72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

:<CAMBEAI.effect of that point-blank shell-fire. Steadily, however, theCompany spread its net around the position, and as theKilties gathered themselves for their final rush, the defenders struck their colours. In this position the 72nd mencaptured no fewer than 115 men, four officers and eight77mm. field guns, an achievement which must stand out forever even in the brilliant annals of "C"Company.On the right,"A"Company had been doggedly fightingits way towards the crest. One of the many incidents inthis Company s advance was the turning of a capturedGerman field gun on to its own gunners who were streaming away in confusion from the abandoned piece,B"Company, on the Battalion s extreme right, hadhad the common experience of the whole front, in meetingwith and overcoming heavy resistance, finally ejecting theenemy from New Trench to the N.E. of Bourlon village.The Battalion had now reached a line roughly paralleling, and about half a mile short of their final objective, theBlue Line. At this point it became apparent that a reorganization was necessary. This was owing not only tothe singularly heavy opposition the 72nd had met with, butto the unavoidable loss of the barrage before commencingthe attack. Reorganization accomplished, at 2:45 p.m."C"and "D"Companies jumped off on their attack for theirfinal objective. Half a mile of steadily rising ground witkhardly a patch of cover faced the two Companies as theystarted. From the sinister crest line ahead the staccato rattle of machine gun fire broke out as the swinging line ofkilts swept up the rise. Under that pitiless long-range firethere was nothing to do but advance. Superbly the linesmoved up the exposed slope, the fire growing more andmore intense as the summit was approached. Almost in thefirst sweep of the advance was the objective carried, save atone or two spots. From these points of resistance theenemy fought gamely.His tired troops had been strengthened by the arrival of men of a fresh division from the143