing, still, the feudal ear-marks of the Royalist regime. Maroeuil lies about four miles north-west from Arras. It had a more evident atmosphere of active warfare about it. It was occasionally shelled but except for the railway station, a supply train every night and an Engineer s Dump, it was a comparatively safe place. Billets were scarce and only one estaminet proprietor braved the dangers of residence. It was a Divisional Reserve area for the Vimy front, a quiet contrast to the Somme. The Battal ion remained two days prior to entering new trenches on a fresh and dissimilar sector where the Canadian Corps within six months took part in one of the most brilliant exploits of the war. CHAPTER V VI MY RIDGE Oct. "T" TIMY RIDGE, one of the key positions in the 1916 \ / defence of the German Western Front, was con sidered by the enemy to be invulnerable and its possession imperative. It commanded a large area to its west and south, and protected the admirable billeting district around the congested mining country of Lens. By November, 1916, the Canadian Corps held that part of the line which ran north from the outskirts of Arras to a point east of Souchez. The elaborate trench system traversed a shallow valley dominated on the east by Vimy Ridge and by a lesser rise on the west. The westerly elevation shielded the troops billeted in the back areas along the River Scarpe. Although separated by a few score miles from the Somme this region seemed as if in a different country. It was a quiet front, in fact it had seen only ordinary trench warfare since 1915 when the French Zouaves had heavy losses attempting to maintain their temporary foot-hold on the Ridge. An immense chalk formation underlay the soil which, in many places, was so thin as to show chalky outcrops. Fresh trenches were like bleached strips on the land and naturally were diffi cult to conceal. The comparative solidity of the chalk, and the ease of working it, encouraged tunnelling, with the consequence that the whole front was pock-marked by mine-craters. Many large dug-outs and caves were constructed to harbour troops, and some existing sub terranean passages were enlarged and improved and played an important part in concentrating troops for the assault on Vimy Ridge. One of the largest tunnels, of mediaeval or ancient origin, was over seven hundred yards in length and twenty-five feet in height, and had all the 44 VIMY RIDGE 45 conveniences that modern engineering could provide; electric light, water-supply, light-railway, dressing-sta tions and telephonic communications. On October 24th the 4th C. M. R. relieved a London Regiment of one of the newest Imperial Divisions in front of Ecurie, which was almost on the extreme right of the Corps Front and adjacent to that maze of interlocking trenches and old craters known to the French as "The Labyrinth" and which ranked in their early war-annals with our "Bird Cage" at Ypres. When the men entered the communication trenches at Anzin, the front was so peaceful after the Somme, it was difficult to realize that the enemy was close at hand. The last day of the month saw the Battalion, for the first time, in the front line trenches on the Vimy Front. By the code phrase "Rum issued at 11.00" they reported the completion of the relief. The month of November passed; seven men Nov wounded were the total casualties, a fact indicative of the 1916 quietness of this sector. On the 29th, the night before leaving the line, a sentry group under Corporal Butters of : D Company captured two German prisoners who were handed over to the A. P. M. On the 30th the Brigade was drawn up for a review by the Corps Com mander, Lieut. -General Sir Julian Byng who presented honours to fifteen officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the Battalion, for their work at the Somme. Each time when relieved they returned to Etrun, near Marceuil, where, in a large shed converted into an army natatorium, were several enormous wine-vats filled with warm water which soon cleansed the Battalion. Fresh clothing was another luxury. When in rest billets the men kept up their training in musketry, bombing and sniping, and kept fit by route-marching. They continued the Brigade routine of four days in the trenches and four days in billets, and December Dec - passed more or less as the previous month. The weather became more uncertain; heavy rains did considerable damage to the trenches. The communication trenches were conspicuously French in their construction, many were strongly revetted and still bore their Gallic names. 46 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES 1916 Wherever new trenches were required or old ones repaired it was not uncommon to unearth bits of blue tunics, red trousers or other evidence of sacrifices made in the previous year by French troops. The Battalion had one unpleasant tour during the month. It relieved the 2nd C. M. R. in the front line on the 17th and had the mis fortune to lose on the same day, Lieutenant Leonard Dunsford who had joined but a few days before. Toward the end of the same tour a minor operation was carried out by the Brigade. The 1st C. M. R. on the left of the Battalion were ordered to carry out a raid to procure identifications of the opposing troops. The 4th C. M. R. were to make a demonstration and fake attack, with the object of creating a diversion and to cover the retirement of the 1st C. M. R. The Battalion distracted the enemy so successfully, especially by the preparatory bombard ment with trench-mortars, that a heavy retaliation was concentrated on them, destroying their assembly trench and inflicting so many casualties that their fake attack was abandoned. The 1st C. M. R. carried out their raid without a casualty before the enemy realized what was taking place. Their commanding officer tele graphed his gratitude for the whole-hearted support given by the Battalion. The Brigade allotted five extra "leaves" to the Battalion in recognition of its unselfish part in the operation. Dec. 23, They returned to rest billets in Etrun on the 23rd going into Divisional Reserve. Here they spent their second Christmas; few being still with the Battalion who came to France with it. The men were fortunate to be out of the line and able to have a good Christmas dinner. The extra rations and comforts were largely due to the kind ness and generosity of Lieut.-Colonel H. C. Cox, Honorary Colonel of the 9th Mississauga Horse, who, every Christ mas sent to Lieut.-Colonel Gordon 100 to be spent in comforts for the men. The officers had a particularly gay time. Captain H. Franks abandoned his dignified office of adjutant and became the centre of amusement during and after the dinner. The Battalion was back in the trenches for the New VIMY RIDGE 47 Year. The weather was wet and the rain caused many J*- fatigues in repairing the disintegrating trenches. It was relieved by the 5th Cameron Highlanders in the middle of the month and went into billets at Bois-des-Alleux. These were for the most part Nissen Huts, tucked away in a green wood beside the river Scarpe, about a mile north of Maroeuil. They lay in the shadow of the church, at Mont St. Eloy, a battered remnant of a previous war; although occasionally shelled, it served as an excellent observation post commanding a wonderful view of Vimy Ridge. The Battalion went into the left sub-sector of the Ecurie front, where it remained until February 5th, then returning to Mont St. Eloy. On the morning of the llth the unit started on a long Feb. n, march to an entirely different area to train and "rest"; a very ambiguous word in the vocabulary of the army. The first day the Battalion and Transport marched ten miles north-west to Houdain and the next day almost as t/ far to Burbure, a small town two miles south of Lillers. It subsequently became one of the favourite billets of the Battalion. The men settled down to five weeks of arduous training. It was, in reality, their first preparation for the assault on Vimy Ridge. They did all the things which they had practised before going to France, but in addition they rehearsed what was expected would happen in the near future. They brought into play every arm of their service which might be used in a big attack. Scouts and Signallers received special training. The Battalion as a whole assaulted in new formations on taped trenches and later the Brigade practised as one, in similar tactics. Nothing was left undone which had any bearing on the necessary preparation for a machine-like assault at the appointed time. There were diversions in the training. The Corps Commander, General Byng, presented decorations to the Brigade on the 25th, and "C Company had the honour Feb. 25, of forming one of the companies in the composite battalion which was inspected. There were plenty of sports to break the monotony, culminating in a Divisional Sports Day at the end of the month when the Battalion 48 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES had the distinction of winning first prize in the bombing competition. Mar. is, On March 18th the Battalion started on its return to the trenches. It moved off at 9.15 a.m., with the Trans port and Details, Trench-Mortar Section, Orderly Room and Band. It returned by different but parallel routes through Ruitz, where half the Battalion was left for a time with Major Patterson, the rest continuing to Forester Camp. On the 21st, "A" and "B" Companies relieved part of the 9th Brigade. They left Villers-au-Bois at 7 p.m. and marched to Mont St. Eloy. As it was dark they took the road down to La Targette, through the ruins of Neuville St. Vaast, entered the trenches and pro ceeded into the front line, 1,000 yards to the north-east of the town. Because of the winter rains the trenches were wet and uninviting. Five days later, " C " and " D " Companies relieved "A" and "B" Companies and Major Patterson took over the forward headquarters. As previously explained, the whole of No Man s Land on this front was a series of mine-craters with saps leading into them and continuous raids made the Can adians dominant over their Front. On March 30th, Lieutenant E. G. Richards led a battle patrol between Devon and Vernon craters to the enemy s line. The patrol which was divided into two parties of three men each, one under Corporal Martin and the other under Corporal Dawson, crawled in the dark to the enemy s parapet. They saw three Germans whom they bombed and killed; in the next bay they killed two more. By this time the enemy was aroused and the raiding party with drew ; the posts in Vernon and Devon craters bombarding the enemy with bombs and rifle grenades inflicting considerable damage. Lieutenant Richards, who had been wounded at the outset but continued, was again hit, this time by a cylindrical stick bomb which left a gaping wound in his abdomen. He was a Niagara fruit-grower before the war, a powerfully-built man, as brave as he was strong. It was not his first raid, he had been on several before; on one occasion he and Lieutenant T. W. E. Dixon entered the German trenches in front of Ecurie VIMY RIDGE 49 and nailed up a sign : " Come on over and we will treat you right. " This time he was not so fortunate; he was crawling through the enemy s wire when mortally wounded. Corporal Martin and Private F. Brazeau, with great difficulty, succeeded in dragging him out of the entanglement. Lieutenant Gregory Clark, who was on duty in the front trenches, went out to assist the others who were then trying to place Richards on a duck-board. Finally, Lieutenant T. W. E. Dixon arrived with a stretcher party and carried him in but unfortunately this gallant officer died the next morning in the Field Ambulance. Two days later, General Byng sent this message to the Brigade: "Please convey to all ranks of the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade our great appreciation of their repeatedly successful raids. " The Battalion arrived in rest billets in Villers-au-Bois on April 1st and made final preparations for the attack April i, on Vimy Ridge; practising over imaginary trenches and having a thorough inspection of kit and equipment. On the night of 5th/6th, the men went again into the same line, relieving one company of the 52nd Battalion and one company of the 60th Battalion. Headquarters were located in Goodman Tunnel. The trenches had become worse, some were partially filled with water; large work ing parties, however, soon drained and repaired the jumping off places. On the night of the 6/7th, two parties under Lieutenants F. A. Herman and H. Bennett successfully cut the wire in front of P ; line and the following night, beneath a searching moon, parties from "A" Company, under Lieutenants T. W. E. Dixon and G. T. Aitkens cut a line through the wire between the craters, Albany, Devon and Vernon. Lieutenant Aitkens had been slightly wounded on the previous day but pluckily returned to duty to participate in the big show where, at its outset, he was wounded again. Toward the end of 1916, the Battle of the Somme was still in progress but the possibility of a break-through was doubtful. General Joffre proposed a simultaneous attack by both armies on a wide front. The British were to attack from Vimy to Bapaume and the French from the 50 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES Somme to the Oise. When it was discovered in February, 1917, that the Germans were retiring from the Somme Salient to the Hindenburg line this plan was postponed. General Nivelle* succeeded General Joffre in February, and, modifying the plans, decided to attack in April. The British First Army under General Home, and the Third Army under General Allenby, attacked on April 9th. The Fifth Army on the extreme right, south of Arras in front of Bullecourt, also participated, but only to support the flank of the main attack. The French, who were to attack on the 12th, were delayed until the 16th. The British offensive over a fifteen mile front developed into the Battle of Arras, of which Vimy Ridge was a part. They almost succeeded in breaking through south-east of Arras, but were stopped at the strong defences of the Hindenburg line. Apart from the crippl ing blow to the enemy, the great success of this battle was the accomplishment of the Canadian Corps in capturing Vimy Ridge. Its immediate advantage was the securing of the left flank in the Arras attack but its profound impor tance was realized in March, 1918, during the German offensive. Ludendorff admitted that it stood in his way of success at that time. The Prime Ministerf in the British House of Commons, referred to it as the "fruits of the first experiment in the unity of command." In spite of this statement it is an interesting fact that the French Higher Command did not think that Vimy Ridge could be taken under the proposed British plan ; the great success of this operation, therefore, was one of the proudest achievements of General Home s First Army and espec ially General Byng s Canadian Corps. No battle could have been prepared more thoroughly. Every unit from corps to platoon knew exactly what it had to do. Prior to the attack a stupendous bombard ment was kept up day and night for a week along this huge front, flattening every obstruction and hammering the back areas (2,880 guns fired approximately 88,000 tons of ammunition, almost twice the amount expended * Appointed Generalissimo, February, 1918. f Mr. Lloyd George, August 8, 1918. VIMY RIDGE 51 in preparation for the Battle of the Somme). In Gun Valley, behind the Arras-Bethune road, artillery of all calibre stood almost wheel to wheel giving the Canadians the greatest moral and physical support they had ever had before going into action. Mines were laid under the German front line; one on the Battalion s front between Chassery and Albany craters was to be blown, thirty seconds after zero hour. The many dumps were filled with consolidating materials, ammunition, water and every conceivable necessity. At least a quarter-of-a- million men were to participate in this gigantic thrust. Each infantryman had his usual equipment as well as twenty -four hours rations and forty-eight hours iron rations, five sand bags, two flares, four bombs, flags and everything else that an emergency might demand. Apart from the previous training, everyone was made familiar with all the details of the attack. Ample warn ing was given for officers and men to discuss the plans and make arrangements for eventualities. Four days in advance, preliminary instructions were circulated and on the 7th operation orders were received for the assault and capture of Vimy Ridge. Colonel Gordon issued his Battalion operation orders the same night and held a final conference with his Company Commanders the following day. The Canadian Corps which was on the extreme left of the First Army, attacked with four Divisions. The Third Division faced in the direction of Vimy Village with the 7th and 8th Brigades in line and the 9th Brigade in support. The 8th Brigade attacked with the 1st, 2nd and 4th C. M. R. Battalions in line and the 5th C. M. R. in support. The 4th C. M. R. was the most northerly Battalion of the 8th Brigade. On its right was the 2nd C. M. R. and on its left the R. C. R. of the 7th Brigade. Each battalion advanced in four waves, each of one company, with two platoons leading and one following for the purpose of mopping up. Each company had four officers and about one hundred and fifty men. The final objective of the initial attack was three-quarters of a mile from the front line, beyond La Folie Farm and the 52 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES 1917 Germans third line of forward defences. This, briefly, was the order of attack and disposition of the units. In condensed detail the companies of the 4th C. M. R. were given the following objectives: "A" Company, under Major B. R. Gale, was to take the first line on a 350 yard front, completely mop it up and then pass on to Zwischen Trench. Captain M. M. Hart, with "B" Company, was to pass through "A" Company and deploy to attack a strong communication trench, Artillerie Weg, on the northerly flank and a smaller trench on the right and southerly flank and then meet his frontal objective, the Zwischen system which was the strong second line of defence. : C Company, commanded by Major A. P. Menzies, had the third line of defence, Fickle Trench, a thousand yards from our front line. If, however, they found that B Company was held up at Zwischen Trench, they were to combine with them until it was reduced and then attack Fickle together. Major A. A. MacKenzie with "D" Company had orders to take the crest of the Ridge between L Ecole Commune and La Folie Farm and to assist, if necessary, the R. C. R. Reg iment on the left to take the former and the 2nd C. M. R. Battalion on the right to take the latter point d appui. April 8, The assaulting troops spent the early part of the night of the 8th in dug-outs and tunnels in and behind the front line. These concentrating points were necessarily crowded. Companies were squeezed into the ordinary accommodation of a platoon. The men could not lie down with comfort, so they sat around the light of a candle and dozed or played poker for unusual stakes, collecting paper credits which were given freely by the pessimistic members who sat in the game. Early in the morning they moved out to the jumping-off points. The bombardment had ceased. There was a deathlike silence. An occasional shell would scream across the sky and accentuate the stillness. The rattle of equipment, the muffled curses of the sergeants calling for less noise, added to the weird tension. All were hoping their movements would not be detected. Finally, the order to fix bayonets was given and a ripple of clicks passed along the line and VIMY RIDGE 53 died with the last obstinate rifle. An ominous whistle was blown somewhere in the German trenches, but nothing developed. The enemy seemed unaware of his impending fate. At 5.30 a.m. Easter Monday, April 9th, the sharp bark of our barrage opened. Half a minute later the mine at Goodman Tunnel sap was sprung and A" Company was on its way across the hundred yards of No Man s Land. Immediately the enemy s barrage was laid down on our trenches. By 5.35 a.m. "A" Company was in possession of the German front line and a few minutes later the men were entering the immediate support trench. The enemy s barrage shortened to his own front line. Lieu tenant T. W. E. Dixon took up a position and observed from the top of Edmonton Crater reporting the progress of the attack to Battalion Headquarters. The troops followed closely the creeping barrage and in clockwork succession took each objective. The final objective was reached in less than two hours, and by 7.35 a.m. the Companies had reported in writing by runners that they were in position and their flanks resting on the points laid down in their orders. It was found that the Battalion on the left had eased over to the north, leaving a gap of a hundred yards. Lieutenant B. C. Pierce took a platoon of " A " Company and a few other Details that he collected and filled this gap and later successfully assisted the Battalion on his left to repel a counter-attack. His presence of mind and quick action undoubtedly relieved an awkward situation. On account of the pressure on the left, reinforcements were asked for and Lieutenant E. A. Abbey, who was subsequently killed, was sent for ward with eighty men. Major A. P. Menzies also gave assistance to Lieutenant Pierce; they both contributed to the success of the enterprise and later, in a calmer moment, were standing on the Ridge shaking hands and offering mutual congratulations when Lieutenant Pierce was shot through the head by a sniper in La Folie Wood. Major Menzies did further valuable work and was awarded the Military Cross. Captain M. M. Hart after accurately locating Zwischen Stellung which had 54 4ra CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES been practically obliterated, organized his men with characteristic coolness and consolidated the position and went to the assistance of Major Menzies. Later he went forward to reconnoitre and sent back most valuable information. For his splendid leadership he was awarded the Military Cross. Lieutenant W. G. Butson, who had commanded his Company but a few hours, was so severely wounded that he died the follow ing day. This gallant officer stepped into the place of Major A. A. MacKenzie, M. C., who was wounded at the outset, and with courage and tenacity led his men to the brilliant accomplishment of their task. The Signallers, under Lieutenant J. R. Woods, did excellent work following closely behind the infantry with their drums of wire and reported at 9.30 a.m. that they had established a station in Zwischen and connected it with Headquarters. This was the first wire available on this sector and was of invaluable assistance to the artil lery. Colonel Gordon then went forward to Zwischen with Lieutenant T. W. E. Dixon, who was acting as Scout Officer, and left Major W. R. Patterson in charge of Battalion Headquarters. On arriving at the forward Headquarters Lieutenant Dixon, with a few men, scouted the forward positions and reported the location of the front line to Colonel Gordon, who went forward and inspected them. It was found that a strong point had been established well in front and toward La Folie Wood and that Lieutenant G. Clark of "D" Company and his men, who were holding it, were receiving severe punish ment from machine-gun fire. During the afternoon, Colonel Gordon inspected the front line and found the situation well in hand. It became obvious that it would be suicidal for Lieutenant Clark to attempt to hold the strong-point and he was ordered to withdraw his men as soon as darkness fell. No one could have been more cheery or offered greater encouragement to his men than Lieutenant Clark. After his Company Commander and Second-in-Command became casualties he took charge leading the Company to its final objective and then established the strong-point which he personally organ- VIMY RIDGE 55 ized and where he remained under severe machine-gun A P ril 7 Q 1 7 fire until ordered to withdraw. For this devotion to duty he was awarded the Military Cross. C. S. M. McQuarrie, who was captured the previous year at Sanctuary Wood but managed to escape to our lines and re-join, was wounded while rendering valuable service for which he won the D. C. M. During the night, patrols were sent out to keep in touch with the enemy. One patrol, under Lieutenant L. G. Mills, encountered an enemy patrol, which they engaged. A fusillade of bombs scattered them and they fled, leaving behind one of their number dead. Also, dur ing the night, supplies of ammunition, bombs, water, rum and rations were successfully delivered to the fighting troops. The weather, as usual on the day of a British attack, was disappointing. It was wet and raw the day before and on the morning of the attack snow fell making the going heavy. The men went forward in almost blinding sleet. Later in the day the storm cleared and the sun came out. During the next two days snow fell until the ground was white. They had discarded their great-coats and in consequence suffered from the cold. There was a curious phenomenon, still unexplained, which raised the curiosity of the men on the morning of the assault. As they crossed No Man s Land they noticed the water in the shell-holes was gory. In fact some of the men were quite positive that it was blood; but their judgment was probably warped by the circumstances and in the heat of the moment had no time to make an examination. As its appearance was coincident with the snow it would at first suggest to a student of Biology that it might be the minute algae (Spcerella nivalis] which sweeps over the melting Arctic snow and turns it blood-red; but, as the temper ature was not sufficiently low for this small organism it may have been some species of small pigmented protozoan sometimes found in temporary pools and which had been lying in the encysted stage until the snow and rain fell. It has remained a mystery to the Battalion. 56 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES The enemy offered a very weak resistance; the bom bardment had been too severe. Trenches were oblit erated and unrecognizable, even the strong Zwischen Stellung was so battered that only its deep dug-outs remained. The usual trying counter-attacks did not develop, and as previously mentioned, it was not until all the objectives had been reached that serious losses were incurred. These were chiefly caused by keeping in touch with the retiring enemy and in establishing strong points. From the Ridge the Germans could be seen in the distance limbering up their guns and moving off at a gallop. The ground fell away almost steeply into La Folie Wood, where they were making a stand. Beyond the Wood was Vimy and the enemy s last defensive position, the Vimy-Lens line. The great day the men had been preparing for and anticipating had come and gone. It was an unparalleled success, working out as planned. Hundreds of prisoners, including three officers, one a colonel, passed back through the Battalion to the prison cages. Seven machine-guns and trench mortars and other trophies were taken. The Battalion had done all and more than it had been asked to do. Considering the magnitude of the operations, the casualties on the 9th were light. In the original assault there were practically no casualties, most of them occurred afterwards, when the machine-gun posts in the outpost line were being maintained. Manv were sniped when they silhouetted themselves on the skyline. One officer and forty-three men were killed, one officer died of wounds, five officers and one hundred and thirty- one men wounded. April 10, On the following day, the 10th, twenty-five men, under Lieutenant T. W. E. Dixon, were sent out as a patrol with instructions to attempt to get as far as Petit Vimy and find out the location and strength of the enemy. After working their way down the sunken road into La Folie Wood they discovered a force of Germans with a machine-gun which opened fire on them. As the trench they occupied ran into the area of the Battalion on the left it was arranged that a joint attack should follow a VIMY RIDGE 57 bombardment the next day. Otherwise, the day was quiet. Unfortunately, Lieutenant E. A. Abbey, after surviving the first day, was killed. It was a great handicap to the Battalion to lose this officer. The battle field was cleared and the wounded evacuated. The Medical Officer, Major H. C. Davis, had a dirty little shelter behind the crest in which he cared for the wounded. He worked throughout the day, with a door for an operating table until all the wounded were cleared. There was another Davis attached to the Battalion Captain W. H. Davis, Chaplain, recently joined, who at once became endeared to the men. The first glimpse they had of their beloved Padre in action was seeing him in the twilight on the crest of the Ridge, his steel helmet hung over his arm, prayer-book in hand, burying the dead, regardless of shells dropping around him. The Battalion was blessed with two great Da vis s. On the morning of the llth orders were received to Apri