On the way up to the trenches and on seeing the guns, practically
speaking, wheel to wheel, we thought it would be impossible to use
more artillery at one time. But I know we have four or five times the
number of heavy guns in use on the western front now than we had on
the Somme, and that is one of the reasons that the morale of the men
in the western area is so good.
On the night of September 14th we moved up to a position of reserve,
and we were all issued our fighting material which consisted of
ammunition, rifles, bombs, with haversack on our backs, rations enough
for two days and water bottle filled. We also made sure that we had
our field dressing with us. There was also another little thing which
we were given and that was our aeroplane signal. As soon as the
advance starts our aeroplanes are ready to co-operate with us in all
possible ways, and I can tell from what I have seen that Fritz's
planes stand a very poor chance against ours.
Now to describe our action. As soon as we start to dig in we light
some of those flares; our planes see them and they signal back with
the Klaxon horns, then they drop some signal and do a little fancy
flying, and by that means, sometimes combined with wireless, our
artillery know just exactly where we are. Some of the men also carry
wire cutters, others, shovels and picks. I can assure you that it is
no light load but the queer thing is that nobody seems to mind it,
until everything is all over.
On the morning of the 15th the 4th and 6th Brigades made the attack
for our Division. It was a pretty big affair on about a three mile
front. We were back in reserve and we were pretty sore because we were
not taking a part in it, when we saw the "Irish Navy," as we called
the tank, come puffing up. Little did we think that many who were
there talking would be killed or wounded before the day was over. Then
all of a sudden the artillery with a mighty roar opened up the most
terrific fire.
It was a wonderful sight. Nothing could be seen all along the horizon
in the rear but one mass of flame, where our guns were sending out
shell after shell. They were there in all sizes from the eighteen
pounders up to the fifteen inch guns.
Now, our boys are over with all their objectives well defined. The
principal one for our division, at the time, was the Sugar Refinery,
and in a very short while the prisoners started to come in. Some of
them carrying our wounded with them, others carrying some of their own
wounded. They were a demoralized crowd and after the artillery barrage
which was put up it is not to be wondered at. Brigade headquarters
were very close to us and they were taken there where they were asked
all sorts of questions by our intelligence officers. Some would speak,
others would not; but our intelligence corps generally got all the
information that was needed. Our troops advanced so much that day
that some of the artillery had to shift their guns up closer as they
were out of range.
That movement was a very pretty sight--the gun limbers being galloped
across the shell torn ground, wheeling their guns around and getting
into action in very short while. If I were a professional writer, I
could describe a lot of things that happened that morning which would
be very interesting to the reader but there are a number of incidents
which I shall have to omit thru lack of memory.
Now and again, Fritz would throw a shell over at us, but it would do
no more harm than fling up dirt over us and we were so used to this
that we did not mind it at all.
The tanks did wonderful work puffing along to the German strong points
and using their guns. I guess the moral effect was just as terrible as
the real. No wonder that the German prisoners were so scared. Anyway,
the main thing was the British got all of their objectives and quite a
few were still pushing further ahead. We did not think that we would
have a chance to take part in the show but at the same time we were
prepared for anything that might happen.
At 3 p.m. that same afternoon the Scottish Division on our right took
Martinupuch, so General Byng decided that the Canadians should make
another drive and take Courcelette, and, as it was, the 4th and 6th
Brigades that went over that morning it was our turn for Courcelette.
There was a conference of the four colonels commanding the four
battalions in our Brigade and it was decided that the 25th were to go
thru the left half of the village, the 22nd thru the right half, the
26th in close support and the 24th in reserve, and altho there have
been not a few rumors as to who really took Courcelette all I can say
is that the whole Canadian corps played a part one way or another,
even to the Army Service Corps who supplied our ammunition. But anyway
that is how our brigades went over on the 15th of September.
When the colonel came back he held a consultation with his company
commanders who were Major Tupper "A" Co., Lieut. Col. Flowers, "B"
Co., Capt. Stairs, "C" Co., Major Brooks "D" Co., and the entire
scheme was explained to them. I was in the Lewis Gun Corps of "C" Co.,
so when Captain Stairs called together his platoon officers, I had to
be there too, and the scheme was that "A" and "D" companies were to
form the first wave. There was a railroad the other side of
Courcelette, there they were to dig in, in the most suitable place in
front of that. "C" and "B" formed the second wave and were to dig in,
just in front of the village. My instructions as to my guns were that
I was to plant one gun on the left flank of the company and one on the
right. When I saw that D. Co., had consolidated their position I was
to start and take the right flank gun up and put it out in a shell
hole about 20 yards in front of D. Co. My left flank gun I was to
leave as it was guarding a sunken road. It was also an understood
thing that we were to leave so many Lewis gunners behind, so when we
started over we had but two trained men per gun, and four others,
untrained, to carry ammunition.
We started to get into position. The glorious 22nd were on our right,
and the 3rd Division on our left, and tho this was our first time
"over" everybody was laughing and eager to get at it. There was that
grand old colonel of ours with a foot rule held in one hand and a map
in the other. We were all lined up in extended order about 1-1/2 miles
from our objective and we had to advance over ground that had been
ploughed up pretty badly by our own artillery that morning. Shortly,
our colonel gave the order to advance. Almost at the same time our
artillery opened up. We advanced in one long extended line. (I must
say that we use a different formation today). We were all joking with
one another. We had fixed bayonets and as we passed a trench I heard
one artillery observing officer say: "By the Gods of War, isn't it
fine." One of my gunners asked me for a chew of tobacco. We passed
some of the trenches which our boys had taken that morning. I saw a
big German lying on his face dead, and a few of our own lying around.
Then again we came across a few more dead Huns. Here were a couple of
skulls which had been thrown up by our artillery. One of our boys
passed the remark that they would not even let the dead rest.
People talk about Fear; I must admit there is such a thing before you
start over, but once you get started you are callous to everything.
You see you own best friend killed alongside of you, but that does not
stop you for you keep right on, never thinking that you may be the
next, and even if you did you would say to yourself that you have got
to go sooner or later, so what's the odds?
We were getting near to the Sugar Refinery that Fritz had put a
barrage across. No matter, we kept on. We got to the trenches held by
one of our other brigades. The second wave is supposed to stop here
for a few minutes whilst the first wave keeps on. One of the boys who
were holding the trench said "Keep on lads, don't be frightened. We
gave them hell this morning. You ought to be able to do the same now."
I got mad at him for thinking that we were not "playing the game," so
I gave my gun team the order to advance. As we passed the Sugar
Refinery, Fritz's shells were bursting everywhere--shells bursting in
the air, shrapnel coming down on us white hot like snow. One of my men
was hit. I took his ammunition and left him to get out the best way he
could. Fritz's machine guns were now playing on us.
[Illustration: Aeroplane map of the sector in which the
"Fighting 25th" were engaged at "Vimy Ridge."]
[Illustration: Aeroplane map of the sector in which the
"Fighting 25th" were engaged at "Vimy Ridge."]
We saw some of the boys turn around and then drop dead. It must be a
great death, for in the excitement one would never know what struck
him. We opened up our machine guns on the Huns who were hiding in a
bit of a wood. My team is up with the first wave by now. Then we all
made a dash and arrived at the Convent wall in Courcelette. There were
lots there before us. The most prominent of all was Colonel Hilliam,
with a cigar in his mouth, stick in one hand and watch in the other.
He says, "Now boys, the barrage will play there for five minutes and
then we will go right thru the village." He was wounded in the hand,
but he only smiled at that. I went and found out that both my guns
were O.K. and that I was lucky enough to get over with my full amount
of ammunition, which was very fortunate considering that we came thru
quite an artillery barrage.
Our shells were bursting just in front of the village. You could see
nothing but one mass of flame and smoke. Our colonel looked up and
said "Now Boys get ready," and then the artillery lifts and we go thru
the village. What was once a peaceful village is now nothing but a
mass of burning ruins. We got thru, but some of our boys had to
bayonet a few Germans to make them be good.
The first wave was now well in front, and I was with my right flank
team in the second wave. We came up on the right of "C" Co., just as
they were preparing to dig in.
Lieut. Dalley was about ten yards in front of his platoon giving
orders to his men to dig in, when I saw him take a turn round and
drop. I rushed out and picked him up. He told me to go on and never
mind him. It was a dry day and there were quite a few bullets striking
close to us, but at the time I did not seem to know, what they were so
I got hold of Dalley and brought him back to a shell hole where our
boys were digging in, and turned him over to their care. By this time
I saw that "D" Co., had started to dig in, so I took my guns along and
placed them in a shell hole about 20 yards in front of where our boys
were digging. It was now about six p.m. The aeroplanes were over our
heads sounding their horns and we were burning our signals.
After placing my team I came back and found that Lieut. Dennis Stairs
was wounded on the arm and leg. I bandaged him up, but he persisted in
staying in and "carrying on" with his work altho the colonel wanted
him to go out. He has the Military Cross and I must say he deserved
it. I also found that Major Brooks had been killed and that Major
Nutter was acting O.C. of "D" Co. I reported to the colonel who was in
the front line, and he asked me to take out the prisoners. There were
about thirty-five of them, and I was to turn them over to the 26th
Battalion, which was supposed to be in close support. There were a
couple of chaps who were slightly wounded, going out as escort. We
went out right thru the village but no sign of the 26th.
We saw a couple of their scouts who told us that the battalion was a
little in the rear of us, but as it was getting dark we decided to
send them out in charge of the wounded runners. The Huns were so
demoralized that they really did not need any escort. Just before they
left I saw Lieut. Wetmore stick his head out of a shell hole. He had
been badly wounded in the head, so he also went out with the
prisoners. I then started on my way back to the front line. Going thru
the village we came across two Huns carrying a wounded Hun. We took
them prisoners and turned them over to Sergt. Anderson of "C" Co. I
then saw Sergt. Laird of "B" Co. and got about 30 bombs from him and
took them up to my front line gun and came back to visit my left flank
gun, which was still with "C" Co. While I was talking to Sergt. Weir
there was a message came to me from Major Nutter to get my left gun up
and place it out in front. I went to the left flank to carry out my
order, and found my gun and ammunition scattered around the sunken
road not damaged. But my team was gone, so I hunted around and got
another team together and placed them out in "No Man's Land." If Fritz
had to counter attack us that night he would have got an awful
reception, for we had quite a few machine guns out in front and
everybody was in good spirits and keeping a good look out.
We found out by this time we had lost quite a few of our best
officers; out of our company we had lost one of the finest men that
ever went over. He was a man that no matter how hard the bombardment,
he was always normal and would never get excited--that was John
Stairs. The O.C. of "B" Company, Colonel Flowers was also missing. He
was not with us very long, but everybody thought a lot of him. It was
splendid for a man of his age to come out and volunteer as a platoon
commander as he did, and he deserves all the credit that can be given
to him. We had a few others killed and missing, but taking everything
into consideration and the objective that we had taken, we had come
out very lucky.
Our boys were pretty well dug in by 12 that night. It was hard
digging, about a foot of earth, then flint and underneath the flint
was chalk.