The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles - ElectricCanadian.com

THE SOMME 37on through the congested traffic to relieve the 8th and Sept.-10th Battalions and support the 1st and 2nd C. M. R.,who occupied the front line. Three days were spent incarrying up supplies, ammunition, petrol tins of waterand in clearing the battlefields of their dead and debris.On the last day of the month they commenced to takeover at 7.00 p.m. from the 2nd C. M. R. in the front lineand by 2.00 a.m. the relief was completed. Their temporary abode in the support trenches was wet, cold andcostly; ten men were killed and thirty -four wounded.Practically all of these numerous casualties resulted fromthe heavy shelling.In the early morning of the first day of October, Oct. i,the Battalion was about a thousand yards in frontof the ground they had captured in the middle ofSeptember. Since that time the troops had been incessantly hammering the German defences until ZollernTrench and Hessian Trench had fallen; the next lineof defence was Regina Trench.The Somme offensive had developed into one ofattrition. One attack was followed closely by anotheruntil bit by bit the razed defences were nibbled from theenemy. The ridge commanding Thiepval, Grandcourtand Miraumont had been taken. Regina Trench wason the reverse slope and formed a defensive flank, whichwas gradually being thrust back until Thiepval wasalmost surrounded. The Germans fully realizing thedanger of losing Regina Trench made one of the mostoutstanding and determined attempts to retain it. Itwas difficult for our guns to reach it as it was just overthe crest of the hill. The enemy had the advantage of adeep ravine and several sunken roads which led intoRegina Trench from the rear and which enabled himto rush up supplies and provisions to the garrison.It was densely manned with picked troops. A greatquantity of concertina barbed-wire had been thrown outto supplement the existing uninviting entanglements.It was a strong position prepared to resist a strong attack.The 5th and 8th Brigades were ordered to storm thebulwarks of this crowning position, and the 4th C. M. .R.