72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - Electric Scotland

a
THE LAST FIGHT.
In the centre, the field
gun lay concealed, ready to protect
with its fire, the middle crossing. On the south, where the
crossing depended on the progress of the 38th (Ottawa)
Battalion the flanking unit trench mortar and artillery
support had been arranged for. "C" Company was in
Battalion Reserve.
At dawn on November 1st a furious outbreak of bar
rage fire heralded the 10th Brigade s attack on Mount
Houy. It was the success of this attack which was to give
the cue for the fighting to blaze up along the canal, for
without this southern key position
to Valenciennes in our
possession, any operation against the town from the wesit
would be impracticable. At 11 :30 on the morning of the
1st, it was determined that this key position was in our
hands, and the fight for Valenciennes was on.
As the allotted platoons of "A" and "D" Companies
broke cover and rushed, dragging their boats and rafts
with them, for the canal bank, the pre-arranged covering
fire broke out in a crescendo of noise. From the house
windows opposite the northern crossing a stream of nickled
steel drenched the locality of known enemy posts. At the
middle crossing the field gun was doing great execution.
Its first shell, fired >at
range of less than 100 yards, tore
its way through a house in which a German post was lo
cated; as the artillery officer ait his gun described it after
wards, was "It great sport; they scurried out of the place
like
rats."
Meanwhile, at the northern crossing,
"A"
Company was
working feverishly. The cork-float bridge broke on being
launched. No. 2025243 Pte. D. Clawson, without a mo
ment s hesitation, dived into the canal, and by dint of
hard swimming managed to push the end of the bridge
across and to secure it to the other bank. While this gal
lant exploit was being accomplished, the remainder of the
Company, taking advantage of the covering fire, rapidly
163