IN FRONT OF MESSINES
The Second Canadian Division arrived in France during our stay in
Ploegsteert, and after a short rest took over a sector on the right of
St. Eloi and in front of Messines.
Here it was that we relieved them about a fortnight later--our third
move while in front of this grim hill, the scene of such hard fighting
in October of the year before.
The line at this point swung forward in a small salient to within fifty
yards of the enemy--the only footing we now held on this famous
ridge--and to the Toronto and Eastern Ontario Battalions fell the honour
of guarding this point all winter.
Here, too, we were to learn something of grenade and mine warfare such
as the other two battalions of our brigade had been waging all summer
near Ploegsteert.
And the little graveyard in rear of the line was to receive the bodies
of many of our comrades and hold them in common sanctity with those of
other gallant men, British and French, Highlanders and Turcos, who had
perished on the slopes of Messines.
For a week we systematically registered our guns on new points in the
enemy's second and third lines--the usual preliminary to an
offensive--and bombarded them severely.
This was done to prevent the enemy from moving any of his guns from this
area to the southern end of the line, where, now that the weather was
again favourable, the British were to make another thrust.
For this purpose, too, we were to make a "little demonstration" on our
front, using smoke bombs to make the enemy believe we were going to use
gas, and, to our great satisfaction, it was announced that in those
areas where the real offensive was being made the Germans would be
treated to a dose of their own poison. Too long we had waited and
allowed the enemy to use this fearful weapon against us, thinking the
neutral nations might intervene; but their interest in the cause of
humanity was largely a financial one, and we determined to adopt a
broader view, perhaps, of what justifiable weapons are, and make use of
the advances of science. France was already using the gas, but Britain
hesitated at setting her hall-mark on such a usage, necessary as it had
become.
The day, October 13th, was ideal for observation, beautifully clear,
with a gentle breeze from our trench towards the enemy's. Nothing finer
could be desired for our operations to the south.
About 2 o'clock our guns, along the whole British front, started to cut
wire as though preparing for an attack.
The Germans in return sprinkled our lines vigorously with shrapnel, the
fleecy white puffs of their shells showing up like clouds on the clear
blue sky.
From our trench on the hill top we could see the long line of trenches,
hidden here and there by trees, stretching southwards to Armentieres,
the tall chimneys of which were clearly discernible.
Anxiously we glanced from this view to our watches while the hands crept
slowly around to the appointed moment. In the distance there suddenly
appeared faint lines of whitish smoke among the trees; and we lit our
smoke bombs and hurled them over the parapet. There was a moment's
pause, and then they burst into clouds of yellow smoke, hiding the
German trench from view.
[Illustration: THE START OF THE SMOKE CLOUDS. The Little Demonstration,
October 13th, 1915.]
The tone of their bombardment changed immediately, and crashing salvoes
of high explosive fell around us.
Our guns paused for a moment, and the crisp rattle of musketry, the
droning of myriads of bees, and the bursts of machine-gun fire were
heard alone as they ran through whole belts of cartridges; then all
minor sounds were again drowned out by the clashes of our shells as they
burst all along the German front line.
Gradually the smoke cleared away as the bombs burnt themselves out and
showed that no attack was being attempted. The bombardment slackened,
though the Germans continued to shell us heavily till almost dusk, but
with little further effect except that they rendered the evacuation of
our wounded more dangerous.
Our casualties had, however, been slight, but it was simply marvellous
luck, for our parapets were ruined heaps and the trenches filled with
_debris_.
We gazed sadly around, knowing it meant many nights of hard work to
restore these, and mentally decided to join the artillery in the next
war, as they alone had enjoyed the afternoon's work.
The German guns had certainly been kept busy, and it was some
consolation to read in their report of the affair that "an attack using
gas on a thirty-mile front had been repulsed with heavy losses to the
enemy."
We had produced the desired effect.
Below La Bassee the 46th Division had been equally successful and gained
the Hohenzollern Redoubt, while on their right in the vicinity of Loos
the 4th Corps were holding nearly twelve hundred yards of German
front-line trench.
It had been a good day's work, but summer was now over and good weather
could not be depended on, so no further offensive was made, though
fighting of the most stubborn and desperate sort took place around the
newly-gained ground, which was, however, successfully consolidated.
During the remainder of the month, except for the exploding of a mine
and aerial activity, there was little that occurred on the Canadian
front.