72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - Electric Scotland

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA
to in the front line,
"D"
Company in Granby C. T., and
"B" and C"
Companies in Vincent Tunnel. At 6:30 the
enemy laid a barrage on our front line, causing a number
of casualties. In spite of this "A"
Company jumped off
promptly at zero hour, resting a moment beyond our wire
until our barrage lifted, upon which they immediately took
possession of the enemy front line. Simultaneously with
"A"
Company s capture of the front line the remaining
companies sent their patrols forward.
On the left all went well;
"D"
Company made a good
start through a hastily-cut gap in the wire. In the enemy
trenches opposition was met and broken and ten pris
oners taken. Eventually, however, they were forced to take
shelter from the enemy machine gun fire.
On the right things had not gone so well. Heavy enemy
artillery fire, directed on the entrance and vicinity of the
Tunnel and on the front line, made jumping off difficult,
and although half of "B"
Company got safely away, the
other half were unlucky in that as they emerged from the
tunnel some gas cylinders in the trench were hit and
broken by the enemy s artillery fire. As a result of this
the gas escaped and filled the trench, choking and blind
ing the men, spreading confusion and making concerted
action impossible. Owing to this unfortunate loss of valu
able time, these men were unable to jump off in time to
take part in the raid, and were ordered back to the tun
nel. The unfortunate chance which prevented the second
half of "B"
Company jumping off also stopped "C" Com
pany, who were scheduled to follow "B"
Company; con
sequently they were unwillingly forced to abandon their
part in the raid.
Those patrols of "B" and "D"
Companies who had
been able to jump off, passed through the enemy front
line, now held by Company, into a sea of mud-holes
"A"
of all sizes and depths, everywhere linked together and
filled with water. A passage-way between them would be
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