72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - Electric Scotland

GERMANY S INNINGS.
While the Battalion was at Conteville, football games both
rugby and soccer were played with teams of Alpine Chas
seurs "Little Blue Devils "who were billeted near. These
resulted in the Chasseurs being victorious in rugby and
the 72nd in soccer. A feature of the rugby game that
will be remembered by those who were there was a tackle
by Capt. W. C. Ross, who chased a "Blue Devil" and,
seizing him by the collar with one hand, threw him sev
eral yards away, thus preventing the French, at this point
of the game, from scoring. But they were valiant oppon
ents and the way in which they threw themselves into a
sport peculiarly British, showed an adaptability that was
admirable and led to national good feeling, as so many
other things did during the stay of the Canadian troops in
Prance and Flanders, Also during this stay at Conteville
the fickle weather of May was once more demonstrated at
a church service on the 12th. The spiritual warmth of the
chaplain had a tough struggle with the chilly physical con
ditions, and though as valiant sermon-hearers, the 72nd
did their part, there were those among them who were
glad that the padre did not imitate the example of one of
his Scottish forerunners, who, having preached for 60
minutes by the hour-glass, turned it over and said,
"Brethren, we will have another glass." But the old, wellknown
hymns were sung with the usual fervour, and at
the close of the service, Major-General Sir David "Watson,
who was present, presented decorations to men of the Bat
talion who had recently won them.
On May 18th the Battalion moved to Ostreville, chang
ing over billets with the 78th. An incident that occurred
here was the bringing down of an enemy aeroplane near
St. Pol. It was forced to land during the night, and on
the following morning one of the cooks of the Battalion
took the three occupants prisoner, viz., on officer and two
other ranks whom hunger, so to speak, had forced into their
captor s arms! On May 25th the Battalion moved to Auchel,
101