72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADAthrough the dark with usually only an approximate ideaof one s whereabouts. Information gained in this way,while in some cases of the greatest importance, is, perforce, frequently inaccurate, except with the most highlytrainedscouts. To some extent, danger is minimized bydarkness, but at the same time, darkness often concealsthe most dangerous pitfalls. For instance, if a patrolshould meet with an unexpected enemy post or"standingpatrol" in No Man s Land, their only warning is a withering burst of fire, often attended with dire results. Compared with this, the method evolved by the 72nd Scoutsthe daylight patrol is immeasurably superior. In theseexpeditions most valuable information is brought to light,impossible of attainment by other means.The average daylight patrol consists possibly of an officer, usually the scout officer, and one N. C. 0. a scout;sometimes of an N. C. 0. and a scout; sometimes of acouple of scouts by themselves, all depending on the jobin hand. Furnished with accurate trench maps, and familiar with every inch of the front by long studying itfrom observation posts, these patrols set out on the perilous task of crawling up to and in some cases actually intothe German front line. On some fronts, where the coveris particularly good, this is not very difficult if the scoutsknow their work, but let it here be remarked that if thisknowledge is wanting, the proceeding is sheer suicide. Onefalse move, one mistake of judgment as to cover or visibility, and a Mauser bullet ends all uncertainty. But onthe other side of the equation is the lure of the wonderful amount of information to be gained. The stateof the enemy s wire, of his trenches, and even, as in thecase of several of the 72nd patrols, the exact numbers ofGerman sentry posts and men have been obtained.It will have been seen from the result of the attack onAvion trench on June 28th, how invaluable was the information obtained by the daylight68reconnaissances carried