The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles - ElectricCanadian.com

100 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLESWhile this was going on, the 5th C. M. R., on the left,organized a large raiding party and captured fourteenGermans; unfortunately Major Sneath, who had manyfriends in the Battalion, was killed while leading the raid.Major G. F. McFarland, Captain W. V. Sifton and oneplatoon under Lieutenant R. H. Warne, attended thefuneral of Major Sneath and four men of the 4th C. M. R.who were killed by a trench mortar shell. They wereburied in Thelus cemetery on the 17th of March.The aerial activity was more noticeable and the monotony of the lengthening evenings was broken by admiringthe audacious airmen. One evening at tea-time in thecramped quarters of Cubitt Camp, just to the east ofNeuville St. Vaast, a football game was interrupted bythe sudden appearance of a Hun scout-machine droppingfrom a serene open sky. The "Archies" opened on him,and the men tried to wing him with their rifles. He divedgracefully at a captive-balloon buoyed over the camp.A rapid "pop," "pop," "pop,"a gushing and"puff"the balloon was in flames. He calmly soared and divedin succession on one at Souchez and another at AblainSt. Nazaire repeating the feat. He swiftly veered awayand was out of sight before the gently-descending blackspecks in the parachutes had floated to the ground.This incident was not indicative of the enemy s ascendancy in the air. Our own planes were very active andwere continually delighting the troops by their obviouspredominance. Several enemy planes were seen shotdown during this tour and even the "Old Buses" whichpatrolled and photographed the front, engaged in severaldaring and successful encounters.On one occasion a most spectacular sight was witnessedby those who were watching with binoculars. One ofour captive-balloons was set on fire. Immediately theoccupant was seen swaying under his parachute anddescending gently toward the enemy s lines. An officerof the Battalion, who was following the flight throughhis field-glasses, saw the observer trying to release something from his equipment. At first he imagined thathe was preparing to throw away his maps and papers