72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - Electric Scotland

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADA
Cambrai area, flung into the scale as counter-attacking
troops with orders to re-take Bourlon Wood. Instead,
these troops found themselves called upon to resist fresh
attacks. Swiftly the men of the 72nd worked their way
towards these strong points, and to Lieut. W. G. Decker,
M.C., and his men is due the credit of organizing and car
rying out a bayonet charge unique in the history of the
Battalion. Seizing upon the psychological moment, when
the enemy s
resistance seemed on the verge of collapse, this
officer and his men flung themselves at the German posi
tions in a wildly cheering bayonet charge. One sight of
kilts and cold steel was too much for the Huns. The last
vestige of fight forsook them, and the Highlanders gathered
them in as prisoners.
The last objective was now in the possession of the 72nd.
Along that hotly-contested crest no fewer than 200 pris
oners and many machine guns were taken. The fact that
the prisoners were from six different regiments speaks elo
after di
quently of the prodigal manner in which division
vision had been hurled against the Canadians on that me
morable day.
Immediately after the capture of the objective, outposts
were pushed out. These captured three additional enemy
field guns. At about 7 p.m. an enemy counter-attack com
menced from the direction of. Raillencourt and the line of
the Arras-Cambrai road, but failed to develop to any ex
tent.
The 72nd had excelled themselves, 319 prisoners and
eleven guns being the magnificent total of the day s work.
The Battalion s casualties, though numerically high, were
not excessive when the work done is considered. They
amounted to five Officers and 228 other ranks.
So the night of September 27th came down. Along the
whole front the objectives had been gained. The natural
fortress of Bourlon Wood had fallen. The enemy, despite
his determination to hold to the last, had been beaten. He
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