It is obvious that to relate to my readers the truth concerning the
Twenty-Fifth it is necessary to be somewhat critical, and I shall
endeavor to be absolutely impartial. To begin with, let it be said,
and said with perfect candor, that the credit of handling our
battalion in England which eventually helped us to go across to France
must be given to our own officers.
For the most part we greatly enjoyed our stay in England. We had a
splendid time in Folkestone, a beautiful sea-side place; and for
company we had about 50,000 Canadians in addition to some English
cavalry. After a little more than three months' training the welcome
news arrived that the next item on the program was France and the
firing line. This information was received with the utmost enthusiasm,
for the boys were getting somewhat "fed up" with training and were
anxious for a crack at the Hun. On going over, we had to leave some of
our officers behind, as they were "extra" to the establishment. Among
them were Will Cameron, Charlie MacAloney and others. They came out
later and proved their worth as fighters. Arthur Weston, who was
second in command, refused to stay behind and accompanied us to
France as quartermaster, thus setting a fine example to a good many
majors and captains who would rather hang on to a job in England than
cross to France and fight. Weston was not of this type. He was a
soldier and a man.
We landed in France on the 15th of September, 1915, and I will never
forget that first march, heavily accoutred, over a big hill to our
first camp. You could easily have picked out our train by reason of
the boots etc., strewn along the line of march, and followed us
without difficulty from the day we left Boulogne till we finally
arrived at a little village in Flanders called ----. Here, within
sound of the guns, we bivouacked for the night, some of the officers
going ahead to look over the trenches we were so soon to occupy. The
next night, under cover of darkness, two platoons from each company
went up to the trenches. I well remember that night, the long march up
the rough shell-torn road, and then along the communication trenches
where we were received by the Imperial troops who, during the next few
days, showed us all around and taught us what to do. Two nights later
the remainder of our own boys came in, and the English soldiers went
south to take part in the battle of Loos. It was about this time that
Major Jones, as fine a soldier as ever went overseas, suffered a
breakdown in his health. The heavy responsibilities thrown upon him
proved too much.
After spending eight days in the trenches we came out for a
well-earned rest. My particular company was stationed at a farmhouse
which was situated quite close to the firing line. The owner was
generally considered to be pro-German, his father, according to rumor,
having previously been shot as a spy. The farmer had a dog which had
been tied up for about nine months, and our sentries had strict orders
that if any of the civilians left the house we were to halt them, and
if they did not halt on the word of command we were to shoot. But I
think at that time it would have been a case of "shoot first," for we
were imagining all sorts of things. As it happened somebody let the
dog loose, and as the sentries felt sure he was going over to the
German lines with despatches, they just shot him dead. Major MacKenzie
had to pay 30 francs for him to satisfy the farmer and to prevent
headquarters hearing of the matter.
At the termination of our six days' rest we went back to the trenches
and relieved the 24th Battalion. "B" Company, to which I belonged,
occupied H 3, J 3, 4, 5 and H 4. Every little while Fritz would
"strafe" us with rifle grenades, and there was some mining reported in
H 4. This was a small salient; and was held by about forty men under
Capt. Medcalfe.
On the evening of October 8th about six p.m. we were all chatting
together, some papers from home had been received by some of the boys
and we were discussing the names of the newly formed 36th Battery,
when all of a sudden there was quite an explosion on our right. The
Germans had blown up several small mines. Capt. Medcalfe at once gave
the order to "stand to," but before I had time to get my rifle and
equipment, the ground trembled and rocked beneath us and everything
went up into the air. The explosion took away fully half of H 4
trench, and left a crater about 10 feet deep. Those of us who were
lucky enough to escape without being wounded managed, I don't know
how, to make our way into H 3 trench. Fortunately for us the enemy
was very erratic in his artillery fire. It was all going between our
second and third line trenches and consequently did no damage. This
was our first real bombardment, and quite naturally we all felt more
or less "shaky"--I know I said my prayers that night as I never said
them before! The papers had it that the Germans got into our trenches
and that we drove them out again. Such a thing never happened. They
made an attack on us, but our artillery, rifle and machine gun fire
caught them in "No Man's Land." By a happy coincidence the West
Lancashire Artillery was just relieving the 7th Battery of Artillery
and we had the support of both of them, and, believe me, they sure did
some wonderful work.
Our front line officers, such as MacRae, Logan, MacKenzie, Tupper,
Roberts, Johnson and others, were all out on the job; unfortunately
the same cannot be said of headquarters. As I was merely a private at
the time I do not know just what really transpired; but we never saw
the colonel at all that night. About four the next morning the major
came and paid us a visit when we had a new parapet built. The Germans,
however, failed to get into our trenches; and up to this day the 25th
can with perfect truth declare that they never failed in the critical
hour, for if we did not always have competent officers at the head of
the battalion we certainly had them in our companies. Following this
action we were marched out of the trenches for a rest, and prior to
going back again, we were visited by General Alderson, who gave us a
pretty severe lecture. He said he had every confidence in the men. A
few days later Colonel Hilliam took over the command, and Major Stan
Bauld was appointed second in command.