THE RAID.
Just to the south of the Village of Avion there is situated a colliery
called Fossé 4, with its necessary attendant, a large and ugly slag
heap, shaped like a truncated cone. If our front line, at that time,
might be considered as a line running due east and west and just to
the south of Avion, then Fossé 4 was almost entirely within the German
lines, with just the southern fringe of the slag heap extending into
"No Man's Land."
The German front line, so far as this account is concerned, extended
round the base of the slag heap and then south-east, where it joined a
system of trenches known as the Méricourt Maze at about two hundred and
fifty yards distance.
About 300 yards behind the German front line and running parallel to
it was a railway embankment, scarcely less than 24 feet in height; and
about midway between the German lines and our own and parallel to our
line was a road (Quebec Road). Scatter around a few rows of ruined
houses, a garden fence, and a couple of brick piles and you will have
what the 3rd Divisional Staff considered to be an ideal location for a
raid.
The slag heap was reported to be a veritable nest of machine guns,
and trench mortars; the railway embankment was believed to be fairly
honeycombed with dug-outs, but all that was actually and really known
was that the German front line was strongly barricaded and full of
Germans, and that Quebec Road was partly sunken and full of wire. The
place and opportunity having therefore been supplied it remained for us
to fix the time and arrange the details.
Immediately upon arrival at Comak Camp a stretch of ground was selected
for practice, and the Engineers who started at once to work on the
taped trenches, made such good progress that the following morning
everything was in readiness for our first trial. In the meantime a plan
of attack was formulated, of which the following is a brief résumé:
"A" Company (Capt. Gould) would capture and hold the German front line
(known as Metal Trench) looking after any machine guns and trench
mortar posts found on the slag heap, together with all dug-outs in the
neighborhood.
"B" Company (Capt. Allen) on the left, and "C" Company (Major Currie)
on the right would pass through "A" Company continuing on to the
railway embankment, which they would proceed to capture, destroying
all dug-outs and M.G. emplacements. Upon a given signal from Battalion
Headquarters raiding Companies would retire, protected by covering
parties left along the railway embankment and communication trenches,
"A" Company to remain in Metal Trench until all of "B" and "C"
Companies had withdrawn. The most unpleasant job of all, perhaps, that
of holding the Battalion front during the raid, was assigned to "D"
Company (Capt. Ritchie).
[Illustration: THE BATTALION BAND]
The attack was to be carried out at night (1 a.m.) and under cover of
an artillery and M.G. Barrage.
For the next few days the one topic of conversation was the raid, and
at least two practices a day were carried out over the taped trenches,
until we considered ourselves perfect enough to invite the Divisional
and Brigade Commanders to attend our final practice before going into
the line. This they did and pronounced themselves well satisfied.
During these preparations our Commanding Officer, Col. S. Sharpe, was
untiring in his energies towards overcoming the numerous difficulties
that so frequently presented themselves, and he personally led a
reconnoitring party into Avion in broad daylight, which enabled us to
overlook the territory to be raided from the second story of a ruined
house.
On the 18th of July we received orders to move into the line and to
take over the trenches occupied by the 5th C.M.R. At dusk that evening
the Battalion assembled, and after wishing God-speed to Major Cameron,
our Second in Command, who was leaving that night for Canada, a most
stirring and eloquent address was made by Col. Sharpe; so that when we
moved off by Companies in the direction of Vimy Ridge, to the strains
of "John Peel," the regimental march, there was scarcely a more
confident lot of men in the whole Allied Army.
At about 9.30 p.m., on the 22nd July, a start was made to assemble
the raiding Companies behind Quebec Road, which was the jumping-off
position for the raid. Each man was equipped with an electric
torch-light for use in the German lines, and a large white patch was
sewn on the front of everybody's box respirator, which was thought
to be a good means of identification in the dark. About midnight,
therefore, the platoons were being led quietly and stealthily into
position. Suddenly the bells in the German trenches, not a hundred
yards from the right flank, began to ring; gas fumes were rapidly
making their way over our positions. It was difficult to tell whether
the gas was merely lachrymatory or poisonous, and at the first
indication every officer and man had slipped on his gas helmet.
It is hard enough to find your way about in the dark under ordinary
conditions, but with a gas helmet on it is absolutely impossible, and
in less time than it takes to tell, the greatest confusion arose, and
the success of the whole operation hung in the balance. A desperate
situation confronted the Battalion; in a little while our artillery
barrage would open, and its programme would be carried out while our
men were stumbling blindly through the gas fumes, and in due course the
enemy artillery would open up in retaliation, and our men, helpless
with their gas helmets on, would be wiped out without a chance for
their lives. For about thirty minutes the situation was critical and
fraught with the greatest difficulties; the darkness, the gas, the
fumes, the irregularities of the ground, wire entanglements, ruins,
shell holes, all combined to make the assembling of our companies slow
and difficult.
Chances had to be taken, and gas helmets were removed, the mouthpiece
alone being used, and in this manner, our eyes streaming with tears and
nerves strung to the highest pitch, we eventually reached our positions
around the Quebec Road about five minutes before zero hour.
Exactly on the stroke of one the barrage opened, falling like a
hailstorm on the German front line, which was lit up along its entire
length by the bursting shells. It was certainly an unmerciful pounding
and seemed to fill us with an ardent desire to get over there, and like
Julius Caesar, "negotium finire."
As the barrage opened "A" Company crept across the Quebec Road through
the lanes in the wire which had been previously cut by the scouts, and
at zero, plus three minutes, at which moment the barrage lifted off
Metal Trench to the Railway embankment, they rushed forward, closely
followed by "B" Company on the left and "C" Company on the right. By
the time "A" Company reached Metal Trench the Huns had begun to pour
out of their dug-outs in which they had taken refuge during the shell
storm, and hand-to-hand fighting ensued, in which many of the enemy
were either killed or taken prisoners; leaving "A" Company to deal
with the destruction of the dug-outs and the capture of the slag heap,
as previously arranged, "B" and "C" Companies proceeded to the final
objective.
As already anticipated, our greatest trouble was to be from the flanks,
and during the final stages of the attack, in which "B" and "C"
Companies rushed the embankment, capturing many prisoners, some enemy
machine guns came into action and inflicted heavy casualties on us. In
spite of this, everything seemed to be happening just in the way we
had practised it at Berthonval Farm, even the special carrying parties
that were to bring up trench mats for crossing the wire believed to
exist around the embankment, arrived, and were much disappointed when
they were told they would not be needed. Also the signallers specially
attached to Companies for communication with Battalion Headquarters
came through, but were unable to use their lamps on account of the
smoke and gas.
Considerable trouble was experienced with refractory prisoners, and the
evacuation of our casualties was a matter of the greatest difficulty,
since by the time "B" and "C" Companies had reached the embankment all
sense of direction was lost on account of the darkness and gas fumes,
which were now blowing back over the German lines.
The work of destruction completed, the two Companies, "B" and "C",
withdrew as best they could, covered by sections, one from each
platoon, acting as a rear-guard.
Observation posts were left on the Railway Embankment at each flank
with supporting posts behind them, "A" Company remaining in Metal
Trench until "B" and "C" Companies had completed their withdrawal. The
observation posts were chiefly organized by Lt. Lennox of "B" Company
and Lt. Neil of "C" Company, who were in command of the flank platoons.
"D" Company had detailed parties under Lt. Weber and Lt. Lick, which
were to relieve at daybreak the posts left respectively by "B" and
"C" Companies. Lt. Lick was, however, killed by a shell near Metal
Trench, and his sergeant and corporal wounded. Lt. Weber went up on
the left and reached Metal Trench, but at 4.45 a.m. the Germans had
counter-attacked in force and our posts withdrew fighting as ordered.
When it was learned that Lt. Neil and Lt. Lick were killed and that Lt.
Lennox and Lt. Weber were missing a party was sent up Meander Trench
to assist the posts. This party got out between Metal Trench and the
Railway Embankment just as the Germans began to swarm over it, and also
attack from the flank. Our party was obliged to withdraw, taking the
balance of the men on the posts with it. Stiff fighting took place all
the way back, and many of the enemy were killed.
In such an operation it would be very difficult and most unfair to
mention the work of any one particular platoon, section, or man, since
all we had planned to do was done, and this in the face of many serious
handicaps. The care of our wounded was now the first consideration,
and Capt. Moore, with his staff, who had established an advance
Regimental Aid Post (later known as "Moore's Aid Post") at the junction
of the Lens-Arras Railway and the Avion Road, were busy until daylight,
when a German observation balloon caught sight of them, and they were
forced by heavy shell fire to retire to a more protected position.
And so it was only through the co-operation and courage of all ranks
that we had at last won the right to our place in the 9th Brigade and
the Canadian Corps. Let it be said that this was only one of a great
many successful raids carried out by Canadian troops, and which made
them famous on all the Western front.
In sum we had captured 60 prisoners, including two officers, and
killed at least twice that number, our own casualties being five
officers--Lts. V. C. Lick, C. S. Lennox, F. S. Neil, T. W. Hutchison,
G. R. Weber--and twenty-five other ranks killed, three officers and
forty-two other ranks wounded.
It might be of interest to compare the two communiqués published
shortly afterwards:
GERMAN--Strong enemy thrusts in the neighborhood of Avion easily
repulsed with heavy casualties.
BRITISH--Early this morning our troops carried out a minor enterprise
S.E. of Avion. The first objective was easily captured, but heavy
fighting ensued at the railway embankment. After a severe struggle
the whole of the German garrison was either killed or captured and
all their dug-outs were destroyed--about fifty--sixty Germans are
reported to have been taken. Our total casualties are believed to be
about the same as the number of German prisoners. The enemy's losses
were heavy.
[Illustration: SKETCH OF FOSSE 4 AND ITS ENVIRONS ]