72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

VIMY RIDGE.worth while just here to record the gallant exploit ofLieut. D. 0. Vicars, D.S.O., and Pte. McWhinny (laterLieut. McWhinney, D.C.M.)While the 72nd attacked, more or less frontally, the triangle before mentioned. Vicars and McWhinney togetherwith a mere handful of men worked around to the rightflank of Clutch trench. Almost all of Lieut. Vicars menwere casualties by the time he reached the trench, butVicars, accompanied by McWhinney and Cpl.Hat" Matthews, began what was one of the most memorable featsin the Battalion s history. Armed chiefly with bombswhich they manipulated with unerring efficiency, the threeproceeded to take, unaided, about 400 yards of the strongly-held German support line. Slipping from traverse totraverse along the trench, the dauntless trio advanced,clearing or partially clearing each bay by throwing bombsinto it before entering and finishing the job with revolverand cold steel. Time after time Boches braver and morecunning than the rest attempted to waylay them by lyingin wait in the doorways of their dugouts, only to be metby a courage and resource more deadly than their own.Pushing the now thoroughly demoralized Boches beforethem, the three continued their advance until practicallythe whole trench on the Battalion front was cleared. Aided by the arrival of the frontal attacking troops theydrove the completely routed Bavarians to their destruction in the heavy "standing barrage," which was protecting the left flank of the attack.This is but an example of what was done on that glorious and eventful day. Of the heroic work of the rest ofthe Battalion no praise can be too laudatory. Stumblingthrough the maze of shell-craters, and lashed by machinegun fire they had continued to advance, and while Clutchtrench was being cleaned out they had been grimly fighting their way towards the hotly contested triangle oftrenches, and here it may be said that there was a dem-49