While we were here, Major-General Turner, V. C., who was in command
of the entire Canadian Corps, paid us a visit. He came up unannounced
and accompanied by a lone Staff Captain. I was instructed to act as
his guide over our sector. During one trip along an exposed road we
found ourselves in the midst of a furious hail of shells. I looked at
the General to see if he wanted to take cover (I'm sure the rest of us
did); he never "batted an eye" but continued at an even pace, talking,
asking questions and stopping here and there to observe some
particular point. I overheard one of our men say: "_General_ Turner?
General _Hell!_ he ain't no general; _he's_ a reg'lar _soldier_."
On the night of the sixth we were relieved and, next day, took up our
quarters in Dickebusch. The Emma Gees had taken possession of a bank
building, about the best in town, and had strengthened it, inside and
out, with steel and sand-bags until it looked as though it would
withstand any bombardment. Fortunately it was not hit while we were
there, although many large shells fell very near; but when I again
passed that way, just a week later, I noticed that a big shell had
gone through our carefully prepared "bombproof" and completely wrecked
it. We only remained a few days and then received orders to go into
the front line at Hill 60 (south of Hooge), as an attack was to be
made to recover the trenches lost on the second.
_HOLLEBEKE TRENCH MAP_
_The map on the opposite page is a reproduction of what is known
as "Hollebeke Trench Map--Part of Sheet 28." Famous Hill 60 is
shown encircled by a contour line, just below Zwarteleen. The
road running off at top and left of map leads to Ypres. The black
and white line immediately to the right of this army road is the
railroad from Ypres to Comines. The fine irregular lines
represent the perfect network of main and communication German
trenches. Various signs indicate supply dumps, dug-outs, mine
craters, observation posts, earthworks, mine craters fortified,
hedges, fences or ditches, churches, mills, roads, footpaths,
entanglements, ground cut up by artillery fire, etc., etc. The
British front-line trench is shown very faintly on this
reproduction but can be picked up as it passes through the first
"e" in Zwarteleen and traced up past the figure 30. At the left
of Zwarteleen it can be seen crossing the railroad and army road.
This map, as were the others, was carried by Captain McBride and
the section shown represents about one-sixth of the total size.
It was made from photographs taken by Allied aviators. The
blurred line bisecting the map just below figures 35 and 36 is
one of the well worn folds in the map_.
[Illustration: Hollebeke Trench Map]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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