72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADAtrated the Hun lines. Here they encountered a strong postand a sharp and fierce fight took place, and when Lieut.Lough and his patrol started to withdraw to the point ofentry, another party of Huns was seen coming along thetrench to meet them. The latter were rushed, bombed, anddriven back, one of them being shot by Lieut. Lough. Eachman in his patrol accounted for one or more of the enemy,and several men must have been killed by the explodingbombs. Withdrawing to a large shell-hole inside the Hunwire Lieut. Lough and his men took cover, as the Hunsstarted to bomb and send up flares. A short time elapsedand a body of the enemy, estimated to number 40, cameover the parapet, apparently to search for the attackingpatrol. They came in close order, and after a period ofhesitation, began to make their way in the direction ofthe patrol. Lieut. Lough and his men held their fire tillthe enemy were within about fifteen yards when, on theword being given, they were attacked with bombs, riflegrenades and revolvers. Thrown into confusion by thesudden onslaught by which a number of casualties wereinflicted, the Huns did not recover themselves in time toprevent the patrol from seizing the opportunity to withdraw through the broken enemy wire. The enemy, however, immediately afterwards, opened up with flares, machine guns and bombs. But they did not attempt to followthe 72nd raiders, who got safely back to the point of departure at 1 :50 next morning. They must have inflicted30 casualties on the enemy, while their own were only oneslightly wounded. Lieut. J. R. S. Lough was awarded theMilitary Cross for this action, while several of his men alsoreceived decorations for conspicuous gallantry.Another raid carried out at this time was commandedby Lieut. C. C. Ferrie, who, on the same night, raided anenemy post with 20 men. The post was rushed and theenemy ran, the raiding party following them into theirfront line and inflicting casualties with their Lewis gun.96