Produced by Sigal Alon, Jeannie Howse and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) * * * * * +--------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | Inconsistent hyphenation, and unusual and inconsistent | | spelling in the original document has been preserved. | | There are many punctuation confusions and errors in | | this book. | | | | There are many obvious typographical errors in this | | book, these have been corrected in this text. For a | | complete list, please see the end of this document. | | | +--------------------------------------------------------+ * * * * * ON THE FRINGE OF THE GREAT FIGHT [Illustration: COLONEL GEORGE G. NASMITH, C.M.G.] ON THE FRINGE OF THE GREAT FIGHT By COLONEL GEORGE G. NASMITH, C.M.G. McCLELLAND, GOODCHILD & STEWART PUBLISHERS :: :: :: TORONTO COPYRIGHT, CANADA, 1917 McCLELLAND, GOODCHILD & STEWART, LIMITED TORONTO PRINTED IN CANADA TO MY WAR BRIDE IN FLANDERS FIELDS In Flanders fields the poppies grow, Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place, and in the sky The larks still bravely singing fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead, short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunsets glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe. To you from failing hands we throw The torch: be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies blow In Flanders fields. JOHN MACCRAE, (Lt.-Col.) _By permission of the author._ CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE xi CHAPTER I. ON THE ROAD TO A GREAT ADVENTURE 1 CHAPTER II. ON SALISBURY PLAINS 11 CHAPTER III. EARLY WAR DAYS IN LONDON 32 CHAPTER IV. DAYS WHEN THINGS WENT WRONG 46 CHAPTER V. THE LOST CANADIAN LABORATORY 62