72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

VIMY RIDGE.might be told of personal gallantry and self-sacrifice. Thosewhich are given are merely illustrative incidents of whattook place. No one who was there can forget, for instance,the wonderful work of Capt. S. B. Birds, who, with thatuncanny coolness which was a source of wonder to allranks, led his own Company at the start, and later directedaffairs on the spot with a disregard of danger that seemedalmost fatalistic. Nor must the work of the stretcher-bearers be left out of this narrative. Shot at, but unable toshoot back, they went about their merciful work. It is thehighest possible praise to them to record that by 4 p.m.on that fateful 9th of April all the wounded had beencleared from the field despite the still heavy shell-fire andthe ever-present mud.Such an attack as has been described, tumultuous andbewildering as it was, was no haphazard chapter of accidents. The whole had been the subject of careful preparation and forecast of probabilities. Behind all this antecedent business was the cool and judicious brain of theBattalion s gallant commander, Lieut.-Col. J. A. Clark.Gradually the eventful day drew to a close. Working desperately, the Battalion consolidated its defences. Blockswere pushed out and established in the trenches leadinginto the new German positions, and the shattered ditch thathad been the main enemy support line was put into a stateof defence in readiness for any counter-attack which mightdevelop. During the night, parties of the attacking troopswere relieved by detachments of fresh men who had beenkept in reserve in Gobron Tunnel.Sullenly the Boche batteries to the north, with shortened range, continued tohurl high-explosives on to their old positions, while theunceasing flares that soared skywards, betokened the nervous apprehension of the defeated enemy.The morning of the 10th of April was heralded by another furious outburst of drum-fire as a fresh brigadelunged forward through the sleet and rain, its objective51