72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - Electric Scotland

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA
of Passchendaele and it ended up very comfortably at
Auchel, a town which highly commended itself in every
way to the Battalion. The billets were good and the situ
ation pleasing. A thorough course of training was carried
out, leading up to a Battalion platoon marching and firing
competition on November 27th. On November 30th the
Battalion marched to Femes, where an exhibition of drill,
bayonet-fighting and the use of camouflage was given by
the experts of the Canadian Corps School. While en route,
the Battalion was inspected by the Divisional Commander.
That night being St. Andrew s, the patron saint of Scot
land was duly honoured, and the Divisional Commander
and members of his staff were guests of the C. O. at din
ner. December 17th saw the Battalion at Canada Camp,
Bois de la Haie, after a march described as snowy, cold,
and very slippery, and on the following day the 72nd
moved into support again, relieving the 1st Canadian Bat
talion in Givenchy, so the men were on familiar ground.
They travelled by the light railway to Lens Junction. Then
they marched over Vimy Ridge to Givenchy a route that
even then was historic, and that will surely be an object of
interest to thousands of reverent pilgrims in the future.
Again, on December 20th, the Battalion moved forward to
trenches in the neighbourhood of La Coulotte, and once
more its headquarters were in Piano Dugout. On the 23rd
the Divisional marching and firing competition, which had
been in preparation for some days, took place at Pernes,
No. 7 Platoon representing the 72nd and winning second
place. On this day also, the Battalion relieved the 38th
in the front line, with headquarters in La Coulotte.
Christmas Day was spent in this sector. It was a Christ
mas in the trenches but the Battalion made the best of it.
Snow had covered the ground some days before, and the
surrounding scene, though not exactly what an artist would
choose for a Christmas card, was, to a limited extent, of
a Yuletide character. For a wonder the day passed quiet-
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