The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles - ElectricCanadian.com

"70 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLESBattalion Headquarters felt the effects on their throatsand stomachs and put on their respirators before muchdamage was done. The brunt of the shelling fell on CCompany occupying the brick-fields, but they did notrealize their danger until the morning when the sun roseand began to vaporize the gas which had lain dormantin the shell holes and on the cold damp bricks. Themen going about without their helmets were suddenlystricken and collapsed in scores. Ten were killed andover one hundred seriously gassed. All the officers hadto be evacuated because they remained all day lookingafter their men. While none of them died from theThe remnants of theeffects, only one returned to France.company had to be sent to the rear in chargePadre.of theMajor H. C. Davis, the M. O., did admirable workin trying to cope with this new pernicious gas. Heanalysed the effects and ingeniously contrived antidotesto relieve the sufferings of the men. The gas left adistinct odour of mustard in the air, it contaminated theground and even penetrated the clothing; the men werenot immunized merely by wearing their gas helmets. Itmade them vomit and remove their masks. Swellings,blisters and blindness resulted. Another atrocity hadbeen perpetrated, but, like all the others, it had littlebearing on the ultimate results.Sept. 5,The night following this discouraging incident, the1917Battalion relieved a battalion of the 18th Durham LightSept. 17,Infantry in the front line opposite Mericourt and inapproximately the same trenches that they held in June.The line had not altered appreciablysince the middle ofApril. It was intended, however, that this line shouldmove forward and the proposed attack on the Mericourt-Sallaumines Ridge was definitely planned. When it wasthe Battalion s turn to be relieved, they closed over to theright into support trenches on the front which it wasexpected they would eventually attack. They werewithdrawn on the 17th and moved to Cambligneul in theback area. The tour had been a normal one, with veryfew casualties, apart from those caused by gas. Con-