72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - Electric Scotland

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA
On Christmas Eve, 1916, the Battalion moved into the
front line trenches on the Ridge. This was the first occasion
on which it went into action as a portion of the Canadian
Corps. The front occupied was about 800 yards long. A
beginning was made by depositing several messages, written
in German, in the enemy front line, inviting any well-dis
posed member of the enemy forces to come over and give
himself up. This was answered ten nights after by certain
other messages written in English which were posted up in
front of the German lines, one of which said, Cut out your
damned artillery. We, too, are from the Somme." Christ
mas night was marked by a very heavy bombardment on the
part of the enemy, which lasted from 9 :30 to 10 :30. A
feature of the commencement of the Vimy Ridge tours
was the surprisingly speedy mastery of the German snip
ers by the opposing snipers of the 72nd. On the first tak
ing over the trenches, the hostile sniping was extremely
accurate and frequent, but within a few tours the superi
ority of the 72nd in this particular was satisfactorily estab
lished.
During this tour the entry of the Battalion into the Ca
nadian Corps was marked by an inspection in the trenches
by the B. G. G. S. Canadian Corps.
On December 29th the Battalion was relieved by the 38th
and moved to Brigade Reserve at Cambligneul. New Year s
Day was not to be allowed to pass by Scottish men without
some celebration of its associations and memories of Auld
Lang Syne. A dinner was held, the Battalion being accom
modated in two sittings. Brig.-Gen. J. H. MacBrien was
present and made a short but pithy speech.
During the month of January the Battalion had every
opportunity of becoming acquainted with the Vimy Ridge
landscape as seen from their side of the operations. The
war diary shows in a line or two for each occupation of the
trenches what the men were doing. But only those who were
actually present know what this meant in determined cour-
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