of June, 1916, and perhaps 12 miles in the Somme offensive of 1916; early in 1917 they held, according to Stewart Lyon's estimate, about one-fortieth of the entire Western front. During the first months of this year they carried out a number of important raidsnotably north of Arras on Jan. 17 with 1,000 yards of trenches captured; on Feb. 15 when a Bavarian Battalion was treated to mines and bombs and some of their trenches were taken; on Feb. 27 and Mar. 1 when considerable damage was done the enemy but with the loss in the latter fight of Colonels S. G. Beckett and A. H. G. Kimball, C.B., D.S.O., Then came the Battle of Vimy Ridge. It was a part of the general attack launched on Apr. 9 by the 1st and 3rd Armies of the British Command along the Arras front and the Canadians were given a section of the Arras-Lens road, with Vimy Ridge as their objective. They had four Divisions in line assisted by one British brigade. Their troops numbered about 75,000 with Lieut.-Gen. Sir Julian Byng, K.C.B., in command of the Corps which was a part of the 1st Army under Gen. Sir H. S. Horne, K.C.B.; the enemy's Army was under Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria. The Commanders of the four Canadian Divisions were, respectively, Majors-General A. W. Currie, C.B., H. E. Burstall, L. J. Lipsett and David Watson; the Infantry Brigades were commanded by Brigadiers-General Garnet B. Hughes, C.M.G.,. W. St. P. Hughes, D.S.O., F. O. Loomis, D.S.O., G. S. Tuxford, C.B., C.M.G., Robert Rennie, C.M.G., M.V.O., D.S.O., A. H. Macdonell, C.M.G., D.S.O., A. C. Macdonell, D.S.O., C.M.G., H. D. B. Ketchen, C.M.G., J. H. Elmsley, D.S.O., F. W. Hill, D.S.O., Victor W. Odlum, D.S.O., and J. H. MacBrien, D.S.O. The Battalion Commanders were as follows, early in the year, and with very few changes at the date of the Battle: 1st Lieut.-Col. G. C. Hodson. 2nd Lieut.-Col. W. M. Yates. 3rd Lieut.-Col. J. B. Bogers, M.C. 4th Lieut.-Col. W. Rae, D.8.0. 5th Lieut.-Col. H. M. Dyer, D.8.0. 7th Lieut.-Col. W. F. Gilson. 8th Lieut.-Col. J. M. Prower, D.8.0. 10th Lieut.-Col. D. M. Ormond. 13th Lieut.-Col. G. E. McCuaig, D.8.0. 14th Lieut.-Col. R. P. Clark, M.C. 15th Lieut.-Col. C. E. Bent, D.8.0. 16th Lieut.-Col. C. W. Peck. 18th Lieut.-Col. G. F. Morrison, D.S.O. 19th Lieut.-Col. W. R. Turnbull. 20th Lieut.-Col. C. H. Rogers. 21st Lieut.-Col. E. W. Jones, D.S.O. 22nd Lieut.-Col. A. E. Dubuc, D.8.0. 24th Lieut.-Col. R. O. Alexander, D.8.0. 25th Lieut.-Col. E. Hilliam, D.8.0. 26th Lieut.-Col. A. E. G. McKenzie, D.S.O. 27th Lieut.-Col. J. P. Daly, C. M.G., D.S.O. 28th Lieut.-Col. A. Ross. 29th Lieut.-Col. J. M. Ross, D.8.0. 31st Lieut.-Col. A. H. Bell, D.S.O. 38th Lieut.-Col. C. M. Edwards, D.8.0. 75th Lieut.-Col. S. G. Beckett. Royal Can'd'ns, Lieut.-Col. C.H. Hill, D.8.0. 4th The attack of the Canadian Corps was preceded by a blasting, withering fire from British and Canadian artillery which smashed Vimy Ridge as though by the combined force of an earthquake and tornado. The defences had been organized on a scale proportionate to the importance of the position and consisted of an extensive and intricate series of heavily wired trench systems, with numerous fire trenches and communication trenches, deep and elaborate dug outs, caves and tunnels, concrete machine-gun and trench-mortar emplacements, and cunningly-constructed redoubts, while along the whole front lay a chain of great craters created by preceding mine explosions. An official description of the fire-onslaught which followed the three days' bombardment declared that it was pressed with special and terrific force on the morning of Apr. 9 from massed artillery and many field-guns hidden in advanced positions: "The greatest of British guns bombarded the enemy positions on and beyond the Ridge and trenches, dugouts, emplacements and roads, were smashed to uselessness. An intense barrage of shrapnel from the field-guns, strengthened by the indirect fire of hundreds of machine guns, followed along the front and at 5.30 a.m. the Canadian troops advanced in three waves of attack. Flurries of snow drifted over the battlefield as the Canadians left their jumping-off trenches. Behind the rolling barrage the light was sufficient for manoeuvring purposes and yet obscure enough to obstruct the range of vision and lessen the accuracy of fire by the German riflemen and machine gunners: "The first stage of the advance was made over ground indescribably tangled with obstacles of all sorts, with great mine craters, with thousands of shell-holes which had churned the whole field into a vast puddle of mud, with crumbled trenches, coils and hedges of torn entanglements and barbed wire." But over this difficult ground, over and around the craters and tangles, into and under the fire of the enemy, the long lines of Canadian infantry moved forward steadily on the fringe of a rolling curtain of shrapnel fire. The troops followed the barrage and with them were a large number of Tanks, then new to the enemy and a great help when the crest of the Ridge was reached and the soldiers had to meet machine-gun emplacements which still existed and Germans who were still able to fight despite the artillery blasts. Especially at Hill 145 was a strong defence made with reserves pouring in from Lens and Douai but it was useless and by 1 p.m. the Canadians were in possession of Vimy Ridge and looking down upon the level plains of Douai with the villages of Farbus, Vimy and Petit Vimy lying at their feet and not far beyond those of Bailleul, Arleux and Mericourt. Following this success they branched out and in the next few days took various places, including the villages of Vimy and other points of German vantage; on the 13th the enemy withdrew on a considerable front. Field Marshal Haig's report of the Battle of Arras (Dec. 25) dealt with this portion of it as follows: The attack of the 1st Army on the Vimy Ridge was carried out by the Canadian Corps. It was further arranged that, as soon as the Vimy Ridge had been secured, the troops in line on the front with the Canadian Corps should extend the area of of attack northward as far as the left bank of the Souchez River. An additional Army Corps was also at the disposal of the 1st Army in reserve. On the left the Canadians rapidly overran the German positions and by 9.30 a.m., in spite of difficulty going over wet and sticky ground, had carried the village of Les Tilleuls and La Folie Farm. Further north, the Canadian division, with an English brigade in the centre of its attack, completed the capture of the Vimy Ridge from Commandant's House to Hill 145, in spite of considerable opposition, especially in the neighbourhood of Thelus and the high ground north of this village. These positions were taken by 1 p.m., and early in the afternoon our final objectives in this area had been gained... The left Canadian division, meanwhile, had gradually fought its way forward on Hill 145, in the face of a very desperate resistance. The enemy defended this dominating position with great obstinacy, and his garrison, re-inforced from dugouts and underground tunnels, launched frequent counter-attacks. In view of the severity of the fighting, it was decided to postpone the attack upon the crest line until the following day. At the end of the day, therefore, our troops were established deeply in the enemy's positions on the whole front of attack. We had gained a firm footing in the enemy's third line on both banks of the Scarpe, and had made an important breach in the enemy's last fully completed line of defence. Meanwhile, on the left flank of our battle front, the Canadians had renewed their attack at 4 p.m. (Apr. 10) on the portion of Hill 145 still remaining in the enemy's possession, and captured it after sharp fighting, together with over 200 prisoners and a number of trench mortars and machine guns. On our left flank operations of the 1st Army astride the Souchez River met with complete success. Attacks were delivered simultaneously at 5 a.m. on Apr. 12 by English and Canadian troops against the two small hills known as the Pimple and the Boisen-Hache, situated on either side of the Souchez River. Both of these positions were captured, with a number of prisoners and machine guns. Steps were at once taken to consolidate our gains and patrols were pushed forward to maintain touch with the enemy. The withdrawal (of the enemy) commenced on the morning of Apr. 13. Before noon on that day Canadian patrols had succeeded in occupying the southern portion of Givenchy-en-Gohelle, had pushed through Petit Vimy and had reached the cross-roads 500 yards northeast of the village. That afternoon English patrols north of the Souchez River crossed No Man's Land and entered Angres, while Canadian troops completed the occupation of Givenchy-en-Gohelle and the German trench system east of it. Further south our troops seized Petit Vimy and Vimy, and Willerval and Bailleul were occupied in turn. The honour won in this action was great and promised to be permanent; the comments were world-wide and eulogistic of the Canadian forces; the congratulations many and earnest. As Percival Phillips of the Morning Post put it (Apr. 10): "The Canadians hold Vimy Ridge and dominate the beaten enemy beyond it. They fought their way from the foot to the crest and continued their progress down the steeper eastern slope to-day. It is the bitterest German defeat of all. The Ridge which barred our path to the plain of Douai was regarded by Prince Rupprecht's armies, like many other defences since lost, as an impregnable fortress capable of resisting any assault. Yet the Canadians took it on a time-table, which, save in one trifling instance, was faithfully adhered to, and flung the Bavarian front back into the ruins of Vimy and the scarred field below." In its editorial of Apr. 11 the New York Tribune declared that: "No praise of the Canadian achievement can be excessive. From the plains and from the mountains, from the cities and from the prairies, Canada has poured out her thousands and her hundreds of thousands; she has sent across the ocean an army greater than Napoleon ever commanded on any battlefield; her volunteer regiments have shown the same stubborn and tenacious quality which is the glory of the British army." From the British press came whole-hearted and unstinted eulogy. Little was said of the English north-country and Scottish troops who, in this far-flung Arras fight, also captured dozens of fortified and difficult places on the way to Lens and Cambrai and St. Quentin, took about 10,000 prisoners and many guns and in six days advanced six miles and broke the tradition of trench impregnability. The imagination of old and new countries, alike, was caught by the specific Canadian success. From the King in London and the Prime Minister at Ottawa came congratulations, from Sir Edward Kemp an official cable, and from Sir Sam Hughes an unofficial one, from the GovernorGeneral of Australia and Mr. Walter Long, Colonial Secretary, came cabled eulogies, from General Sir Henry Horne this official statement: "By the troops of the 1st Army the Vimy Ridge has been regarded as a position of very great strength. The Germans have considered it impregnable. To have carried this position with so little loss testifies to soundness of plan, thoroughness of preparation, dash and determination in execution, and devotion to duty on the part of all concerned. The ninth of April will be a historic day in the annals of the British Empire." In a Special Order Sir Douglas Haig said: "The capture of the renowned Vimy Ridge is an achievement of the highest order of which Canada may well be proud." In this Battle of Vimy-lasting, with its extensions, from Apr. 9 to the 13th-the casualties included some representative officers. Brig.-Gen. F. O. W. Loomis was slightly wounded, Lieut. H. Boyd Symonds and Lieut. L. C. Ramsay of Montreal were killed, and Capt. W. S. M. MacTier and Lieut. A. J. Norsworthy, of a notable military family, wounded; Major Gordon Heron and Lieut. Wm. Molloy, ex-M.L.A., of Winnipeg, were killed; Major J. A. Crichtley, M.C.-one of four brothers and a father on active service from an Alberta ranch-was killed, as was Capt. Walter Pickup and Lieut. E. R. Dennis, M.C., of Halifax, Capt. Victor Gordon Tupper of Vancouver, Major C. C. Gwyn of Dundas, Lieut. Douglas Armstrong and Capt. G. R. Heron, Ottawa; so with Lieut. Guy A. Beck, one of four Toronto brothers at the Front, Major T. H. Callaghan, D.C.M., Capt. C. W. Birch, Victoria, Major W. E. Curry and Capt. H. S. Boulter of Toronto. The operations of this first phase in the Battle of Arras were continued on Apr. 28 on a front of 8 miles and following preliminary attacks held up by insufficiently destroyed wire entanglements. The objectives of the Canadian Corps on this date consisted of Arleux-en-Gohelle and the German trench system west of the village, known as the Arleux Loop. The attacking troops were ordered to advance to a definite line east of the village, and there consolidate a position in preparation for further operations. The main attack against Arleux was entrusted to the same Canadian Division that had reached Parbus Wood on the right of the Canadian attack on the 9th of April, while the Division that had captured Thelus was directed to form a defensive flank to the north. The attack was launched at 4.45 a.m., and in spite of determined resistance on the part of the German infantry the whole of the enemy's trench line was successfully carried. Severe fighting took place in Arleux but the garrison of the village was gradually overcome, and the objectives gained. Some hundreds of prisoners were taken and the line held. In further co-operation with the British advance and in a general attack from Bullecourt to Fresnoy, the Canadian troops stormed the latter village and the German defences north of it towards a point close to Acheville. The German infantry offered the most stubborn resistance throughout the advance, and the fighting was bitter, German losses heavy and 470 prisoners taken. In consequence of a H failure to capture Oppy this position became a sharp salient and after the Canadians had been relieved by a British Division was, on the 8th, evacuated. Progress was made however from the readjusted Canadian trenches and on June 12 a number of trenches were captured and consolidated with counter-attacks repulsed. On the 24th of June Canadian troops co-operated with the British brigade on their left in successful attack north of the Souchez River, by which an important section of the enemy's trench system was seized on a front of about 400 yards. Next day this success was followed up on both banks of the river. Canadian troops occupied the German trenches from the northwest edge of La Coulotte to the river, while further north troops of the neighbouring British Division made equal progress. On the 26th of June the advance of the Canadian Corps was resumed under cover of an artillery barrage and rapid progress made on the whole front between the Arras-Lens railway and the river. All objectives were gained, including La Coulotte village. On June 27 the enemy's trenches south of Avion were attacked and captured and on the 28th a general attack was launched with Canadian troops pushing through Avion and Eleu dit Leauvette. All these operations involved courage and skill and organization. At Fresnoy, according to The Times correspondent: "The village was strongly defended by machine guns and wire. While these were temporarily held by the troops attacking the village frontally, those on both sides pushed right and left. After fighting amid the ruins 200 men and eight officers surrendered. This success breaks at this point the notorious Oppy-Mericourt line." Of the Arleux fight The Times said that: "All the conditions were very favourable for the defence, but the Canadian attack was irresistible. The machineguns from the sunken roads gave some trouble, and the left-hand troops were temporarily delayed. The centre and right went straight on, however, over successive obstacles and into the village, where there was very stiff fighting, much of it individual hand-tohand combats." Following this advance-a part of a large and hotly-contested British movement on a 15-mile front-Sir Julian Byng on May 3 addressed a Message "expressing to all ranks the pride I feel in commanding the Canadian Corps." It was in this stage of the fighting that Lieut.-Col. Russell Britton, D.S.O., was killed by a shell. Writing to the London Chronicle Philip Gibbs said: "These men who took Arleux and Fresnoy are great soldiers, excelling in certain grim qualities of spirit which make them terrible in attack and strong to endure. Imagine the spirit of men who will walk through two barrages, falling walls of shell-fire, in order to get at the enemy beyond. That was what happened on the way to Fresnoy." Of the fighting around Coulotte there was one brilliant piece in which a central electric station, forming an outpost of Lens, was finally taken by British Columbian troops on June 6. This part of the struggle around Lens, including Coulotte and other actions, brought Canadians within a mile of the centre of this great mining city and region while movements or raids in August captured other positions on the way-especially on Aug. 21 |