72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - Electric Scotland

SEAFOETH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA
marching via Pernes. Although it was now evident that
the Lys attack had been cancelled, defensive reconnais
sances continued to be carried out and training for open
warfare was vigorously prosecuted. A platoon competi
tion comprising turnout, marching, march discipline, fire
and movement, was carried out. Brig.-Gen. J. H. Mac-
Brien, C.M.G., D.S.O., his staff, and an officer from each
Batalion of the Brigade, were present at this competition.
The R. S. M. of the 2nd Seaforths assisted in judging the
turnout of the men before starting their march from Auchel
to Pernes, where the competition was held. The re
sult of the competition was that No. 12 Platoon, under
the command of Lieut. C. C. Ferrie, was given first place;
No. 16 Platoon, under the command of Lieut. R. G. Major,
M.M., second place ;
and No. 1 Platoon, under the command
of Lieut. H. C. Whittaker, third place. Later on an
other competition (bullet and bayonet) was carried out
on the Allouagne Ranges, which resulted in a win for No.
14 Platoon under the command of Lieut. G. H. Clark, M.C. ;
No. 5 Platoon, under the command of Lieut. A. C. Macdonald,
third. Later on a Brigade competition along the
same lines resulted in No. 14 Platoon winning for the Bat
talion easily. In a Divisional competition of the same na
ture carried out near Houdain, the 46th Battalion won
first
place, No. 14 Platoon representing the 72nd Battalion,
second, while the 87th Battalion won third place.
The foregoing may be taken as a demonstration of the
effectiveness of the training
in which most of the time
during this long rest was spent. The facilities for this
work were on the whole very good. The training was
chiefly confined to open warfare, and many schemes involv
ing the employment of tanks, artillery, trench mortars, en
gineers, machine guns and aeroplanes in combination with
infantry were carried out. Later, attention was concen
trated on platoon manoeuvres, particularly with a view to
overcoming machine-gun defense in depth. Extensive use
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