tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39200320603092657672024-03-05T23:56:05.703-08:00If Ye Break FaithMaking Military History Accessible and Engaging in order to Forever Preserve the Memory of SacrificeChristopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-10888770529586271542017-08-01T00:00:00.000-07:002017-08-01T04:23:16.942-07:00Bluffing with an Open Hand<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAlKdz6Ugq18yChOTZWfWOv6tBPDCBN-X_V7tEkQqYK97B1W-A7mtO1tXyEbYgBa1Z7MFCN1q7UHbX6uuKe0aTsd5DvBcnGXPXbzdIAXIGFMRxUOLOh4mIoSWhzloWt6OyTiahuYbFZo/s1600/art+by+Yevgeniy+Ponomarev.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="494" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAlKdz6Ugq18yChOTZWfWOv6tBPDCBN-X_V7tEkQqYK97B1W-A7mtO1tXyEbYgBa1Z7MFCN1q7UHbX6uuKe0aTsd5DvBcnGXPXbzdIAXIGFMRxUOLOh4mIoSWhzloWt6OyTiahuYbFZo/s400/art+by+Yevgeniy+Ponomarev.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Just to the south of the village of
Avion there is <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">a colliery called Fosse 4, with…a
large and ugly slag <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">heap…a veritable nest of machine
guns and trench mortars.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">-Capt.
E.P.S. Allen, Adjutant, 116</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Ontario County) Bn</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMv8H3lDDu0L09UQNQJsjvFkf4r0bSJF28wDdMuxfd0543zM-39d5Qu9pIX3udbDHSGp3PgqPUIhEMqqEk_UR9i7rqRT8IpbTKpvmUYpZu_yBlEWBtBoFHYXEz-KR1eQUcr2u2qTg2L2M/s1600/Fosse+4+Sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMv8H3lDDu0L09UQNQJsjvFkf4r0bSJF28wDdMuxfd0543zM-39d5Qu9pIX3udbDHSGp3PgqPUIhEMqqEk_UR9i7rqRT8IpbTKpvmUYpZu_yBlEWBtBoFHYXEz-KR1eQUcr2u2qTg2L2M/s320/Fosse+4+Sketch.jpg" width="244" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Early in the
morning of the 23</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> of July 1917, two outposts, each of platoon size
(35-40 men) were hastily consolidating ground beyond the German front line
positions which had been wrested from the enemy in a bitter and close-quarters
fight. The outposts were the remnants of
the battalion sized raid that had smashed through the defensive garrison,
destroyed dug-outs and heavy weapons emplacements, captured more than fifty
prisoners, including an officer and senior NCO and then withdrawn back to
Canadian lines. Primarily, these
remaining men were to provide a rear guard for the main body of the raid, and
had been placed on either flank of the raid’s operational boundary. Ideally, consolidating parties starting from
Canadian trenches were to reach the outposts via freshly dug communications
lines, thus incorporating the posts into the existing defensive network.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This, the leaving
of small units behind on raided ground, was a potentially dangerous idea. It
was seemingly borne from a directive which had come down from the
Commander-in-Chief himself. To keep
pressure on the enemy, Haig had ordered that “all ground must be held, by rifle
and bayonet alone if no assistance is available from other arms.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Pressuring the
enemy” was of prime concern to Haig, particularly as it applied to the planning
of the major offensive which would become known as the Third Battle of Ypres,
set to begin at month’s end. Part of the
difficulty in gathering forces and materiel for a large battle in trench
warfare was concealing any build up from enemy observation. To that extent, it became necessary to mount
diversionary efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Their purpose
was two-fold. First was to keep the
enemy uncertain as to whether or not any attack was part of the main effort,
the second was to place these diversions against objectives which the enemy
would be compelled to re-take, thus keeping units local to a feint attack tied
down and thereby incapable of being moved to support the areas under which the
principle offensive would fall. Underscoring
this was the desire to reduce German capability writ large by inflicting as
many casualties as possible; the element of attrition which accompanied any
offensive strategy in the war.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">These men here,
the two platoons, one each from ‘B’ and ‘C’ Companies, 116</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
(Ontario County) Battalion, were in actual fact the tail end of a minor
operation that was a diversion of a diversion.
As part of Haig’s plan to obstruct the Germans in their ability to
determine time and place of the main offensive, First Army had ordered the
Canadian Corps to take the town of Lens.
Lens was perhaps more of a prestigious objective than a tactical
one. The liberation of an occupied
French town would certainly be a boon to public opinion and could be a
demonstration that real, measurable progress was being made.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There were,
however, a number of valid concerns about this.
Lens was particularly low-lying and flanked, north and south by two
hills which had excellent fields of observation. The plan of attack, which would have
manifested as a frontal assault on the town with no contingency to reduce
German positions on the surrounding high ground. Between Canadian trenches and the town, the
terrain was vastly unsuitable to the quick movement of artillery guns forward
in support of the infantry holding their objectives. Moreover, any point where the artillery <u>could</u>
be positioned would leave the guns and their crews overwhelmingly exposed on
open ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRiGQaACVttsdD71sWMYEaa6XoimbCuQjeswOmsXa5AvBbuZQIdvNtBXH6QM_1NLxivKVFKNZytN3_9Oqft8AIuO7_xHBXGXntkJUYTwymvQSnZeEnrLqFnQ2h4WaFOs9uOzxe32WDiQ/s1600/220px-ArthurCurrie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRiGQaACVttsdD71sWMYEaa6XoimbCuQjeswOmsXa5AvBbuZQIdvNtBXH6QM_1NLxivKVFKNZytN3_9Oqft8AIuO7_xHBXGXntkJUYTwymvQSnZeEnrLqFnQ2h4WaFOs9uOzxe32WDiQ/s1600/220px-ArthurCurrie.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fortunately, a
decision and the highest levels of the Canadian war effort had recently placed
an astute, if not militarily professional, officer in command of the Canadian
Corps. The Corps’ first commander, the
well regarded General Julian Byng, had been promoted and into his place stepped
Arthur Currie. Currie’s appointment in
itself was innovative, as it was based upon merit rather than strict adherence
to seniority or political connections.
It was also preferable that the Corps had a Canadian born commander,
even if his staff would still mostly be British professionals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lieutenant
General Currie, foremost, brought a level of discerning exactitude to his
command. “I’m not clever enough to guess
at this game,” he would admit, “I have to set everything down and figure it
out. It’s harder work than being
brilliant—but safer.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the question
of the proposed diversionary attack on Lens, Currie revealed his calculated
prudence at a first Army conference on 10</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> July. He was able to persuade his superiors of the
folly in this attack and that the Corps’ objective should be to take the high
feature to the north of the town, “a treeless expanse of chalk
downland…which…dominated Lens and gave a commanding view of the Douai plain
beyond.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It was known,
simply, at “Hill 70.” “Possession of the
hill, giving observation far into the German lines, would be so intolerable to
the enemy that he would be compelled to attempt to retake it.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Of real concern was that Hill 70 was an
obvious target and recent operations in the area further indicated that it was
being considered as an immediate objective.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Currie proposed
his attack begin on 30 July, one day prior to the start of the Ypres
campaign. Weather would intervene and
force the delay of the Canadian attack to mid-August.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This placed the
Corps in the position of having to obfuscate the enemy of their intentions of
an operation which was in itself meant to be an obfuscation. With that to mind, the 116</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion had been given the task of raiding enemy positions around Fosse 4,
the colliery on the outskirts of Avion, well south of Lens and Hill 70.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The nature of
the outposts remaining in captured German lines as a rearguard and, ostensibly,
part of a deepened line met the criteria of Haig’s directive to hold taken
ground. Had the raid been mandated the
usual “smash and grab”, the positions raided would have been re-occupied by the
enemy and an opportunity to both make the Germans believe that Fosse 4 was an
objective of a larger attack </span><u style="font-size: 12pt;">and</u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> reduce enemy strength by repulsing
counter-attacks would have been lost.
Sensibly, orders indicated that the outposts “be held in the event of
(the enemy) not endeavouring to re-occupy his trenches in force.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Should a large counter-attack develop, the
posts were instructed to engage in a fighting withdrawal towards friendly
lines. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A large
counter-attack was all but certain. The
German defensive doctrine was that “Immediate </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsmlRoi3fKU6DwyjNzngwjM5L5NIXXTkGSAhBcjjF3FllEnoDrqJec6FkSnrbYReLGQPGzzkgGr9blGwxILwvix2aMzfb1nXjTJpWA4OEjRDr-aQCRVnFncTGPqqgZfq4a93CwKmNyF0/s1600/652a69cf3b4ed9bea0f804d7c9a16d82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="409" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsmlRoi3fKU6DwyjNzngwjM5L5NIXXTkGSAhBcjjF3FllEnoDrqJec6FkSnrbYReLGQPGzzkgGr9blGwxILwvix2aMzfb1nXjTJpWA4OEjRDr-aQCRVnFncTGPqqgZfq4a93CwKmNyF0/s320/652a69cf3b4ed9bea0f804d7c9a16d82.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
counterattacks would be mounted
against any lost position. Should these
fail, a deliberate counterattack (<i style="font-size: 12pt;">der
Gegenangriff</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">) using the designated counterattack units would be mounted.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> This was to be as well organised and prepared
as the situation allowed, and be carried out as an offensive operation with the
use of preparatory artillery and a dedicated advance on lost ground by large
numbers of fresh troops.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dangerously, the
two platoon-sized outposts were positioned on the flanks in such a way to
better observe enemy movement, but were spaced too far apart to be mutually
supportive. Further, they were sited on
what had been the raid’s final objective, a railway embankment “about 300 yards
behind the German front line and running parallel to it,” which was “scarcely
less than 24 feet in height.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> These outposts were, then, exposed, extended
and isolated. With conditions such as
these, disaster loomed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From the
beginning, before the raid had even set off, a thread of possible catastrophe
ran through the operation. The night
prior, as the men of ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Companies shook out into assembly
positions, the Germans commenced a gas attack.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Both sides had
been making liberal use of gas, most of the Canadian chemical weapons being
directed at Lens. Fortunately for the 116</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
this gas was lachrymatory (tear gas) rather than poisonous. Tear gas is still terrifically unpleasant,
but not deadly, at least. Initially, the
gas seemed to be taking the desired effect as the troops assembling were thrown
into confusion, some platoons becoming lost or separated from each other in the
fog. “For about 30 minutes, the
situation was critical, and fraught with the greatest difficulties.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Succinctly, if the men did not advance at the
appointed time (Z-Hour was 1.00 a.m. 23 July) they would be left to the mercy
of the German counter barrage which the scheduled artillery fire meant to
provide cover for the attack would certainly instigate. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Providentially,
the gas became gradually dissipated, the Battalion rallied and the Officers and
men moved into their assembly positions….All the details had been carefully
planned and were carried out according to orders.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The men had trained and rehearsed for this
raid in the days prior to coming into the line.
One such practice had been reviewed by brigade and divisional staff who
were reportedly satisfied with the level of preparedness demonstrated. This would prove to be a deciding factor in
the overall success of the raid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“At ZERO hour
the barrage opened and ‘A’ Company took their first objective on schedule time,
without much opposition.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The objective was the German front line—code
named “METAL Trench.” This the prefacing
bombardment had roughly handled. German
casualties were numerous, and those left unscathed were more prone to give
themselves up than offer resistance.
With Metal Trench taken and held by ‘A’ Company, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Companies
passed through, moving on to the final objective; the Railway Embankment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaznOiKqy7STv5-bvhbNh0sjrx0dsXmLWze-tR_dHNxgmlLsJpp6W2nplgX37Ge5wG9B6sf0GNVo9nURBLs96m7Tew-_TV1_0ryqK8xpuMHG0aszxsbnFIPWBx9Y5q2UtvRMMHPbCBGXo/s1600/3961197_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="608" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaznOiKqy7STv5-bvhbNh0sjrx0dsXmLWze-tR_dHNxgmlLsJpp6W2nplgX37Ge5wG9B6sf0GNVo9nURBLs96m7Tew-_TV1_0ryqK8xpuMHG0aszxsbnFIPWBx9Y5q2UtvRMMHPbCBGXo/s320/3961197_orig.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Resistance along
this line was more determined and the position “was only carried after vigorous
and sustained hand-to-hand fighting.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[12]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> As planned, the raid destroyed several
dugouts with mobile charges and set the outposts on the flanks, the main body
then withdrawing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It was twenty-five
minutes to two.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For three hours,
the situation remained strangely quiet, and it was just before daybreak that
two platoons from ‘D’ Company were sent forward to relieve the men at the
outposts. Perhaps that was what the
Germans had been waiting for as “the enemy counter-attacked in force at 4.45
a.m.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> The counter attack had been preceded by an
intense artillery barrage which managed to make fatal casualties of all four
officers, Lieutenants Lennox, Neil, Weber and Lick, in charge of the outpost
positions and their reliefs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_tElnnbOAxJXs5PpCQ5xUCzFMFntY__ADww7NqFH-vghhS-4bQbJUp5cK4hFdLfIkeShVGTqmMeFF_Q_hJG4NRR3heMYPgpBnbap83R887mBAUKiGuHa2JphD_VklkNNkaQ-TSq9Ggk/s1600/03885u.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_tElnnbOAxJXs5PpCQ5xUCzFMFntY__ADww7NqFH-vghhS-4bQbJUp5cK4hFdLfIkeShVGTqmMeFF_Q_hJG4NRR3heMYPgpBnbap83R887mBAUKiGuHa2JphD_VklkNNkaQ-TSq9Ggk/s320/03885u.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Our outposts
put up the ‘S.O.S.’ and the artillery promptly responded, but the enemy had got
inside of our barrage and attacked in large numbers on both flanks.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[14]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> With the outposts imperilled and without any
officers remaining, Captain Ritchie, O.C. ‘D’ Company in reserve along the
Canadian front line sent a party under Sgt. Houston to gain contact with the
outposts and to provide assistance in the fighting withdrawal. It was a critical and tense handful of minutes
while these men of the 116</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> fought—at very close quarters—to remove
themselves from the area, under a constant threat of being cut-off.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sergeant Fraser
Charles Alfred Houston was the right man for the job, as it happens. He had trained, while a student in Toronto,
with his school’s Officer Cadet Corps.
Houston must have been keen to get into it, for he enlisted as a private
soldier and went overseas before he could sit his exams for a commission. He had just turned twenty years of age in
April.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Houston’s force
made their way as far as Metal trench, dead ground in every sense of the word.
An attacking body of Germans came at them by skirting around the slag heap,
hoping to be the last measure of encirclement, from which point they could
reduce or capture the Canadians trapped within. The losses on either side would
have been a “push” in that case- fairly even. The 116</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion
would have been hobbled, with the loss of four platoons plus what men Sgt
Houston had with him. More than half of those would have been from ‘D’ Company
alone. Sgt Houston led his men not forward to the outposts, who were then
fighting backwards, foot by bloody foot, but instead to rush the attack coming
from the slag heap. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The citation for Sgt Houston’s Distinguished Conduct Medal
credits him with killing the crew of a </span></span></div>
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machine gun being placed in position to
fire upon his men, and taking another German prisoner.<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[15]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
It was masterfully intuitive. The German
attack facing Houston was stalled from closing the net long enough for the two
retiring outposts to link up, putting the numbers in favour of the Canadians. The fight didn’t end there, and it developed
into a skirmish from shell holes throughout No-man’s Land. Despite a wound to the face, Sgt Houston
remained in charge until he could get the wound dressed, after which he
immediately returned to his post until his Company was relieved</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[16]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Canadian Casualties were twelve killed,
forty-five wounded, seventeen missing.
Most of those missing had been killed outright in the German
bombardment.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Later in the
war, Sgt Houston would be wounded in the right knee, which rendered him unfit
for further service. Sadly, he would die
of heart disease in 1935- at thirty-eight years old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Going forward, I will be posting every other week, in order to give myself time to work on the follow-up to my first novel- expect it mid 2018. In the meantime, have you read my breakout book <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913" target="_blank">"Killing is a Sin"</a>? If not, why not? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Seriously, thanks everyone for all the support! Back in two weeks!</span></div>
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<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
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<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Capt. E.P.S. Allen as ‘Adjutant’, “The 116<sup>th</sup>
Battalion in France,” Hunter Ross Co. Ltd. 1921 pp. 31-2 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Nicholson, GWL, Col. “Canadian Expeditionary Force
1914-1919: Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War”
Queen’s Printer 1962 pg. 285</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Sir Arthur Currie Quoted in Cook, Tim “Shock Troops:
Canadians Fighting the Great War 1917-1918” Penguin Canada 2008 pg. 260</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Nicholson, <i>ibid</i>.
pg.286</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Nicholson, <i>ibid</i>.
pg. 285</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">9<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade War Diary,
July 1917 App. 16 “Operations Order No. 106.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Lupfer, Timothy T. “The Dynamics of Doctrine: The
changes in German tactical doctrine during the First World War.” Combat Studies
Institute, U.S. Army July 1981<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Capt. E.P.S. Allen as ‘Adjutant’, “The 116<sup>th</sup>
Battalion in France,” pg. 31</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">116<sup>th</sup> (Ontario County) Battalion War Diary
23<sup>rd</sup> July 1917 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">116<sup>th</sup> Battalion, <i>ibid<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn11">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Lt Col. S.S. Sharpe Memorandum From: O.C. 116<sup>th</sup>
(Ontario County) Cdn. Inf. Bn. To: 9<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade 23<sup>rd</sup>
July 1917 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn12">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Division War Diary, July 1917,
App. 823 “Intelligence Summary 23 July 1917.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn13">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Lt Col. S.S. Sharpe Memorandum</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Lt Col. S.S. Sharpe Memorandum</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div id="ftn15">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette No. 30495 pp. 1392-3
26 January 1918<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Bluffing%20with%20an%20Open%20Hand.docx#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">116<sup>th</sup> (Ontario County) Battalion War Diary
23<sup>rd</sup> July 1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-2066403634542798412017-07-05T00:00:00.000-07:002017-07-05T00:00:21.158-07:00Minor Operation no. 7:<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Concrete Machine Gun Position at M.30.d.2.3</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It was decided that it was necessary to
again<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">re-gain control and hold the enemy
strong point North <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">of the RIVER.”- </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Maj. WH Collum
MC, Bde Major<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">11<sup>th</sup>
Canadian Infantry Brigade<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">12 June 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It wasn’t déjà
vu, Lieutenant CS Griffin, ‘A’ Company, 102</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (North British
Columbians) Battalion had been here before.
“The main objective was the enemy strong point at M.30.d.2.3,
‘TRIANGLE.’”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Griffin, and many of the men in the platoon
he was leading into this attack had been by this way only two days ago. Surprise had an elemental role in that
effort, where a prepared and numerous garrison kept the Canadians from gaining
the position. No preliminary bombardment
had been lain on for the sake of surprise and the Germans held this line in
force.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCpaG8rGHROiTXcPA6UvombLazvRwUoJEGPDHNReQv3V6F8y_m6EPvUqTEXtCuT3-OtKYGNpSNiLllf1If7g7nNqOT_aTLrFThblLJvjrRFmHLutU44bjku-XyY_GRUj_YskBlKlduxE/s1600/main_900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCpaG8rGHROiTXcPA6UvombLazvRwUoJEGPDHNReQv3V6F8y_m6EPvUqTEXtCuT3-OtKYGNpSNiLllf1If7g7nNqOT_aTLrFThblLJvjrRFmHLutU44bjku-XyY_GRUj_YskBlKlduxE/s320/main_900.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Triangle was
a jumbled mass of trenches, rifle pits made from shell-holes, well sited
strong-points and a concrete blockhouse fielding two machine guns, the lot of
which was behind a bumper crop of barbed wire.
This patch of land, a mere handful of square yards, had been the focus
of attention for nearly a week of constant attacks and repulses. Besides Lt. Griffin’s go at it day before
last, Lt. Lowrie of ‘B’ Company had led the way in attacks twice here himself,
on the 7</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 8</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> of June. The task on the 7</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> was to clear
the wire with ammonal tubes and then “raiding and destroying, if possible,</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">enemy concrete machine gun position at M.30.d.2.3.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftn2" title=""><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></a></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This was
rebuffed even before the tubes were in position to be blown. “The enemy immediately opened with heavy
machine gun fire necessitating the withdrawal of the attacking troops.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftn3" title=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mr. Lowrie was able to accomplish
this without any casualties. The very
next day, Lt. Lowrie and his platoon had gone up in a prepared attack; in
conjunction with a trench-clearing operation put in by the 5</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion, the Royal Leicestershire Regiment.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRlWJGNBc4sznaeiGIsEJ1X4Mu-ozKnnME6hzlAnv-_kNy9xw27qrvMh_N3SywOmlpTblcDYKBlEnA_NIkB7NCUdMqhWC0bIY3oYdcg_PLjsjFzy11qLe0TnGxCBs0XTlvfweO20RENg/s1600/Lt+G+Lowrie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="295" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRlWJGNBc4sznaeiGIsEJ1X4Mu-ozKnnME6hzlAnv-_kNy9xw27qrvMh_N3SywOmlpTblcDYKBlEnA_NIkB7NCUdMqhWC0bIY3oYdcg_PLjsjFzy11qLe0TnGxCBs0XTlvfweO20RENg/s200/Lt+G+Lowrie.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was a
splendid assault, the men having trained specifically for this task leading up
to this trench tour. All objectives were
held within forty minutes. “The
operation resulted in the capture of twelve prisoners…thirty enemy dead were
counted in the trenches and dugouts.” Lt. Lowrie didn’t live long enough to see
it accomplished. He had been shot dead
within moments of the attack’s beginning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">All of that had
been after Lt. Dimsdale had two quick attempts at it on the 5</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. It was determined that “the enemy was holding
his trenches in force and apparently had no intention of evacuating.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Dimsdale’s work was that of opportunity.
Upon taking over the trenches during the relief of 4/5 June, Lt.
Dimsdale’s Company Commander, Major Scharschmidt had pushed his outposts
forward to determine the whereabouts of the enemy. Making contact had shaped into a hasty
attack, with ‘D’ Company managing to capture the Electric Generating Station,
and installation south of where the Souchez River passes by the town of Fosse. It was an unexpected success, to say the
least, but it left that mess of nastiness which was the Triangle between the
Station and the Souchez’ southern embankment under German control.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQQIzD9dfaEOnKrp0qi6Xc-NhPscyFAlAVNmwrciEvDIigas403MduNy692pRvJOugLm2fydeDGEIaPLf3r3VHq1VZBwkC9foxrJ2nkSzuPGJoJPKHiBamvmPEWgGfyb3IU4mwIXXPWk/s1600/trenches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1370" data-original-width="1050" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQQIzD9dfaEOnKrp0qi6Xc-NhPscyFAlAVNmwrciEvDIigas403MduNy692pRvJOugLm2fydeDGEIaPLf3r3VHq1VZBwkC9foxrJ2nkSzuPGJoJPKHiBamvmPEWgGfyb3IU4mwIXXPWk/s320/trenches.jpg" width="245" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Planning had
looked to capturing the line intact with the combined operations aside the
5/Leicesters on the 8</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Maj.
Scharschmidt’s bold move had created a more urgent case. So long as they held the Electric Generating
Station, the hard point at M.30.d.2.3 had to go. ‘D’ Company’s work on the 5</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">had
done a lot of good, as it “placed the major portion of CALLOUS and CANCEL
trenches in our hands and there remained only the consolidation of the balance
of these trenches to bring them into our defensive system.” </span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The organised
attack set for the eighth would work out the kinks. It had to.
Further operations were based upon having that area secure by no later
than the twelfth. With two men killed in
the attempt and five more wounded besides, M.30.d.2.3 had been taken, and was
handed over, as per orders to the 5/Leicesters.
They were unable to hold the position, and once again, the bastard thing
was doing German business under the new/old management. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Accordingly, on
the tenth, Lt. Charles Stuart Griffin, a 26 year old clerk born in Hollister,
California but living in Sidney, British Columbia before the war, and Sgt.
Archibald Law, a Calgarian teamster by way of Glasgow sortied towards the
Triangle in two concurrent raids. This was the affair put on without benefit of
artillery preparation or shielding barrage on account of the idea of keeping
the operation a surprise. Primary
objective (Griffin) was to gain CANADA trench, a line meant to be arcing north
to south from the embankment and representing the eastern edge of the
Triangle. Secondary objective (Law) was
the reducing and capture of the enemy strongpoint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Both were no
stranger to this sort of enterprise. Lt.
Griffin had seen a fair deal of action serving as an NCO with the 7</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion, being afield with them from August 1915. Twice wounded in 1916, he would become the
second highest ranking effective man in his company, cleaved in half to a
meagre 60 men at Vimy. Under Lt. L.J.
Bertrand, who had been a junior subaltern until the events of the morning
placed him in command, No. 4 Company, 7</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> British
Columbians) Bn. held their objective despite their heavy losses. Griffin was promoted to Sergeant, awarded the
Military Medal and then given a commission and transferred to the 102</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Lt. Lancelot Joseph Bertrand, born in
Grenada, British West Indies, making him one of the very few Caribbean Canadian
officers to serve overseas, received the Military Cross. He would be subsequently killed in action at
Hill 70 in August of 1917.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuO1siBkNVNmpwGd7NEJw26jKhDRviH0h_TKVgc9VYjTHzCas-58O-vyZ-wUKrJ3uQgATcw8p69oQFFlJopYZiRbhG0cuvWBFrv46l05jlX_j2HE9h4FArQ5cYuLV2dLUXzD4tN0Z0Ge8/s1600/N03552_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1432" data-original-width="831" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuO1siBkNVNmpwGd7NEJw26jKhDRviH0h_TKVgc9VYjTHzCas-58O-vyZ-wUKrJ3uQgATcw8p69oQFFlJopYZiRbhG0cuvWBFrv46l05jlX_j2HE9h4FArQ5cYuLV2dLUXzD4tN0Z0Ge8/s320/N03552_10.jpg" width="185" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Sgt. Law, his
nearly two years overseas with the 102</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> punctuated with an MM at
Vimy, saw his effort come awry with the detonation of a small enemy mine which
either had alerted or had been instigated by a prepared and numerous garrison
who “opened fire with bombs and machine guns….the men could not reach the Hun
with hand grenades, but covered their own retirement by rifle fire and rifle
grenades and our Stokes guns threw 20 rounds into the enemy, causing heavy casualties.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lt. Griffin had
a similar rebuff. His men had succeeded
in gaining the first line of trenches and putting in place one of the blocks
they had been tasked with, “but then found that CANADA trench south was a
series of shell holes; this exposed area was swept by enemy machine-gun fire
and whizz-bangs; moreover, much of the trench as was left was heavily manned by
the enemy.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Both raids returned to their starting points
having achieved little at the expense of three men killed and eight wounded.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Never mind. Lt. Griffin’s platoon had been selected for
the attack on the twelfth to take the trenches <u>beyond</u> that irksome
concrete box. The platoon would just
have to pick it up on their way, so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkrahKRDvg47y2bdDgC-zl-P5YxN_tELeZP3M7UW061nsgsLmJ-xIZaNR9ObxJNOJdg-WVn36pGtMVK9Fnms4vaE029GiJv6AyLCc2-uzuGTyOoaD6TFHwoQ04wn-f-SsddnkqlJrqEg/s1600/8-inch-siege-gun--at-full-recoil--Oct-1917---MIKAN-No--3395309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="700" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkrahKRDvg47y2bdDgC-zl-P5YxN_tELeZP3M7UW061nsgsLmJ-xIZaNR9ObxJNOJdg-WVn36pGtMVK9Fnms4vaE029GiJv6AyLCc2-uzuGTyOoaD6TFHwoQ04wn-f-SsddnkqlJrqEg/s320/8-inch-siege-gun--at-full-recoil--Oct-1917---MIKAN-No--3395309.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Preparations,”
the 102</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>nd</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">War Diary closes the entry for 11 June 1917, “were
complete for attack on the following morning.” Lt. Griffin and his men, many of
whom had made the prior attempt, went over at 7 a.m. In the days between attacks, more artillery
had become available. Canadian Corps
Heavy Artillery walloped the area on the 11</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> with 350 immense
shells. Australian and British field
guns on loan to the Corps provided covering and creeping barrages in direct
support of infantry operations. The
objective was taken in ten minutes with little opposition. Most Germans who could broke for the
rear. Sixteen were taken prisoner, along
with two machine guns. Artillery fire
had killed 14, wounded 10, not including what prisoners stated were the five
killed and ten wounded since midnight who had already been evacuated by German
medical services.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This wasn’t the
end for Lt. Griffin’s platoon. While
they set up blocks and repaired the line, supporting troops hurriedly dug saps
out to link the old line with the new.
Within the first quarter hour of Canadian possession, the first
counterattack was made. “An unorganised
attack was launched by…about 100 men in mass formation…followed by an officer
with a revolver who appeared to be driving them on.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> This was utterly shattered by Lewis gun fire
and requested artillery. Germans came on
again, 150 strong at 10 o’clock. A more
organised and disciplined effort, it was likewise put on its heels. Lt. Griffin’s sparse line had been bolstered
by two bombing sections from ‘B’ Company, and work to consolidate the ground
continued.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Another
counterattack was checked at 3.30 “by bombs and rifle grenades which inflicted
heavy casualties on the Hun.” Once again, the Germans tried, at ten that
evening “under a very heavy barrage.”
Arriving in force, this attack “was dispersed by our Lewis gun, rifle
and grenade firing. It was also dealt
with by our artillery barrage.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Six men were
dead, twenty-eight wounded, including Lt. Griffin. Shrapnel had broken his right arm and
lacerated his left hand. The concrete
machine gun emplacement and the Triangle it guarded lasted out in Canadian
hands, the hard fought men of the 102</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> relieved that evening by the
85</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Battalion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6mnmXYwwJlQVoipa_q4fh4w68waGcUNfIQLZ6gn7tnis4YaPt5aDKJVKuwzjb6o4UaDOdfQk_14fqJiuzSrzk4P-UBDLPXN6-1wle7UZaQlJdshp1ZyTJsYh-8qxZlo8z-FD9X52N2s/s1600/1427_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="422" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6mnmXYwwJlQVoipa_q4fh4w68waGcUNfIQLZ6gn7tnis4YaPt5aDKJVKuwzjb6o4UaDOdfQk_14fqJiuzSrzk4P-UBDLPXN6-1wle7UZaQlJdshp1ZyTJsYh-8qxZlo8z-FD9X52N2s/s200/1427_0.jpg" width="181" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“In nine days
the Battalion, or some substantial part of it, had "gone over the
top" six times; in the face of desperate resistance it had eventually
carried out all the tasks assigned to it, and in addition to immeasurably
strengthening the Canadian positions in the area it had inflicted incredible
casualties on the enemy. But our own losses were found to be very heavy.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Charles Griffin
was awarded the Military Cross for holding throughout the counterattacks on the
twelfth, though his wounds would prevent his return to the front. Sgt. Law was given a bar to his MM. He would die of pneumonia in 1918.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div>
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<div id="ftn1">
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">102<sup>nd</sup> Battalion War Diary 12 June 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Maj. WH Collum MC, “Report on Minor Operations” 11th
Canadian Infantry Brigade War Diary, June 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Maj. WH Collum MC, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">102<sup>nd</sup> Battalion War Diary 10 June 1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">102<sup>nd</sup> Battalion, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Maj. WH Collum MC, “Report on Minor Operations” 11th
Canadian Infantry Brigade War Diary, June 1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> Quotes From 102<sup>nd</sup> Battalion War Diary 12
June 1917 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Minor%20Operation%20no.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> Sgt Leonard McLeod Gould</span> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">“The Story of the 102nd Canadian Infantry Battalion <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Top">From BC to Baisieux </a>“ Chapter V (102ndbattalioncef.ca)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-40010467059570231432017-05-29T00:00:00.000-07:002017-05-29T00:00:10.009-07:00When the Battle’s O’er<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhwlDdj647hJQpQD1iXLlPHNWFXnmNFKbUEbEHAF00WE_ZvZEpG2fdqi7Avhrn5gvcXZCUmIAVPXkiZm2DigLppchxU-UmkO0sRQCSomWI2pzW_kmmc3qYs-LCcEdceuFqDtY6c-Zmeg/s1600/francois-flameng-ScottishSoldiersReturnfromCombat_12365842_400_300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhwlDdj647hJQpQD1iXLlPHNWFXnmNFKbUEbEHAF00WE_ZvZEpG2fdqi7Avhrn5gvcXZCUmIAVPXkiZm2DigLppchxU-UmkO0sRQCSomWI2pzW_kmmc3qYs-LCcEdceuFqDtY6c-Zmeg/s1600/francois-flameng-ScottishSoldiersReturnfromCombat_12365842_400_300_.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“With
the forces at my disposal, even combined with<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">what
the French proposed to undertake in co-operation,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
did not consider that any great strategic results would be<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">gained
by following up a success on the front about Arras.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">-Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Despatches, pg. 82<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">By late spring
of 1917, it had become evident that the results promised by the French
Commander-in-Chief, General Robert Nivelle for his grand offensive were not to
be realised. In actual fact, the French
Army was very near collapse: Nivelle ousted in disgrace and a growing unrest
among its soldiers coming to a quick boil of outright mutiny; many details of
which are still kept secret.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/When%20the%20Battle.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Without the
decisive breakthrough Nivelle had sought, the Commander-in-Chief of the British
Armies, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, was now permitted as had been an agreed
contingency to dedicate his resources to his preferred operational area of
Flanders. British troops were already in
preparation for this new effort which would begin in June with the taking of
Messines Ridge.; the overall objective was to secure the Belgian coast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As a “necessary
part of the preparations” for this attack in Flanders, Haig ordered his forces
on the Arras front- which included the Canadian Corps- to continue limited and
diversionary operations “sufficient to keep the enemy in doubt as to whether
our offensive there would be proceeded with.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/When%20the%20Battle.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Very little of
any of this would be known, beyond the abstract, to those most intimately
involved in the implementation of these grand schemes; the ordinary front line
infantryman, one of whom is caught in his own contemplations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">* * * * *<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8r7MsOxujI9x_MeziOZcVUOGWiED7PhKZo6AGGud8B176epL9RdazZbxp1Wy9B7_gFHUihA4YQ7kbadIy4ADM_HM9nZ99fnTSX40Q2kRxukCV-ub_fHkp4ESe2v-VbWNImJ97cw2KYrY/s1600/large_000000+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="647" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8r7MsOxujI9x_MeziOZcVUOGWiED7PhKZo6AGGud8B176epL9RdazZbxp1Wy9B7_gFHUihA4YQ7kbadIy4ADM_HM9nZ99fnTSX40Q2kRxukCV-ub_fHkp4ESe2v-VbWNImJ97cw2KYrY/s200/large_000000+%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I</span></b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">t were just after lunch when Sergeant
Douglas came by. I hadn’t noticed as I
were set against a tree, looking up through branches no’ yet in full leaf,
trying tae catch a gander at the ‘planes o'erhead. Suppose it’s why I dinnae hear him an’ aw,
the sky quite busy with the chop of their engines coming and going, but never
really fading, while here and there, quite distant, thank goodness, the rumbling
thunder of big shells bursting. It gets
so I dinnae really notice it ony mair, no’ when it’s that far off, and thair’s
even times when I have to concentrate to hear it at aw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Has
a knack for doing this, does auld Douglas; a’ways finding ye for giving bad
news after ye’ve had a good feed. Mind,
a tin of bully et cauld frae the tin isn’t a grand notion of a good feed;
though it’s better than nothing at aw, and thair’s been plenty times of
that. Bad news is a’ways easier to take
when thair’s at least something in yer gut.
It stops that sinking feeling what comes alang wi’ it. Well, no’ stops it sae much as makin’ it no’
as bad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Alright, Catscratch?” he asked as
he drew up to the tree I were leaning against.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Suppose so, Sarge,” I says. ‘Catscratch’ is what the older chaps in the
platoon ken me as, coming frae ma first name being Felix and that no’ one in
ten realising ma second name, Strachan, is no’ pronounced as it’s spelt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Good. Best get your men sorted. We’re moving up to the line.” There it was, then. I’d some notion of it, as the reason why ma
lunch was tinned beef was that the company kitchens had started packing up
after breakfast. Ye cannae spend aw this
time abroad and no’ pick up a sense for these things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Awright,” which wasn’t sae much ma
agreement, but just the thing one says to make it seem like it was the thing
tae be done as if choice played a part, “when do we go?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Form up in Companies at eight,
stepping off at eight-thirty,” he checked his watch. “Gives us about seven hours. Make sure your Section’s area is tidied up,
nothing left behind. Small packs are to
be given over to Battalion Transport.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Onything going on?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Douglas
shrugged. “Routine; though it is a new
part of the line for us. Bert went up
with the scouts and guides yesterday.
Talk to him is you want to know more about where we’re going.” He made to leave, paused. “Oh, and Catscratch, mind the new
fellahs. Be certain they know what to
do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXeN3aIgdo534kuT7atcjn-UJPwdqiHd3ynUP0L4zX16lVHEC3d3rijs1OG00SEk_J4RBkC3Hyj2qEKl-GQk2fP2RH8Cdog0acvC0HZb7aHIkghncHf3NSdf3ra0CVRFY5LWhwgC5BP4/s1600/IWM_ART_001607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="775" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXeN3aIgdo534kuT7atcjn-UJPwdqiHd3ynUP0L4zX16lVHEC3d3rijs1OG00SEk_J4RBkC3Hyj2qEKl-GQk2fP2RH8Cdog0acvC0HZb7aHIkghncHf3NSdf3ra0CVRFY5LWhwgC5BP4/s320/IWM_ART_001607.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">With
that, he was aff, moving through the wooded glade what had been oor hame near
tae a fortnight while oor Brigade had been in support. What this meant was we were tae be ready tae gae intae a counter attack should the Hun put force against oor line. As that
may no’ happen, oor day-tae-day was providing parties of men tae carry aw
manner of supplies tae the front, or be given o’er tae the Royal Engineers as
brute labour in fixing roads and laying rail.
This, after a fashion, had been another clue that we were tae be on the
move. Why else would I have had a spare
moment tae sit against a tree and count aeroplanes?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We
were that far back frae where oor front lines were now that we would be going
o’er the ground we had that big scrap for last month. That was a weird sensation, right
enough. Since the New Year, when the
Division had been brought up, aw of us had been faced with that high ridge,
with only oor imaginations tae fill minds with the battle tae come. Now that had been and gone, we tramped aw
o’er it with nae bother at aw, liked we owned it- which I suppose we did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We’d
certainly paid for it. Frae what I
heard, it were eleven thousand casualties in those four days of fighting, and
that’s no’ considering the trickle of blood in the months afore while we set
out patrols and raids in the getting ready for it. That trickle was never fully staunched, and after
that tough go at Easter, it kept up, a drip, drip, drip of small haunfulls of
men day tae day tae day. It’s that
bloodletting as tae why Sergeant Douglas had charge of Six Platoon. Oor officer, Mister Thorncliffe was awa’ tae
England tae see about getting iron pepper oot his arm and face for having been
too close tae a Hun bomb. Hopefully he’d
be back in due course, preferably afore the platoon picked up a new
officer. Seeing as how poorly it had
gone for aw involved the last time that happened, best tae avoid a possible
repeat of a bad show↟.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Mair
important tae ma state of affairs was that this flow of life and blood these
past five months tae get us where we were now is reason that I found maself
with the ‘new fellahs’ Douglas had telt me tae mind. With nae work the day, the
kitchens hitching up and these three lads put tae me just this morning it were
a cinch we’d be moving tae the line. Aw
Douglas had tae give me was what I didnae ken- which was exactly when that move
would be. Now, besides squaring awa’ ma
neck of the woods (no’ meaning a joke, there) I’d have tae do what I could tae
give these lads enough of a lesson tae no’ do anything daft. Solve that, and maybe they’d last lang enough
tae learn something of substance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">With
that thought rolling around ma coconut, I stood up tae walk o’er tae Two
Section’s area and follow the Sarge’s advice in having a chat wi’ Bert Ellins,
for what he might tell me of the road ahead; but no’ afore I put ma ain section
on warning tae move.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3SL5PMElQfxEHKt6LQMUmAfZgYCjffntVqlhtL8KnGSFoD-srRFK1YkPiFaSSxWTh6kR9uJ6VA8YHVCZbzJUcJYH6hAzX5_Cowwi5eVcw-Zlu900MorvEHHrYnJP44-aVLCRD57gWug/s1600/IMG-9516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1024" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3SL5PMElQfxEHKt6LQMUmAfZgYCjffntVqlhtL8KnGSFoD-srRFK1YkPiFaSSxWTh6kR9uJ6VA8YHVCZbzJUcJYH6hAzX5_Cowwi5eVcw-Zlu900MorvEHHrYnJP44-aVLCRD57gWug/s320/IMG-9516.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Pretty rough up there,” he says,
and lets me in on what he saw. We’re
holding trenches what used tae be well intae Fritz’s rear areas. Meaning that what was his support lines were
now oor front lines. As support
trenches, being further back aren’t usually dug as deep or fixed up as well as
fighting trenches, and the whole lot has been under oor artillery for the best
part of this year, Bert says tae me that they were pretty mean. Just deep enough to be head high in most
places, nae dugouts, very little in the way of revetting. That’s no’ at aw comforting, especially with
those what haven’t been up front afore.
New fellahs are awfy prone to sticking their heads oot tae have a look
aroon’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “It’s been pretty brisk business for
sniping on both sides,” Bert added, “everyone’s been working like mad to get
the trenches in decent shape. Wiring
parties and patrols are going out every night.
Looks as though we’re fixing to stay a while.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I
trust Bert’s opinion. No’ that he’s got
ony mair information than the rest of us, but he’s that bright tae put what
little we do ken intae the right picture.
After a moment when neither of us had much else tae say, he added,
“Pretty dry, though.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> “Well,” I says tae him, “at least
there’s that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">What
he said which most concerned me was that we were, of course, holding ground
which had been Fritz’s backyard. I
already ken that, but what Bert reminded me of was that aw roads, cuttings and
approaches leading to oor lines were well ken tae the Hun, and his guns were
dropping aw manner of guff here and there along these routes. Bert had a few close calls himself the night
afore. Lucky for us, it were meant tae
rain a wee bit tonight, which was nae guarantee, but at least a safe bet that
Fritz wouldnae send o’er ony gas shells, which he’d been doing quite frequently
of late.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3iD9Endf2H-QxXElCehkuHa7JpB42cgMeKJsN6ZK_c5QsA2N1-YjmwZsVwYqSV3XnwlqAH4bDfk_6JQu8g6UVwChUcY5nTgYktZd_aRVDtGof_yXMjPktI7R-A-tEk5yIK3qmP4CxTw/s1600/936689c6b1b3420a304e71fa539987ee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="785" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3iD9Endf2H-QxXElCehkuHa7JpB42cgMeKJsN6ZK_c5QsA2N1-YjmwZsVwYqSV3XnwlqAH4bDfk_6JQu8g6UVwChUcY5nTgYktZd_aRVDtGof_yXMjPktI7R-A-tEk5yIK3qmP4CxTw/s200/936689c6b1b3420a304e71fa539987ee.jpg" width="165" /></a><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Another
thing struck me then as well. If Bert
were right, aw this work intae getting these trenches in shape meaning that we
weren’t pushing ahead again ony time soon.
Well, just wha’ the Hell happened tae “This push will be the big one,
boys,” aw the hoi polloi in their Chateau headquarters promising us that aw we’d
been doing was gonnae knock the pegs oot of the Hun onyhow? It set me thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Near
six months in the making tae have a go at that bloody Ridge, and near two
months by that and we can still see it frae where oor front line is now. I have nae idea how far it is from here to
Germany, but it seems tae me at the rate we go, nane of us here now will see
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s
ma birthday in two months. I’ll be
nineteen, if I live.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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* * * * * </div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The monologue above is a work of
imagination; but it closely portrays the realities of a Canadian soldier in
late May, 1917. The Battle of Vimy Ridge had been
won, but an end to the war was nowhere in sight. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Situational specifics were drawn from unit War Diaries and their Appendices contemporary to 27-29 May 1917. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The characters of Corporal Felix
Strachan, Sergeant Basil Douglas and Corporal Bert Ellins feature in my ground
breaking, realistically tense WWI novel, <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913" target="_blank">“Killing is a Sin”</a> available in print
and e-book from Amazon sites and by request at book retailers & libraries
world-wide. </span><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/When%20the%20Battle.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Meyer, G.J. “A World Undone: The Story of the
Great War 1914 to 1918” Delta Books, 2006 pg. 540</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/When%20the%20Battle.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Boraston, JH, Lt Col. (ed.) “Sir Douglas Haig’s
Despatches: December 1915-April 1919” JM Dent & Sons, 1919 pg. 101</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">↟ </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here, Felix hints at the plot of "Killing is a Sin"-the events of which he has, in this monologue, just recently come through.</span></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-67836143847466056442017-04-24T05:59:00.001-07:002017-04-24T05:59:34.728-07:00Hot Courage<div class="MsoNormal">
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Have reached black objective, in
touch on right with<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">16<sup>th</sup> Bn. Am
consolidating Black objective, awaiting<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">message from left.”-</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Maj.
WJ Gander, O.C. ‘C’ Coy,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">18</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
(Western Ontario) Battalion<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cqV6k2nBI2Z6FW7zkBfUaSsk8TBjeuebpcuLHyY25BO6LR2OPV4zzERhMmkHwVfBLEv6ORI1zrnveYHVeUHqdzEQW9tmCiNS54G3iFi6G8A-uTEebt_qwfAPnAU_TqQlR3ykzyGmpfg/s1600/e001099437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cqV6k2nBI2Z6FW7zkBfUaSsk8TBjeuebpcuLHyY25BO6LR2OPV4zzERhMmkHwVfBLEv6ORI1zrnveYHVeUHqdzEQW9tmCiNS54G3iFi6G8A-uTEebt_qwfAPnAU_TqQlR3ykzyGmpfg/s200/e001099437.jpg" width="177" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">By the time
Major Gander had scratched the short note and sent it to Battalion H.Q., the
three forward companies of the 18</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Western Ontario) Battalion (4</span><sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Canadian Infantry Brigade, 2</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>nd</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Canadian Division) had held their
portion of the Black Line for little more than half an hour. The first main objective line in the battle
for Vimy Ridge was mostly in Canadian hands, which would allow the advance to
the subsequent reporting lines to continue as planned. “At 6.05 a.m.,” the 18</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion
War Diary records, “the Black Objective had been captured….The casualties up to
this point had been very slight, considering the magnitude of the operations.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> One of these casualties was Major Charles
Gwyn, struck dead by machine gun fire just short of reaching the
objective. Major Gwyn had been the
officer commanding the 18</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Bn.’s attack, the vacancy now being
filled by Major Gander.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhY-QImomNxjkH0lQHYWQpJtJ1dFCL4ILgyMlOYYcA-Pd4uqNGNnK2rtQ7oK60WECMI7YOt-EZ4AON-m_kMjZFE0otyts4z6vOjww7EvemPKs9FPjiwkqFCuXndh6qU1mwqt1WF5BoPX8/s1600/76268347-3124-494b-af9c-dda4ef77f1e5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhY-QImomNxjkH0lQHYWQpJtJ1dFCL4ILgyMlOYYcA-Pd4uqNGNnK2rtQ7oK60WECMI7YOt-EZ4AON-m_kMjZFE0otyts4z6vOjww7EvemPKs9FPjiwkqFCuXndh6qU1mwqt1WF5BoPX8/s320/76268347-3124-494b-af9c-dda4ef77f1e5.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Despite the loss
of Major Gwyn, “one of the most…popular and efficient officers”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> of
the Battalion, the attack had maintained good order and momentum, taking the
Black Line without loss of unit cohesion.
Most critically, for their part and for the battalions shortly to pass
through them to assault the Red Line, they had gained their objective on time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A battle on such
a broad front incorporating a dynamic topography as Vimy Ridge was reliant on
precise synchronicity, and time is an entirely fickle variable. Attacking units were to advance behind a
creeping barrage which had been arranged to the minute. This fire plan could not be changed or
adjusted on a whim. Four Divisions had
to reach each objective line nearly simultaneously or they would risk creating
a gap of several hundred yards which a German counter-attack would be certain
to exploit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That the 18</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion was where they were; where they were supposed to be, </span><u style="font-size: 12pt;">when</u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> they
were supposed to be there was owed entirely to one man and his quick response
to the conditions encountered on the advance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Very little
opposition was met with whilst capturing the first line of trenches.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Reports such as that from the 18</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion were fairly common. The German
Front Line had become untenable. Pounded
ceaselessly with high explosive and shrapnel, what was once a formidable
obstacle had been ground down to a loose collection of shallow ditches which
were passed by in the first few minutes of battle. The troops were held up more by the fractured
ground than by any hostile defenders.
“The ground was very broken up by shellfire and the going was very heavy
owing to rain and snow.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> An
</span></span></div>
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undesirable side effect of this, particularly in 2<sup style="font-size: 12pt;">nd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Division’s
operational area was that all of the eight tanks seconded to the Division for
the operation would ditch or be otherwise disabled before reaching the Black
Line, due “to the extremely bad state of the ground.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn5" title="">[5]</a></span></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn5" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While it seemed
to be fortuitous for the assault to breeze through the forward lines, their
vacancy was deliberate. German
tacticians had begun to realise the futility of a rigidly defended front line. No matter how strong a position might be, a
determined and consistent attack always had the potential of breaching it. In addition, the pattern of softening up
these trenches with overwhelming artillery fire prior to an attack did nothing
for a heavy forward garrison than put men at risk for no conceivable gain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">No, the enemy
was well disposed to let the attack “walk over” the now pulverised front line
system. The broken ground between the
Canadian line and where the attack would be repulsed- the Main Line of
Resistance; the Black Objective- would serve to slow progress and disperse
tight formations as ways over or around shell damage were sought. Plus, it was the ideal place to conceal
machine gun teams with instructions to ravage the attack as much as possible
before retiring to the MLR. This tactic-
colloquially known as “Elastic Defense”- had been created with the objective of
draining strength and concentration from an attack so that when, much reduced
and spent, it crashed against the main line it would be checked and then rolled
up with units especially trained for counterattacks. That was the ideal notion, anyway, and in
early 1917 it was still a work in progress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Nevertheless,
three companies of the 18</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion, advancing abreast in platoon
waves were through what little was left of the German front line in five
minutes, and well on their way to crossing the support line in the same
fashion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">‘C’ Company,
Major Gander’s company, was the centre of the battalion’s advance, and just shy
of the support line, where, among a knot of shallow trenches and communications
lines, a solitary machine gun ripped into action, “doing considerable damage.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> ‘C’ Company was checked, and if they were
stalled for long, ‘A’ and ‘B’ Companies on either side would have a hole
between them and no way to fill it; precisely as this style of defense was
designed to work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Moments such as
these; relatively small episodes of crisis, have the potential to overturn the
outcome of the larger event of which they are part. No amount of training can adequately prepare
for these furious blinks of time, and none can predict how they might
respond. “Personality type,” says
Professor Patrick Tissington, a psychologist who has studied such instances,
“is not a good generic predictor of behaviour like courage.” Rather, it is an intricate and unquantifiable
combination of situational factors and both psychological and physiological
responses. “What tends to happen,” Prof. Tissington has found, is that “a
particular situation develops where an individual realises that someone has to
do something (the individual) knows what that something is (and that they are)
the only person who is able to do it.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn7" title="">[7]</a></span></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn7" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I consulted with
Professor Tissington because the individual in question on a muddy Monday
morning a century ago, stalled with the rest of ‘C’ Company under the barking
muzzle of a German machine gun was Lance Sergeant Ellis Wellwood Sifton, whose
imprint on history up to this point had been unassuming in the least way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">L/Sgt Sifton, a
twenty-five year old farmer from Wallacetown Ontario had sailed out with the 18</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Bn. in April 1915, along with the troops who would form the 2</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Canadian Division. “I am feeling fine,”
is how he would close a collection of letters written to his sister, Ella,
during the ocean crossing. All evidence,
particularly his service records, point Sifton out as being quite
ordinary. He accrued, in the eleven
months between enlisting and arriving in France with his Battalion no mentions
of merit, nor any charges; and had not even reported sick. His promotions- to Corporal just prior to
embarking for France and more recently (less than a month prior to Vimy) to
Lance Sergeant give the impression of someone at least noticeable enough to be
vested with the responsibilities of a Non-commissioned Officer. Other than that, there is nothing which might
lead to predicting what he might do in such a dilemma as faced him and his
comrades in that hanging moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6UAaTIiwlCfT0_h0W8Y9lZvjAoi3SrL5dE8qO_S1tmkSpg_yXgB-6GIavvTbsyB4mrVY9pCy-3D2p1mJFRDOca2RQ43m1vLxVR90riwv2DzorblF32BG8ZDldO1TRb8IZQQDtLv4pi4/s1600/1224017-world-war-1-battle-of-devils-wood-fierce-hand-to-hand-fighting-between-british-and-german-soldi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6UAaTIiwlCfT0_h0W8Y9lZvjAoi3SrL5dE8qO_S1tmkSpg_yXgB-6GIavvTbsyB4mrVY9pCy-3D2p1mJFRDOca2RQ43m1vLxVR90riwv2DzorblF32BG8ZDldO1TRb8IZQQDtLv4pi4/s320/1224017-world-war-1-battle-of-devils-wood-fierce-hand-to-hand-fighting-between-british-and-german-soldi.jpeg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Having located
the gun, he charged it single-handed, killing all the crew.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> The Battalion diary specifies that Sifton
“attacked the Gun crew and bayonetted every man,” a feat, plainly speaking, of
quickly stabbing five men to death.
Having gained the position, Sifton continued to hold out against a small
enemy party advancing to the aid of the gunners. He “held them off with bayonet and clubbed
rifle until his comrades arrived to end the unequal fight.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn9" title="">[9]</a></span></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn9" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With the German
gun silenced, the advance to the Black Line continued unimpeded. In the space of thirty-five minutes from Zero
Hour, the 18</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion was on line, consolidating their gains and
shoring up with flanking units, as Major Gander’s note stipulated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lance Sergeant
Sifton was not with them. One of his
adversaries, in his dying throes managed to deliver a parting shot. “In carrying out this gallant act he was
killed, but his conspicuous valour undoubtedly saved many lives and contributed
largely to the success of the operation.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> His Victoria Cross would be awarded
posthumously.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">General Sir
Henry Horne, General Officer Commanding First Army sent a congratulatory note
to all units involved in the attack, specifically mentioning the Canadian
capture of Vimy by saying: “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.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[11]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
In his last point, General Horne pays unnamed tribute to Lance Sergeant Sifton,
and all the other unassuming Canadian boys possessed with hot courage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The rush of raids, the tension of late night patrols, a great Canadian battle and men on the razor's edge between life and death are all part of my acclaimed premier novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Damn, I think I spilled chili on a rare first edition; I'm enjoying it, couldn't stop reading during dinner.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“I was fortunate enough to see this in manuscript. Good stuff. If you're interested in WWI Fiction give it a look.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Incredible.”</span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">18th Battalion War Diary 09 April 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div id="ftn2">
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">18th Battalion, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">2<sup>nd</sup> Canadian Division War Diary, April 1917,
Appendix 702<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">2<sup>nd</sup> Canadian Division, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">18th Battalion War Diary 09 April 1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Quotes taken from correspondence between Author and
Prof. Patrick Tissington April 2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette No. 30122, 08 June
1917, pg. 5704<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Nicholson GWL, Col “Canadian Expeditionary Force:
Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War” Roger Duhomel,
Queen’s Printer Ottawa, 1962 pg. 254</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette No. 30122, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hot%20Courage.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">2<sup>nd</sup> Canadian Division War Diary, April 1917,
Appendix 704</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-45339623168248454252017-04-10T00:00:00.000-07:002017-04-10T00:00:04.886-07:00Even the Bravest Among Us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2edCb5jR2O-7Ssf6YBq1SSjtivT7DcW4C-tbsU23feiPPn4BYgFbD12AvA5j8UIfN0IxPENaDJ7bF_kiMk-xkm7IiYA8Y2HRKLxlq2ZV6lo5H0VfLbvS2iPBCtyUTCmjE9p9e4fk8cV8/s1600/19890275-051+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2edCb5jR2O-7Ssf6YBq1SSjtivT7DcW4C-tbsU23feiPPn4BYgFbD12AvA5j8UIfN0IxPENaDJ7bF_kiMk-xkm7IiYA8Y2HRKLxlq2ZV6lo5H0VfLbvS2iPBCtyUTCmjE9p9e4fk8cV8/s400/19890275-051+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“I cannot give an estimate of our
casualties, but<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> I believe they are severe”-</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Capt.
TW MacDowell,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">O.C.
‘B’ Coy, 38<sup>th</sup> (Ottawa) Battalion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Kingston,
Ontario, January 1918<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The young
officer appeared a great deal more settled.
A recent medical board, convened to assess his condition had noted that
he had begun to show much improvement.
Three months’ rest and observation in hospital seemed to have been
sufficient to regain emotional control and his sleep had gone from frequent insomnia
to being practically normal. Although it
seemed he was of good physical condition, he did complain of being more easily
fatigued. Well, that could be
overlooked. After all, the gentleman was
only requesting a return to a staff position in England, not duty in
France. Other doctors had made note of
the progress the patient had made, and now it rested with Major Russell,
Canadian Army Medical Corps to make the final decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “You’ve seen a fair bit of this
war. It wouldn’t be ill thought of if you
remained at home.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> “Thank you, Sir, but I must get
back. Surely I can be allowed to do what
I can.” He spoke evenly, and at a sedate
pace. The infrequent stammer seemed to
have gone. His hands rested naturally,
the tremor also having diminished.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[i]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “It’s very admirable of you,” the
Major admitted, “you’re certain about this, Captain MacDowell?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “Captain MacDowell!” Only feet away, Kobus had to shout as he
pointed towards the redoubt, the barrage overwhelmingly crashing down, taking
over all sound. Formed by staggered
sandbags slightly raised from the trenchline, not ten yards away, two machine
guns within it were hammering away at the advancing troops. MacDowell looked about and could only account
for Kobus and Hay, his company runners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “You two, follow me!” he ordered,
“make ready with bombs.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Vimy,
France, April 1917<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNhtjIf75Uf3OoE-iP9u5WPWtdzTVQnSJOONjcz49IAd43pO38xIyToMSEjUL2ZHtIbxGRPaCzED1B8g8zzSWTrOJGqUXuSdhIQVozVdVNK4GRbsBL6MJ7AcO7SYJT4iJVDk0zEVy6VI/s1600/vimy-tunnel.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNhtjIf75Uf3OoE-iP9u5WPWtdzTVQnSJOONjcz49IAd43pO38xIyToMSEjUL2ZHtIbxGRPaCzED1B8g8zzSWTrOJGqUXuSdhIQVozVdVNK4GRbsBL6MJ7AcO7SYJT4iJVDk0zEVy6VI/s200/vimy-tunnel.jpeg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The first bit
had gone famously. ‘D’ Company had
gained possession of the enemy’s front line.
Springing from a tunnel which led out into No-man’s Land a stone’s throw
from the German trenches this first rush came directly behind the creeping
barrage and these forward positions “had been taken with practically no
opposition, and the other waves swept on after the barrage to their objectives
further into the enemy’s line.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"> ‘A’ and ‘C’ Companies fanned out to the right;
en route to clear out a series of fortified craters and gain touch with the
left-hand battalion of the 11</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Infantry Brigade. Captain MacDowell and his ‘B’ Company were
tasked with securing the “Main Line of Resistance,” a tangled intersection of
trenches beyond the front line which was where the Germans were expected to
stand firm. Lifting and dropping
sequentially, the barrage worked well to shield them on approach, but its
protection was fleeting. Once in, ‘B’
Company would have to clear out this position on their own while the artillery
concentrated on BLACK Line targets in preparation for subsequent waves from the
78</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Soon after
breaching the MLR, a “nest of German Machine Guns were encountered near the
junction of CYRUS and BABY”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
trenches. Once pointed out, Captain
MacDowell knew exactly what to do. Luck
would have it, this wasn’t his first dance with a prepared MG emplacement. “He led his company against an enemy position
with great courage and initiative, capturing three machine guns and fifty
prisoners,”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
was the substance of his citation for the Distinguished Service Order he’d been
awarded for actions at the Somme last fall.
Now, he’d have to do it again, and with only Kobus and Hay to assist
him. ‘B’ Company had become scattered,
working in isolated groups. The line,
pummeled over a week’s heavy bombardment was no longer contiguous and now
resembles a mess of disjointed, shallow ditches rather than a formidable
defensive line.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOgHLAEa6PGuxjI8PZ1KXzsaGRRhYtS8S5xd5n_pUpUl0AUt-rsAHB3walh_-oBZxtDuYTTAdsR_b91NxAPhsildezaDh1tQxkGvBAQyYwBRsQq9GSKU-q0fl3Yh557k_SeKSw5nAeFU/s1600/good_morning_vimy_ridge_by_artofaarontataryn-daugi5w.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOgHLAEa6PGuxjI8PZ1KXzsaGRRhYtS8S5xd5n_pUpUl0AUt-rsAHB3walh_-oBZxtDuYTTAdsR_b91NxAPhsildezaDh1tQxkGvBAQyYwBRsQq9GSKU-q0fl3Yh557k_SeKSw5nAeFU/s320/good_morning_vimy_ridge_by_artofaarontataryn-daugi5w.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Captain
MacDowell DSO 38 Bn. with his two runners bombed up BABY Trench and dislodged
two of the guns, killing some of the crews and capturing on of the guns.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> The men pursued the other gun and crew which
had made haste to a dugout at the junction.
It turned out to be teeming with enemy troops still sheltering from the
barrage. Far more, it seemed, than was
wise for the three men to face up to on their own. All the same, the three here were all there
was to work with.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“By a judicious
amount of bluff, Capt. MacDowell fooled the enemy into thinking he had a large
party with him.” Brought out in batches of twelve at a time between his
runners, they were “dispatched towards our lines with a few parting shots. The capture of this party was admirably
carried out and it is due entirely to the bravery of Capt. MacDowell.” Taking what turned out to be seventy-seven
prisoners with just himself and two privates, MacDowell wasn’t able to
accomplish this feat entirely clean. “Some
of the prisoners showed fight when they found out the smallness of the party. This was promptly and effectively prevented
from spreading by immediate and drastic measures.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3IdmGk2mO09oXEWVMDHrYpGFWMsC75FFj1AanPj1M0K5kpgSIbxObRiUckp4XFEGcwxVmfQ_qfwtehbGioV8XTlLaJgf1k8HKiRdyx4mfly0iYDs3A1aGeM4gptNiGzEoeACgumqh0s/s1600/c16d4f956b595dd2051ba86c5dddba9e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3IdmGk2mO09oXEWVMDHrYpGFWMsC75FFj1AanPj1M0K5kpgSIbxObRiUckp4XFEGcwxVmfQ_qfwtehbGioV8XTlLaJgf1k8HKiRdyx4mfly0iYDs3A1aGeM4gptNiGzEoeACgumqh0s/s320/c16d4f956b595dd2051ba86c5dddba9e.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When the last of
them had been sent off, Captain MacDowell began work to organise his position
into a strong point. Very quickly, he
scrawled out a report and sent it back to Battalion HQ. It was now eight o’clock in the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“A report came
in,” Battalion logs note, 45 minutes later, “from Capt. TW MacDowell by runner,
timed 8 a.m., that he was on his objective at BABY Trench.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Of that MacDowell had written “I am afraid is
not fully consolidated. The mud is very
bad and our machine guns are filled with mud.
I have about 15 men near here and can see others around and am getting
them in hand slowly….I cannot give an estimate of our casualties but believe
they are severe….The 78</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> have gone through…The line is
obliterated.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Suggesting Brigade machine guns would be well
suited to the fields of fire he had, Captain MacDowell prepared to defend his
position with what men he could muster.
“This is all I can think of at present,” he closed, “Please excuse
writing.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Battalion HQ had
no ability to help MacDowell for the time being. The C.O. was wounded and ordered out of the
line by the Medical Officer. Major Wood
had taken over operations, and ‘B’ Company wasn’t in the worst state. No one was in contact with ‘A’ Company, and
it was unknown if the right flank was secure at the craters or if contact had
been made with 11</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Brigade.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Claiming the
large dugout which he had slyly wrested from the enemy as his headquarters,
Captain MacDowell sent back another dispatch at half-past ten. “There are only 15 men with me,” he reminded
Battalion HQ, “of whom two are stretcher bearers. The rifles are one mass of mud. I have two Lewis guns and only four pans. Both guns are out of action on account of the
mud.” He also couldn’t observe anything
from the 78</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion which had moved beyond his post, except that
there appeared to be wounded men out there.
Also out there were more German machine guns, pouring sporadic, grazing
fire on his isolated outpost, keeping him pegged. “I have no Subalterns or N.C.O.’s, and unless
I get a few more men with serviceable rifles I hate to admit it, but we may be
driven out.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Situation at
Battalion HQ had settled in the hours between Captain MacDowell’s reports. ‘A’ Company had lost most of its officers, so
Brigade reserve troops had been sent to reinforce the right. As MacDowell’s runner was relaying his own
urgent need for more men, “Pte. GJP Nunney who had come in to get a wound
dressed…volunteered, if he got a carrying party to go out again, get the
ammunition and go over to Capt. MacDowell.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvoYF4HEkUzCCwK1TD-XtvO0wVlKssV2dHQQqcOrtiZkSwAZep4gynmXwQBAlBMs-SXB7uDs7RoHS_BoUyWwKELM1ZdOefytEncNTvTjJ7A72JVQ1zw56PYavHwT4j4YFoBdteKnu-AM/s1600/WEBPOST%252BVIMY%252B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvoYF4HEkUzCCwK1TD-XtvO0wVlKssV2dHQQqcOrtiZkSwAZep4gynmXwQBAlBMs-SXB7uDs7RoHS_BoUyWwKELM1ZdOefytEncNTvTjJ7A72JVQ1zw56PYavHwT4j4YFoBdteKnu-AM/s320/WEBPOST%252BVIMY%252B1.jpg" width="247" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Such a party was
pressed together, mainly from ‘D’ Company men.
Led by Lieutenant Kelty, they found Captain MacDowell and his band of
fifteen still holding firm, using captured German rifles, which, having been in
the dugout, were not stopped with mud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Early in the
afternoon, Captain MacDowell sent back a third note. It had, aside from occasional bursts from
those German guns out and to the left, quieted down a great deal. He and Lt. Kelty had a chance to make a good
survey of this dugout. “I cannot impress
upon you,” he told Major Wood, “the strength of this position and the value of
it as a strong supporting point to the left flank.” From this point, he could see Lens and other
villages as well as enemy battery positions.
Taking the dugout intact had been a tremendous boon. It had been home to troops fresh to the line
and fully accoutered. “The cigars are
very choice,” MacDowell informed Wood with a slightly cheeky coolness, “and my
supply of Perrier water is very large.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Tell Ken to
come up for tea to-morrow if it is quiet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The room was
quiet. “Captain MacDowell?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He shook his
head, returning to the time at hand. “Sorry, Sir?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Major Russell
smiled, thinly. “I said that as to your
request to return to duty in England, I’m recommending that there is no medical
reason why you should not do so.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “Thank you, Sir. I was hoping to be of some good use.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “I’m pleased you feel so well about
it. We’ll get you back as soon as can be
arranged.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2uIw2Aj_HijsMnhDjxE6RQWp-TQzc-300WhCb139N3RyN_jiOcfJNOFRTmzsEuyVLARKOsqzWSSSRUZpQTzcsYcctc_ujjwyIGAZU7-sIGWA9DEao1lXmGqexhwmzBpovCTThdcn-Rc/s1600/220px-Thain_Wendell_MacDowell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2uIw2Aj_HijsMnhDjxE6RQWp-TQzc-300WhCb139N3RyN_jiOcfJNOFRTmzsEuyVLARKOsqzWSSSRUZpQTzcsYcctc_ujjwyIGAZU7-sIGWA9DEao1lXmGqexhwmzBpovCTThdcn-Rc/s320/220px-Thain_Wendell_MacDowell.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thain Wendell
MacDowell was awarded the Victoria Cross for his extraordinary efforts on 9
April 1917. In July, a bout of trench
fever put him in hospital and thence to Canada for a month’s medical leave to
recuperate. While home, the strain of his time at the
front pushed past his resolve and he was readmitted to hospital in Spetember,
suffering a nervous break from “stress of service and shell fire.” Symptoms of this had first begun after he was
wounded during the action at the Somme for which he was awarded the DSO.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Severely
debilitated with tremors, physical exhaustion, profuse sweating and
palpitations underscored by frequent “attacks of crying,” Thain MacDowell spent
three months under medical care. The man
he was came through to the surface and by January of 1918 was returned, by his
own request, to a staff position at Canadian Forces HQ in London.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He demobilised
in 1919 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and went on to a productive private
life. Lt Col. TW MacDowell VC DSO passed
away at 70 years of age in 1960.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">None could
question the courage of a man with such decorations for valour, but perhaps the
bravest thing he did was seek help for his invisible wounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">No
one</span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
need suffer alone. If you or a loved one
is affected by emotional or mental health concerns, it is a great strength to
reach out for help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In
Canada:</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Veterans Affairs Crisis Line: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 126.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt 126.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">1-800-268-7708<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 126.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt 126.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">TDD <b>1-800-567-5803</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">United
States: </span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Veteran’s
Crisis Line: call <b>1-800-273-8255</b> and <b>Press 1<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">United
Kingdom: </span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Veteran’s UK Helpline: Freephone:<b>0808 1914
2 18</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Telephone (overseas):<b>+44 1253 866 043</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 108.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Normal Service 8.00 am to
5.00 pm Monday to Friday<br />
When the helpline is closed, callers will be given the option to be routed to
Combat Stress or The Samaritans 24hr helpline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 108.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAxo3eKeUAlWuRz9iOrTwMQzK4ce3JSwo_vwyOjD1fRbzy0uIJED16yqf2lxhBSl-vFarW7NqHeABBfVVkV_zqLYfQjyLnuSvn8VUb3frCYXjYmYxi8zgP0wA1PY2VSMrSpITg29rwbU/s1600/19710261-0116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAxo3eKeUAlWuRz9iOrTwMQzK4ce3JSwo_vwyOjD1fRbzy0uIJED16yqf2lxhBSl-vFarW7NqHeABBfVVkV_zqLYfQjyLnuSvn8VUb3frCYXjYmYxi8zgP0wA1PY2VSMrSpITg29rwbU/s400/19710261-0116.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 108.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 108.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">12<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade “Report on
Operations on Vimy Ridge” War Diary, April 1917, Appendix 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">12<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette, No. 29898, 10 January
1917, pg. 454<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">12<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">38<sup>th</sup> (Ottawa) Battalion “Report on
Operations of 38<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Battalion” War Diary, April
1917, Appendix 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">MacDowell, TW, Capt. “Battle Report, 8 a.m. 9 April
1917” 38 Bn. War Diary, April 1917, Appendix 3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">MacDowell, TW, Capt. <i>Ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">MacDowell, TW, Capt. “Battle Report, 10:30 a.m. 9 April
1917” 38 Bn. War Diary, April 1917, Appendix 3</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">38<sup>th</sup> (Ottawa) Battalion <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="edn1">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Even%20the%20Bravest%20Among%20Us.docx#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""></a><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Symbol;">*</span></span><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> This narrative was compiled with information contained
in the medical records of TW MacDowell. The conversation between MacDowell and
Major Russell is dramatized.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-36242264846870852502017-04-03T00:00:00.000-07:002017-04-03T00:00:16.431-07:00Instructions for the Offensive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2hdBh_EPTneU_M0v7BQySW5GGq3RrDVuECulRBd5uB5xy2j8oTC3-F1GLzsoEGNOrzZdiKCHWeHIy8Xw3tlGJ7i_MNFZF5b2zDpsat9Iatdhs30QboHW7ECWMbTwkwydn1CSasXfPqE/s1600/Play-by-Play-The-Battle-of-Vimy-Ridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2hdBh_EPTneU_M0v7BQySW5GGq3RrDVuECulRBd5uB5xy2j8oTC3-F1GLzsoEGNOrzZdiKCHWeHIy8Xw3tlGJ7i_MNFZF5b2zDpsat9Iatdhs30QboHW7ECWMbTwkwydn1CSasXfPqE/s400/Play-by-Play-The-Battle-of-Vimy-Ridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“The front of attack on the Arras
side<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">was to include the Vimy Ridge,
possession<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">of which I considered necessary to
secure the<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> left flank.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">-Field Marshal
Sir Douglas Haig<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Well before dawn
on 29 March 1917, two small raids put out by the 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian
Infantry Brigade made the final rush to their entry points in the German front
line. Their task was straightforward, to
“obtain identification…kill Germans and lower the enemy’s moral.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> What they found was the wire mostly cut by
prior artillery fire, and loose, tangled bales of concertina thrown almost
absently over the parapet as an expedient fix.
Trenches were deep and dry, but incompletely constructed- in some cases
very poorly so. Morale, for the most
part, seemed absent. The Germans
“appeared to lack organisation and control.
There was no attempt made to counter-attack from the support line.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> All of this was very reassuring, considering
what was not long in the offing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The time had
come for the men of the Canadian Corps to screw their courage to the sticking
place. In this case, the metaphor holds
truth- as Lady Macbeth intended it to mean that after all the careful
preparation to ensure their plotting would succeed, only a lack of courage to
see it through could cause it to fail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9VrahDFuqmUqdhc1wLpzTO8WIyLgSunRP0pGVozztZeCviiA_zuXcrbzP7JWIOL-ILzR0zR9D4DfvUEKGQYmaY7YCe4LMr0hhCO9K_RMbE6Mt4lfRrs4_ILjID6cE4KMQaVAZ7IVkfY/s1600/vimy-painting1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI9VrahDFuqmUqdhc1wLpzTO8WIyLgSunRP0pGVozztZeCviiA_zuXcrbzP7JWIOL-ILzR0zR9D4DfvUEKGQYmaY7YCe4LMr0hhCO9K_RMbE6Mt4lfRrs4_ILjID6cE4KMQaVAZ7IVkfY/s320/vimy-painting1b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Vimy was “a low
mountain ridge which the Germans had made, as they had supposed, impregnable by
its heavy defences.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Its imposing stature and situation directly
opposite the lines now occupied by the four divisions of the Canadian Corps
left little doubt that taking this dominant feature would fall to them. Until late March 1917, this task, if given
any thought by the rank and file, could only be imagined in the abstract. That comfort was due to be dispersed. The thing was set. The final acts of preparation were playing
out; orders had been issued.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“The
Canadian Corps has been ordered to take the Vimy Ridge in conjunction with a
larger operation by the Third Army.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></b></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This in itself
was a component of the largest coordinated effort on the Western Front thus
far. “In the spring,” Field Marshal Sir
Douglas Haig would write about his plans for 1917, “as soon as the Allied
Armies were ready to commence operations, my first efforts were to be directed
against the enemy’s troops occupying the salient between the Scarpe and the
Ancre.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjnO1Fp3g748gHHHBqgOC7NDH9KNK0VXf4vr_1JYi9TY_RS0kPGQNVyOEoRi1EjhgxUjDLsiWc6m7a4DGAZsQd5F3lNftCuFPNudSr1wYqKO_Bfo9a8oQWnptNOz2daT0gNVAXJyRuxs/s1600/vimy-ridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjnO1Fp3g748gHHHBqgOC7NDH9KNK0VXf4vr_1JYi9TY_RS0kPGQNVyOEoRi1EjhgxUjDLsiWc6m7a4DGAZsQd5F3lNftCuFPNudSr1wYqKO_Bfo9a8oQWnptNOz2daT0gNVAXJyRuxs/s320/vimy-ridge.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At the very
periphery of this operational area, along the south bank of the Scarpe River,
Vimy Ridge held a dominant vantage, allowing the Germans remarkable observation
along Haig’s proposed axis of advance.
Capturing the Ridge as one of the primary objectives in the opening of
the spring campaign was vital so as to deny this asset to the enemy. In turn, possessing the Ridge would confer that advantage to Allied forces;
the field of observation in the opposite direction- towards German rear areas-
was just as impressive. Such was the
importance of this high ground that Haig believed while it may be possible for
German forces elsewhere in the salient to effect a withdrawal in order to
consolidate on more defensible ground, there would be no such movement from
Vimy. This well suited the
Commander-in-Chief. The enemy “would
almost be certain to fight for this ridge, and, as my object was to deal him a
blow which would force him to use up reserves, it was important that he should
not evade my attack.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That being the
case, it was critical for those forces assigned to the objective to be prepared
for a hard fight. The four divisions of
the Corps had a desirable mix of combat experience and fresh troops. For months leading up to the offensive, units
had been reinforced to full strength, their time spent out of the line
dedicated to an intense program of work-up training. While in the trenches, constant patrols and
raids had made a survey of the immediate area, an assessment of the enemy’s
capabilities and had leant just that much more to the proficiency of the troops
and the officers who would lead them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While the
precise day on which the operation would begin had yet to be revealed at the
divisional level, with the instructions now issued, each of the Canadian
Divisions had their tasks made clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yPH6cVz1lZVK-eimH1P_5MIUtlCGE4pfL3juj3IdEAhF9gQo-GwjagQdigFt5MndppTLr5zQYzNx3caknPAA7tQfD5OposQNUWGrvmAw0pTbXVBGtQhFXzeJJv6j0A-vavBCHhIXStg/s1600/6_Map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yPH6cVz1lZVK-eimH1P_5MIUtlCGE4pfL3juj3IdEAhF9gQo-GwjagQdigFt5MndppTLr5zQYzNx3caknPAA7tQfD5OposQNUWGrvmAw0pTbXVBGtQhFXzeJJv6j0A-vavBCHhIXStg/s320/6_Map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The battleground
facing the Corps had been divided into sections “dictated by the German zones
of defence, the objectives for each indicated by a coloured line on a map.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> In order, these were the Black, Red, Blue and
Brown Lines. Clear and limited
objectives specifically assigned to sub-units was going to be key to success. “The operation will be carried out in four
phases,” orders stated, “the first two phases, which are completed by the
capture of the RED Line, being carried out by Brigades in the front line, the
second two phases, which are completed by the capture of the BROWN Line being
carried out by Brigades in the second line.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Attacking units
would “leap-frog” through each other.
Lead battalions of the lead brigades would take and hold the first
objective, the Black Line which those brigade’s follow-up battalions would pass
through to secure the Red Line. This
process would then be repeated in turn with battalions of the second line
brigades gaining the Blue and finally the Brown Line. Support troops carrying wire, ammunition,
tools and other supplies along with stretcher bearers were allocated to each
successive line- to aid the wounded and consolidate new ground against
counter-attack. “A strict time-table
governed each stage of the advance….They were allowed 35 minutes to gain the
Black Line.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> With each line reached, a pause was arranged
for the infantry to reorganise and for the artillery to shift fire to their
next targets. In a rapid, coordinated
thrust, all four lines were to be in Canadian hands and fully consolidated by Zero
plus 5 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13gI9e6SOCFEie-y_w_B3ESQdO6l2bMNczj2pQ1uHQAcvhLX5ILShXhwq8bAsY1DaNZghyphenhyphenWc7wQR6VWBfdrTaC-Xus2H_yKRK_MdCxs7QkN_wL9swJueQocwx0-FEBj-bkKZhpnnSF54/s1600/19710261-0142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13gI9e6SOCFEie-y_w_B3ESQdO6l2bMNczj2pQ1uHQAcvhLX5ILShXhwq8bAsY1DaNZghyphenhyphenWc7wQR6VWBfdrTaC-Xus2H_yKRK_MdCxs7QkN_wL9swJueQocwx0-FEBj-bkKZhpnnSF54/s320/19710261-0142.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ground to be
taken would be well primed by an intense artillery schedule. Much of the poor condition of German trenches
observed by the raid of 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Bde. On 29 March was credit due to this
active preparation. Corps Artillery was
currently firing its “Phase I” programme.
This was a “general increase of activity gradually intensifying as the
subsequent period approaches.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Starting at three weeks before “Zero” and
being overtaken six days before that by “Phase II”, the main goals of this
initial phase were trench destruction, wire cutting, destruction of enemy
artillery positions and harassing fire on “all known approaches and
communications.” Efforts would be
confined for this period to targets within the first two objective lines, “to
minimize the chances of disclosing intentions.”
In fact, to further obscure the scale of the coming attack, during Phase
I no more than half of available artillery would be active. Guns were being concentrated into a
remarkable density with an average of one medium gun for every 15 yards and one
heavy piece for every 48 yards of a frontage measuring 6,700 yards. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Some of these
guns were still being brought into position and vast stores of ammunition were
being stockpiled in anticipation of the next phase; a dedicated bombardment of
unprecedented intensity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Likewise, soon
the troops would begin to move forward to their jumping-off points along the
line of departure. Clearly, it is hardly
possible to know what was on their minds, or if many of them were even quite
aware of what they were a part, or how history would come to view what they had
set out to accomplish. Time had come, to
screw their courage to the sticking place as “along the entire length of the
mighty Ridge, Canadian men-at-arms were lying there in the drizzling dark,
waiting for the moment when they would make the first concerted attack of the
war as a Corps, the four divisions side by side.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn11" title="">[11]</a></span></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftn11" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Some praise received for "Killing is a Sin":</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Really enjoyed the book, well done.”</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Damn, I think I spilled chili on a rare first edition; I'm enjoying it, couldn't stop reading during dinner.”</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“I was fortunate enough to see this in manuscript. Good stuff. If you're interested in WWI Fiction give it a look.”</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Incredible.”</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade “Operations
Order No. 138”, War Diary March 1917, Appendix No. 35<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade Memorandum to
1<sup>st</sup> Canadian Division re: “Minor Operation March 29 1917” War Diary,
March 1917 App No. 37 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Miller, R.F., “A Short Story of the 37<sup>th</sup>
Battalion” Public Address, 1944, pg. 4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">2<sup>nd</sup> Canadian Division “Instructions for the
Offensive” War Diary, March, 1917, Appendix 676<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Boraston, JH, Lt Col. (ed.) “Sir Douglas Haig’s
Despatches: December 1915-April 1919” JM Dent & Sons, 1919 pg. 81<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Boraston, <i>ibid</i>.
pg. 82</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Nicholson, GWL, Col. “Canadian Expeditionary Force
1914-1919: Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War” Queen’s
Printer 1962, pg. 247<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">2<sup>nd</sup> Canadian Division <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Nicholson, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Canadian Corps “Artillery Instructions for the Capture
of Vimy Ridge” Section 2: “Phase I” Canadian Corps Artillery War Diary March
1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn11">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Instructions%20for%20the%20Offensive.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Beattie, Kim “48<sup>th</sup> Highlanders of Canada
1891-1928”, Toronto, 1932 pg. 217</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-2335297564702637642017-03-20T00:00:00.000-07:002017-03-20T00:00:14.355-07:00Such a Bloody War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-vyXXyaeaVSxHh1i_t5YC58IPH7d3SNearDU8ipuvU96Ns_q-gCTn94aopDgru-nfOrRI0em1QV7xl4LvV_7rCbqqBRwNOGjrqxXsRNtxo5MInV0-U1jKegvsS6q2Ox0FTLlaQPFkak/s1600/3jmiyhyuknumt2c9ybtf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-vyXXyaeaVSxHh1i_t5YC58IPH7d3SNearDU8ipuvU96Ns_q-gCTn94aopDgru-nfOrRI0em1QV7xl4LvV_7rCbqqBRwNOGjrqxXsRNtxo5MInV0-U1jKegvsS6q2Ox0FTLlaQPFkak/s400/3jmiyhyuknumt2c9ybtf.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“During the fog on the morning of
the 2<sup>nd</sup>, our <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">parties clearing NO MAN’S LAND went
up close to the<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> German wire on our front line without being
molested.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">-<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Canadian Division War Diary, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">March
1917, Appendix A-4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“The men went
very well,” reads the final paragraph of the 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Division’s
report on the 1</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">st</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> March raid, “rallying more than once under their
officers, under a very heavy fire from rifles and machine guns.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Admiration of spirit could be of little
comfort to those who had faced, and been shattered by, that very heavy
fire. In all, it had been a costly
affair of no tactical, and only marginal practical gain. Lessons to be learned from the raid were to
be found in its deficiencies rather than what little had been achieved. A casualty rate of 42%</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[i]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
among the attacking troops was appalling, even by the standards of such a
bloody war.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15nRnokhE4OKML0yD3yYDlKTJmZVL4l376fdkOWLx-_qfzpjxvNr8ArXKONmyeMAhVqw3OF_ltE3RzEQZgMvcpnIkO2Ra7TW2Emsguu-Deij7qVSPaw-6bFm87jdVae8P_Dlycomn5js/s1600/19710261-0770-300x244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15nRnokhE4OKML0yD3yYDlKTJmZVL4l376fdkOWLx-_qfzpjxvNr8ArXKONmyeMAhVqw3OF_ltE3RzEQZgMvcpnIkO2Ra7TW2Emsguu-Deij7qVSPaw-6bFm87jdVae8P_Dlycomn5js/s1600/19710261-0770-300x244.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Objectively, the
number of officers and men participating was roughly equal to the full strength
of two battalions. Which means that the
vast majority of 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Division’s fighting strength did not take
part. It can be reasonably deduced that
the actions of 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> March 1917 created a loss for the Division as a
whole of between 7-9%. Such rational
accounting, however, makes no difference at all to those who “without exception
fought magnificently”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> in
an operation as ultimately purposeless as the raid turned out to be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The majority of those
casualties would be reconciled by reinforcements prior to the Corps’ operation
against Vimy Ridge in April. Available
numbers is just one item, and certainly does nothing to relieve irreplaceable
losses of intangible qualities- chief among these being experienced leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMA7rwDzSm5TGNoKWB4eM1bns_rid-dgi0Ly6-Bso0634bv7cZg6quBPRbr3LI65W-Iy4bww-cpmD76KfDC3DH1UGLVpmDevCY64ekBiD33IVFuDG0sz1zRGKqOtcnTSyvDxZwrOm0B0o/s1600/03885u.jpg__800x600_q85_crop_subject_location-701%252C324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMA7rwDzSm5TGNoKWB4eM1bns_rid-dgi0Ly6-Bso0634bv7cZg6quBPRbr3LI65W-Iy4bww-cpmD76KfDC3DH1UGLVpmDevCY64ekBiD33IVFuDG0sz1zRGKqOtcnTSyvDxZwrOm0B0o/s320/03885u.jpg__800x600_q85_crop_subject_location-701%252C324.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Two hundred men
had been killed, a further ninety-nine were missing, and the abortive nature of
the raid necessitated leaving the majority of the bodies where they had fallen. With all else which had gone wrong, the
notion of the dead remaining on the field could not be borne. “At night,” on the 2</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, “parties
of scouts and volunteers brought in several bodies from No-Man’s Land.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> This was dangerous work. The men participating in such tasks along the
raid’s frontage were at great risk of joining the comrades they were
endeavouring to recover.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the morning
of 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> March, the 87</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(Canadian Grenadier Guards)
Battalion, which had taken over the front line from the gutted 54</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
(Kootenay) Bn. spotted movement in No-man’s Land from the direction of the
German trenches. “About 8 A.M. a German
Major, O.C. German front line, bearing a Red Cross flag, came over their
trenches.” Calling for his Canadian
counterpart to come out and meet him, the German officer “offered an armistice
for a few hours in order to give opportunity of collecting the bodies of those
killed.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The German
Major, who spoke impeccable English, passed on his sentiments that those who
had died in such a heroic fashion “must not be left upon the field.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> “His object in offering the armistice was
that there might be fewer missing men and that those at home might gain some
consolation from the fact of their relatives having a Christian burial.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWZOcR57vxCCvZ0v-PNnF65ZnT9AyOEo8R5ZbdrJE62KvK8SI1myitaxEYSONQ5I4sALFj52Gpxqo4ZSdqQjNlCAjRMTVlxECg7j3wxxSzQrCB7xQ1WgkeBv3d1gi89cxvOSpRZpsoZQ/s1600/medic4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWZOcR57vxCCvZ0v-PNnF65ZnT9AyOEo8R5ZbdrJE62KvK8SI1myitaxEYSONQ5I4sALFj52Gpxqo4ZSdqQjNlCAjRMTVlxECg7j3wxxSzQrCB7xQ1WgkeBv3d1gi89cxvOSpRZpsoZQ/s320/medic4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With the
armistice agreed to and in place until noon, German stretcher bearers carried
the bodies to the mid-point of No-man’s Land, where Canadian troops took over
to bring their mates the rest of the way.
A second armistice was set for the following day, but both sides couldn’t
make agreement on terms or guarantees of safety in enough time, and thus was
cancelled. Things went back to whatever
passed for normal between trench lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Under the 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
March armistice, the 54</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Bn. records recovering 43 bodies. The following evening, after the failure to
agree on a second respite, a party under Lieutenant Joseph T. Smeeton buried “several
bodies in No-man’s Land under cover of darkness.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Similar armistices had been offered to the 75</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
(Mississauga) Battalion during which there were forty dead and eight wounded
recovered.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMIN_FSXNxcUzQ4FhLyZdlQtcR235OpsKojN8f-3CAOhSkQEZvOGdxwurs3nzOz5kirsSYK5Wrp9z_iHlbm7PDeWfdIKafkEaoYN1nAHcFqkZWqSGjiVNkKjdBV2h8ZNDoa_o6tfjMbQ/s1600/Canadian-memorial-vimy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMIN_FSXNxcUzQ4FhLyZdlQtcR235OpsKojN8f-3CAOhSkQEZvOGdxwurs3nzOz5kirsSYK5Wrp9z_iHlbm7PDeWfdIKafkEaoYN1nAHcFqkZWqSGjiVNkKjdBV2h8ZNDoa_o6tfjMbQ/s320/Canadian-memorial-vimy.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Despite all of
these efforts, of the nearly three hundred killed in action among the 11</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
and 12</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Brigades on 1</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>st</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">March, almost half-133- are
listed on the Vimy Memorial for having no known grave. Somewhere in this was Private John
Christopher Bose. Pte. Bose, a 26 year
old rancher from Ashcroft, British Columbia had reported to the 54</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion just before Christmas 1916 with a “draft of 145 O.R.,” which had “arrived
as reinforcements from the 172</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>nd</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Battalion.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> After a hard autumn at the Somme, Pte. Bose
and his fellow replacements were sorely needed.
He found himself among familiar company, writing to his sister at
Christmas that he had joined the same battalion as Harry Wikstrom, Pete Duncan,
“Crazy Joe,” Pete Boyle and Sam & Pete MacDonald, all fellows known to Bose
and his sister from back home.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitP4qJ94b_rz83VSJ6FYafjXTNn40KAYAYBr22jwr-UP-WRfFBX9jSwEp9KthNQTvq8ITPL6ekYv535EKWxxDKP0zyOC3gm_NTvE1tBHrxcYJl6f4tf_dSD__DYRdDdW2k6EdeEJpEs8k/s1600/JC+Bose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitP4qJ94b_rz83VSJ6FYafjXTNn40KAYAYBr22jwr-UP-WRfFBX9jSwEp9KthNQTvq8ITPL6ekYv535EKWxxDKP0zyOC3gm_NTvE1tBHrxcYJl6f4tf_dSD__DYRdDdW2k6EdeEJpEs8k/s320/JC+Bose.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pte. John Christopher Bose</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Pte. Bose’s
grand-nephew contacted me after reading my last post (<a href="http://ifyebreakfaith.blogspot.ca/2017/03/a-splendid-example-of-courage.html" target="_blank">A Splendid Example ofCourage</a>). His great-uncle, a soldier in
the 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Division had been killed on the 1</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>st</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">of March
1917. Could it be, he asked, that his
relative was part of this raid? Since no
casualties for this battalion on March 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> occurred beyond the
extent of the raid and that Pte. Bose remains among the 49 men of the 54</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Bn. listed on the Vimy Memorial, the answer is that he most certainly was.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As he is listed
on the Memorial, Pte. Bose was either one who was not recovered in the days
following, or that if he was, he was not able to be identified. This is a terribly inconclusive, but yet all
too common end for those who died in WWI.
It can be said of Pte. Bose, though, that when he met his end, he was
with his mates, sharing in their danger- and there is scant praise higher than
a soldier can have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">The rush of raids, the tension of late night patrols, a great Canadian battle and men on the razor's edge between life and death are all part of my acclaimed premier novel</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThUHsP2qZz0_J7rhuHQUhNT8BF8kfPGZrx-i5LAADuZ4TeQenzwcWPEKCXM3f-f7SXaiLjlzsrOvU_UZ4-GIwyz9Zj9-hunHYeU3nV1vlM5GKBNKAMYaK4RJYhIBs15R6CELkQpvbuBQ/s1600/new+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjThUHsP2qZz0_J7rhuHQUhNT8BF8kfPGZrx-i5LAADuZ4TeQenzwcWPEKCXM3f-f7SXaiLjlzsrOvU_UZ4-GIwyz9Zj9-hunHYeU3nV1vlM5GKBNKAMYaK4RJYhIBs15R6CELkQpvbuBQ/s320/new+cover.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">“Killing is a Sin”</a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now available from Amazon sites worldwide.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 17.12px;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 17.12px;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 17.12px;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "times new roman";">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<b style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Some praise received for "Killing is a Sin":</b></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Really enjoyed the book, well done.”</span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Damn, I think I spilled chili on a rare first edition; I'm enjoying it, couldn't stop reading during dinner.”</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“I was fortunate enough to see this in manuscript. Good stuff. If you're interested in WWI Fiction give it a look.”</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
“Incredible.”</div>
</div>
</span></div>
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division, War Diary, March 1917
Appendix A<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">73<sup>rd</sup> Battalion War Diary, 1 March, 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">54<sup>th</sup> Battalion War Diary, 2 March, 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">87<sup>th</sup> Battalion War Diary, 3 March, 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Personal letter written by Lt. D. McQuarie quoted in: “Names
on a Cenotaph: Kootenay Lake Men in World War I” by Sylvia Crooks, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">87<sup>th</sup> Battalion War Diary, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">54<sup>th</sup> Battalion War Diary, 3 March, 1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">75<sup>th</sup> Battalion War Diary 3 March, 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">54<sup>th</sup> Battalion War Diary, 16 December, 1916</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Personal letter written by Pte. J.C. Bose, 25 December
1916- Provided by family<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Such%20a%20Bloody%20War.docx#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Of
1,669 Officers and Other Ranks from the 54<sup>th</sup>, 75<sup>th</sup>, 72<sup>nd</sup>
and 73<sup>rd</sup> Battalions, 200 were killed, 397 wounded and 99 counted as
missing. Total casualties among attacking troops is therefore 696. (696/1669=
.417)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-66849299925393436352017-03-06T00:00:00.000-08:002017-03-06T06:00:18.978-08:00A Splendid Example of Courage<div style="text-align: right;">
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">“First discharge of gas apparently had<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">no effect on the enemy”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">-</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">54<sup>th</sup> (Kootenay) Bn. War Diary<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Vimy Ridge, 1 March 1917</span></div>
</div>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWd5AquioLNodQwS1NmIpYTBNlqT1-YD1yP6M2ktZaJsMkTVj13-tVOU2dtcgzdUrULQk0fgLxNe1yuIdhepwueeWNzSfvdogN7uLkijMezfKvXxMSuzO-xFydjkAekhpqI6USEfDyqw/s1600/beckett_trenchraid.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWd5AquioLNodQwS1NmIpYTBNlqT1-YD1yP6M2ktZaJsMkTVj13-tVOU2dtcgzdUrULQk0fgLxNe1yuIdhepwueeWNzSfvdogN7uLkijMezfKvXxMSuzO-xFydjkAekhpqI6USEfDyqw/s400/beckett_trenchraid.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Beckett- Trench Raid" by MK Barrett <a href="https://matthewkbarrett.com/" target="_blank">(matthewkbarrett.com)</a> used with permission</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">A quarter hour
before six in the morning on the first day of March, 1917, the largest trench
raid yet attempted began its final approach on enemy lines from forward
positions in No-man’s Land which had been reached under the cover of a
protective artillery barrage. When the
shelling lifted to fall upon German supports, 1,660 officers and men of the 4</span><sup style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">
Canadian Division in a succession of waves along a 2,000 yard frontage took the
last leap forward to breach the enemy’s front line trenches.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg56YjMO92S1dMNC5SZaZg59GPa2BHTwuquu43vqHPagLbZ9zLHO6tbf1mtTy-vDONYsskMd8u-Wxhtl6jo4exkY8JHYy3ZXt-Vgi0Of2FQ1vE8Pxyo7MFI-dd1JlApnbObb27dNFH53c/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg56YjMO92S1dMNC5SZaZg59GPa2BHTwuquu43vqHPagLbZ9zLHO6tbf1mtTy-vDONYsskMd8u-Wxhtl6jo4exkY8JHYy3ZXt-Vgi0Of2FQ1vE8Pxyo7MFI-dd1JlApnbObb27dNFH53c/s320/hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The raiders had
been assured that preparations, which included a voluminous release of poison
gas and extensive counter-battery fire would have left the German front a
vacant, gaping wound offering little resistance. In reality, the Canadians found themselves
moving towards defences still largely intact and fully manned by an alert
garrison determined to repulse this attack.
“Severe casualties were inflicted upon our troops by enemy bombs, rifle
and M.G. fire, particularly on the right of our battalion frontage,”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
the 75</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Mississauga) Battalion would later report.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Barely one quarter of objective lines were reached, most of those on the left edge of the
advance; while in many places, no lodgement was gained at all. Throughout, losses were horrendous, some 41%
of attacking troops being killed, wounded or counted as missing. In a remarkable level of clinical detachment,
4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Division’s assessment of the operation states that “the
results gained were favourable.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn2" title=""><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></a></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn2" style="font-size: 12pt;" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The 4</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup>
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Division had much to gain by taking such a risk. Being the last Canadian division to take the
field, it lacked much in practical experience, particularly regarding
large-scale operations. This goes a
great length to explain that 4 Can. Div. mounted more and larger raids along
their front in February than the rest of the Corps </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">combined</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. A thorough
appraisal of German defensive capabilities was essential to dedicated planning
for the upcoming operations to take and hold the Ridge. Considering that the strongly fortified
positions along Hill 145 would be one of the 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Division’s
objectives in that attack, a committed probe against these lines was tactically
prudent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This probe was
to take place after two consecutive releases of gas. A larger one at first was expected to clear
enemy trenches; the second was timed in order to catch the Germans as they
stood down from the first alert. Using
the surprise this was intended to cause, the infantry would advance rapidly to
their objectives behind a swift and abridged artillery barrage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFs85XtRHKXW1U9cHOs_ihfaL-dTP2lpxhFqSAweAJjB_fyqqdNr5Skqr9rxbGONVgVgNRSazqDXQHkpRksG0aO14N1X0o2XHH3b4mrdSxsxFLf8eVyfmJKgZ-5ik9qQ8M0nBUgl59kqs/s1600/Fight_in_a_Cloud_of_Gas.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFs85XtRHKXW1U9cHOs_ihfaL-dTP2lpxhFqSAweAJjB_fyqqdNr5Skqr9rxbGONVgVgNRSazqDXQHkpRksG0aO14N1X0o2XHH3b4mrdSxsxFLf8eVyfmJKgZ-5ik9qQ8M0nBUgl59kqs/s320/Fight_in_a_Cloud_of_Gas.gif" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Such a plan, in
some estimations, was woefully lacking.
The 11</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Infantry Brigade had earmarked two of its
battalions, the 54</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Kootenay) and 75</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Mississauga) to
provide the right wing of the attack; the other half made up of 12 Can. Inf.
Bde.’s 72</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 73</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Bn.’s. With the attack imminent, the commanders of
the 54</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 75</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> made informal objections to Brigadier
General Victor Odlum, G.O.C. 11 Bde.
Regardless that choosing to address the deficits of the operation would
put their careers at great risk, Lt. Colonels A.H.G. Kemball, CB, DSO and SG
Beckett both petitioned General Odlum for a postponement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Colonel Kemball
had an impressive resume. A career
soldier with three decades of service with the British Indian Army for which he
was made a Companion to the Order of Bath (CB), he’d been only a few years into
retirement, living in British Columbia, when the Great War began. His Distinguished Service Order had been
awarded for actions at the Somme the previous autumn, personally commanding his
battalion in action, setting “a splendid example of courage and leadership
throughout.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In this
instance, however, Kemball “objected strenuously,” to Odlum, “arguing that
because of the unpredictable wind, the raid should be postponed and more
artillery fire brought to bear on German lines.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn4" title=""><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></a></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn4" style="font-size: 12pt;" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">While Colonel
Beckett couldn’t boast of such a background as his colleague, Kemball, he was a
long serving officer with the pre-war Militia and a highly regarded Toronto
architect. He was “no less
concerned….not only was the surprise attack no longer a secret,”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> he
also considered his men not sufficiently trained for the operation as planned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">General Odlum
took these misgivings as serious as they were and put these objections in
writing and in person to 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Division HQ. They were noted, and dismissed. The raid would go as scheduled</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">;
but it certainly wouldn’t go as planned.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As the men of 11
and 12 Brigades moved to their start points early on 1</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>st</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">March, “the
first gas wave was released at 3 a.m.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Enemy retaliation was “desultory”- machine
gun and rifle fire of little effect and shelling of areas to the rear of the
assembly points. 11 Brigade didn’t
release the second gas wave, owing to a change in wind direction, while 12
Brigade went ahead with their release, regardless. This mostly came back on friendly lines,
creating confusion, if not a few casualties and as such was entirely
ineffective against the enemy who had been alerted to an impending attack from
the time of the first gas burst. The
preparatory artillery bombardment commenced at 5.40, and it was extremely
lacking, as Col. Kemball had predicted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3t0YmUPwVpq9UeoDSJFFi8HkJdAkdZXxRcJZPMo6EnMl9yS8zcuLVKvGidcYkjZUok424LWdTFKZlkJFWaFwz_Hf1dQDsaYVRululCl3ZY2BWuq9HLe09PnUunQ9jA7EcVOcNJoggxA/s1600/485902-1360x768-%255BDesktopNexus.com%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3t0YmUPwVpq9UeoDSJFFi8HkJdAkdZXxRcJZPMo6EnMl9yS8zcuLVKvGidcYkjZUok424LWdTFKZlkJFWaFwz_Hf1dQDsaYVRululCl3ZY2BWuq9HLe09PnUunQ9jA7EcVOcNJoggxA/s320/485902-1360x768-%255BDesktopNexus.com%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Assumptions that
the gas would clear the enemy garrison and the need to maintain surprise by
moving as quickly as was safe to follow after the gas called for a mere seven
minute barrage on German front line trenches.
Observers noted that the “barrage was not sufficiently concentrated +
caused no slackening of the enemy’s fire.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Precisely at
5.47, the first waves stepped off. Along
12 Brigade’s front, the “73</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>rd</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and 72</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>nd</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Battalions reached
their objectives in most parts,”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
destroying a number of mineshafts and dugouts as well as inflicting a large
amount of casualties and taking 36 prisoners.
Things did not go anywhere near as well for 11 Brigade.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The 54</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion’s assault- the far right edge of the Division- went forward in the
face of very heavy fire and became stalled by strong wire entanglements the
short barrage had done nothing to clear and against which no headway could be
made.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Right there with
his men, sharing the danger of the exact conditions he had made his protest in
regards to, was Col. Kemball. “He was in
the lead of the Company right up to the German wire and had some difficulty in
trying to find a gap. As he was getting
through the wire several bombs were thrown in his direction, besides heavy
rifle fire and one bomb was seen to hit him on his right side, knocking him
into the wire and presumably killing him at once.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn10" title=""><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></a></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn10" style="font-size: 12pt;" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nothing less
could have been expected of Colonel Kemball.
Before his retirement to what was to be a quiet life in British
Columbia, Col. Kemball had held command of a regiment of Ghurkhas, the Nepalese
tribesmen esteemed then, as now for being fierce, determined and dedicated
warriors. It would have been unthinkable
to him, personally, than to be anywhere other than where he was- particularly
if the thought the operation was dangerously flawed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The 75</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion fared little better. Almost
immediately as the advance had begun, the officer commanding the raid, Major
James Langstaff, who was also the battalion’s deputy C.O. was killed. “Considerable opposition was offered,
particularly in the right of the battalion frontage,” where the enemy were able
to prevent lodgement with “heavy fire of all kinds.” Losses were severe, “and the survivors,
having lost all their officers, commenced to withdraw.” While the battalion’s left made a deep, and
costly penetration of German lines, the situation on the right was exactly what
Colonel Beckett, now observing from forward lines, had voiced his concerns
about. With loss of leadership and
cohesion threatening the collapse of the assault, Col. Beckett “at once mounted
the parapet, which was swept with heavy fire, and advancing boldly, endeavoured
by his example and command to check the retirement.” He was killed, instantly, not more than forty
yards from Canadian lines.</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn11" title="">[11]</a></span></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn11" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3AxKIK9dn2d8ApDcUBPnL56n4EgrOB3N86LRUYSX1ieLnaLIFtGMnrI3MIHEjp3nAoSpXTl7O5pP22B21oTSMfMe8aPJxA2J3M_GyCFk55C5-S5FOcfWkej-as4kdqf2iHwonvWg1V0/s1600/Evans8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3AxKIK9dn2d8ApDcUBPnL56n4EgrOB3N86LRUYSX1ieLnaLIFtGMnrI3MIHEjp3nAoSpXTl7O5pP22B21oTSMfMe8aPJxA2J3M_GyCFk55C5-S5FOcfWkej-as4kdqf2iHwonvWg1V0/s320/Evans8.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The sticking
points raised by Col.’s Kemball and Beckett would prove to be the very items
listed in post assessments as factors contributing to the areas of least
success. It is a sad matter of
historical kismet that these exact items- the ineffectiveness of gas and lack
of surprise</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: xx-small; line-height: 107%;">[</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">12]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">-
were directly involved in the deaths of both these officers, and the shattering
losses to their battalions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The rush of raids, the tension of late night patrols, a great Canadian battle and men on the razor's edge between life and death are all part of my acclaimed premier novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Damn, I think I spilled chili on a rare first edition; I'm enjoying it, couldn't stop reading during dinner.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
</span>
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<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“I was fortunate enough to see this in manuscript. Good stuff. If you're interested in WWI Fiction give it a look.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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“Incredible.”</div>
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</span><br />
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<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">75<sup>th</sup> (Mississauga) Battalion, War Diary, 1
March 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division, War Diary, March
1917, Appendix “A”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette No. 29898, 10 January
1917 pg. 454<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Cook, Tim, “Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great
War 1917-1918”, Penguin Canada 2008 pp 64-5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Cook, Tim, <i>ibid.</i>
pg. 65</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">75<sup>th</sup> Battalion War Diary “Summary of Events
and Information” 1 March 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">54<sup>th</sup> (Kootenay) Battalion, War Diary, 1
March 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division, War Diary, March
1917, Appendix “A”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Quotation from Official Report Re. Death of Lt Col. AHG
Kemball taken from “Names on a Cenotaph: Kootenay Lake Men in World War I” by
Sylvia Crooks, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn11">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">75<sup>th</sup> Battalion War Diary, “Circumstances of
Death- Lieut. Cl. SG Beckett” 1 March 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn12">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Splendid%20Example%20of%20Courage.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division, War Diary, March
1917, Appendix “A”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-43066319423005124362017-02-27T06:40:00.000-08:002017-02-27T06:40:42.095-08:00Then Bedlam Broke<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The completed plans showed that the
operation was<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">a minor attack rather than a
retaliatory raid.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">- </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Capt.
K. Beattie, <u>48<sup>th</sup> Highlanders of Canada</u> pg. 206<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With slow and
deliberate movements, and using the shadows of a dark night to shroud them, the
small raiding party wormed through the double apron of wire to a stone’s throw
distance from the enemy trench. Of
course, it wasn’t stones they threw, but grenades, leaping down into the front
line only moments after the synchronous detonation. No one was here, so the raiders spread out,
one group quickly encountering a burly sergeant trying to raise the alarm. In a blink, the fellow was set upon, roughed
up and clubbed senseless. His mates had
been quick to act, and the trench was now becoming a hot place to be. Dragging their inert prize with them, the
bold raiders slipped back into the murky night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp__a_OziY6m_winLlHiIWhme_nmwtH0bheS3fLLmoRl7Ya65m-rRF6wO9CK4HxALSXkfVwYD6vszDlYup9HPqJKQzyJFOoYQQu7788Ssk-irT0cYeQCuL336_XXdvq6SRSDZPvJSUDQ/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp__a_OziY6m_winLlHiIWhme_nmwtH0bheS3fLLmoRl7Ya65m-rRF6wO9CK4HxALSXkfVwYD6vszDlYup9HPqJKQzyJFOoYQQu7788Ssk-irT0cYeQCuL336_XXdvq6SRSDZPvJSUDQ/s200/2.jpg" width="198" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Then occurred,”
a historian would later write, “the incident which transformed all kind
thoughts…into a deep desire for revenge….In a swift surprise raid about 4a.m.
February 25</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, Sgt. J.E. King of No. I Company was captured by the
Germans.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> King, only just twenty years of age, who had
earned his stripes and an MM at the Somme would spend the remainder of the war
as a “guest of the Kaiser.” It may have
been over for him, but his mates in the 15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (48</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Highlanders) Battalion weren’t willing to let such audacity go unanswered. Their front-line neighbours, the 14</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
(Royal Montreal Regiment) Bn. had been similarly visited, having two of their
number made prisoner as well as a handful of other casualties.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Their Brigade
was quick to issue a directive. “The
Germans have raided the front line of the 3</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">rd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Infantry
Brigade successfully no two occasions.
In order to retaliate for these, to inflict loss on the enemy and
capture prisoners it has been decided to carry out the following raids-”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Brigade had put forward the notion of three
separate raids, undertaken on consecutive days, through circumstances would
prevent all but the first from execution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A major reason
for this was the start of what was to be this sequence of raids by the 14</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
and 15</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Battalions was delayed by a postponement of twenty-four
hours due to an operation by the 4</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Canadian Division scheduled for
the morning of 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> March.
Much larger in scale and requiring support of resources which would then
be unavailable to the 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Division, 4 Can Div’s effort took
precedence. It was more of a probe of
the enemy defences than a raid; it involved a gas attack prior to a strong
assault on German front line trenches by infantry from the 11</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and
12</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Infantry Brigades advancing “on a front of about 2,000
yards, with a strength of about 1 man every 2 yards formed in a wave, followed
by strong patrols with demolition materials.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Actions proposed
by the 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Brigade were miniscule in comparison, but there certainly
was more personal motivation than anything of tactical significance. They had been taken off guard, “so plans were
laid, ambitious ones this time, to even the score.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> It was to be a front line smash only- a quick
job of no more than fifteen minutes on site.
With the 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Division’s task successfully out of the way,
this pocket operation was then set for 2 a.m. the following morning, March 2</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Ample support had been laid on with
artillery, trench mortars and heavy machine guns firing in concert to cover the
advance. On the left, the 14</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">’s
raiding parties- three officers and 77 men- were able to get within forty yards
of the barrage cracking down on the German line. When it lifted to concentrate on support
trenches there was only that distance to bound to gain entry. Lt. Beagly and his No. 3 Party provided flank
protection with a pair of Lewis guns laid perpendicular to the trench while
Lt.’s McRae and Pitcher led their men in.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Working in opposite directions from each
other, Parties 1 & 2 had immediate contact with an enemy intent on
repelling them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzTcx8QpqmOvzp5LCAZ5Fd1W2dYImXFjUrhud1c17qbFeEMpDhn7baDZT_WYvgnIl88XEXgnpQwJV_5OIt8fOgtBn4mDR7KqikdwoR188CG2uaYplGi8s9zcjWjbkOlOzZhGVJWFTVn4/s1600/tumblr_o7e1jtXls21u591slo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzTcx8QpqmOvzp5LCAZ5Fd1W2dYImXFjUrhud1c17qbFeEMpDhn7baDZT_WYvgnIl88XEXgnpQwJV_5OIt8fOgtBn4mDR7KqikdwoR188CG2uaYplGi8s9zcjWjbkOlOzZhGVJWFTVn4/s320/tumblr_o7e1jtXls21u591slo1_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At the head of
his squad, Corporal Price was shot dead, his assailant quickly captured by Lt.
McRae. Further ahead, “a stiff fight
took place with bombs….A group of about seven was stationed here, four were
left dead and the remainder escaped.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Another prisoner was taken at a dugout which
was subsequently destroyed when the remaining occupants refused to
surrender. There were two more dugouts
found. One being more of a shallow
scrape was treated with bombs. The
other, a substantial construction, yielded another prisoner. Before any more Germans could be persuaded to
give themselves up, the return signal- Strombos air horns blasting from the
Canadian lines- was heard. Lt. McRae
ordered charges to be set to destroy this dugout before they left.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lt. Pitcher and
his men had several short scraps, taking four prisoners. “Nothing further of the enemy was
encountered,” as the men reached the extent of their advance, when, “two
Germans were met, one of these a stretcher bearer, with a large red cross on
his sleeve. He pointed a revolver at our
men and cried ‘hands up’ in English.
Both were disposed of by a bomb and rifle shot.”(Report) It was here another dugout was discovered
which was also destroyed by a mobile charge when entreaties to come up were
rebuffed. On the way out, “one other
German was found skulking at the bottom of the trench…he was brought along.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn7" title="">[7]</a></span></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn7" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the right,
the Highlanders weren’t able to keep as close to the barrage, and had a slightly
greater</span></span></div>
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distance to cover on the artillery lift. It was easily covered in a rush as “Hun
lights were jumping up in frightened succession everywhere, the crash of our
barrage added its fitful glare and at once there was no more use for caution.”<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Trench raids, by
nature of the close quarters had more in common with a street fight between
rival gangs than a battle of armies. The
men of the 15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Bn. had outfitted themselves accordingly, “they had
the usual raid equipment- rifles, Mills, wire-cutters, cog-wheels on
entrenching tool handles to be used as persuaders, and various private
inventions….These were anything from captured German fist-daggers to
policemen’s billies. They were a
fearsome and determined crew.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn9" title="">[9]</a></span></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn9" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Both officers
leading parties, Lt.’s Neily and Reeves, were wounded during entry, Neily quite
seriously. However, both continued to
direct their men, displaying courage and gallantry deserving of a Military
Cross each.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> With only a quarter hour to press their
revenge, “the two parties worked…blocked communications, and whether the enemy
liked it or not were in complete charge of his front-line.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[11]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Dugouts encountered were subject to the same
treatment doled out by the 14</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Bn., “many trapped Germans were
killed when they did not come up to submit to capture when ordered.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[12]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Time was up, the
recall signal sent; and either it wasn’t heard, or it was ignored during the
grim act of vengeance. History is
unclear, except that the Highlanders were several minutes behind schedule at
their rally point, 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Brigade making note that the 15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion “had a very stiff fight during the whole period it was raiding.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[13]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
What was telling in this was that both officers had been wounded, along with
fourteen other ranks. Three O.R.’s had
been killed outright, two more would later die of their wounds. Of the 14</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, the sole casualty was
the death of Cpl. Price, for a bag of nine prisoners. The 15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> took three.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Exhilarated by
the experience, the returned men were mustered out of the front line, but not
everyone was accounted for. A party of
stretcher bearers, carrying the bodies of two 15</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> men killed on the
raid “lost their way and did not reach our lines until nearly 4 a.m. They had placed the two bodies in a shell
hole and repeated attempts were made later to locate them, but without
success.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[14]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Both Cpl. D. MacDonald and Pte. H.R. Foden,
48</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Highlanders of Canada, are named on the Vimy Monument to the
Missing. </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
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<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Beattie, Kim “48<sup>th</sup> Highlanders of Canada
1891-1928”, Toronto, 1932 pg. 204<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade Operations
Order No. 130, 27 February 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division “Report on Operations
with Gas on Night of February 28<sup>th</sup>/March 1<sup>st</sup>” War Diary,
March 1917 Appendix ‘A’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Beattie, Kim, <i>ibid.</i>
pg. 205</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">14<sup>th</sup> (Royal Montreal Regiment) Bn. “Report
on Minor Operations March 1<sup>st</sup>-2<sup>nd</sup> 1917” War Diary, March
1917 Appendecies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">14<sup>th</sup> (Royal Montreal Regiment) Bn. <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Beattie, Kim, <i>ibid.</i>
pg. 206</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette, No. 30023, 17 April
1917 pg.3689<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Beattie, Kim, <i>ibid.</i>
pg. 207</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div id="ftn12">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div id="ftn13">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade, War Diary, 2<sup>nd</sup>
March 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Then%20Bedlam%20Broke.docx#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Beattie, Kim, <i>ibid.</i>
pg. 208</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-57361420938177619962017-02-20T00:00:00.000-08:002017-02-20T00:00:21.749-08:00Our Men Were Out to Kill<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“A sharp fight ensued and a large
number of <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">casualties were caused to the
Bosche”-<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Major
R E Partridge, Bde. Major,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">12</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup>
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Canadian Infantry Brigade</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Shortly after
sunrise on the 19</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> of February, 1917, a small raiding party from
the 78</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Winnipeg Grenadiers) Battalion stormed the enemy’s front
line trench directly opposite the battalion’s position. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi770qGsf_lDloUOZBzmAjHHIa7z3aWgkqiGbx2SHM4PK8c34xLh_ABeE_YCxFzGBZf1qZJ4oeJRheZafmc-Z2O7Vb8TKP2HpFICXUVDCFofKTy-i3bl8yxwYUX4-FEiJQBuIL3-6cxLbc/s1600/4247db3321bc0629c165c1cfae4e3a47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi770qGsf_lDloUOZBzmAjHHIa7z3aWgkqiGbx2SHM4PK8c34xLh_ABeE_YCxFzGBZf1qZJ4oeJRheZafmc-Z2O7Vb8TKP2HpFICXUVDCFofKTy-i3bl8yxwYUX4-FEiJQBuIL3-6cxLbc/s200/4247db3321bc0629c165c1cfae4e3a47.jpg" width="173" /></a></div>
Eighty men under four officers had been
divided into four groups tasked to either block off and isolate the raid area
or to seek out mine shafts and dugouts for destruction. The enemy would be taken prisoner whenever
possible. Regardless of completion, the
raid was not to spend more than ten minutes in the German line. The war diary notes that many dugouts were
bombed, one of which “apparently being a loaded mine shaft as resulting explosion
was much greater than that would be caused by a mobile charge.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
This resulted in a crater eighty feet in diameter and twenty-five feet deep,
the displaced earth burying Sergeant Lloyd beyond recovery. Three prisoners were quickly hustled back to
Canadian lines, the brief raid forming up to be a great success despite the
loss of Sgt. Lloyd.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Upon the signal
to withdraw, the party being led by Lieutenant Wilfred Derbyshire, exfiltrating
via a sap leading to a feature known as “Kennedy Crater” “met stubborn
resistance from a body of HUNS.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Lt. Derbyshire’s men had no choice but to
fight their way through, most of the party becoming casualties in the
scrap. “In this engagement, the work of
Lieut. Derbyshire, Pte. Fulton and Pte. H A Andrew was particularly
meritorious.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> All three returned to No man’s Land in an
attempt to fetch back the wounded left on the field. In this they succeeded- none who could be
saved were left behind, although in the effort, Fulton himself was severely
wounded and Andrew killed</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: large;">*</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This brief, but
intense encounter at Kennedy Crater resulted in the majority of the casualties
sustained by the entire raid, a total of nine killed and fifteen wounded. It was sufficient to get the Grenadier’s blood
up. Such that, when the 38</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
(Ottawa) Battalion, in trenches to the right of the 78</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, proposed a
similar raid, the Winnipeg Grenadiers decided to have a go directly against
Kennedy Crater. The war diary conceals
nothing of what this attempt was to be: “Arrangements being made to launch a
second attack on KENNEDY CRATER and endeavor to avenge the losses of the
previous raid and to obtain the bodies of the men who had fallen.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgig3QCjpvjh2rVhaiwgYjoEdQ_tArttiDs2y5XBbgYcQbTRqWHFN5-pdSyyyvHe9_p7hXjYDTx1CjD6y2YR9VKw5662QjdjVuWge_MFxK940lyxGpLMKByeXf-QKatB4zUILb3kYdLdBQ/s1600/06fc3d95e752c529fa55c0db93d2abcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgig3QCjpvjh2rVhaiwgYjoEdQ_tArttiDs2y5XBbgYcQbTRqWHFN5-pdSyyyvHe9_p7hXjYDTx1CjD6y2YR9VKw5662QjdjVuWge_MFxK940lyxGpLMKByeXf-QKatB4zUILb3kYdLdBQ/s320/06fc3d95e752c529fa55c0db93d2abcc.jpg" width="236" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Orders called
for the 38</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> “To enter (the enemy’s) trenches at dusk in five or six
parties totalling about 90 officers and other ranks, clear his trenches and
return after remaining for ten minutes.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> In this, the Ottawa Battalion’s raid was
decidedly similar to that of the 78</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">’s prior enterprise. Smashing through the German front lines in
such a way might prove distraction enough for the Winnipeg effort- a much
smaller force, less than thirty men, whose sole purpose would be to cut off all
access to the crater and the sap which led from it back to German
trenches. Ostensibly, the instructions
indicated they were to “capture the sentry post,”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
however, no such intention remained among men who had been so roughly handled by
the same enemy troops in the days before:
“Our men were out to kill BOSCHE.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Timing set for
dusk with the advantage of a damp, misty day was expected to help conceal the
approach to German lines. Despite this,
the men of the 38</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> “were quite visible to the enemy directly they
emerged…all are of the opinion that the enemy was thoroughly prepared for the
Raids.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">No-man’s Land
was heavily broken and churned; the difficult ground facing the 38</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
delaying their advance. In the centre of
the five parties, No.’s 2 and 3 “immediately
encountered heavy fire from three Machine guns…and rifle fire from a party of
between 25-30 Huns.” Preliminary work
by the artillery had not been effective here.
Lieutenant Ketcheson, O.C. No. 2 Party was slightly wounded but carried
on forward. Trying to move ahead, even
at a crawl was proving difficult. Lt.
Ketcheson and his counterpart with No. 3 Party, Lt. Stott “decided to rush the
objective. Lieut. Ketcheson was again
wounded, this time severely; several other casualties occurring.” Parties 2 and 3 reached a point five yards
from the enemy trench, where “an active bombing fight ensued, resulting in a
considerable number of enemy casualties.”
During the exchange of grenades, Lt. Stott and some of his men gained
lodgement in the enemy trench which “at point of entry was almost waist deep in
mud and water.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Before much else could be done, time had
lapsed and the men were required to withdraw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGPQDRznGHzqeQ-4ZtKFtPF2w0uko-IjHmQRZFIjOHVPHxz6cxfjHtX_exDZFMWOj1HPG6k0lJj4oi_JWo5omIIqFlDLy2dYUPy_3udf_92MXVwfCOxJm9yZK8_xr2UR-nARuf4vhh8A/s1600/CDN_WELL_V_18185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGPQDRznGHzqeQ-4ZtKFtPF2w0uko-IjHmQRZFIjOHVPHxz6cxfjHtX_exDZFMWOj1HPG6k0lJj4oi_JWo5omIIqFlDLy2dYUPy_3udf_92MXVwfCOxJm9yZK8_xr2UR-nARuf4vhh8A/s320/CDN_WELL_V_18185.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The other
parties of the 38</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> also met determined resistance, but all managed
to breach the German line in hard fights punctuated by liberal use of grenades
and mobile charges. Two men, Pte.’s Labelle and Lalonde of No.’s 4 and 5
Parties , respectively, would be decorated for picking up enemy bombs which had
landed nearby and throwing them back- in both cases killing several Germans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At the end of
the ten minutes allotted, all involved returned to their rally points, having accounted
for “thirty-three dead Huns…six dugouts were bombed, estimated that the enemy
sustained at least forty other casualties,”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
in exchange for four killed and 27 wounded.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmFTn7_xKdqVsiqliVBNLcTsQDwCUtkXWQc-YND7oV_-4wHf_qI3KpLHe2WBDRXQ-u2CubGgIZzc8H-dh2Ccgnz59SGY__Qlzz7-g__vxmEtbcrgC2_ZWD_u0onXHal_t_fjTCeN_XM4/s1600/80985-976x1538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmFTn7_xKdqVsiqliVBNLcTsQDwCUtkXWQc-YND7oV_-4wHf_qI3KpLHe2WBDRXQ-u2CubGgIZzc8H-dh2Ccgnz59SGY__Qlzz7-g__vxmEtbcrgC2_ZWD_u0onXHal_t_fjTCeN_XM4/s320/80985-976x1538.jpg" width="203" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Meanwhile, the
retaliatory effort of the 78</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion against Kennedy Crater was
in full swing. The main body, Party ‘B’
of twenty men under Lt. Symonds, divided into three squads upon entering the
front line trench. “One squad, after
considerable opposition, established a block,” at the point of entry, “another
blocked FLT to the South,” the remaining squad, exactly as detailed beforehand,
proceeded north along the trench towards the sap out to Kennedy Crater. Here, again “a sharp fight ensued and a large
number of casualties were caused to the Bosche.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[11]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Some enemy troops attempted to gain refuge in
two dugouts. Both were demolished with
mobile charges.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Major Thornton
and seven other men making up Party ‘A’ were holding the crater for Party ‘B’
to withdraw through. They had also
employed two mobile charges with great effect.
Everything had gone to tick, “the rear covering party were forced to
bomb the F.L. Trench continuously to cover the withdrawal.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> At the expense of eight men wounded “Not
serious”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[13]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
the Grenadiers had reaped a revenge of almost fifty enemy casualties. Most importantly, “one of the bodies of the
Battn’s casualties in the previous raid…was brought back.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> It would remain, unfortunately that only three
of the nine dead of the 19</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> February were recovered. The remaining six are named on the Vimy
Memorial to the Missing.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[15]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The raid, for
its violent purpose, “could not have gone better and a great number of the
enemy were killed.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftn16" title=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[16]</span></span></a></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The rush of raids, the tension of late night patrols, a great Canadian battle and men on the razor's edge between life and death are all part of my acclaimed premier novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">“Killing is a Sin”</a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now available from Amazon sites worldwide.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Some praise received for "Killing is a Sin":</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">“Really enjoyed the book, well done.”</span></div>
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“Damn, I think I spilled chili on a rare first edition; I'm enjoying it, couldn't stop reading during dinner.”</div>
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“I was fortunate enough to see this in manuscript. Good stuff. If you're interested in WWI Fiction give it a look.”</div>
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“Incredible.”</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Partridge, RE, Maj. “Report on Raid Carried Out by 12
Canadian Infantry Brigade on 22 February” 4<sup>th</sup> Can. Div. War Diary
Feb. 1917 App. “J”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">78<sup>th</sup> (Winnipeg Grenadiers) Battalion War
Diary, 19 February 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">78<sup>th</sup> Battalion, <i>ibid.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">78<sup>th</sup> Battalion, War Diary, 21 February 1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">12<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade Operations
Order No. 51<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">78<sup>th</sup> Battalion Operations Order No. 51<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Partridge, RE, Maj. “Report on Raid Carried Out by 12
Canadian Infantry Brigade on 22 February” 4<sup>th</sup> Can. Div. War Diary
Feb. 1917 App. “J”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">All quotes from Partridge, RE, <i>ibid.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">38<sup>th</sup> (Ottawa) Battalion, War Diary, 22
February 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">All quotes from Partridge, RE, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;"> <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">78<sup>th</sup> Battalion, War Diary, 22 February 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Partridge, RE, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">CWGC.org<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Partridge, RE, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Our%20Men%20Were%20Out%20to%20Kill.docx#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference">*</span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Lt. Derbyshire would receive the Military Cross for his
actions, Pte Fulton the Military Medal. Pte Andrew, not eligible for a posthumous
decoration would be, instead, “Mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig’s Despatches of
9.4.17 for ‘Distinguished and Gallant Service and devotion to duty in the
field.”(Supplement to the London Gazette No. 30107)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-8014955196868652612017-02-13T00:00:00.000-08:002017-02-13T00:00:12.726-08:00Hard Fighting Took Place<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqgmuptYl4J6r3PrgiWsf22jO4bNeqEA2xd0q4L-uDhdVqcDKxFRKhw4ZPW4mE30-DIeuKioHXYXGlayOInrfnxC59QIZkxorRR8muVkKMWOrqrYReABmkz6c256B_54Ik9OePFQTBfE/s1600/29a388b3d24a59363ef583945924935f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqgmuptYl4J6r3PrgiWsf22jO4bNeqEA2xd0q4L-uDhdVqcDKxFRKhw4ZPW4mE30-DIeuKioHXYXGlayOInrfnxC59QIZkxorRR8muVkKMWOrqrYReABmkz6c256B_54Ik9OePFQTBfE/s400/29a388b3d24a59363ef583945924935f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“No plan of operations extends with
any certainty<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> beyond the first contact with the main hostile
force.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">-Field
Marshall H.K.B. Graf von Moltke (1800-1891)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Chief
of the German General Staff (1871-1888)</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It all nearly
went to Hell in the first five minutes. “Beyond
enemy front line, Lieut. Swinton was killed, and Lieut.’s Henderson and Rix
were wounded, together with several of the NCO’s in charge of sections. This caused temporary disorganisation.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A
delay, even a faltering step, could easily become the loose thread which would
unravel the entire raid. It was a
precisely timed operation with very little margin for error.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnd6XxB6wIjBQm1GwxcZWWCUKZ0j-Hja-l8usrc0boEoi-i1axTAsmlY-s0i5AT2sPRx_dwH6j5kKMlu9ym-j10Yz2szS1bjsCqQe4e9KlnQBdjNkN7vc9yLg7w9nhIIgtMAf6h33u2g/s1600/f53f3b45d87369d8524d856bf88e3d64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnd6XxB6wIjBQm1GwxcZWWCUKZ0j-Hja-l8usrc0boEoi-i1axTAsmlY-s0i5AT2sPRx_dwH6j5kKMlu9ym-j10Yz2szS1bjsCqQe4e9KlnQBdjNkN7vc9yLg7w9nhIIgtMAf6h33u2g/s200/f53f3b45d87369d8524d856bf88e3d64.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This complex
scheme, the brainchild of Lt Col. Rhys Davies, O.C. 44</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (New
Brunswick) Battalion required the intricate cooperation of infantry from four separate
battalions of the 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Division’s 10</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian
Infantry Brigade, engineers, the artillery and a handful of other
supports. Everything, from Colonel
Davies’ proposal and orders to all the arrangement, organisation and execution
had taken place within five days.
Therefore, the potential for error was a great deal larger than the thin
margin allowed for.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Davies’ raid was
more ambitious in scope an size than the Calonne Raid mounted by the 2</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>nd</sup>
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Canadian Division the month before, while being carried out with much less time
to prepare. As a practical exercise,
this raid had potential. Involving companies
of different battalions, integrating engineers and coordinating a complex
artillery fire plan would provide valuable experience in developing and
preparing large scale combined operations. All of this would be contingent on the raid’s
success. A failure would only provide
the example not to be followed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“With reference
to the Operation to be carried out by 10</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Brigade,” wrote the
brigade’s commander, Brigadier General Hilliam in a memorandum to brigade
officers, “I ask you to acquaint all Officers, NCO’s and men of your Commands
that this will be one of the biggest raids yet carried out….Do not allow the
minutest detail to be neglected.” Brigadier Hilliam encouraged his battalion
commanders to think in more collective terms- appealing to them that any honour
to be gained would be shared amongst all units of the brigade and that “all
ranks must work for the success of the operation as a whole.” The Brigadier was astutely laying the
groundwork for inter-unit cooperation at a higher level which would be
essential to the success of future operations. In closing, he enjoined his
troops to “Kill, destroy and capture what you cannot kill.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This aggressive
suggestion wasn’t proving too hard to fulfill, even as early on as the first
ten minutes, right about the time that the company from the 50<sup>th</sup>
Battalion lost half its officers in the blink of an eye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcq_YlvlJIb9SjaU6cuOX5sgaeNZLd0gka6FMtPYVyUcNoOKe89Xl5sFHKLN71MK_Y5VLyS1ZKk6wgkmIvoePSxNM6sbNkKKd-BbfB5sghmCq5EaZzeb8gRLVIIpwacREpZI3zA8VLkFA/s1600/60326e654e46e57ef7784ea3350755c6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcq_YlvlJIb9SjaU6cuOX5sgaeNZLd0gka6FMtPYVyUcNoOKe89Xl5sFHKLN71MK_Y5VLyS1ZKk6wgkmIvoePSxNM6sbNkKKd-BbfB5sghmCq5EaZzeb8gRLVIIpwacREpZI3zA8VLkFA/s320/60326e654e46e57ef7784ea3350755c6.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Companies from
the 50</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 44</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalions were in the van of the raid,
rushing through a gap blown in the wire by a special team of sappers and
pioneers, bypassing the enemy front line trench while keeping pace with the
artillery’s rolling barrage. Follow-up companies,
men of the 46</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 47</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalions would secure the
front line and provide flanking protection through successive trench line,
allowing the leading companies to advance directly to the final objective- the
Quarry nestled in the rear-most German trenches. The raid’s intention overall was “for the
purpose of destroying enemy works and emplacements in the trench system”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
and it was believed the Quarry held a </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">minenwerfer
</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">battery. All four companies had
attached sappers and pioneers with mobile charges to deal with any hard
construction. A generous amount of No.
27 Mk I white phosphorous grenades- “P” Bombs- had also been issued.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-THGei3PVrRVotMPR96JcbOK3sdN47xNqOmqwjx7NuuddSXcDFNvvYv23zW9yX7C5Rwbh0Gb1i4jbHAdjj3-fZwjPP848FRDUXB6r_50jKmkxqnTXQwapZsdh5k3weIxsh1WyVtqpvAk/s1600/mvc102scols1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-THGei3PVrRVotMPR96JcbOK3sdN47xNqOmqwjx7NuuddSXcDFNvvYv23zW9yX7C5Rwbh0Gb1i4jbHAdjj3-fZwjPP848FRDUXB6r_50jKmkxqnTXQwapZsdh5k3weIxsh1WyVtqpvAk/s200/mvc102scols1.jpg" width="143" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But here, on the
raid’s left flank, with most of the 50</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion’s leadership gone
at a stroke, the Quarry may not even be reached. The artillery’s barrage was programmed to lift
in stages during the advance; but it was also arranged to come back on itself
to cover the withdrawal. Timing was down
to the minute and no adjustment was possible.
In the meantime, the party from the 46</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion providing
cover for the 50</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> was “met with very heavy resistance…on extreme
left of raid frontage, where a number of dugouts forming a small Strong Point
were located.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Deep trenches-some as much as twelve feet-
and crowded dugouts made for liberal use of the “P” Bombs; the blooming acrid
smoke of phosphorous and resultant fires fueled by the trenches’ woodwork only
added to the confusion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Great credit is
due to Lieut. Murphy of 46</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Battalion,” the after action report
reveals, “who, seeing the situation pushed forward and rallied the 50</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion left parties in a most gallant manner, sending them forward.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Lt. Murphy, a 23 year old former Royal Military College student from Nova
Scotia would be given the Military Cross for his dash. It no doubt saved the raid from potential
collapse, though in the process of this courageous act, Murphy caught a piece
of steel, badly fracturing his left arm, a wound which would end his short
military career. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Sufficiently
checked, however, the 50</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> carried on, Lt. Morgan taking his party
to the Quarry and with his attached sappers “several dugouts were located and
mobile charges placed with good effect.”
In the meantime, the party from the 46</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> were holding a flank
more heavily defended by the Germans than expected. Their job was to keep the enemy pinned while
the Quarry was being raided, and in so doing, keep the route of withdrawal
open. “Very few prisoners were taken
here, all of the enemy offering stout resistance.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgak3FY1GYRSJj_b9XQnpKBFX8REe1ql39GHGmtPX1H7Tv-tYw0uFFF2qM2jASG9XnCq2VaHK4oJkPcc2qCC0cw0qo4AHJcFlUG2KsGuxw-IWzn-BU1skAWeEqYamnqGvVbIFllB17z_5k/s1600/glenbow-near-langemark-feb1918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgak3FY1GYRSJj_b9XQnpKBFX8REe1ql39GHGmtPX1H7Tv-tYw0uFFF2qM2jASG9XnCq2VaHK4oJkPcc2qCC0cw0qo4AHJcFlUG2KsGuxw-IWzn-BU1skAWeEqYamnqGvVbIFllB17z_5k/s320/glenbow-near-langemark-feb1918.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the right
flank, where the 44</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 47</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalions mirrored the
efforts of the 50</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 46</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, the operation was going
more smoothly. Lt. Tinkess, in charge of the 44</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">’s raiding party
had been killed, but control was maintained by Lt. Baker, whose “great
gallantry and initiative” took his men to “the extreme end of the task allotted.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> As with Lt. Murphy, Lt. Baker was awarded the
Military Cross.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">No </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">minenwefers</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> were found during the raid,
though Lt. Baker’s party of the 44</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> found six rounds for the
weapon. Of the 53 prisoners taken (all
belonging to the 11</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment) some were
found to be crewmen for </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">minenwerfer</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. It’s possible the weapons may have been destroyed
by artillery; a large ammunition dump in the Quarry had been hit, or by the
demolition of dugouts, some 41 in total throughout the raid area</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
where they may have been stored.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgzv3voIpFvMdukjysq9UHqwDrZKjT5UOWqOCE0Ab7AkiemGGjB4TjT9Moa2J7keQFAUhFoFndVS5ys_X6FDYOeXm5chftnkN9_Gzz446dNDRpW9PMIXWHgsdIbQlA_hpwIO4HgABrqA/s1600/trench868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgzv3voIpFvMdukjysq9UHqwDrZKjT5UOWqOCE0Ab7AkiemGGjB4TjT9Moa2J7keQFAUhFoFndVS5ys_X6FDYOeXm5chftnkN9_Gzz446dNDRpW9PMIXWHgsdIbQlA_hpwIO4HgABrqA/s320/trench868.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Notwithstanding,
the raid which had been conceived and executed on such short notice, was
considered a resounding success. Canadian
casualties amounted to 8 killed, 130 wounded and 15 missing. These were understandable losses for what was
gained. “The German lines were
penetrated to a depth of 700 yds., all parties returning in good order.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
An inflexible timetable had been kept, the artillery barrage considered “perfect.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Besides the dugouts wrecked and prisoners
taken, sappers blew seven mine shafts and the raid accounted for nearly 200
German casualties.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">12]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What’s more is
that Lt Col. Davies’ quick-fire notion could be looked to as a positive example
of a combined-unit task; but that it turned out so was entirely reliant on the
will and courage of the men who carried on through potential disaster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The rush of raids, the tension of late night patrols, a great Canadian battle and men on the razor's edge between life and death are all part of my acclaimed premier novel</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Some praise received for "Killing is a Sin":</b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
“Really enjoyed the book, well done.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“Damn, I think I spilled chili on a rare first edition; I'm enjoying it, couldn't stop reading during dinner.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“I was fortunate enough to see this in manuscript. Good stuff. If you're interested in WWI Fiction give it a look.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“Incredible.”</div>
</span></div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">"On Strategy" (1871), as translated in Moltke
on the Art of War: Selected Writings (1993) by Daniel J. Hughes and Harry Bell,
p. 92<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division War Diary, February
1917 Appendix “E”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Quotes from Hilliam, W., BGen “Message from G.O.C. 10<sup>th</sup>
Canadian Infantry Brigade” 09 February 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">10th Canadian Infantry Brigade “Operations Order No.
100” War Diary February 1917, Appendecies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division War Diary, February
1917, Appendix “E”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division War Diary, February
1917, Appendix “E1”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division War Diary, February
1917, Appendix “E”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette No. 30023 17 April
1917 pg. 3689<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">44th Battalion War Diary, 13 February 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">44th Battalion War Diary, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn11">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">47th Battalion War Diary, 13 February 1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div id="ftn12">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Hard%20Fighting%20Took%20Place.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">44th Battalion War Diary, 13 February 1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-54173418901560738052017-01-30T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-30T00:00:03.663-08:00No Resistance of Any Account<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJWrOo_TntftIqFF1ce3sRNh3pvpwg7i4KGiTk-cu4YgXHUBO04n60aSAEwHHtyosVeQUBkwXQfPWc_tRGN8rR0Vq5Bi_lnGPkK7TXsSYx0JyOXBxoXPAJGAV6K_FmhikdTPRUvVKC50/s1600/A_Trench_Raid_adjusted3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJWrOo_TntftIqFF1ce3sRNh3pvpwg7i4KGiTk-cu4YgXHUBO04n60aSAEwHHtyosVeQUBkwXQfPWc_tRGN8rR0Vq5Bi_lnGPkK7TXsSYx0JyOXBxoXPAJGAV6K_FmhikdTPRUvVKC50/s400/A_Trench_Raid_adjusted3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“After several nights spent in
reconnaissance it was<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">finally established that a
mine-head and work of an<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">important nature was being carried
on by the enemy”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">-Report
on Raid Carried out by the 46<sup>th</sup> Battalion<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">29
January, 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The enemy was up
to something. From as early on as the
fifth of January, nightly patrols were returning with reports of heavy work and
daylight observation had spotted the Germans emptying sandbags over their
parapet; notably several containing chalky soil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">10</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Canadian Infantry Brigade HQ was rightly concerned about these goings-on. If the Germans were pushing a mine, the
results could be disastrous. The Brigade’s positions were the extreme left edge
of the entire Canadian Corps. A large
enough mine vaporising front line trenches would allow a follow-up infantry
assault to hook into and “roll up” an exposed flank from the top end of the
Corps all the way down. It would be, if
nothing could be done, a catastrophe of the highest order. Whatever was
happening needed to be found out and dealt with.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY08svYyrIZAy-dqFlQp65NB-4LTQ7OhmmQE958IHhtPrpt3ot2kqfEEpQm2rndPYEp-d1RR2N2lGFz76NlAa_gVoABDMzldpGrlChlYK3TlJ7BVvEwbGOhDdwHqLiGsBDnOL6as2c-5Y/s1600/c9eb9892a65b0de23801346012807096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY08svYyrIZAy-dqFlQp65NB-4LTQ7OhmmQE958IHhtPrpt3ot2kqfEEpQm2rndPYEp-d1RR2N2lGFz76NlAa_gVoABDMzldpGrlChlYK3TlJ7BVvEwbGOhDdwHqLiGsBDnOL6as2c-5Y/s200/c9eb9892a65b0de23801346012807096.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Weather
interfered. Several days mid-month of
accumulating snow fall made patrolling at night substantially more risky. The sound of boots crunching in fresh powder
were to blame for at least one patrol getting “bumped.” War Diaries and Intelligence Reports throughout the middle days of January repeat
the same lament- that owing to the snow, patrols were unable to advance very
far into No-man’s Land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">All the while,
what reports 10 Brigade was getting from its battalions in the line were of
timber being thumped, heavy items being dragged on tramways and sharp beats of
metal on metal; steel being hammered or otherwise manipulated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At last, on 24
January, a patrol from the 50</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Calgary) Battalion pinpointed the
location of the mine-head. “Work has
apparently been going on for some time as well-worn trail visible.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> With a solid map reference to hand, a direct
strike could be made. Planning became
the responsibility of the 46</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(South Saskatchewan) Battalion, who
took over front line positions from the 50</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">the same day.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4fahu7HRR6QMY_zEy5pW7ZI68y4VW-pwI9HpSoN3vPdcRYdQ4MWU1goRlZ48bMZoRgpL_KBYgoA4xMH3dGQyGyCb-_ocKRZTEMGo4NR75EcfbDLGHkB1OmDnKhh3TCJdf_wr3xXpTYg/s1600/46_battalion_cef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4fahu7HRR6QMY_zEy5pW7ZI68y4VW-pwI9HpSoN3vPdcRYdQ4MWU1goRlZ48bMZoRgpL_KBYgoA4xMH3dGQyGyCb-_ocKRZTEMGo4NR75EcfbDLGHkB1OmDnKhh3TCJdf_wr3xXpTYg/s1600/46_battalion_cef.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It just may have
been fortuitous. The Officer Commanding
was the extensively experienced Lt Colonel HJ Dawson; who before the war had
been an Associate Professor at the Royal Military College in Kingston,
Ontario. To lead this operation, he had
at his disposal Lieutenant Reginald Percy Cattell, arguably one of the most
veteran junior officers of the 4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division.. It was he who had led one of the Division’s
first patrols in enemy territory when it had become active the previous summer. Between that point and this, Lt. Cattell had
continually made proof of his ability, particularly in the scraps at Regina
Trench.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This raid would
be a small affair, very much unlike the multiple-company Calonne Raid of two
weeks prior. A definite target-the
suspected mine shaft- required only enough men to penetrate and hold the German
line for a quarter hour in order to “blow up (the) Shaft and to obtain
identification.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Lt. Cattell had just five days to work his 34
man raid into shape, and to incorporate the two Sappers from 10 Field Company,
Canadian Engineers who would be coming along to assess the enemy mine and set
the demolition charge. Artillery was
laid on to supress the German front line at Zero Hour, shifting after three
minutes to a “box barrage”, heavily shelling the periphery of the raid’s area
to cut it off from the rest of the local trench network.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lt. Cattell took
the lead, precisely at two minutes past eight on the evening of the 29</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
advancing into No-man’s Land while the artillery was still blasting the German
lines. Hoping to close the distance as
much as possible before the guns lifted, the raid would spring into the trench
before the enemy could recover. “Slight
wire obstacles were encountered,” in front of the entry point, “but were
surmounted with little trouble. The
German front line was reached at 8.06 p.m.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Organised
beforehand into three sections, one the trench was reached, they split off. No. II Party went left, to proceed forty yards
and establish a block, No. III Party cut to the right with the same intention,
with No. I following behind. “At the
junction where the German front line follows the edge of Craters, and another
leads to the rear, the parties separated.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">No. III Party
advanced “a considerable distance…no enemy being encountered and further
advance rendered impossible by the barrage.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> They found the trench in poor condition, not
being well built and in place just a screen of sandbags four feet high with no
parados behind, often without the protective pattern of traverse. These “trenches”
would not be easy ground for the enemy to hold, the sub-standard construction
pointing towards an illusion of a front-line rather than a stalwart defensive
position.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqG2B2tSX9_fNbQ6PB0iPmENANy6hA-2FBan23vIW4lqYGnCTE4ZCwGGKzOxBd5pu8hR3PBuX4J7-I9Vw6sk2CKo1GdREeY4cQNKGK1ye2iSdhZW05zPCxpGaqM4vl-c6eJB1zPkfMtI/s1600/add0361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieqG2B2tSX9_fNbQ6PB0iPmENANy6hA-2FBan23vIW4lqYGnCTE4ZCwGGKzOxBd5pu8hR3PBuX4J7-I9Vw6sk2CKo1GdREeY4cQNKGK1ye2iSdhZW05zPCxpGaqM4vl-c6eJB1zPkfMtI/s1600/add0361.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The other
blocking party, No. II, found the same shocking lapse in German
workmanship. “The party felt they could
have penetrated the line for a considerable distance without difficulty.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
They hadn’t gone too far, less than ten yards from where they had entered
before they came across the first German dugout. “Standing on the stairs with his rifle
pointed in our direction a German was encountered. Before he had time to fire, a Mills bomb was
thrown at him, and he fell back into his dugout. Several more bombs were thrown into the same
and the party moved on.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Two more dugouts were similarly dealt with as
No. II Party moved further down the trench.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With their
flanks held by Parties No. II and III, Lt. Cattell’s main body could get to
work. “The party taking the mine shaft
met opposition about 10 yards past (the) junction.” Three Germans had come across the party. Shocked at being overwhelmingly outnumbered
they “threw bombs at our men, then ran for all they were worth” in the opposite
direction. “Proceeding on, the men ran
across the suspected mine shaft. This
had about 40 steps leading directly down.”
A candle was alight about halfway down, and the raiders could see
movement and hear voices from below. A Mills bomb was quickly tossed in, its
explosion extinguishing the candle and eliciting cries and groans.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hhso59SkuNUvkpand1z6liAbjHmd9hLrMGjhpAyJMFLB6j49hoJRs0RwwLyWvRbXEodG1Fitul_qljDzjtaEsRlN_6bw-OpDKVb2m0XNKKcKhoZJCAc0JOXoE1xZ4vYaGpp58NMVbIU/s1600/N05268_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hhso59SkuNUvkpand1z6liAbjHmd9hLrMGjhpAyJMFLB6j49hoJRs0RwwLyWvRbXEodG1Fitul_qljDzjtaEsRlN_6bw-OpDKVb2m0XNKKcKhoZJCAc0JOXoE1xZ4vYaGpp58NMVbIU/s320/N05268_9.jpg" width="224" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Just as quickly,
the two attached Sappers went to work, laying out twenty-five pounds of
guncotton- a potent explosive made up of cotton fibres which had been exposed
to sulphuric and nitric acid. Also known
as nitrocellulose, it was used as a blasting agent and a propellant for
artillery and other munitions.
Twenty-five pounds of the stuff was more than sufficient to collapse
this shaft. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With the fuse
set, Lt. Cattell gave two long blasts on his whistle, the signal to retire, and
all three parties scarpered for friendly lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The sortie was a
mixed success. No identifications were
obtained despite there being German bodies in the open; but the main goal of
destroying the shaft had been accomplished with the addition of three enemy
dugouts destroyed, causing a presumed large number of enemy casualties for the
cost of five men wounded, all but one being slight. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Scout Sergeant Samuel Deane had taken a slug
through his abdomen, creating a wound described as the size of a shilling
(nearly 1” in diameter). Despite this,
Sgt. Deane stayed upright and on mission.
“His example of bravery inspired his party to carry out their task,”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Col. Dawson would later write, citing the sergeant for a Military
Medal. Deane was awarded his medal while
recovering in England. Nine months would
pass before he would be fit to return to the Battalion in France.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Lt Col. Dawson would
also single out Lt. Cattell for his “Example of fearlessness and fine
leadership” for which the Lieutenant would receive the Military Cross.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjDRuID6Od1tT1DxxLKDmNtvb5rL-RQi_4w61MDkazKO_KXrTKhFOUU4W7q-tYXvbXXl55HG7IXePhoqGdHs8kqgDyuDYUCLnSsLDLJHMg2MvZQD4HTdAQwifz3YWL2T9wdQJuqlcWgg/s1600/new+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjDRuID6Od1tT1DxxLKDmNtvb5rL-RQi_4w61MDkazKO_KXrTKhFOUU4W7q-tYXvbXXl55HG7IXePhoqGdHs8kqgDyuDYUCLnSsLDLJHMg2MvZQD4HTdAQwifz3YWL2T9wdQJuqlcWgg/s320/new+cover.jpg" width="209" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">10<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade, Intelligence
Report, 24 January 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">46<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Battalion War Diary,
24 January 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Dawson, HJ, Lt Col. “Operations Order No. 43” 46 Bn. War
Diary Appendix X, 29 January 1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Cattell, RP, Lt. “Intelligence re Raiding Party” 46 Bn.
War Diary Appendix XII, 29 January 1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Cattell, RP, Lt. <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Reid, R. Capt. (Brigade Major) “Report on Raid Carried
Out by the 46<sup>th</sup> Battalion” 10<sup>th</sup> CIB War Diary,
Appendices, 29 January 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Reid, R. Capt. <i>Ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Cattell, RP, Lt. <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Quotes from: Cattell, RP, Lt. “Intelligence re Raiding
Party” 46 Bn. War Diary Appendix XII, 29 January 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/No%20Resistance%20of%20Any%20Account.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Dawson, HJ, Lt Col. “Memorandum to O.C. 10<sup>th</sup>
Canadian Infantry Brigade” 46 B. War Diary Appendix XIII, 30 January 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-6300668827193003142017-01-16T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-16T00:00:02.098-08:00A Most Successful Enterprise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“The 4</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Canadian
Infantry Brigade will raid the enemy system<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">of trenches….To effect casualties,
make prisoners, and wreck<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">all dugouts…in the area attacked”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">-
Operations Order No. 85<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4
Cdn. Inf. Bde., 10 January 1917<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Shortly before five o’clock
in the morning of 17 January 1917, telephones rattled in the headquarters of
the 20</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 21</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalions, the canned voice on the
other end at Brigade HQ breathing just two words: “Lloyd George.” The message had nothing to do with the
British PM, except that use of his name was the go-code for the largest trench
raid yet to be mounted by Canadian troops.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1BImMJfk_wR1oxPYJuzZSaLfiXxAceZ1uM3X9P8l7Yb4XMMMg16DOZ8q4K1aiJleCf7bu1quZA2MY5sCiRMywsrcCHcWj0V3ol__xMa4WPoY0wO5xrMqDZ5QF2FyiBWbPkhSV2yJUc8/s1600/20_Battalion_CEF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1BImMJfk_wR1oxPYJuzZSaLfiXxAceZ1uM3X9P8l7Yb4XMMMg16DOZ8q4K1aiJleCf7bu1quZA2MY5sCiRMywsrcCHcWj0V3ol__xMa4WPoY0wO5xrMqDZ5QF2FyiBWbPkhSV2yJUc8/s200/20_Battalion_CEF.jpg" width="185" /></span></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCRn1HzeMI94pabyqSRadGVuYOmNOd_pixDprv4BTs95zqIxqHWE2MFUnsdK3yEpQIan6xu0ax1-w7-DDGo28IhGjNsOSCdQwy3G35sqBh1hOM0K9mY1JPfSAL7yAH8GeZtOVAbu_taU/s1600/s-l225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLCRn1HzeMI94pabyqSRadGVuYOmNOd_pixDprv4BTs95zqIxqHWE2MFUnsdK3yEpQIan6xu0ax1-w7-DDGo28IhGjNsOSCdQwy3G35sqBh1hOM0K9mY1JPfSAL7yAH8GeZtOVAbu_taU/s200/s-l225.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Two companies, No’s 1
and 2 from the 20</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Central Ontario) Battalion and three, ‘B’, ‘C’,
and ‘D’ companies of the 21</span><sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">(Eastern Ontario) Battalion now moved
from rest positions at Bully-Grenay to their jumping-off points opposite their
objectives. In three hours from the
call, just after full light, the artillery barrage would commence and nearly
900 officers and men would advance along an 800 yard front in three waves. They were to hit the enemy front line, hold
it, penetrate the secondary line, fulfill their objectives and then withdraw,
all within sixty minutes of Zero Hour.
Throughout, the raid would be protected by a barrage of medium and heavy
artillery precisely timed to adjust fire as the operation proceeded.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What would become known
as the “Calonne Raid” “constituted a record up to that time for a raid of its magnitude
and result.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> Nothing could be left to chance with such an ambitious
raid. Both the planning and preparation had
to be meticulous. Raids were not only to
deal a quick shocking strike against the enemy, they had become a means to gain
practical experience which would benefit future operations. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpEy5Ld3-PGuEpj2MU7Di-m3quH8eHJETJLWw7kFs364s7m9PWIKHK0NAMkMw9IVD8Mw1hOYCnKLpQMW-pLWeu6MpeVa-NmSZUuB3DaI92s3H3O75sozIBTM16quOu_rqZVPoRVjFMW4/s1600/Map+in+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpEy5Ld3-PGuEpj2MU7Di-m3quH8eHJETJLWw7kFs364s7m9PWIKHK0NAMkMw9IVD8Mw1hOYCnKLpQMW-pLWeu6MpeVa-NmSZUuB3DaI92s3H3O75sozIBTM16quOu_rqZVPoRVjFMW4/s320/Map+in+detail.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Prior to the raid,
constant patrolling and aerial observation had made a thorough survey of the
target area. These patrols had
discovered that “the enemy frontage for a depth of 300 yards is held during the
day by sentries and detached posts. The
garrison of this area being in deep dugouts and cellars.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Also determined were the locations of
machine gun emplacements. It was clear
that the Germans didn’t need a heavily occupied front line. Machine guns were mounted at the apices of a
portion of Front Line Trench which bowed inward. Structured this way, the trench presented a
concave line to the attacker; designed to draw assaulting troops in and across
an expanse which could be covered by enfilading fire from the two ends. Essentially, the two machine guns would be
sufficient to stall an attack while the garrison, situated in the second line
could be made ready to go in for a counterattack. Here was a perfect example of “Elastic
Defence” in action. In order to overcome
this, the raid would have to hit quick, hard and with absolute precision.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Once assigned to the
raid, the five participating companies “had been relieved of all duties for ten
days and in that time built practice trenches of the Enemy lines to an exact
scale.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Troops spent their time becoming intimately
with the layout as they would specifically encounter on the raid, and “for the
last few days practised the assault with every detail as set out in orders.” Such intense rehearsal was becoming more
usual than exceptional, and in the case of the Calonne Raid “these companies
advanced…under cover of an excellent smoke and artillery barrage (and) entered
the enemy front line with a rush that carried before it all opposition.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn4" title=""><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></a></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn4" style="font-size: 12pt;" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVjR5ue6aIEYFFvZJso4lmlzzSpQ1Y1-pGPJNeGVKZ9ClY8saXv27JsKV4O-Qlg95lt1zN5QVNp24iiCfqbYTbathSckZygTldm7iRg-MjzC6zGYnldBhp5g3FTVLc6KXuv3DybQ9pyU/s1600/bowerbank_gss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVjR5ue6aIEYFFvZJso4lmlzzSpQ1Y1-pGPJNeGVKZ9ClY8saXv27JsKV4O-Qlg95lt1zN5QVNp24iiCfqbYTbathSckZygTldm7iRg-MjzC6zGYnldBhp5g3FTVLc6KXuv3DybQ9pyU/s200/bowerbank_gss.jpg" width="158" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Major G.S.S. Bowerbank DSO MC</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In fact, the Germans
showed “A noticeable tendency to ingratiate against little show of
opposition. Except in cases of dugouts when
bombs were thrown out until overcome.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> This was the personal experience of Major George
Scott Stanton Bowerbank, O.C. ‘B; Company, 21</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion who was
present at the epicentre of the raid.
Major Bowerbank would be awarded the Military Cross for his leadership
during this operation.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"> He was no professional soldier; a slight and slender
myopic accountant, Major Bowerbank epitomised the typical Canadian
officer. Born of Essex, England, he had
his professional credentials, but very little military experience besides
Militia service before the war where he had been the accountant for the Sarnia,
Ontario branch of the Canadian Bank of Commerce. When put to the test in battle, however- and
like so many of his colleagues- he excelled.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">‘B’ Company had a
little difficulty from the get-go in passing through their own wire. “Gaps were not frequent which caused a
tendency to bear to the left.”
Initially, this prevented his men from remaining in touch with those of ‘D’
Company on their right (under the command of Captain Brokelbank, also an
accountant), but once through the wire the “waves kept well apart and advanced
under cover of our barrage in well-appointed formation.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> The enemy wire, on the other hand was “completely
smashed and offering no obstacle whatever,” allowing the first wave to gain the
Front Line Trench rapidly. “A small
amount of opposition was met but quickly overcome, the second wave going on as
arranged towards the final objective.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn8" title=""><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></a></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn8" style="font-size: 12pt;" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">It hadn’t been a clean
rush, though. Despite little resistance
from enemy infantry, the raid suffered quite a number of casualties from
artillery fire. It is undetermined
whether this artillery which concentrated on the enemy Front Line Trench was
German retaliatory fire or shelling from Canadian guns which had failed to lift
their fire an adequate distance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1y13AiP6Sm8nuy7F3_0OisluWtHvoBaQqh5cb-r4FWXwbjd-6Agn2MZ2NGtJDZp0Da44pXWmh_woBDwW7FBR2VINSff7gh-m8aHmUhskIdWAiBixgu44j9tJStNk1XZE1N5BWCvMPYA/s1600/Trench-Raid-by-HJ-Mowat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1y13AiP6Sm8nuy7F3_0OisluWtHvoBaQqh5cb-r4FWXwbjd-6Agn2MZ2NGtJDZp0Da44pXWmh_woBDwW7FBR2VINSff7gh-m8aHmUhskIdWAiBixgu44j9tJStNk1XZE1N5BWCvMPYA/s200/Trench-Raid-by-HJ-Mowat.jpg" width="153" /></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“My company,” Major
Bowerbank would later report “suffered casualties by a burst amongst a Lewis
gun grew, wounding three and completely smashing the gun.” The Major’s officer in command of ‘D’ Company’s
second wave, Captain Goudy was struck down by a shot to the chest, but the men knew their task so
well they were able to carry on after Goudy had been moved back for treatment
(he would survive this wound and later return to the front).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">‘D’ Company alone
captured “not less than thirty” prisoners, a machine gun and also “a
considerable volume of letters, booklets, etc.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Major Bowerbank could also report that the trenches were in good condition,
generally ten feet deep with sloping sides with dry ground at the base,
indication of careful workmanship and efficient drainage. “Several dugouts were effectively smashed,
especially in one case by the use of a prepared Stokes shell, killing all the
occupants.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It was all in the bag
by nine o’clock. The Calonne Raid “did
serious damage to the enemy works and exploded an ammunition dump.” Approximately twelve dugouts were destroyed,
and it was estimated one hundred Germans had been killed.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Additionally “during operation this morning
we captured 1 Officer, 75 Other Ranks unwounded and 5 O.R. wounded, 2 Machine
Guns, and 1 Trench Mortar.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJ5KKgyvnd-LhbQ3K2DAJwL6tBj8k4cPk41-GVus1nWaVd4Vs6IkYTdU5NTC4ZvukXv8jxKboUlkYPCt2-sOD8d9tE3e-WAyG_GMGw9XGTiovUzLTsa0lKuR5qSOi_gMH0XAVpXmuBQk/s1600/19710261-0617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJ5KKgyvnd-LhbQ3K2DAJwL6tBj8k4cPk41-GVus1nWaVd4Vs6IkYTdU5NTC4ZvukXv8jxKboUlkYPCt2-sOD8d9tE3e-WAyG_GMGw9XGTiovUzLTsa0lKuR5qSOi_gMH0XAVpXmuBQk/s320/19710261-0617.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The cost had been 46
killed and 125 wounded, or twenty percent casualties. However, Major Bowerbank whose company lost
twenty-five percent of its strength was confident that those wounded were “chiefly
of a slight nature.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[12]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Despite the loss, it was a resounding
triumph, securing valuable intelligence, dealing a softening blow to the enemy
and providing crucial experience and opportunities to absorb lessons and
improve technique. “All plans and
arrangements for this operation carried through so well that all ranks
concerned feel that it was a brilliant success.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The rush of raids, the tension of late night patrols, a great Canadian battle and men on the razor's edge between life and death are all part of my acclaimed premier novel <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/">“Killing is a Sin”</a> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Now available from Amazon sites worldwide.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Some praise received for "Killing is a Sin":<br /><br />“Really enjoyed the book, well done.” <br /><br />“Damn, I think I spilled chili on a rare first edition; I'm enjoying it, couldn't stop reading during dinner.”<br /><br />“I was fortunate enough to see this in manuscript. Good stuff. If you're interested in WWI Fiction give it a look.”<br /><br />“Incredible.”</span>
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<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Canadian Bank of Commerce, “Letters from the Front:
Being a record of the Part Played by Officers of the Bank in the Great War
1914-1919” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Operations Order No. 73, 21<sup>st</sup> (Eastern
Ontario) Battalion, CEF<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Barber, Percy L., Lieut. “21<sup>st</sup> Cdn. Battalion
Report on Operations of 17 January 1917”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Lt. P.L. Barber, <i>ibid.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Bowerbank, G.S.S., Major, “Narrative of Raid 7-1-17”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette No. 29981, pg. 2480 12
March 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Maj. G.S.S. Bowerbank DSO MC <i>ibid.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Lt. P.L. Barber, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade, War Diary
Entry 17 January 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Maj. G.S.S. Bowerbank DSO MC <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/A%20Most%20Successful%20Enterprise.docx#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Lt. P.L. Barber, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-39515074459147083592017-01-09T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-09T00:00:09.343-08:00The Rest of the Night Passed Quietly<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: right;">
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuI7Uydgxkhz-7XZMfkNYd-EMTmOsQaVhKrzROHiqY9ffMfyNk51-QRfRrle-UW-r7cvCjy10mmh6U3o5usMB5WQjYzd2XEvfxcrxAD92MPgILpHt2UK988SVDtqgr0FeZYO-N5z9ZMA/s1600/04ef552753c8684085ad08d8a72664f3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuI7Uydgxkhz-7XZMfkNYd-EMTmOsQaVhKrzROHiqY9ffMfyNk51-QRfRrle-UW-r7cvCjy10mmh6U3o5usMB5WQjYzd2XEvfxcrxAD92MPgILpHt2UK988SVDtqgr0FeZYO-N5z9ZMA/s400/04ef552753c8684085ad08d8a72664f3.jpg" width="331" /></a></i></div>
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<i><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“At about 6.25 p.m. a party of 25
to 30 Germans</span></i></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">were observed at a point about 30
yds. From head<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">of Sap B.5”- </span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Intelligence
Summary No. 14, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">12
Canadian Infantry Brigade, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">08 January, 1917</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It was the first
full moon of the New Year. Corporal
Worthington and his Lewis gun crew were standing sentry at ‘King Street’; a
portion of front line trench currently the responsibility of ‘D’ Company, 73</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
(Royal Highlanders of Canada) Battalion.
From this point, they had a good view of ‘Surprise Crater”, which lay
halfway between friendly and enemy lines, and Sap ‘B.5’, a shallow ditch
meandering from the Canadian front line trench to the crater. Currently, no one was posted at ‘Surprise Crater’-
which would have been an ideal spot to get eyes on the enemy works. Worthington’s section were then the furthest
forward elements in their Battalion’s patch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05ta4XtWeEAsngS2OqrvwtSH7qm9suTspC81PXEbwqTt4W_tXdsbP3AjPD9qvhIyBFbWWbWfyh6v0S3KbTC681VhDK3902wRI9tlS0suaYXcV2j9j45sSvbNdcjD4KPpyZuHDAEnmj0M/s1600/map+proper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05ta4XtWeEAsngS2OqrvwtSH7qm9suTspC81PXEbwqTt4W_tXdsbP3AjPD9qvhIyBFbWWbWfyh6v0S3KbTC681VhDK3902wRI9tlS0suaYXcV2j9j45sSvbNdcjD4KPpyZuHDAEnmj0M/s400/map+proper.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Damp cold and
fatigue were more present adversaries than the Germans. Long, dark winter nights, coupled with the
strain of daily efforts at surviving and nowhere near enough sleep could play
funny with the mind. This was why the
fleeting figures out in No-man’s Land required a second glance to assure their
existence. No mirage, this- it was
indeed a large body of enemy troops making for Canadian lines; not more than
two dozen yards distant- a raid!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Worthington
tapped his gunner, pointed out the grey ghosts.
“Open up!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The past few
days had been dull, heavy with showery clouds limiting visibility along the
front. This close weather had earlier on
scrubbed the only grand plans for the day along 4</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Canadian
Division’s front; which was now the North-west edge of the Canadian Corps
position opposite Vimy Ridge. “It was
proposed,” for January 07, “to have a bombardment of the enemy trench system….subject
to proper weather conditions, but had to be postponed owing to the mist which
prevailed during most of the morning.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As it was, the
day passed for what could be called “normal”.
Overall, there was the usual exchange of artillery and trench mortar
fire, much more harassing than deliberately destructive as would have been the
cancelled bombardment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6jnbXVXGZleQoAZ30f95TvvUks9A5-RdKZ_aa88iMyFTGegl1gLBVUs8g4Sbr6Pla_HdOK_6B6tH3ZzuUPJEUTlCh1mGA3jcHIwlP2yosmA-GGj2W0f10C2ewbt6MWsA_AtVfAGeIFo/s1600/awm-art02215-007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6jnbXVXGZleQoAZ30f95TvvUks9A5-RdKZ_aa88iMyFTGegl1gLBVUs8g4Sbr6Pla_HdOK_6B6tH3ZzuUPJEUTlCh1mGA3jcHIwlP2yosmA-GGj2W0f10C2ewbt6MWsA_AtVfAGeIFo/s320/awm-art02215-007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The opening
months of 1917, according to Canada’s Official History of the war, “was for the
Canadian Corps a period free from major operations- a time to be used in
recuperation, training and strengthening defences….A pattern of limited
hostilities that was to continue in general throughout the winter was soon
established…a periodic exchange of mortar fire, extensive patrolling, and
occasional trench raids.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> About the only item of note during this time
was that the Germans were using a larger than usual number of flares at night.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">From this quiet
night, the rip of fire from Worthington’s Lewis at King Street put the front
line on high alert. On of ‘D’ Company’s
subalterns, Lieutenant Joseph Griffiths “who was near hurried to the spot and
took charge of the situation.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Griffiths had farmed before the war, not yet
thirty he had settled in Canada from his home in Wales. In this pacific life he’d led, he’d not had
any prior experience in the military.
Griffiths had volunteered as a private soldier in December 1914, within
the war’s first few months. The young
man seemed to gel quite well with the army, accelerating through the ranks and
finally being granted a commission before being sent to join the 73</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion in the field in September, 1916.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1YGt483z7UC3SExxgVlpG2wL-Nzqg95c8zYRm1blY8BtkQO-XDqrUAhGfa2TAMIrCe90dZJxPimF-hkgt1szGxo_Ldm8j5_vhWK21Dc7yl0jEgVKxVSLHXIuECPn-xT86wxL8KGQ-CU/s1600/lewis-machine-gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1YGt483z7UC3SExxgVlpG2wL-Nzqg95c8zYRm1blY8BtkQO-XDqrUAhGfa2TAMIrCe90dZJxPimF-hkgt1szGxo_Ldm8j5_vhWK21Dc7yl0jEgVKxVSLHXIuECPn-xT86wxL8KGQ-CU/s320/lewis-machine-gun.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Corporal
Worthington’s quick action had scattered the German raid back to their
lines. Shortly after, though, they had
re-formed and a second attempt “approached nearer and threw bombs in Sap B.5
but was again driven back leaving several wounded or dead.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> A third approach was likewise scattered “and
a fourth time a few come out and attempted to gather up their casualties. They were, however, fired upon and had to
retire.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Determined
though the enemy was, the handful of men under Lt Griffiths and Cpl Worthington
were enough to prevent the German raiders from making their objective. The only casualty was Lt Griffiths, and his
wound was slight enough for him to remain forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Their work wasn’t
quite done. Once it became apparent that
the Germans had given up the idea of coming over, Lt Griffiths organised a
small patrol- himself and two privates, Webb and Greenhalgh- to move out from
Sap B.5 into the dead ground in an attempt to secure identification from the
bodies left behind. The patrol moved
cautiously, as the evening shower of flares had begun, being constantly sent
aloft from the German lines. From the
extent that Webb and Greenhalgh managed to reach they spotted at least two
German bodies some 15 yards distant, being watched by a sentry from the cover
of a shell-hole. “They think,” records
the day’s Intelligence Summary, “they recognised the sound of shovels being
used behind sentry.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Two days later,
the 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Division Diary relates that the “news was confirmed by the
12</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Infantry Brigade that the enemy had apparently
succeeded in getting his wounded, left out as a result of his attempted raid on
evening January 7</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. The
nature of the ground prevented our parties from the 12</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> seeing
anything of the wounded….it is presumed the enemy were able to sap out and
reach their wounded.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Both Cpl
Worthington and Lt Griffiths were singled out by their Battalion CO for their
conduct. They had “displayed greatest
coolness and bravery and it was entirely due to the acts of this Officer and
NCO that the raid was not a success.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“The remainder
of the night passed quietly.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the hundred
days between New Year’s and the start of the Spring Offensives, the Canadian
Corps did just as the Official History describes. They trained and prepared, each unit becoming
intimately familiar with the ground to their front- as it was destined to be
the same ground they would cover in the coming attack. This work built up to a crescendo on the 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
of March when the entire 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Division made a large scale raid of the
German lines.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Promptly at
5.40,” that morning, “our barrage opened up and our attacking parties got over
the parapet and went forward.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Overall results were promising. “A large
enemy bomb dump was blown up and part of his F.L.T. was systematically
destroyed. Several Machine Guns were destroyed
and approximately 22 dugouts were bombed….A large number of the enemy were
killed.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[11]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Officers and
men without exception fought magnificently.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[12]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> During
the raid, Lt Griffiths, who was leading a patrol consisting of a platoon from ‘D’
Company was taken from the field, dangerously wounded. He was passed back through the lines to
Casualty Clearing Station No. 6 where early the next day he succumbed to his
injuries. “Word was received that Lieut.
Griffiths had died of his wounds, and arrangements were made for
representatives of the Battalion to attend his funeral on the 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Coincidentally,
also on the third of March, as Lt Griffiths was being laid down, that day’s
Supplement to the London Gazette contained the following citation:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Which announced
his awarding of the Military Cross for his brave work in January; an award he
didn’t live long enough to receive. His
medals and Memorial Cross were forwarded to his parents, Mr. & Mrs. W’m
Griffiths in Wrexham, North Wales.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaQPBBR7-WKewX5LpS3_kpuzf0rkwbuKYdSDT6K0YoWW-vvhHzb64H1p_KsYc2RPbnUQLgo4GGZ9F_DnfXvIxJRF_ppKYX47llyMu0jzfeWU0bXadAYryTTEpifRrIA3XxVG9I4qfJpE/s1600/new+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaQPBBR7-WKewX5LpS3_kpuzf0rkwbuKYdSDT6K0YoWW-vvhHzb64H1p_KsYc2RPbnUQLgo4GGZ9F_DnfXvIxJRF_ppKYX47llyMu0jzfeWU0bXadAYryTTEpifRrIA3XxVG9I4qfJpE/s320/new+cover.jpg" width="209" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Some praise I’ve received for my premier novel </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/" target="_blank">“Killing is a Sin”</a> which is set in the winter/spring of 1917:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">“Really enjoyed the book, well done.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">“Damn, I think I spilled chili on a rare first edition; I'm enjoying it, couldn't stop reading during dinner.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">“I was fortunate enough to see this in manuscript. Good stuff. If you're interested in WWI Fiction give it a look.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">“Incredible.”</span></div>
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division War Diary, 07 January
1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Nicholson, GW, Col. “Official History of the Canadian
Army in the First World War” Queen’s Printer, Ottawa 1962 pg. 233</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">73<sup>rd</sup> (RHC) Battalion, War Diary 07 January
1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">73<sup>rd</sup> (RHC) Battalion, War Diary, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">ibid.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">12<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade Intelligence
Summary No. 14, 08 January 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division War Diary, 09 January
1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">73<sup>rd</sup> (RHC) Battalion, War Diary 07 January
1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">73<sup>rd</sup> (RHC) Battalion, War Diary, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">73<sup>rd</sup> (RHC) Battalion, War Diary 01 March
1917</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn11">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">12<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade War Diary 01
March 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn12">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Remainder%20of%20the%20Night%20Passed%20Quietly.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">73<sup>rd</sup> (RHC) Battalion, War Diary, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-80769851210188730732017-01-03T06:07:00.001-08:002017-01-03T06:07:51.466-08:001917- What Will Tomorrow Bring?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_v77ydBUDZiMatZnRgOWCqNk0rx2c80VoVdBuM70uZrDTaOqLl3ffRuaCfsGmi3JiVK2UhV3l04gP0HEwMOMa7D9EdkHbbLTpPi9eSjRQDxKHqoQ0w_kz-vzMqROQ7kGb3QAno5mDdcE/s1600/Boesinghe+Ch%25C3%25A2teau%252C+Yser+Canal%252C+January+1917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_v77ydBUDZiMatZnRgOWCqNk0rx2c80VoVdBuM70uZrDTaOqLl3ffRuaCfsGmi3JiVK2UhV3l04gP0HEwMOMa7D9EdkHbbLTpPi9eSjRQDxKHqoQ0w_kz-vzMqROQ7kGb3QAno5mDdcE/s400/Boesinghe+Ch%25C3%25A2teau%252C+Yser+Canal%252C+January+1917.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2017 opens with
a great deal of uncertainty. The
fortunes and events of the previous year will continue to play out for better
or worse while even the brightest among us are powerless to predict the
outcome. Much the same can be said,
presumably, at the start of any year; but the beginning of the new year a
century ago must have seemed especially so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Two and a half
years of bloody war had already taken place, with no appreciable advantage to
victory for either side. Monumental
campaigns of the year now ending- at Verdun and the Somme on the Western Front-
had failed to deliver a killing blow; the stagnant lines of entrenchment and
fortification had shifted, wavered, but had not been stove in. Armies facing each other across these lines
were in, more or less, the same places they had been a year ago. It had cost rather a lot in lives and the
efforts of those still alive to wind up this way. Such a sense of futility as accompanies the
First World War is come by quite honestly when viewed from this
perspective. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">None taking
consideration of the year’s closing one hundred years ago could possess
knowledge of what 1917 might deliver.
These people, or at least those given to introspection, could only hope
for something better, for something to bring about change, and at the base of
human conceit, that they would remain alive through it. No one, then, could have any inkling or
indication that the year about to unfold was destined to deliver astounding,
momentous events which would not only effect the conduct and even the outcome
of the war but would also set the tone of the remainder of the Twentieth
Century and would shape the fate of the world for generations still uncounted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7d490Qsbz-4fBNJMXE54v6kzuxCGyAMVJNEZHb4eBWlifBUY3eF0q0UwkH64IHBOrY214FABATybPJxzOvYnQk3_aqXRSjBHkyzdA4lMnI8hxuvY5W2Yj2LVshctzKLXNdeetUHkpgRw/s1600/1917_jan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7d490Qsbz-4fBNJMXE54v6kzuxCGyAMVJNEZHb4eBWlifBUY3eF0q0UwkH64IHBOrY214FABATybPJxzOvYnQk3_aqXRSjBHkyzdA4lMnI8hxuvY5W2Yj2LVshctzKLXNdeetUHkpgRw/s320/1917_jan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the present,
2017 will mark the centennial of these tremendous events which would unfold in
1917- America would join the war; French Armies would mutiny <i>en masse</i>, Russia would revolt. Canada in its own way would come of age on
the battlefields of Vimy and Passchendaele and at home politically through the
divisive legislation of conscription which would see women’s suffrage at the
federal level for the first time in a calculated move to keep the Liberals in
power and thus ensure the passage of the Military Service Act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m inclined to
wonder what relevance those epic events would have on the lives of ordinary
people- those who might spare a thought to the grand scheme of things in the
world when not pressed with more immediate concerns in the small part they
might play within the times they were born to.
As I feel far more adequately defined as a storyteller than a historian,
there is very little I might be able to add in the analysis of the critical
events of 1917.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">No, what I can
do- what I’ve found suits me best to do- is to continue to bring to the fore
the types of stories I have been telling; that of ordinary folk participating
in the most extraordinary of events.
Telling these stories at the level of their perspective to understand
the humanity within history is what I intend, leaving the larger notions of act
and consequence on posterity of world events to more practised hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKGmU4-APyhFia0n04jsC7csxcfLEL0PZG0Nfmf7yoVzBgvr0WK5fr4iLuaEYjpVURr8uUvUB9rGaDRyvFMJg5KDZSLT7PlnrLz7yv0DQDXtpkYyOF_kAFhewSWvi5CK2KfOixccHeHg/s1600/new+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKGmU4-APyhFia0n04jsC7csxcfLEL0PZG0Nfmf7yoVzBgvr0WK5fr4iLuaEYjpVURr8uUvUB9rGaDRyvFMJg5KDZSLT7PlnrLz7yv0DQDXtpkYyOF_kAFhewSWvi5CK2KfOixccHeHg/s320/new+cover.jpg" width="209" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As far as other
efforts of storytelling are concerned, I’m still selling self-published copies
of my premier novel <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/" target="_blank">“Killing is a Sin”</a> which is set in the trenches of the
Western Front in 1917. While I am
pursuing publication through an established house, I am also working on a
follow-up book “A Century of Twenty-Four Hours” and will be arranging
consignment sales and personal appearances at Chapters and Indigo retail
locations in Ontario starting in Burlington this April.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Some praise I’ve
received for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/" target="_blank">“Killing is a Sin”</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Really enjoyed the book, well done.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Damn, I think I spilled chili on a rare first
edition; I'm enjoying it, couldn't stop reading during dinner.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“I was fortunate enough to see this in manuscript.
Good stuff. If you're interested in WWI Fiction give it a look.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“Incredible.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-4046648305594670692016-12-19T00:00:00.000-08:002016-12-19T00:00:06.323-08:00There Will Be No Football<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-rZPXrarEMnEVSH_YXTimLUif9mq2FlvbUM-uXy47oTzQUE8SgrQSB9pKjoBY7ZLo0VFeSl5wLOQPZd0aVO-M-_VzXK26u1Jd9eOIo_PYUKcH8GwC2E43KjuQUqrhm37N_uILdBlQPY/s1600/William+Barnes+Wollen%252C+Observation+Post%252C+winter%252C+1919.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-rZPXrarEMnEVSH_YXTimLUif9mq2FlvbUM-uXy47oTzQUE8SgrQSB9pKjoBY7ZLo0VFeSl5wLOQPZd0aVO-M-_VzXK26u1Jd9eOIo_PYUKcH8GwC2E43KjuQUqrhm37N_uILdBlQPY/s400/William+Barnes+Wollen%252C+Observation+Post%252C+winter%252C+1919.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>“The following from Canadian Corps:- ‘The Corps Commander wishes to congratulate Commanding Officer and all other ranks of 25th Battalion on their very successful raid last night.’”</i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
-Telegram rec’d from 5 Canadian Infantry Brigade 25 Dec. 1916</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The group of one
hundred men moving, cautiously deliberate across the waste of No-man’s Land not
quite three hours into Christmas Day 1916 were certainly not part of any
goodwill tour. “Friendly international
football matches were now so much as reaching mythical. Having happened, two years ago, time had gone
to see the final exit of many who shook hands in the ’14 truce as to push it
into being beyond living memory.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In command of
this raid was Captain William Archibald Cameron, who seemed keen to the
enterprise. “Bill Cameron was aching to
get a go at him (the enemy),” Lieutenant R. Lewis would later write in his
informal history of the 25</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Nova Scotia Rifles) Battalion, “so he
picked 80 men (Lewis has this wrong, it was 100) and four officers….The time
appointed was Xmas morning.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWkb_izk1Pg1C-D22nJCI1gmX8zZjKk67uW-BDQGolPOqYypCmQQGb-4mebtmNayGz9BP-cAv9uKbFWyHr0p0WPXmsJneToB4WsosbTr6XuH6eN8YNNryJwb_Ku0v7RxTsZr-lgZL5NU/s1600/CanadianArtillerymen60pdrShellNovember1916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUWkb_izk1Pg1C-D22nJCI1gmX8zZjKk67uW-BDQGolPOqYypCmQQGb-4mebtmNayGz9BP-cAv9uKbFWyHr0p0WPXmsJneToB4WsosbTr6XuH6eN8YNNryJwb_Ku0v7RxTsZr-lgZL5NU/s320/CanadianArtillerymen60pdrShellNovember1916.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With artillery
instructed to lay down a “box barrage”- a shellfire enclosure of the immediate
area- captain Cameron’s men, divided into four groups were to enter the German
Front Line across a 350 yard frontage.
Their mandate was typical: “To destroy or capture all Machine Guns and documents
possible, and to kill or capture all occupants of the trench.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Canadians
were going to be here in this area for the foreseeable future. It was, then, of critical importance to
upcoming operations to know precisely who was occupying the line opposite; and
what their potential fighting quality was.
Only a few days prior, along 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Division’s front, a
chance encounter between opposing patrols with the 15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (48</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Highlander) Battalion and the Germans had netted a single prisoner. The man taken “was head of patrol and lost
his sense of direction and was rounded up by our chaps.” His unit’s morale was
assessed as “very, very good,” and he is recorded as having heard rumours “that
the Kaiser has offered peace because neither side can break through and there’s
little use going on with useless slaughter.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Perhaps the only real complaint this </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Soldat</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
had was about the food he and his comrades had in the trenches. Though, being dissatisfied with rations is
hardly out of the ordinary for any soldier, in any army, past or present.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Much like the
raid of the 58</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion ten days before (see<a href="http://ifyebreakfaith.blogspot.ca/2016/12/improvise-and-overcome.html" target="_blank"> </a></span><u style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://ifyebreakfaith.blogspot.ca/2016/12/improvise-and-overcome.html" target="_blank">Improvise andOvercome</a></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">) Captain</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCNIljIY9oarbgRIvYqvSDW68mk2nHRO9z2opEBfooT3Ovej7jAFIJvO3SdOeTwun_xiRYJw_HCj4BfPph2_Sm9-f34gv9pTORuBrP8UjGO2VdMtitJxNWMOHd8FPLDsO8NHb-iLOyeg/s1600/christmas+card+5+%255B1600x1200%255D+%255B1600x1200%255D+%255B1600x1200%255D.jpg.opt208x328o0%252C0s208x328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCNIljIY9oarbgRIvYqvSDW68mk2nHRO9z2opEBfooT3Ovej7jAFIJvO3SdOeTwun_xiRYJw_HCj4BfPph2_Sm9-f34gv9pTORuBrP8UjGO2VdMtitJxNWMOHd8FPLDsO8NHb-iLOyeg/s320/christmas+card+5+%255B1600x1200%255D+%255B1600x1200%255D+%255B1600x1200%255D.jpg.opt208x328o0%252C0s208x328.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
Cameron had Bangalore torpedoes at the disposal of his entry
teams to clear the wire. Christmas Eve
day had been overcast, with showers<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">but
this had cleared overnight and the raiding party was faced with the full
brightness of a new moon. “When they
went to put the torpedoes underneath the wire,” Lt. Lewis continues, “they
found it impossible as it was too bright.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Captain Cameron consulted with his officers
and the decision was reached to storm the wire at the same moment the box barrage
commenced. When it did, “the four parties
simultaneously charged the enemy trenches.
Little difficulty was experienced in getting through the wire except by
the right centre party, who managed to force their way through a quantity of
loose and tangled wire.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It was all over
very quickly. The parties on the right
entered trenches in poor condition, and unoccupied. On the left, “the trenches were much better,
revetted and boarded. Seven prisoners
were taken here and brought back to our lines.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> In all, Captain Cameron’s men spent five
minutes in the German trenches, rounding up prisoners and bombing any dugouts
they found; “they were able to completely clear the objective of the
enemy. Half an hour after zero hour,
everything was normal again.” A great
part of the raid’s success was due to the efficiency and precision of the
artillery’s barrage. The shelling worked
perfectly in isolating the raid’s target area.
German retaliation to the barrage was weak- with some medium calibre counter
fire, trench mortars, rifle grenades and machine guns. None of this was effective and mostly
short-lived. “Both Rifle Grenades and
Machine Guns ceased firing a few minutes after the operation started, being
apparently put out of action by our artillery fire.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Estimates
calculated the raid had caused the enemy twenty casualties, aside from the
prisoners taken; for a return of seven raiders slightly wounded and one,
Sergeant G.B. Ingham, killed. George
Ingham leaves a lot unanswered in his death.
Specifically that up to the 12<sup>th</sup> of November, around the time
of his promotion to Sergeant, he had been serving under an assumed name. Stranger still is that he had at first
enlisted under his legal name, George Bernard Ingham and subsequently enlisted
again under the false name of Nelson Page.
The Ingham’s are a family of minor prominence in upstate New York; Sgt.
Ingham’s father would become mayor of Briarcliff Manor in the late 1930’s. There also exists a bizarre literary connection
as a writer named John Hall Ingham and another named Nelson Page- Sgt. Ingham’s
alias- were contemporaries in American literature in the late 19<sup>th</sup>
Century. I have not been able to deduce
the reasons for Sergeant Ingham’s subterfuge beyond speculation, but I hope to
uncover the mystery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Despite the
losses, the raid was a triumph. Taking
seven prisoners and making detailed observations on the condition and equipping
of German trenches elicited praise from both the General Officers Commanding
the Canadian Corps and First Army, to which the Corps was attached. Captain Cameron would be awarded the Military
Cross “For conspicuous gallantry in action.
He led a raid against the enemy with marked gallantry, inflicting many
casualties and capturing seven prisoners.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For those on the
front during the second Christmas of the war, it was just another day of
business as usual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Want to help
make Christmas “merry and bright” for an aspiring writer? You could do worse, I imagine, than to order
a copy of my novel, set in the Canadian trenches at Vimy Ridge. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/" target="_blank">“Killing is a Sin” </a>is available through
Amazon and by request through book retailers world wide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjJbstkCbJwYYocOBYlVYRMKu3MF7LTDhKNbaRWRPyvFgXTrOhy1qK2gS8XjeDtK_FPVmV-BMY6PJSv-_XvZrov7dl40jhE0sV6zuRlrpZDWaYZh4BG54iHmFU1gyJSzFQBcFdNMA9Jg/s1600/card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjJbstkCbJwYYocOBYlVYRMKu3MF7LTDhKNbaRWRPyvFgXTrOhy1qK2gS8XjeDtK_FPVmV-BMY6PJSv-_XvZrov7dl40jhE0sV6zuRlrpZDWaYZh4BG54iHmFU1gyJSzFQBcFdNMA9Jg/s400/card.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Merry
Christmas to you all, and all the best for the New Year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Regular
Posts of “If Ye Break Faith” will resume January 2 2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Harvie, Christopher J. “Killing is a Sin: A Novel of
the First World War” Independent, 2016, pg. 221<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Lewis, R., Lt. “Over the Top With the 25<sup>th</sup>”
HH Marshal, Limited, 1918, pg. 49<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Operations Order No. 27, 25<sup>th</sup> (Nova Scotia
Rifles) Battalion, December 21, 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">“Examination of Prisoner belonging to 16<sup>th</sup>
Bav. R.I.R.” Made by 3 Canadian Infantry Brigade HQ, 17 December 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary entry, 2 Canadian Division, 24 December 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Lewis, R., Lt., <i>ibid</i>.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Walker, A.L., Capt., “Report on Raid Carried out by the
25<sup>th</sup> Canadian Battalion on the night of 24<sup>th</sup>/25<sup>th</sup>
December 1916”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Walker, A.L., Capt., <i>ibid</i>.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Walker, A.L., Capt., <i>ibid</i>.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/There%20Will%20Be%20No%20Football.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette No. 29940, 13 February
1917, pg. 1545<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-27507407244137526872016-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:002016-12-12T06:59:51.942-08:00Improvise and Overcome<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>“I regret to report that Lieut. Shortt, one Sergeant and one private are missing.”</i>-</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Maj. G.H. Cassels, A/OC 58th Battalion, </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
11 Dec. 1916</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIhpp91AQF4O6FH3HDPr1oW9ib2STEb3K1vr_HByJOIul09bJNEXLqz9PXJua8qjKGPxwzy009W0AiNgHra6VUHXY9WuoZspGIOqnIE8TuRiJOHrnhSmqAx8SScPPcnMZamqO6kUNwB8/s1600/trench+raid+by+Todd+Sullivan+Oil+on+Wood+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFIhpp91AQF4O6FH3HDPr1oW9ib2STEb3K1vr_HByJOIul09bJNEXLqz9PXJua8qjKGPxwzy009W0AiNgHra6VUHXY9WuoZspGIOqnIE8TuRiJOHrnhSmqAx8SScPPcnMZamqO6kUNwB8/s400/trench+raid+by+Todd+Sullivan+Oil+on+Wood+2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Trench Raid" oil on wood, by Todd Sullivan 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the early
evening of 10 December 1916, a raiding party of forty men, under Lieutenant
Allen Shortt “successfully formed up in ‘NO MAN’S LAND’ without the attention
of the enemy being attracted.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Improvise%20and%20Overcome.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> These men, selected from the four companies
of the 58</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Central Ontario) Battalion had spent the prior three
days intensely rehearsing for this scheme.
Organised into six Parties- ‘E’ through ‘J’- the raid was to move under
cover of night, and effect entry of the German Front Line Trench at two
points. Their task was brutally simple: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“From
information received, there is an enemy bombing and sentry post at the junction
of the Front Line and enemy communication trench…and a large enemy dugout at or
near the junction which is known to be occupied….A party from the 58</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Canadian Infantry Battalion will raid portions of the Front Line Trench…for the
purpose of capturing prisoners, obtaining identification and inflicting
casualties upon the enemy.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Improvise%20and%20Overcome.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> These orders made it explicit that the known
dugout was to be destroyed. The plan
called for Parties ‘E’ through ‘H’ to enter through an existing gap in the wire
on the left edge of the raid area, while ‘I’ and ‘J’ would get in via a hole in
the wire they were to blow by using a device called an “ammonal tube.” The ingenious thing about these tubes was
that they could be fastened together to create charges of substantial length
and had a narrow diameter. They were
just the thing for threading under barbed wire, the high explosives directed
upward could clear out </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KZDl1gtMSVebJNF4dpjOdu8ijJTG9sFKIB_7PAV6XK-CKycurUG-Em3tDrNNjXR-f1jlIoMOIVtmdLnGoqGWEMgXOMaBbQnT4bVvYvD6tukdefG-Gbyl9dtJZup3uUwsf-YAvT0QdMs/s1600/d0056023_4a7d4085bd318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KZDl1gtMSVebJNF4dpjOdu8ijJTG9sFKIB_7PAV6XK-CKycurUG-Em3tDrNNjXR-f1jlIoMOIVtmdLnGoqGWEMgXOMaBbQnT4bVvYvD6tukdefG-Gbyl9dtJZup3uUwsf-YAvT0QdMs/s320/d0056023_4a7d4085bd318.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
any tangle. They
were sometimes known; and would become more widely known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore_torpedo" target="_blank">“BangaloreTorpedoes.”</a> Dividing the raiding parties
into two groups in this way would enable them to take the front line from two
directions simultaneously.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At exactly 6.35
pm, the tube was detonated, chewing through the German wire and clearing a path
which allowed Parties ‘I’ and ‘J’ to “pass through the wire with freedom.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Improvise%20and%20Overcome.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
The explosion also acted as a signal to the other parties to storm the trench,
while prearranged artillery and trench mortar fire was dropped onto the German
support trenches, isolating the raid area.
Parties ‘E’, ‘G’ and ‘J’ were to move along the trenches to establish
blocking positions, ‘F’ would hold the left point of entry- which would also be
the sole exit point- while ‘H’ and ‘I’ were to get on with the task at hand;
the destruction of the bombing post and dugouts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As it was- as so
often happens in war- things didn’t go to plan.
On the left, there was little trouble and the bulk of the raid stormed
the German trench and took up their positions.
An enemy sentry was </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsvXSLa1qCZyezdGr9bcBWnr0tpkxAqhi7TAI1bWvghP3QIpPIQ32vLhlGzLT_zJ7-pTtBo-Xl7Q9sj6IBkU5cW5kv0t-fgDDUmH8FpG2mRjKlSA6lxq-X8dBCrZQKugGI2PEDTygeAM/s1600/ww1-c-346-trench.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGsvXSLa1qCZyezdGr9bcBWnr0tpkxAqhi7TAI1bWvghP3QIpPIQ32vLhlGzLT_zJ7-pTtBo-Xl7Q9sj6IBkU5cW5kv0t-fgDDUmH8FpG2mRjKlSA6lxq-X8dBCrZQKugGI2PEDTygeAM/s320/ww1-c-346-trench.jpg.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
shot dead, and a grenade exploding caused some
confusion, but the men from ‘E’ through ‘H’ were little phased and went about
their task just as it had been rehearsed.
Parties ‘I’ and ‘J’, in the meantime, had indeed cleared out the wire
with the ammonal tube, but found the trench they took to be a “blind.” In this sense, it’s the same as a blind alley;
a dead end, not connected to anything.
Worse, the gap between this trench and the line proper was heavily
wired. Going overland to meet the rest of
the raid would be tricky. Even that
option was rendered moot as the blind trench was immediately taken under fire
by machine guns to the left and right. <o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the actual
trench, the raid’s commander, Lt. Shortt, had noted the absence of Parties ‘I’
and ‘J’ which left his right flank exposed.
Lance Corporal Simms, in charge of Party ‘E’- assigned to move and set
up a blocking post on the left edge
would later state “At the point of entry we saw three Germans, one of whom I
shot. Mr. Shortt appeared to follow the
other two, who went to the right along the front line.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“I was rear man
of L/Cpl Simms’ party,” Private Keel would corroborate, “as I dropped down into
the trench, I saw Lieut. Shortt a few yards to the right. He appeared to be covering our party as he
had his revolver drawn and pointing to the right.” Lt. Shortt, a former student from New York
City, married and only just twenty years old, was not seen after that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“I’m inclined to
think,” Major Cassels, in temporary command of the 58</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion
would write in his report to his superiors at 9 Canadian Infantry Brigade, “that
when the right parties did not appear…Lieut. Shortt and possibly the Sergeant
moved along the front line to the south with a view to protecting the parties
up the communication trenches, and must have been put out of action in that
part of the front.” The sergeant
mentioned was Thomas Brazier. He’d only
had his third stripe for a month, a promotion gained from having voluntarily reduced
to the ranks in order to transfer from the 19</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion to serve
with his elder brother George in the 58</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Both Lt. Shortt and Sgt. Brazier would later be reported as ‘found
dead’ through diplomatic channels in January, and their names are listed on the
Vimy Memorial as their gravesites are unknown.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3khDRRYRFmszP5XYy_aIB9uAb23-0pHfF1Oq9jpIBM7VN2lmlvSNJnQzWmEwfSFwVnaudJXIvOYngScWRIeVwb7t3SIC85LUmoIsGsQiZ9vpaQB2Gesc6CTqbgZBHFXnFdPwJLybGYk/s1600/Trench_at_night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3khDRRYRFmszP5XYy_aIB9uAb23-0pHfF1Oq9jpIBM7VN2lmlvSNJnQzWmEwfSFwVnaudJXIvOYngScWRIeVwb7t3SIC85LUmoIsGsQiZ9vpaQB2Gesc6CTqbgZBHFXnFdPwJLybGYk/s320/Trench_at_night.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Despite the
setbacks and the loss of the only officer present, the men carried on with
their tasks, or, as with Parties ‘I’ and ‘J’, improvised from the situation as
it had developed. Acting Sergeant Fitton,
the ranking man in the blind trench held his men in position and had them bomb
the enemy front line from where they were, despite exposure to the machine gun
fire. These bombs managed to effectively
silence the MG to their left, and it’s believed a trench mortar struck the
emplacement to the right. Sgt. Fitton
withdrew his men after twenty minutes and not having any bombs remaining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Once the absence
of the men of Party ‘I’ was noted, Sergeant Lamb of party ‘H’ took on the job
of the absent party as well as that of his own.
He took his men down a sap running off the communication trench. “This sap was found to slope upwards so that
at its end, where a machine gun emplacement was found, its bottom was level
with the parapets of the front line. On
entering the sap one of the enemy fired two shots with a revolver at the party
and was immediately hit in the face with a Mills Grenade which knocked him down
the entrance to a deep dugout. A five
pound package of guncotton was thrown down after him and duly exploded…no doubt
wrecking the dugout and causing casualties.”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Improvise%20and%20Overcome.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These incidences
were proof that empowering Non-Commissioned men with greater responsibility and
more latitude was a wise investment. Both Sergeant Lamb and A/Sgt. Fitton would
be awarded the Military Medal for their prescience during the raid. Sgt. Lamb would be elevated to the rank of
Captain, further recognised for gallantry with the Military Cross in August
1918. A/Sgt Fitton, unfortunately would die of wounds in April, 1917.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Also singled out
for praise during the night by Major Cassels was Major Dougall Carmichael, who
had command of a covering party on the left periphery of the raid. Not only did he personally take a supply of
bombs right over to the enemy Front Line Trench, but after the raiders had returned,
he, with L/Cpl Webster “went over to the enemy’s front line and endeavoured to
carry out a mortally wounded man…but was unable to lift him out of the
trench. This was a most gallant and
fearless act.” Major Carmichael and
L/Cpl Webster had attempted to rescue the third man reported missing, Private
Patrick Nigh. He had been struck by the grenade which had been
thrown at the raid as they made entry. Shrapnel had hit him in the face and
legs, and in the ensuing action he was mistaken for dead and left behind as the
raid retired. It was initially believed that his wounds were fatal. Later patrols to attempt to locate the
missing men found no trace of the three.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After some
initial confusion, it would be reported that despite the loss of an eye and a
seriously wounded right leg, Pte. Nigh was alive: a prisoner in a German military
hospital. He would later be repatriated
with other wounded prisoners to England in the spring of 1918.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UtQS-6ceuwgtH31ufzDPlHXZyUaoosFAGlgoMmeFhDEDr7JDNY9ealnG34gZmKzJc8m7cIpDOkdOXcvDbM2Gq9lV1mpXGfnek2o9gXjfNyHvmKGPjOEbDvMQ38pQ2wEWRqEKTCtgsWQ/s1600/new+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UtQS-6ceuwgtH31ufzDPlHXZyUaoosFAGlgoMmeFhDEDr7JDNY9ealnG34gZmKzJc8m7cIpDOkdOXcvDbM2Gq9lV1mpXGfnek2o9gXjfNyHvmKGPjOEbDvMQ38pQ2wEWRqEKTCtgsWQ/s320/new+cover.jpg" width="209" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">By December of 1916, the entire Canadian corps was now all together at a little stretch of land in France they would be calling home for the next five months. Facing them was the grandest topographical feature in the vicinity, occupied by the Germans, intricately fortified over a period of years and denied any attempt at eviction. Come spring, it would be the Corps' job to do what had, so far, proved well on impossible. "They were going to go up there, that bloody ridge in the middle distance. It grew lazily upward from its surrounding until it crested above the landscape; intimidatingly darker than the night sky framing it like a bas relief." It is within these months leading up to and including the famed Canadian capture of Vimy Ridge in which my novel <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/" target="_blank">"Killing is a Sin" </a>is set. The book is available through Amazon and by request at major book retailers worldwide.</span></div>
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<br />
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Improvise%20and%20Overcome.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Cassels, George H., Major, “Report” from 58<sup>th</sup>
Battalion to 9 Canadian Infantry Brigade, 11 December 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Improvise%20and%20Overcome.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">58<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Battalion Operations
Order No. 34<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Improvise%20and%20Overcome.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Cassels, George H., Major, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Improvise%20and%20Overcome.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Cassels, George H., Major, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-34225511337372819712016-11-21T00:00:00.000-08:002016-11-21T00:00:03.622-08:00Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 8.0cm; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“The
tour just ended has been characterised by considerable Enemy artillery activity”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">-</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
War Diary 12 Canadian Infantry Brigade</span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">19 Jun 17</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What had begun
as a search to find information on one soldier unfolded to reveal a story
forever connecting three individuals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As a sample set,
the three were, by most measurements, a representation of the average Canadian
soldier on the Western Front. None of
the three had been born in Canada; which was certainly not unusual. Kirby Bourson Hunt was from Bona Vista
Newfoundland, then a Dominion separate from Canada; Thomas Culbert was Belfast
born and George Holland came from Worsley, England. They aged between twenty and twenty-seven
years old and ranged in height from 5’3” to 5’11”- both in age and stature they
were outstandingly average. They were
ordinary men, all three private soldiers who neither had conspicuous merit nor
detraction applied to their service. As
best as can be told, the three men, Holland, Culbert and Hunt had never met or
were known to one another, they had all served in different battalions and had
been in France for different lengths of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Thomas Culbert
was posted to the 38</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion on 6 December, 1916 and George
Holland reported to the 78</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion two days before
Christmas. These two men came to 4</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Canadian Division units to reinforce losses taken in the waning phase of the
Somme campaign. There was a great need
to make up numbers from casualties taken, as the long training and
organisational effort for the spring offensives-for Vimy Ridge- was about to
begin. Urgency to get men proficient in
their trade is evident in Culbert’s posting to a Lewis Gun Course not two weeks
after joining his unit. Hunt, the last
of these three to come to the front was taken on strength with the 47</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup>
</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Battalion in May of 1917, in his own turn a reinforcement for the casualties
taken in the battle for which Holland and Culbert had been brought over for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">However, only
Holland was present with his unit at Vimy, Culbert had been wounded in
February; and it is at this point where I began.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRssrreo18VvyaY3h1520NRgvCmrcL_lFQQnSwgLgRaKQpdnF8F3vrjz9TaIhx7L0Hvu5yn3wICS3mrcGtUhUhUQvKc3Be-npUOjkerepCKlYpBiaZkRAfrY_PDewIn97ZeWMhFzulEo/s1600/Thomas+Culbert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRssrreo18VvyaY3h1520NRgvCmrcL_lFQQnSwgLgRaKQpdnF8F3vrjz9TaIhx7L0Hvu5yn3wICS3mrcGtUhUhUQvKc3Be-npUOjkerepCKlYpBiaZkRAfrY_PDewIn97ZeWMhFzulEo/s200/Thomas+Culbert.jpg" width="121" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Culbert</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Thomas Culbert
is a direct relative of a fellow I went to school with. This friend had posted newspaper clippings
regarding Culbert over Remembrance Week.
From the </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Toronto Star, </i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">it
began “Pte. Thomas Culbert, who in February last was severely wounded in the
right thigh is to-day reported to have died of his injuries.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> He had died on the 24</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> of June,
and was buried in France. This struck me
as out of the ordinary. Worded in this
way, the clipping made it appear as though his death in June was directly
resulting from his wounding in February.
It seemed a terribly lengthy time to linger from a leg wound, and that
Culbert was buried in France raised more questions. Mainly, why hadn’t he been evacuated to
England as was most usually the case for convalescence? Circumstances as they seemed were not </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">impossible</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, just incredibly
unlikely. It was not much more than a
hunch which motivated me, and once I opened Culbert’s service records, my hunch
was confirmed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">He was indeed
wounded in February. His file states “GSW
(Gun Shot Wound) Rt. Thigh, slight”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">on
his admission to hospital on 26 February.
The 38</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion War Diary provided the context: “At 5.30
pm a raid on German trenches was made by five officers and 85 other ranks….Results
38 Bn.: 1. Thirty-three dead Huns were counted.
2. Six dug-outs were bombed. 3.
Estimated that the enemy sustained at least forty other casualties besides the
above dead. 4. Enemy’s wire practically nil. Trenches in bad condition….Our
casualties- 4 killed, 27 wounded.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Culbert
recovered from this wound, returning to his unit on the 13</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> of
April, just missing the opening phase of Vimy Ridge. Discovering this only solved part of the
mystery; in that he didn’t linger for four months. His death, however, was listed as “died of
wounds” which meant there was a period of time in which he suffered injuries
before passing. Consulting the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission records and comparing those with reports
from 12 Canadian Infantry Brigade (to which the 38</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion belonged)
made the situation clearer. Colonel
Nicholson’s official history notes that this period, from the end of the first
phase of the Battle of Messines was one in which Haig, planning for a resumed
offensive had instructed his subordinate commands to “ ‘hold the enemy to his
ground, and prevent his moving troops elsewhere’.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GaBbkqOKd7yxXZ5oLplqCoDZUaQ6d8-h3o0IeBz26LVyzXt953chBZ58xOOpiWFIbvR-f95XVBa75kQs1dUEO_tgSAsR_aek4Cair4IMssDFaaZMoukdSmXrPzMUK7GASDcWY3u-iBA/s1600/George+Holland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GaBbkqOKd7yxXZ5oLplqCoDZUaQ6d8-h3o0IeBz26LVyzXt953chBZ58xOOpiWFIbvR-f95XVBa75kQs1dUEO_tgSAsR_aek4Cair4IMssDFaaZMoukdSmXrPzMUK7GASDcWY3u-iBA/s200/George+Holland.jpg" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Holland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The lines were
being stabilised, and strengthened in preparation for the next forward
move. Artillery fire was intense on both
sides. On the 18</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> of June, German artillery was “considerably above
normal….Shortly before mdt. In response to flares sent up…approx. 175 shells
were fired.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
The majority of these fell amongst the positions held by the 38</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion. Pte. George Holland, his 78</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion out of the line,
was that evening part of a working party sent forward which got caught in this
heavy fire. “Following casualties amongst party furnished by ‘D’ Coy; Killed 2,
874700 Pte. Holland, 625235 Pte. Miller, buried same time….4 wounded (slightly)
all by HTMB (Heavy Trench Mortar Bomb).”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 12 Brigade’s diary records these casualties
of the 78</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, and two men wounded from the 38</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. All of the wounded would have been brought
through the Regimental Aid Post, just behind the trench line, and thence to the
Advance Dressing Station, which was just on the eastern periphery of Givenchy. From the ADS men would either be treated and
discharged, or transported to a Main Dressing Station or other hospital
facilities further rearward. In extreme
cases, those men not expected to survive were made comfortable where they were
rather than subject them to unnecessary movement. Thomas Culbert, married father of two, never
made it beyond the ADS, although death came a slow, terrible six days later.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVQ9uoiQP2_aEIRbT7gq5pTwdbG6EuKqWWf4ZUfo4fFs452ly1_3urT6R240C5xF9_ENdt8hOSmO3SL1LLxM5WYTSolQaYzD8N_RgQx8ceL_u8RoNXgiPmWSIGGOI0SpymdKMEi2cRdQ/s1600/Kirby+B+Hunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVQ9uoiQP2_aEIRbT7gq5pTwdbG6EuKqWWf4ZUfo4fFs452ly1_3urT6R240C5xF9_ENdt8hOSmO3SL1LLxM5WYTSolQaYzD8N_RgQx8ceL_u8RoNXgiPmWSIGGOI0SpymdKMEi2cRdQ/s200/Kirby+B+Hunt.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirby B Hunt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the 20</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
of June, 12 Brigade was replaced in line by 10 Canadian Infantry Brigade, whose
battalions now took up the job of fixing the enemy in place. It was a few days later, overnight between
25/26 June that the 47</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion conducted a minor operation
against lightly held German trenches and a sweep of the village of La
Coulotte. “Patrols were pushed through
the village of LA COULOTTE as far south to the LENS-ARRAS ROAD, and found the
Southern part of the village still strongly occupied.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
The patrol from the 47</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> retired to friendly lines, but not before
suffering casualties of two dead and fourteen wounded. One of those killed was
Kirby Hunt. He had been at the front
just over five weeks. His body was
brought to the ADS, as were the bodies of Holland and Miller from their
temporary grave along the support line.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Holland, Culbert
and Hunt were interred in a group plot at a place called Sumach Cemetery.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Group burials were not uncommon, and great effort
was taken to ensure these burials were identifiable. Only later- mostly through
a tremendous post-war program- would the men be exhumed and placed in single
graves within established grounds and marked with proper headstones.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGUPoxdNGLy0qEyPwDWE66SsQtHdLVVnBp8bW9t3DGQy2kFzUbNUWGARWnq0t6l48hO13-4dJpN-qFup9L941gWlRTl84mLNdaMXRON4qI2bT2z2j1JUBYOPg77oxjYAW0YcGivHjXaM/s1600/1b48343d-9d3e-4037-aec5-4c567e50e472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGUPoxdNGLy0qEyPwDWE66SsQtHdLVVnBp8bW9t3DGQy2kFzUbNUWGARWnq0t6l48hO13-4dJpN-qFup9L941gWlRTl84mLNdaMXRON4qI2bT2z2j1JUBYOPg77oxjYAW0YcGivHjXaM/s320/1b48343d-9d3e-4037-aec5-4c567e50e472.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Except, in this
case, Sumach Cemetery was destroyed in later fighting to such an extent that
when La Chaudière Cemetery was being constructed after the war, those initially
buried at Sumach could not be individually distinguished. These men are commemorated at La Chaudière by
a special memorial. The three; Holland,
Culbert and Hunt, men who didn’t know each other, ordinary average men, will
now pass eternity together, with so many of their comrades, marked by a stone
which offers the promise “Their Glory Shall Not Be Blotted Out.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Toronto Star, 05 July 1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">MFW 54 “Casualty Form- Active Service” re. 775036, Pte.
Culbert, Thomas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 38<sup>th</sup> Battalion, 22 February
1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Nicholson, GW, Col. “Official History of the Canadian
Army in the First World War” Queen’s Printer, Ottawa 1962 pg. 282</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">12 Canadian Infantry Brigade War Diary, June 1917
Appendix 1 “Intelligence Summary No. 128”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 78<sup>th</sup> Battalion, 18 June
1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 47<sup>th</sup> Battalion, 25 June
1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Their%20Glory%20Shall%20Not%20Be%20Blotted%20Out.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <a href="http://www.cwgc.org/">www.cwgc.org</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-53242215170292682392016-11-15T05:59:00.001-08:002016-11-15T05:59:54.431-08:00Men of Character and Courage<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 8.0cm; mso-add-space: auto;">
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<i>“I need gentlemen of character and courage to inspire these men to their duty as soldiers. I need smart men who can make the right decisions regardless of circumstance. Do I have one of these men standing before me, Lieutenant?”</i></div>
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-Lt. Col B.A. Sinclair, “Killing is a Sin” Ch. V</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There would be
nobody on their right flank; they were the end of the line. This objective was the extreme right edge of
the advance. At the opposite end, the
company from the 102</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion was fortunate in that they would be
moving forward to secure the left flank with positions already held. Not so for the men of ‘B’ Company, 46</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion. Their fate had placed them
here- needing to take this stretch of Regina Trench at a point most likely to
attract strong counter-attacks and hold it- orders were to hold at all cost</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">-
while ‘D’ Company moved up and worked to extend the captured trench back to
existing Canadian lines.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A staggering
majority of ‘B’ Company’s compliment had never gone into battle before, and
that included two of the three officers who had been selected to lead it. The company’s other officers, some NCO’s and
ordinary soldiers had been purposefully held back- “left out of battle” was the
phrase- in order to preserve structure should the attack prove disastrously
costly. For the men going forward, they
would have to have implicit trust, bordering on faith, in leadership that knew
not much more than what they did about what to expect. Lieutenants Lowe, Dewar and Copp were placed
in a position of enormous responsibility.
They had to complete the task given to ‘B’ Company in such a way as to
be worthy of their men’s blind trust with the knowledge that any failure would
weigh heavier upon them than anyone else.
All of this was theirs to take upon, without any greater understanding
of what to expect then had the men they were meant to lead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The opening
quote, taken from Chapter V of my novel <b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/" target="_blank">“Killing is a Sin”</a></b> describes in fiction the actual dilemma facing Battalion
commanders such as Colonel Sinclair would face in reality. Building an army from near nothing would be
one accomplishment for Canada. Finding
“men of character and courage” to lead it would be another. For our posterity, it is fortunate that such
men- men such as Lowe, Dewar and Copp- were present to fill this need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Each of the
three officers with ‘B’ Company on the night of the attack had at least some
pre-war experience. Lowe and Copp with
two and three years in the Active Militia respectively. Dewar, a Scot by birth had been five years
with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lt. Dewar had
been with the CEF the longest. He’d
joined as a private soldier at the outset of war and shipped out with the First
Contingent in October, 1914. Illness, in
particular a hernia, delayed his deployment to France. He would remain in England, assigned to
training depots and accelerating through non-commissioned appointments;
becoming a Company Sergeant-Major a short while before being granted a
commission and an assignment to active duty with the 46</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion
prior to its embarkation to France in September 1916. Although Lt. Dewar was the longest serving,
his commission came later than Lt. Lowe’s, who would be placed in command of
‘B’ Company. Perhaps this longevity in
service was the consideration to place Dewar with the responsibility of
establishing ‘B’ Company’s forward blocking post.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What ‘B’ Company
had been asked to accomplish was quite daring.
It was a night attack, with the company spaced in four waves of a
platoon each. The men would have to cross
no-man’s land undetected by the enemy and as close as possible to the covering
barrage. That they were able to
accomplish this, a complex manoeuvre with precise coordination with artillery
they could neither see nor communicate with directly with having made all
preparations to do so within the seven hours between final orders and Zero-hour
bears a good deal of reflection. Even if
things were to go without a hitch, such an endeavour’s chance of success was
reliant completely on the officers leading the attack, the NCO’s marshalling
the men and the level of proficiency attained by the rank and file in all the
moments which had brought them all to this point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As it was, not
everything went without a hitch. It is,
in fact, when things </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">don’t</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> go to plan
that real leadership is tested. When the
barrage lifted at nine minutes past Zero</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
“it was not concentrated over a sufficiently narrow area to allow of the
attacking party of entering the objective.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Jumping off right then put the men to risk of
falling under their own barrage; while waiting a further five minutes</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
gave the Germans defending Regina Trench that much time to recover and prepare
to receive the attack. Having the men
wait was one thing; hesitating in making a decision in either case was another
thing altogether.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“They therefore
waited for the next lift,” it was later reported, and as expected this delay
worked in favour of the defenders.
“Parties of the enemy put up a strong resistance.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lt. Lowe’s
presence was later praised by his C.O. Lt. Col Dawson as being instrumental to
the success of this part of the attack.
Lowe “so animated his men,” Dawson would write, that the position
captured “was quickly placed in a state of defence.” Lowe’s constancy throughout the unfolding day
“displayed a magnificent spirit of bravery and coolness under fire.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Lt. Lowe would be awarded the Military Cross for his efforts.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Lt. Dewar, the
ex-Borderer quickly established his outpost as consolidation began, and
prudently shifted it closer to the trench lines when it was apparent that
artillery fire was dropping too short.
Dewar himself caught a piece of shrapnel and was shortly afterward
evacuated. He would not return to the
front, remaining with a training unit in England after convalescing from his
wound. Lt. Lowe would also be taken out
of the line the following month, due to chronic appendicitis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">By year’s end,
only Lt. Copp remained of the three ‘B’ Company officers who went forward on
that night. He would be wounded the
following spring in the weeks after Vimy Ridge; but not before earning the
Military Cross himself. “In spite of
heavy fire,” his citation reads, “he supervised the establishment of posts, and
later seized advanced ground which he held with great determination.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Like Lt. Dewar, Copp would not return to
action after recovering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2fNQjtqBqApOHPc73e-jRWjJJHCWk7d1ruh5S3su6Eu9r-LWbJdLrB_fEsGBxdPtmE2JAafdYKnEWRKavuO_RuXfL4EJCep2hm_fiSOg2ciks6t_vwYZmvAMfT2x5LeXpgaLnDxci8I/s1600/59951_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2fNQjtqBqApOHPc73e-jRWjJJHCWk7d1ruh5S3su6Eu9r-LWbJdLrB_fEsGBxdPtmE2JAafdYKnEWRKavuO_RuXfL4EJCep2hm_fiSOg2ciks6t_vwYZmvAMfT2x5LeXpgaLnDxci8I/s200/59951_1.jpg" width="173" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lowe, however,
would come back to the 46</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion, his appendix no longer a
concern, sporting his MC and a deserving promotion to Captain in time to take
part in operations at Vimy. Captain Lowe
continued to display the qualities which inspired those he led to follow
him. That August, “Captain Lowe and a
bombing party raided an enemy M.G. emplacement…and succeeded in securing 14
prisoners.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> His conspicuous leadership was, ironically,
his undoing. The Battalion’s War Diary
concludes on 22 August 1917 with the entry “Captain Lowe was sniped during this
raid.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">10<sup>th </sup>Canadian Infantry Brigade Operations
Order No. 22 10 November 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Operations Order No. 22</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">10<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade “Report on
Operations 10/11 November” War Diary, November 1916 Appendix C1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Operations Order No. 22</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">“Report on Operations 10/11 November”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Dawson, H.J. Lt. Col, “A No. 120 ‘Recommendations’” to
OC 10 CIB 14 November 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette No. 29898 9 January
1917 pg. 465<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette No. 30234, 14 August
1917 pg. 8392</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Men%20of%20Character%20and%20Courage.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 46<sup>th</sup> Battalion, 22 August
1917<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-87658377862699636342016-11-07T06:15:00.000-08:002016-11-07T06:15:00.476-08:00Attempt and Adjustment<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 8.0cm; mso-add-space: auto;">
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>“The splendid work of your Battalions is worthy of the highest praise, and will add greatly to the prestige and morale of our troops in further operations.”-</i>Maj. Gen. D Watson, O.C.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">4<sup>th</sup>
Canadian Division, 11 November, 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Last week’s
article was a good opportunity for an open dialogue on how well the Battle of
the Somme fulfilled its purpose; notwithstanding differing views of what that
purpose may have been or whether any purpose existed at all. It was altogether the exact kind of dialogue
I hope to create with my work- to encourage thoughtful discourse and allowing
the lessons that the past can give us to be continually applied in the present.
So, to all of you who participated in furthering that discussion, thank
you. I return this week with an example
to support my thesis that the benefit of adapting technique to situation was
certainly a positive outcome from the fighting on the Somme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Regina Trench had
become the proving ground for the 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Division. As October gave way to November, most of this
line had been taken, consolidated and held.
Only its eastern-most edge remained out of reach. The last attempt made at it on the 25</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
October by the 44</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion had been repulsed with heavy
losses. An inability to secure this
portion left the extent of Regina Trench in Canadian hands vulnerable to a
flanking attack. Despite the losses and
setback the 44</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> had suffered, this ground had to be taken for the
risk of losing what had already been gained was too great.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6Kwp0Pucb_ghAtmpzEOfwiYFzh8CDvoRHqwNjew2hss4npWRNAvOchyAbW7hwrM12jh7E-pKCAhjgAQyvPvBmikpb14SE8p6rwZNRebR6-KENVBtlv8-cPrxrz7YtiyMfR5F1L_QHKc/s1600/e001025511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6Kwp0Pucb_ghAtmpzEOfwiYFzh8CDvoRHqwNjew2hss4npWRNAvOchyAbW7hwrM12jh7E-pKCAhjgAQyvPvBmikpb14SE8p6rwZNRebR6-KENVBtlv8-cPrxrz7YtiyMfR5F1L_QHKc/s320/e001025511.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“The operation,”
on the 25</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, “failed owing to insufficiency of artillery
barrage. The Battalion suffered
heavily.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> It was evident that better artillery
preparation was required, and with that, better coordination between the
artillery and infantry. Also, it was
re-assessed as to how best to deploy the infantry units in a subsequent
assault. Plans for the next attempt
would include three battalions instead of one.
Trebling the number of battalions to attack the same width of frontage
the 44</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> had attempted gave the attack a depth in waves- each
battalion putting two companies in the advance, with each company attacking “on
a platoon frontage in 4 waves.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> It would be an incredibly dense attack. Planning assigned specific tasks to these
waves. While the first wave was
primarily responsible for gaining lodgement of Regina Trench, following platoons
would act as a mopping up force, clearing any resistance while the leading
platoons worked to make the ground defensible.
Other waves would pass through the taken ground to establish posts and
blocking positions. Once that had been
achieved, an entire company which had been held back from the assault (‘D’
Company, 46</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion) would go forward and work to connect the
right edge of Regina Trench to an existing Allied line. Orders as to intent were clear- “All Posts
and Blocks will be maintained and held at all costs.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The difficulty
with artillery barrages at this stage of the war was that any increase in
intensity would signal the enemy that an attack was imminent. This would prompt
a counter barrage on jumping-off points and assembly trenches which sometimes
was sufficient to halt an advance. A
conceivable option would be to forego a heavy covering barrage, though this was
risky in itself. Without the barrage to
keep the enemy pinned, attacking waves would be at the mercy of enemy rifle and
machine gun fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A prescient
solution was attempted in the attack of 10/11 November 1916. Zero-hour was midnight, and under cover of
darkness, the attacking waves crept forward, 150 yards ahead of the front line
trench. By the time the initial barrage
hit the German trenches, and the enemy had sent their SOS signal rockets up,
replying artillery struck empty ground.
As it was “the enemy’s reply to the barrage was feeble in the extreme.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"> While the Canadian barrage pasted the German
line, the attackers were to “get as close as possible to REGINA TRENCH where they
will lie down and wait for the first life (upon which) the assault will be
delivered.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> It was a daring strategy, and at nine minutes
after Zero, the barrage shifted, adding 150 yards to its range and the leading
platoons fell upon the enemy trench.
Later reports, taken from prisoners’ statements was that the attack had
“come as a surprise.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“This time, all
went well,” says Nicholson in his Official History, “the Canadians were able to
move well inside the enemy’s counter-barrage, and aided by a full moon and a
clear sky quickly reached and stormed their objective.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Colonel Nicholson is being a bit generous, as
the attack didn’t go without some difficulty.
The 19</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Infantry Brigade recorded “On the right,”
where the 46</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion was attacking, “when the barrage lifted it
was not concentrated over a sufficiently narrow area to allow of the attacking
party entering the objective. They therefore waited for the next lift. The trench was then assaulted. Parties of the enemy put up a strong
resistance but were mopped up and many others who retired hurriedly towards
PYS…were killed by rifle fire and by the barrage.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The 47<sup>th</sup>
Battalion had come under enfilading machine gun fire and took quite a few
casualties, including most of the officers who had gone forward. Counterattacks
were few, mostly falling upon the 102<sup>nd</sup> Battalion, and were
dispersed with little difficulty. The 46<sup>th</sup>’s
outpost positions fell under the protective barrage, causing them to be
re-sited closer to the captured trenches, but not before some had been wounded
by friendly shellfire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Through a quick
process of attempt and adjustment the Canadians had gained this long sought
goal.</span></span></div>
Having been contested over the
preceding months so much that the trenches were “found to be much damaged and
was so bad that it was difficult to recognize.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Overall, this new ground was a “disappointment as regards construction and
dugouts. It was knee deep in mud and the
dugouts had only just been commenced.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Efforts at consolidation meant having to almost start the trench anew.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Poorly
maintained trenches was one indicator of how the campaign had succeeded. The battle “had forced the Germans out of
their strongly fortified first and second line of trenches, and out of much of
their third line, inflicting enormous casualties upon them.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> This pressure was beginning to tell in the
degradation of fighting quality of the German defenders. In September, the 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 2</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Canadian Divisions had been rebuffed by fresh regiments from Marine
divisions. These troops had defended
stubbornly and counter-attacked efficiently.
By the time the 102</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, 47</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 46</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalions of 4</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Canadian Division gained possession of crumbling,
shallow works, the Marines had long since been moved off the line, replaced by
the 58</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Division which had only been at the Somme a short while,
having fought earlier in the year at Verdun, in the butcher’s yard of Fort
Douaumont. Their tenacity was
considerably less. Intelligence reports
on prisoners stating “they one and all repeated what had almost become a
formula ‘We are fed up and tired of the war.’”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[12]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the grinding,
gradual fashion of an attritional fight, measurable progress was being made,
although the process had taken far too long for this progress to be
definitively exploited.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 44<sup>th</sup> Battalion, 26<sup>th</sup>
October, 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">46<sup>th</sup> Battalion Operations Order No. 28, 10
November 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">10<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade Operations
Order No. 22, 10 November 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division “Report on Operations
on Night of 10/11 November 19916”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">46<sup>th</sup> Battalion Operations Order No. 28, 10
November 1916</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Nicholson, GW, Col. “Official History of the Canadian
Army in the First World War” Queen’s Printer, Ottawa 1962 pg. 192</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">10<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade, “Report on
Operations 10/11 November”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">10<sup>th</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade, <i>ibid,</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Gilbert, Martin,
“The Battle of the Somme: The Heroism and Horror of War” McClelland &
Stewart, 2006 pg. 257 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempt%20and%20Adjustment.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> Canadian Division, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-40918335556247716452016-10-31T06:10:00.000-07:002016-10-31T06:10:17.121-07:00The Somme: A Post-Mortem<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 8.0cm;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“The
operation failed owing to insufficiency of artillery barrage. The Battalion suffered heavily.”- </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">44<sup>th</sup>
Battalion War Diary 25 Oct 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Time was wearing thin
and the weather more constantly vile. If
the Somme battle was to achieve a final overwhelming success, it would have to
come soon, or not at all. On the 25</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
of October, 1916, the 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Division, on loan to II (British)
Corps to gain combat experience committed elements of the 10</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Canadian Infantry Brigade to a minor operation against portions of Regina
Trench opposite their line. A few days
prior, the 11</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Brigade, on 10 Bde.’s left lad put on a resoundingly
successful attack on the western edge of Regina Trench, and now the 10</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup>
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bde needed to shore up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Weather had been a
contributing factor for 11 Bde. Days of
cold and dreary rain grounded observer</span></span></div>
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aircraft and saturated the ground
rendering any prospective advance blind and lame. This had delayed the start for two
twenty-four hour postponements. Damp had
further eroded the conditions of the trenches and forty-eight more hours of
artillery was enough to destroy the wire which had so frustrated the earlier
assaults. “Assisted by an excellent
artillery preparation and barrage, our infantry carried the whole of their
objectives very quickly and with remarkably little loss.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> 11
Bde.’s assaulting battalions, the 87</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 102</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> met uncharacteristically
spotty resistance. Men from the 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Reserve Ersatz Regiment “mostly recruits” were quick to surrender. These prisoners had been “only five days on
(the) Somme front,” their morale was notably low. “Want peace,” says the 11</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Brigade’s report.</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn2" title="">[2]</a></span></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn2" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Counterattacks over
these captured gains were more typically determined and frequent. It was defending against these attempts which
created the majority of the casualties for the 87</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and 102</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. It also leant to a greater readiness in the
portions of Regina Trench still in German hands. Thus, the 10</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Brigade’s effort on
the 25</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, in a single battalion assault was a disappointing and
costly failure. “The 44</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Bn.
minor operation,” the after action report states, “was not successful. The barrage was insufficient & the Bn.
met with great opposition, making it impossible to go forward.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> It cost the 44</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion 40
dead, 132 wounded and 26 missing within a few hours’ action.</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn4" title=""><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></a></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn4" style="font-size: 12pt;" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4zLRu5w-D0kP6MkWnaWEVrOAXmbaPQVsTXA225Hw-466xFXc2lFYPBq01H2aOtcprIItJfEwFb0UvyN5QdNEEriMQNmoGMcu5dBXpKl_dWWXEUhETiixL1NWQBrIR91KC0e0nZp-k24/s1600/new+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4zLRu5w-D0kP6MkWnaWEVrOAXmbaPQVsTXA225Hw-466xFXc2lFYPBq01H2aOtcprIItJfEwFb0UvyN5QdNEEriMQNmoGMcu5dBXpKl_dWWXEUhETiixL1NWQBrIR91KC0e0nZp-k24/s200/new+cover.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I ended my last post
with an excerpt from the first chapter of<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank"> “Killing is a Sin”</a> which described an
attack much like those which had occurred with the untested units of the 4</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup>
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Canadian Division. The fictional assault
at “Spoon Farm” echoes the actual unpreparedness of officers and men in battle
for the first time and that the fine edge between success and failure is found
in how such a deficit of preparation is overcome. It is a theme which strikes at the heart of
the history of the Battle of the Somme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Very little captures
the notion of the Great War’s futility than does the Somme. Much of that has to do with the battle
concluding not with an appreciable victory; an obvious strategic triumph, but
rather that nothing more could be hoped to be gained as weather grew
worse. Nearly five months of consistent
effort- at many intervals successive efforts against the same objectives- had
come down to gaining the most advantageous position from which offensives could
resume in 1917.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQyqQ2e1k_uwEqRi4gMeNKuCKZQEnydeG__4YlDqERgZrz-npBUMyU2LHAYCrq6gyWof48xsmrnjDcK_whZz5uQtR8Hn9Iw8TQc1EcL-JcijP5qIlv5X0VhQFj6jDPLt7AONXGAf8TlA/s1600/1916+the+Somme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQyqQ2e1k_uwEqRi4gMeNKuCKZQEnydeG__4YlDqERgZrz-npBUMyU2LHAYCrq6gyWof48xsmrnjDcK_whZz5uQtR8Hn9Iw8TQc1EcL-JcijP5qIlv5X0VhQFj6jDPLt7AONXGAf8TlA/s320/1916+the+Somme.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Admittedly, it can be
heartbreaking to think that for each square mile gained in the Somme campaign,
British and Empire forces suffered 44,000 casualties. However, this figure- only an approximation-
used to drive home the point of excessive human cost made for small territorial
gains often is presented without the mention of its corollary. The Germans lost
an estimated 40,000 casualties for each square mile they were forced to cede,
not to mention materiel expended, captured or destroyed which their industrial
output could not hope to replace at the same rate the Allies could make good
these losses. Which brings up the point
that the Battle of the Somme was largely <u>not</u> about territorial gain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The official despatches
of Sir Douglas Haig make it plain that “Verdun had been relieved; the main
German forces had been held on the Western Front; and the enemy’s strength had
been considerably worn down.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Drawing his thorough
examination to a close, William Philpott agrees that the Somme was “the
decisive victory of the attritional was of which it was the centrepiece: a
moral victory based on growing </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">materiel</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
predominance and improving tactical and operational ability.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> He goes on to say: “It is perhaps surprising
that an event that changed so much has come down to posterity as an indecisive,
futile encounter.”</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn7" title=""><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></a></span></span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn7" style="font-size: 12pt;" title=""><!--[endif]--></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Perhaps that has much
to do with one of the most influential early histories of the war, written by
an English officer who had seen it first hand and made no disguise of his
disenchantment in his volume on the Great War.
Sir Basil Liddell Hart writes that the Battle of the Somme “closed in an
atmosphere of disappointment, and with such a strain on British forces that the
coincidental strain on the enemy was obscured.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Brigadier Allan
Mallinson, in his recent <i>History Today</i>
article <a href="http://www.historytoday.com/allan-mallinson/permanent-stain-somme" target="_blank">“The Permanent Stain of the Somme”</a> attempts to straddle the divide of
how to define the battle by declaring “the Somme was not futile,” while arguing
that the battle itself was not even necessary.
It would have been far better, he posits, if the untested regiments of
the New Armies would have taken over “more of the Allied line” to free up French
units and allocating “heavy artillery and aircraft to Verdun” rather than
mounting a broad offensive at the Somme to affect Verdun’s relief. With respect to the Brigadier, his assessment
is fundamentally incorrect. Retaining
the New Armies as a defensive force would have only exchanged British lives for
French; the strategic consequences of such being the hastened collapse of
French morale. Most importantly, such an
avoidance would have left the British Army still largely offensively
inexperienced. This delay could have had
a direr outcome than as actually occurred.
Without the adjustments to tactics that the Somme helped set in motion,
this novice force, when committed to battle would have been contending with a
German doctrine evolved from their experiences in 1916; creating the potential
of a greater disaster in human cost at a more critical juncture of the
war. Casualties may be lamented and
desirably avoided, but wars are only won by closing with and destroying the
enemy. Inarguably, the time for British
forces to do so was both where and when they actually committed to battle at
the Somme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Liddell Hart’s notion
of a “dealer’s push” and Brigadier Mallinson’s theory of possible avoidance
both fail to recognise one of the most critical elements of the battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This was the gain of
what could be learned from the Somme in an immediate sense of applicable
tactical doctrine. Any or all of General
Haig’s above stated objectives had very little bearing on the outlook of those
men more intimately acquainted with the fighting. For these men, taking account of what had
worked and what had failed over the months of the campaign and incorporating
those lessons into proactive changes would become a large part of subsequent
successes, including, most notably for Canada, Vimy Ridge. In my story, while waiting for Zero-hour at
Vimy, Felix sums up this experience in telling Lt. Thorncliffe: “Spoon Farm was
a while ago, Sir. I can’t guarantee
we’ll know what to do; but we sure as Hell know what not to do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY_8gR8YGzaXCO_szDJyKl8nDr759Bl4uR9z7cqk9r0jERZ7Sg1_Gumspf7JXoXSh4GAeomOlg2oPT1BRzWjmtFPQezP3NsbuK97xh2tEWys8-HmBsed47Avtk0eMzQqwte8OBHI8_A0/s1600/1909fbc0f2680669f3337693be99ecd5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY_8gR8YGzaXCO_szDJyKl8nDr759Bl4uR9z7cqk9r0jERZ7Sg1_Gumspf7JXoXSh4GAeomOlg2oPT1BRzWjmtFPQezP3NsbuK97xh2tEWys8-HmBsed47Avtk0eMzQqwte8OBHI8_A0/s320/1909fbc0f2680669f3337693be99ecd5.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">From a modern point of
view it may seem the Battle of the Somme generated excessive casualties to no
tangible purpose. As a battle of
attrition, not one of territorial gain, the success of the Somme is more
measurable, but only marginally so. If viewed as a critical campaign to develop
proficiency and foster an evolution of arms, the Somme is responsible for the
Allied victory as no other. To regard it
as less than that; to relegate the battle as “futile” devalues the sacrifice of
life and blood given at the Somme which in no small way contributed to winning
the war. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div>
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<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Boraston, J H, Lt Col (ed.), “Sir Douglas Haig’s
Despatches” J M Dent & Sons Ltd. 1919, pg.48</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary, 11 Canadian Infantry Brigade, October 1916,
Appendix K<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary, 10 Canadian Infantry Brigade, 25 October
1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary, 44 Battalion, 25 October 1916</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Boraston, <i>ibid.</i>
pg. 51</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Philpott, William, “Bloody Victory: The Sacrifice on
the Somme” Abacus 2009 pg. 624</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Philpott, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/The%20Somme.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Liddell Hart, Sir Basil, “History of the First World
War” Pan Books, 1970, pg. 253<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-29311205998541423852016-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:002016-10-17T00:00:09.887-07:00Killing is a Sin<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What does it mean to die well?</b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">Five and Six Platoons had walked straight into machine guns hidden behind the ruins of the high wall which enclosed the Farm. It was a dear price to pay."</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">For
some reason, my brief Thanksgiving post last Monday has now become the most
viewed single article on this site. I'm at a loss to explain exactly why that
might be. Honestly, had I known it would take off and outpace everything I've
written over five years within a week, I'd have made better use of the
opportunity to tell everyone more about my book.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdvn-5f5Q6FK8N8MkM0Fd4MydAkay9L0D8vRxlQXGqduQZGZQI81CRsuENQszDM02DFhYTau5S4d3T_jP9GjMOdI4na5zq-kmXsctgoYPkp0eNG25xVqHeUZKTFj9-DiGgm_Vwc0T4PA/s1600/new+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdvn-5f5Q6FK8N8MkM0Fd4MydAkay9L0D8vRxlQXGqduQZGZQI81CRsuENQszDM02DFhYTau5S4d3T_jP9GjMOdI4na5zq-kmXsctgoYPkp0eNG25xVqHeUZKTFj9-DiGgm_Vwc0T4PA/s320/new+cover.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Perhaps
you've noticed the plugs I've been giving to <b><a href="https://www.createspace.com/6620992" target="_blank">"Killing is a Sin" </a></b>at
the tail end of my more recent essays. So far, it's only been available for
e-readers, but just last week I approved the final draft and it can now be
purchased as a paperback from Amazon sites in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/" target="_blank">North America</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-Sin-Novel-First-World/dp/1539336913/" target="_blank">the UK</a>. I feel
that it is an important work for several reasons, not without self-interest,
and I hope you'll forgive my departure from the usual nature of this space so
that I can tell you all the reasons as to why I wrote it.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Foremost,
I'm not so much a historian as I am a storyteller with an abiding passion for
history. Failing to find purchase beyond my work here in academic writing, I
accepted a challenge last year to attempt to write fiction. I’d never attempted
anything on the scale of a full length novel. A main motivator for me was that
of the majority of military history novels, particularly those of the First
World War, there was a lack of realism, and, in my opinion, too heavy a
reliance on cliché and tropes that don’t necessarily hold up to factual
scrutiny. I wanted to tell a story that, besides involving invented characters
could really have taken place. I wanted to immerse the reader in as real a
representation of the Western Front as was possible, and give them characters
who were personalities that felt genuine and substantial; to develop scenery
that played on the reader’s senses and imagination. I’ll have to leave it to
you to judge whether or not I’ve been successful with that. In my opinion, if
the work I've been presenting here has been to your liking, "Killing is a
Sin" delivers just that. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">While
it concerns soldiers at war, and using the historical touchstone of Vimy Ridge
as a backdrop, it is not exclusively a war story. Mainly the book is about
a young man in the middle of a vast and dangerous situation he cannot control,
using the extreme human experience of war to explore ideas of morality within a
historically correct, visceral and realistic narrative. Where this story
is set, on the Western Front in 1917, has allowed me a superlative event in
human history to work with. My attempt to re-create this period with any
hope to realism was based upon available primary documents including war
diaries, reports and orders, military manuals and expert consultation. I
am in the deepest gratitude to a gallery of archivists, librarians and
passionate devotees to history in the work they have done in making such
material so accessible. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">To
free myself from re-writing history, much of anything specific, all of the
characters and most of the locations are made from the whole cloth of
imagination. Foremost for me was to look at the war from a Canadian
perspective, which could have been problematic. Canada’s contribution to
the war militarily was organised- our Army still is- in what is known as the
“Regimental System.”</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Briefly,
this meant that soldiers were grouped around a nucleus of command just below
that of a general. From 800-1200 officers and men at different levels of
strength, each of Canada’s overseas regiments had their own, and quite well
recorded, identity and experience of the war. I could not interfere with
that.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This
difficulty has been side-stepped by widening France by an arbitrary seven
hundred yards, North to South, to insert the 16th Canadian Infantry Brigade,
and its component units. Though I've made it appear that the 16th Brigade
reports to the 4th Canadian Division, an extant formation, no such Brigade
numbered 16 existed. Which means of course, the one battalion within it
where this story is told,</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7wnBeE7JQjwg22X3pH8qSX4LxFJKMhVCUdwrLKmTYr8TwT5QR75DZ9VzaN3hCPopLbrJjsr_YXPqcpBMnQ3-MuVarpVzxsM7JjCKtWXYFt5I8N9D8PHVgPrYXDeNCkxhksEcjTpYbR4/s1600/20161016_203034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7wnBeE7JQjwg22X3pH8qSX4LxFJKMhVCUdwrLKmTYr8TwT5QR75DZ9VzaN3hCPopLbrJjsr_YXPqcpBMnQ3-MuVarpVzxsM7JjCKtWXYFt5I8N9D8PHVgPrYXDeNCkxhksEcjTpYbR4/s400/20161016_203034.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The King’s Own Canadian Scots Regiment, is my own
creation, but founded deeply in the traditions and pride of units which would have
been its contemporaries had it been real. It made sense for the nature of
the book's plot to put my imaginary players within the 4th Division. I
required my protagonists to be within a unit whose camaraderie hadn't been
much disturbed by attrition, so the King's Own would have to be late in
arriving to the war. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">There
is little coincidence that this book is being released now as the majority of
the narrative takes place during the winter/spring of 1916-17. The first
chapter opens with the recollection of the men's introduction to the war at the
tail end of the Somme campaign in October, 1916- almost a century to the day of
this post:</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">By
October, when the Regiment went up the line in earnest for the first time, the
Germans </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtO4RK5meA9n5NSCebBz_NPRYM0YcQXA4csEQpYa3OsNNqWMiuVBsIoyUhDjR85ipmTxWM-dUFzlBFDpVr21ecfRSizZNwSjGpx9rR8EnzrV9X7JJJ2u4L1uNIGxveBlsINZ1eGtdIU_E/s1600/0_c1e54_c0f6eb32_XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtO4RK5meA9n5NSCebBz_NPRYM0YcQXA4csEQpYa3OsNNqWMiuVBsIoyUhDjR85ipmTxWM-dUFzlBFDpVr21ecfRSizZNwSjGpx9rR8EnzrV9X7JJJ2u4L1uNIGxveBlsINZ1eGtdIU_E/s320/0_c1e54_c0f6eb32_XL.jpg" width="233" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">were now fighting from positions which had been, at the beginning of it
all, far to the rear. That fact had been used to reassure the men of
the King’s Own; they weren’t to expect prepared defences. When the
leading platoons of the attack came upon the road they had to cross and were
able to see beyond, all there was was the farmstead and what barbed wire there
was had mostly been mounted on frames, lattice-like and scattered across the
frontage, more an impediment than a true barrier.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Take
and hold the redoubt known as ‘Spoon Farm’ and the crossroads in locality to
support assaults on sections of ‘Regina Trench’,” had been the Regiment’s
orders that day, and now those in the van, Felix among them, were just
beginning to believe they were going to do it, and without a lot of fuss,
either. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Five
and Six Platoons had walked straight into machine guns hidden behind the ruins
of the high wall which enclosed the Farm. It was a dear price to
pay. Felix remembered how, at first, the dust splattering around him
seemed to be rain. That was, until Sergeant Merrick’s back tore
open, grotesquely ripped in half from hip to collar. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">For more about this title, please see my <a href="http://chrisjharvie.wixsite.com/christopherjharvie" target="_blank">author site</a> or this short film:</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzHFFEmSUjcQCozjnn2fOQ3jhDsIISM6NEClclc-lweIyxVMD_4kGeH_1tkk1MuQBcdGCUUSDW2EgTfCsGEdQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-21796455871996519782016-10-10T06:36:00.003-07:002016-10-11T10:18:13.295-07:00A Thanksgiving Message from "If Ye Break Faith"<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzbiU4JzLy9hKDjBWKtDTQ1PAZSYsKj4EEFEEvSxw12wOuz4Mb9SfEsnN-T6yuJvAotwWFHc3ayQ1mh_0eG2F6WeqCsolffA5kOgOOtQVYb-ou9YCBJZNppdNqB2Yg0JWapwEIR4mSXE/s1600/Bagpiper_Battle_of_Bazentin_Ridge_14-07-1916_IWM_Q_4012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzbiU4JzLy9hKDjBWKtDTQ1PAZSYsKj4EEFEEvSxw12wOuz4Mb9SfEsnN-T6yuJvAotwWFHc3ayQ1mh_0eG2F6WeqCsolffA5kOgOOtQVYb-ou9YCBJZNppdNqB2Yg0JWapwEIR4mSXE/s400/Bagpiper_Battle_of_Bazentin_Ridge_14-07-1916_IWM_Q_4012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Today, Monday October 10 2016 is the Thanksgiving Holiday in Canada. Many of you have come to expect a new article on a Monday morning, but this week, I have decided to take time to spend with family and reflect on what my gratitude is, and will return next week with my usual posting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSg8XCimrLsNrxQNhtOeLMo3dg2Ekinvk1YnPwSgPTIJVVyfXnpvznjvrFet-YrzmeSKF_XmWkvzIfRy0sGIW3Zbalna-uD6661BlYDwGuuzu63TZzFM8bNKbmBiTZF2ShdgurtWfpjWQ/s1600/20161010_091826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSg8XCimrLsNrxQNhtOeLMo3dg2Ekinvk1YnPwSgPTIJVVyfXnpvznjvrFet-YrzmeSKF_XmWkvzIfRy0sGIW3Zbalna-uD6661BlYDwGuuzu63TZzFM8bNKbmBiTZF2ShdgurtWfpjWQ/s200/20161010_091826.jpg" width="178" /></a>First and foremost, I am grateful to all the men and women, past present and future who stand up and volunteer to serve in the Canadian Forces. The memory of our antecedents in this service to country is the primary reason why I started <b>"If Ye Break Faith"</b>; to do what little I could to help perpetuate the memory and sacrifice of those who went before. I am also extremely grateful for having the privilege of being </div>
counted among their number. Thank You.<br />
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I am also grateful to you all who read my work, especially those of you who have been so kind as to give me feedback and helped me to get better at telling the stories I post here. Everyone of you who counts as a "site hit" encourages me to make my next essay better than my last. Thank You.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_zZgSZvQ2AFBjx4b519XpYH5xMSYEt4oE1nTOyyYHBft-4hVIpOlQbfFIyrHy_n2Su4B7C5h3kQ0TVlo-wJyOe4KM_lBza8v8wRgOnrSigUq6EYRQzruHZKA0EivBozHOdpAMmjPpHU/s1600/new+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W6Yune9E23A/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W6Yune9E23A?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></a></div>
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I am extremely grateful to my family and friends, for their encouragement and support. There would be little motivation for me to continue this work without strong backing of loved ones, and without them, I certainly would not have had the courage to attempt larger projects, such as the <a href="http://ifyebreakfaith.blogspot.ca/2015/07/special-post-to-you-from-failing-hands.html" target="_blank">"To You From Failing Hands"</a> military decoration re-investment or my new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01LXFXGJT" target="_blank">"Killing is a Sin."</a></div>
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Thank You </div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-28426836202279651362016-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:002016-10-03T05:38:02.458-07:00Attempting the Impossible With Nothing<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Assaulting
Regina Trench, October 1916<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“It
was now getting on to 3 p.m. and things were getting rather desperate.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">-3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
(Toronto) Battalion War Diary, 8 October 1916<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It had been
about half an hour since Lance Corporal Durbin, at great risk to himself had
volunteered to dispatch through the gauntlet of shellfire enveloping no-man’s
land with an urgent plea for 3</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>rd</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Battalion Headquarters. The attack, which had begun so well was now
in danger of being turned out completely.
German troops had overwhelmed the Toronto men, pushing them in succession
from the second, and just now, the first objective lines. What remained of the 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion’s right echelon, a mere handful with a spattering of 4</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion men mixed in were loosely grouped in the shell holes along the
frontage of the line from which they’d just been ejected. Once the enemy could make sense of how
delicate the situation was, they would surge right over the Canadians and be
able to sweep clear almost all the way back to Courcelette. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There was no way
to know if Durbin had made it back, if he’d been able to deliver the message to
Major Yates, or for that matter, if the Major would be able to do anything to
help. Those at the tip of the spear
could only rely on what they had if they were to prevent a failed assault
becoming a rout.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> “Who’s here with me?” a voice called
out. It was Lieutenant Chatterton, the
only officer from ‘D’ Company- one of only two officers of the 14 who went
forward that morning</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">-
left standing. Strained voices from the
pockets and folds of the ragged ground answered back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56_m-vCLCNhcoU3LmKt3L4_LBX0NDSCVXpP7bAzQVs_AOQ-ovlnRZ_KRVmI1XdGX0VF45u6sPvaYbH9OEagAk0RWkIZ-noCST2otZMWo8XNLvVLTQZS3CqEBdH3_dInsk8oK7gqU1q-k/s1600/SommeDevastationwebversion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56_m-vCLCNhcoU3LmKt3L4_LBX0NDSCVXpP7bAzQVs_AOQ-ovlnRZ_KRVmI1XdGX0VF45u6sPvaYbH9OEagAk0RWkIZ-noCST2otZMWo8XNLvVLTQZS3CqEBdH3_dInsk8oK7gqU1q-k/s320/SommeDevastationwebversion.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “Fix bayonets!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Nearly ten hours
before, the assault had begun with decidedly mixed results. On the 3</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">rd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion’s right, the
4</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Central Ontario) Battalion had fought through to their
objective, a confluence of perpendicular trench-lines known as the
“Quadrilateral” with very little difficulty.
The 3</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">rd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> had much the same experience. Within the first hour of the operation, the
assaulting companies were consolidating the first and second objective lines
and “the first two hours after taking our objective was fairly quiet.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> They were in touch with the 4</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> on
their right, and elements of the 16</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Canadian Scottish) Battalion
on their left.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Gaining the
German trench had been much more harrowing for the Can Scots. Wire entanglements, left unmolested by
preparatory artillery, or having been repaired where damaged stalled the
advance, forcing the men to bunch and crowd up seeking passable defiles; making
generous targets of themselves for pre-sited machine guns and precisely
concentrated rifle fire. This “caused
heavy casualties and demoralised the formation.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> One of the men there, who’d had to beg
permission from the battalion commander to go forward as he was technically a
non-combatant, grasped his shining moment.
James Cleland Richardson, not yet twenty-one years of age, a piper from
Bell’s Hill, Lanarkshire “strode up and down outside the wire, playing his
pipes with the greatest coolness. The
effect was instantaneous….the company rushed the wire with such fury and determination
that the obstacle was overcome and the position captured.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/285717154&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe> Richardson’s courage would be recognised with
a Victoria Cross, which would be awarded posthumously. Richardson, escorting wounded and prisoners
rearward, “remembered that he had left his pipes behind. Although strongly encouraged not to do so, he
insisted on returning to recover his pipes.
He has never been seen since and death has been presumed.” His pipes would be found by a British
Chaplain in 1917, and remained at a prep school in Scotland until they were
identified and repatriated to Canada in 2006.
They are on display at the British Columbia Legislature Building.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The 13</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
(Royal Highlanders of Canada) Battalion, on the left flank of the 16</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
had an even worse time, being forced back to their starting positions without
gaining any portion of the German trench.
A message received at 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Division HQ “definitely
ascertained that the 13</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion did not gain their
objective….Casualties were exceedingly heavy and so far no Officer who went
forward had been accounted for.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Failure here was critical as the 13</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
represented the left edge of the 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Division. Their retirement created an indefensible gap,
a length of trenches filled with German Marines, between 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and 2</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Canadian Divisions. It did not take long
for the enemy to begin counterattacking laterally along the trenches to oust
the Canadians whose hold on the line was fragile to begin with.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">General Sir
Douglas Haig, the British Commander-in-Chief believed that the campaign at the
Somme, now in its fifth month had so reduced and worn down German fighting
strength that beyond their present line, they had very little in the way of
prepared defenses. Delay on Haig’s part
in pursuing the offensive would only work to his enemy’s advantage. A dedicated, wide-scale attack could pierce
these last fortifications and deal a winning blow. It had to be done quickly </span><u style="font-size: 12pt;">and</u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
comprehensively. This meant starting
positions must be firmly held and in line with flanking units across the
frontage of attack as early as could be managed. For the Canadians, this meant gaining and
control of Regina Trench.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> “The powerful Regina Trench system ran the
entire length of the Canadian front- more than 3 000 metres- and it had
withstood all previous assaults.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">An attempt was
made in the afternoon of 1 October. Two
brigades of the 2</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Division and one brigade of the 3</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
surged forward only to encounter an impossible situation. Artillery had not destroyed the German wire;
avenues of approach were overwatched by machine gun emplacements with
intersecting fields of fire and the trenches themselves were held in force with
fresh, determined troops. The attack was
a costly failure, but due to the grand nature of Haig’s offensive planning, the
Corps would have to make another attempt at the soonest opportunity. Weather of consecutive heavy, wet days would
frustrate expedience and afford the enemy a respite. Roads quickly became swamped and sufficient
ammunition could not be delivered to the artillery. “Rain fell again on October 5, 6 and 7,
preventing the Royal Flying Corps observers from acting as spotters for the
British Artillery. The ground became
impassible for any sustained infantry assault.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> A slight break in the weather over the
afternoon of the 7</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> had to be made use of as the planned start of
the general offensive was less than a week off.
Regina Trench must fall.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ten minutes
before five o’clock in the morning of 8 October, four brigades of the 3</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">rd</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
and 1</span><sup style="font-size: 12pt;">st</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Divisions advanced in serried company-sized waves,
only to find that, again, “in many sectors…the preliminary British artillery
had failed to cut the German wire.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Only in isolated spots, mainly on the right
flank, was any progress made. A hard
fight to get to the objective, however, left too few men to hold against a
counterattack, the bombs and ammunition expended in taking the lines now meant
these vital resources were in too short a supply to make any stand of
defense. Reinforcements and resupply
could not be brought up across the deadly ground of no-man’s land in broad
daylight. The only means of retaining
these meager gains was to keep fighting in the vain hope that help could be
brought forward after sundown.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">They had to of
known that expectation was a strain of even the broadest optimism, but the men
left with Lt. Chatterton, less than one hundred remaining of the 481</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[11]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
who had begun the day rallied in their shell holes and rushed the trench again
with little more than cold steel. “Our
bombs and (ammunition) were completely exhausted, all the Lewis guns but one
had been destroyed and this one was out of ammunition. A retirement was inevitable. The men were fighting with their fists.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">12]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Lt. Chatterton, already seriously wounded
during the bayonet charge was still inspiring his men in the fight when he was
felled by a sniper. It was a hopeless
situation. Once again, the enemy trench
was forfeited and what remained of the battalion put up a fighting retreat all
the way back to the jumping-off trenches.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dirty, tired and
without the basest materials to defend themselves, they nevertheless resolved
“to make a further stand”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[13]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
on this sparse line. Giving the enemy
such a hard fight, which had been the case along most of the frontage may not
have won the objective, but had so wearied the enemy that the </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Marinier </i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">lacked the desire to follow
through with what might have been a decisive blow against the Canadians, which
in turn would have put the Allied position in serious jeopardy. Regina Trench may still have belonged to Germany,
but at least Canada maintained hold of the ground they had prised from their
enemy since arriving at the Somme in September.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[i]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My premier work of
fiction, <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01JDEVWO6">“Killing is a Sin: A Novel of the First World War”</a> is now available
for download through Kindle Direct Publishing:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipxxOxYiygCjk3u8kM2zsCpInPBFB5NgHjgNNQBqwclCtyvMg2W0CjhwghiUwdFCPgLuFbd3JAz5sgkFSqiEmKqyz3U6Xmp8qSV9zOJj2WjbGJQ_9fGYMVLjhACauTpDN8ruRCN79VeM/s1600/51HvxpbOAtL._SY346_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgipxxOxYiygCjk3u8kM2zsCpInPBFB5NgHjgNNQBqwclCtyvMg2W0CjhwghiUwdFCPgLuFbd3JAz5sgkFSqiEmKqyz3U6Xmp8qSV9zOJj2WjbGJQ_9fGYMVLjhACauTpDN8ruRCN79VeM/s320/51HvxpbOAtL._SY346_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Much like the essays
and articles I have written which are being appreciated by a growing audience;
I put a great deal of effort into telling a story of moral questioning in the
setting of the Western Front in 1917 as realistic as possible. In crafting the environment and situation my
characters experience throughout the book, a lot of time was spent consulting
the very same war diaries which I have been using to accurately portray the
situation of the war in my non-fiction work.
“Killing is a Sin” takes my strengths as an accurate and expositive
essayist to give a genuine feel to a work of the imagination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I sincerely hope that
those of you who have been enjoying my articles here with “If Ye Break Faith”
would also be captivated by the story told within “Killing is a Sin,” where
Corporal Felix Strachan is faced with having to find an answer to his own
question- “What does it mean to die well?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div>
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<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry
Battalion, 08 October 1916</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry
Battalion, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette, No. 30967, 22
October 1918 pg. 12488</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Supplement to the London Gazette, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">“A fine Memorial for a VC Winner JC Richardson”
by Robby McRobb 21 May 2012 via theguardian.pe.ca</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 1<sup>st</sup> Canadian
Division, 08 October 1916</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Nicholson, GW, Col. “Official History of the
Canadian Army in the First World War” Queen’s Printer, Ottawa 1962 pg. 180</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn8">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Cook, Tim, “At the Sharp End: Canadians Fighting
the Great War 1914-1916” Penguin Canada 2007 pg. 485</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn9">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Gilbert, Martin, “The Battle of the Somme: The
Heroism and Horror of War” McClelland & Stewart 2006, pg. 207</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn10">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Gilbert, Martin,<i> Ibid.</i> pg. 210</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn11">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry
Battalion, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn12">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry
Battalion, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn13">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry
Battalion, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
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<div id="edn1">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Attempting%20the%20Impossible%20with%20Nothing.rtf#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">All Primary Sources Cited, and Information Used
to Construct this Article is due to the courtesy of Library and Archives
Canada.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3920032060309265767.post-25193165435501145102016-09-26T06:07:00.001-07:002016-09-26T06:07:36.609-07:00Facing Annihilation <div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">15<sup>th</sup>
Battalion (48<sup>th</sup> Highlanders) at Thiepval Ridge, September 1916<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 8.0cm; mso-add-space: auto;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“At 12.35 pm the 14<sup>th</sup>
and 15<sup>th</sup> Canadian Battalions launched their attack on the
Enemy. The Battalions went over in fine
style and carried everything in front of them, till they gained their
objective.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">- War Diary Entry, 13<sup>th</sup> (RHC)
Bn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 8.0cm; mso-add-space: auto;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">26
September, 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHFwBMhpfopVXSIArNaUE6rY0AfrLoU06i71NJ8gTkCodKvgE_SPd-yXSlZSJ9A3Vra43J2gUtXeJsZZpKglxlX70nvTmhSjyMzJXczBr9_gis9_2E3_c-hdPayyPkZIImLVlqpEAtKI/s1600/1cb72672a5b43f0afcc0bdfcdcbc420d_79c203fb-699c-4fa1-bf46-13a2390d12e4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHFwBMhpfopVXSIArNaUE6rY0AfrLoU06i71NJ8gTkCodKvgE_SPd-yXSlZSJ9A3Vra43J2gUtXeJsZZpKglxlX70nvTmhSjyMzJXczBr9_gis9_2E3_c-hdPayyPkZIImLVlqpEAtKI/s400/1cb72672a5b43f0afcc0bdfcdcbc420d_79c203fb-699c-4fa1-bf46-13a2390d12e4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The memorandum sent out
by 1</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">st</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Canadian Division Headquarters had been clear- “Owing to the
time fixed for zero hour being late in the day, all units should be warned that
there should be as little movement in the trenches in the Forward Area as
possible in daylight to-morrow.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> There was good reason for this. Objectives for the attacking troops included
German positions sited along a fingertip ridge which gave the enemy superb
fields of view to the valley below. Men
in the jumping off trenches had even been cautioned against fixing bayonets
earlier than absolutely necessary, least bare steel catch the sun and signal to
German observers on the crest. Efforts
such as these intended to obscure intent were largely superfluous. Thiepval Ridge was far too obvious a
target. The increase of artillery fire-
“the heaviest yet fired by Reserve Army gunners”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">-
pummeling trenches on the heights and those on the reverse slope was a sure
signal that an attack was imminent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What this attempt at
concealment meant for the men in the leading waves was having to be in their
staging points before first light and remain there, immobile, until 12.35 that
afternoon. Not only would they be
terrifyingly close to the preparatory bombardment, it allowed several hours for
German artillery to seek out the scrapes and holes the infantry clung to from
which they would spring at the given time.
Instinct would compel the men to brace up; tense their limbs and set
their jaws as the proximate blasts crashed all about. Experience had taught some that keeping supple,
mouths agape, made the slam of concussion easier to bare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Eq38Vgfoo9Zxxo1fJByAq2KdrPMofDF5-VTMdgP1n3qsaFcNpUuvkXbnXSSnZ7AsFpv4eCltI_7ayUQ3J7zRSIz1Rrwy47gK2eMUmx225NaVoFrMQRur1cE7Pt6DiFV-KAqP1f6GCOk/s1600/297023_5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Eq38Vgfoo9Zxxo1fJByAq2KdrPMofDF5-VTMdgP1n3qsaFcNpUuvkXbnXSSnZ7AsFpv4eCltI_7ayUQ3J7zRSIz1Rrwy47gK2eMUmx225NaVoFrMQRur1cE7Pt6DiFV-KAqP1f6GCOk/s320/297023_5.gif" width="305" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There weren’t, however,
altogether too many among those waiting to attack who had such a depth of
experience. Nowhere was this more true
than with the 15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (48</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><sup>th</sup> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Highlanders) Battalion. In April the previous year, the 15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
had been roughly handled at the 2</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">nd</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battle of Ypres. They had faced up against a chlorine gas
attack swiftly followed by a determined push against a disconnected line. “By 9.30 in the morning (24 April 1915) the
15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion had lost the majority of its three front line
companies.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Casualties, all told, would be nearly
90%. Since then, the battalion had been
reinforced and rebuilt, but a further year and a half of front line duty
constantly whittled strength. As it was,
in September of 1916, the Highlanders couldn’t field anything close to a
full-sized battalion. Returns of 24
September show a reported effectiveness of 662, all ranks.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYetxwaxq8IjW3Om7cdKCQlNeN81-Qt8OCMemorSrPIfXSt7BnlC3yYByudV_z1PXu_4W_r6L5cdbpyJwkiLcjFop4XlxXo9Tb6Qp6SchhGIEbU8jAYMvHqxOQagCQiHAKLSuHvyoPKHA/s1600/thiepval-map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYetxwaxq8IjW3Om7cdKCQlNeN81-Qt8OCMemorSrPIfXSt7BnlC3yYByudV_z1PXu_4W_r6L5cdbpyJwkiLcjFop4XlxXo9Tb6Qp6SchhGIEbU8jAYMvHqxOQagCQiHAKLSuHvyoPKHA/s320/thiepval-map.jpg" width="218" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Very, very few of them
now preparing to charge uphill at Thiepval had gone through that terrible day
at Ypres. John Pollards Girvan had. After Second Ypres, Girvan was one of only
six men from No. I Company to report fit for duty. He’d been made a sergeant shortly thereafter</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
probably because there was hardly anyone else left. Sergeant Girvan’s appointment seems more than
one of desperation, but rather one of aptitude as a commission soon
followed. By the time a year had passed
from the fighting at Ypres, Girvan was a Captain and in command of No. I
Company; the same outfit, though with different men, he had been an ordinary
private in not all that long ago. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Today, his task was
fairly straightforward. Captain Girvan
was to lead his company up the gentle rise of Thiepval, reducing German points
on the slope just beyond Courcelette Road.
From there, No. I Company would move against and clear the enemy line
running along the crest code named “Hessian Trench,” establish strong points
and await reorganisation to take the day’s proposed final objective, “Regina
Trench.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[6]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> All this Captain Girvan and his men would
have to do in quick succession so as to keep apace of the covering barrage and
maintain touch with flanking units. The
first hurdle would be getting across an older German trench “Zollern Graben”
directly to I Company’s front; but thankfully it had been unoccupied for some
time now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdk7h4sYKcgQLSuAPYMCX74yj0E6J0aQ6U11wHMW5Z9mTIusio8W3nueUqCexik_xQkDG4SOGhBaJij-sPVR3HH_8U_J7hTXb2S8AegJNG5LzmTlaz-n5epZdbBcPhbzv6nTvZ0G4KH7Q/s1600/Archive_Canadians_On_The_Somme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdk7h4sYKcgQLSuAPYMCX74yj0E6J0aQ6U11wHMW5Z9mTIusio8W3nueUqCexik_xQkDG4SOGhBaJij-sPVR3HH_8U_J7hTXb2S8AegJNG5LzmTlaz-n5epZdbBcPhbzv6nTvZ0G4KH7Q/s320/Archive_Canadians_On_The_Somme.jpg" width="294" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Precisely at 12.35, the
shelling shifted to secondary targets, both “machine gun, and artillery barrage
opened on the enemy’s front line with a perfect barrage,”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[7]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
and the piercing note of tin whistles screed across the Canadian front. Troops leapt to their feet, officers waved
forward and a wail of bagpipes set a fine edge.
“Faces were masks, and men moved as they do when facing a hail of fire,
like automatons, appearing unafraid but with a white, strained look of waiting
for something.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[8]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> What had become apparent, almost immediately,
was that the inconsequential scrape of Zollern Graben was not unmanned. German troops had crept forward through the
bombardment and set up blocking positions.
Men of No. I Company had barely got beyond the jump-off trench when a
well concealed enemy machine gun chewed right through them. Men scattered and fell, some before they’d
taken a forward step. Seconds into this
battle No. I Company was facing annihilation for the second time in its short
history. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Come what may to him,
Captain Girvan was having none of it.
With two bombers, Pte’s Bradley and Duffey he rushed the trench, Mills
bombs shocking the German gunners who Girvan put to the pistol himself. The three men carried on down the length of
the line, flushing out a handful more enemy troops, allowing those of No. I
Company still on their feet to carry forward.
It was a delay of minutes, costly more in human terms than time lost;
the first objective was reached and secure by 12.50.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[9]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
The second objective, Hessian trench, was pressed hard; the Highlanders
fighting uphill. German resistance was
mixed. “Our artillery fire
perfect…lifting in good order, with the boys close behind going strong. At some points meeting with stiff resistance
from the Huns which the boys handled in good shape; other points we met with
very little fight from the Huns.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[10]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Confusion in the heat of battle led to
regrettable actions; where men giving up were killed out of hand, or those
thought to be surrendering still had hostile intent.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[11]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> It is here that Captain Girvan’s day ended.
While accepting a surrender, he “received a bullet wound which penetrated the
sternum and lodged in (his) abdominal muscle.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[12]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Command of No. I Company was passed to
Lieutenant EW Haldenby, who was only slightly wounded, and the attack pushed
forward after final good-byes were given to the Captain left to wait for the
stretcher-bearers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">By four in the
afternoon, Corps HQ received a detailed report from an aerial reconnaissance
pilot.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFWLAU4NmSPFgdI3gRj1Vcac_e2UNNn0qukZ3lcnwmAWACcS34TUU0zKr0Rjq_NAr9fa8tnQaAfrk1c8gg_YSoVVPS-UZCvaJZKhViUlAGhDM5luImgmZk4n7VLTEbH49tGXjtM4lBO8/s1600/5_inset_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFWLAU4NmSPFgdI3gRj1Vcac_e2UNNn0qukZ3lcnwmAWACcS34TUU0zKr0Rjq_NAr9fa8tnQaAfrk1c8gg_YSoVVPS-UZCvaJZKhViUlAGhDM5luImgmZk4n7VLTEbH49tGXjtM4lBO8/s320/5_inset_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Among much else, it had been
observed that the shell holes just beyond the second objective line were being
consolidated.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> The situation at the ridge had reversed; the
Germans had been evicted and “from position now gained we command high ground
and have good observation on the Hun’s position to our front.” Patrols and bombing sorties were sent out from
the 15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion’s new line against portions of Regina
Trench. Two companies of the 16</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
Battalion had been rushed forward to reinforce the Highlanders in preparation
for a dedicated effort against the day’s final objective. However, success hadn’t been universal. The 11</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (British) Division on the
left had a much harder fight through Mouqet Farm and didn’t tie in with the
Canadian flank. Moreover, indications
were, despite the 15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion getting in and harassing portions
of Regina Trench, the majority of this line was firmly held. “There was no question,” Corps HQ records,
“for the moment of our future advance against REGINA TRENCH, which was reported
to be heavily wired.”</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[14]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Resuming the offensive was held off until the
following day. One day’s effort was all
the 15</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> could put in.
Punching through a succession of German lines, uphill and forming a
position to ward off the inevitable counterattacks had exhausted the battalion,
physically and numerically. They were
relieved after sundown by the 24</span><sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Battalion, having taken an
estimated 350 casualties on the day’s fighting.</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">[15]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">One casualty, Captain
Girvan, would make a recovery from his wound after a long convalescence due to
the “result of 20 months’ service in Flanders is debilitated and his nerves are
shot.”</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 107%;">[16]</span></span></span></a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> He would return to his regiment some months
later, promoted to the rank of Major and still carrying the bullet that hit him
“in situ.” John Pollards Girvan would
continue to inspire his men with his spirit and bravery which would be
recognised by multiple decorations including the Croix de Guerre. By war’s end, he was commanding the Battalion
in which he had joined as a private in 1914.<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My premier work of
fiction, <b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01JDEVWO6">“Killing is a Sin: A Novel of the First World War”</a></b> is now available
for download through Kindle Direct Publishing:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RA-yYQKBBHiXmZ07ZfRbcj3zTMlhFV377SEgnB1ECXasEnWcBlwH5GbjDhlzMH1UPaYao5DgXF5y8_Z9fG4sLqeYti-QOlvOvtf17Q9YE2tF6zXNbtNqlJX0vintqFnApcbPRLg34jY/s1600/51HvxpbOAtL._SY346_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_RA-yYQKBBHiXmZ07ZfRbcj3zTMlhFV377SEgnB1ECXasEnWcBlwH5GbjDhlzMH1UPaYao5DgXF5y8_Z9fG4sLqeYti-QOlvOvtf17Q9YE2tF6zXNbtNqlJX0vintqFnApcbPRLg34jY/s320/51HvxpbOAtL._SY346_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Much like the essays
and articles I have written which are being appreciated by a growing audience;
I put a great deal of effort into telling a story of moral questioning in the
setting of the Western Front in 1917 as realistic as possible. In crafting the environment and situation my
characters experience throughout the book, a lot of time was spent consulting
the very same war diaries which I have been using to accurately portray the
situation of the war in my non-fiction work.
“Killing is a Sin” takes my strengths as an accurate and expositive
essayist to give a genuine feel to a work of the imagination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I sincerely hope that
those of you who have been enjoying my articles here with “If Ye Break Faith”
would also be captivated by the story told within “Killing is a Sin,” where
Corporal Felix Strachan is faced with having to find an answer to his own
question- “What does it mean to die well?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Kearsley, RH, Lt Col Memorandum 25 September 1916, 1<sup>st</sup>
Canadian Division War Diary September 1916 Appendix 25<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Philpott, William, “Bloody Victory: The Sacrifice on
the Somme” Abacus books, 2009 pg. 375<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Harvie, Christopher J. “A Most Terrible Day: The 15<sup>th</sup>
Battalion CEF at 2<sup>nd</sup> Ypres” The Great War Magazine Yr. 15 Issue 81
Sept 2015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry
Brigade, 24 September 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Service Records, Girvan JP<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup> Canadian Infantry Brigade Operations
Order No. 107, 3CIB War Diary, Appendix 50, September 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn7">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 15<sup>th</sup> (48 Highrs) Canadian
Infantry Battalion 26 September 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Beattie, Kim, “The 48<sup>th</sup> Highlanders of
Canada, 1891-1928” pub. 48<sup>th</sup> Highlanders of Canada, 1932 pg. 174</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 15<sup>th</sup> (48 Highrs) Canadian
Infantry Battalion, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 15<sup>th</sup> (48 Highrs) Canadian
Infantry Battalion, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Cook, Tim, “At the Sharp End: Canadians Fighting the
Great War 1914-1916” Penguin Canada 2007 pp 476-7<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Donald, D, Maj. Et al., CAMC “Army Form /a.45A:
Proceedings of a Medical Board” 21 October 1916<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, Canadian Corps, 26 September 1916</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, Canadian Corps, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">War Diary Entry, 15<sup>th</sup> (48 Highrs) Canadian
Infantry Battalion, <i>ibid.</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[16]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">Donald, D, Maj. Et al., CAMC, <i>ibid.</i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/CJ%20Harvie/Documents/IYBF/IYBF%20Essays/Facing%20Annihilation.docx#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 8.0pt;">All Primary Sources Cited, and Information Used to
Construct this Article is due to the courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Troops leapt to their feet, officers waved forward
and a wail of bagpipes set a fine edge. -15<sup>th</sup> Battalion (48<sup>th</sup>
Highlanders) at Thiepval Ridge, September 1916<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Christopher J Harviehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04847620630322820326noreply@blogger.com3