Over the top with the 25th: Chronicle of events at Vimy Ridge and CourcelletteLewis, R.
History
Over the top with the 25th: Chronicle of events at Vimy Ridge and Courcellette
Lewis, R.
Canada. Canadian Army. Battalion, 25th; Vimy Ridge, Battle of, France, 1917; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, Canadian
Then came the long hours of waiting. It had rained during the morning
and everybody was more or less wet and as the evening drew on it
became very cold and by the time the morning came again, the Battalion
having no overcoats, or shelter were in a sorry plight, with but
little food or water except what the Hun had left behind.
On the evening of the attack Col. S. Bauld came with Lieuts. Lewis and
Fisher and Capt. and Q.M. Ingraham, who having heard of the casualties
amongst the officers volunteered to come and help out. The following
night water was sent up and altho it tasted more like petrol we were
glad to get it.
That night we moved back to the rear trench and everyone felt a lot
happier when a rumour went around that the Battalion was going to be
relieved. After holding the position for less than two days we were
sent for two days rest, prior to being relieved, into a larger German
tunnel known as FOLKER TUNNEL.
Lieut. Dryden was detailed to take charge of the burial party and the
sad work it was, collecting friend and foe from all over the
battlefield.
After a night in the tunnel the order came that instead of going out
to be relieved we were again to go forward. The people at home will
never realize what this order meant to our men. After four days
without sleep, wet clothing and mud right next to the skin, with very
little food or water, our men were not anxious to move forward, but
did they grumble? Not they. When the word came to move forward they
were ready once more for another go at the Hun.
We came out of the trenches for a short rest. We had to travel about
two miles over shell-torn ground and we were about all in having been
in the line for quite a few days doing our duty regardless of shells,
snow and rain. After what seemed to us to be a long time we arrived
out at our resting place not so very far from the front line. We
bivouacked here in tents and had one beautiful rest. Rain and mud the
entire four days that we were out here. Col. Bauld was in charge of
the Battalion and Major Blois was acting as second in command. But we
were quite happy despite the rain and mud. One night the German
aeroplanes came overhead. The order came to put out the lights and
just to show you how little the boys thought of Fritz's bombs, a crowd
of men in a few of the tents who had just came back from a working
party and were turning in when the signal went to put out lights
ignored it saying: "Just wait a few minutes as we have to turn in." I
wonder if Fritz's planes would wait? I guess not. Anyway he did not
get us that night. Now and again Fritz would drop an occasional shell
over quite close to us but he never did us any damage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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