72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADAin the hands of the victorious troops and also the immediate villages beyond, while the enemy in the ring of villages around from Lens to beyond Fresnoy, concentratedhis fire upon them.On April 17th Lieut.-Col. Clark took over command ofthe Brigade in the absence of Brig.-Gen. MacBrien whoit will be remembered was wounded on the 13th, and onthe 24th the 72nd moved into Brigade support in the VimyAngres line. There was a certain satisfaction if not absolute exhilaration in the fact that this was the Battalion sfirst opportunity of settling into serious business since theyhad gone over the Ridge. Relieving their old friends thethe38th on April 28th the 72nd now found themselves infront line facing the well-organized and strongly-heldMericourt Switch Line, in front of La Coulotte. The Battalion was commencing a long spell of interesting workscouting,sniping and patrolling. The total trench strengthat this time was 25 officers and 375 other ranks.Some of the work at this time was not so attractive asthat before mentioned, viz., considerable trench-digging,and the burial of many dead of the 5th Imperial Divisionwhich were still lying out. A couple more reliefs broughtmatters to May 7th, when their routine was diversified bythe enemy counter-attacking the 10th Brigade, who hadbeen vigorously operating against the Triangle near theelectric generating station. As this attack could be plainlyseen from the 72nd Headquarters it was immediately reported to the artillery, who responded very effectivelywithin three minutes, when the attack was seen to halt,crumble away and completely fail. Among incidents thatafforded an occasional ripple was that of a prisoner belonging to the 124th Minerwerfer Company, who was takenon the Lens-Arras road and who, with many gesticulations,tried to modify the danger of his position by saying, "Meno fighting man, me Minnie man." During this tour theartillery liason officer ran a wire forward to the front line56