72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

CAMBRAI.hold. His defeat had been decisive. It soon became apparent that the end was but a question of weeks. He hadstaked all, and had lost.As the day of October 2nd merged into night, the 72ndBattalion swung westward down the heights of Bourlon,en route for Queant. It was but a remnant of that splendidbody of men who had surged with irresistible force overthose same slopes but five short days before, yet theymoved with the gait of victors. Crossing the once formidable Canal du Nord at Inchy, the Battalion movedthrough the dusk to their destination. On their arrival theywere joined by a welcome draft of reinforcements, andthe whole number set to work to make the trenches, whichhad been allotted to them as billets, as habitable as possible. The four days spent here were busy ones for theofficers and N. C. O. s. Full reports on the Cambrai operations were made, recommendations for decorations filed,and the thousand details which are the aftermath of allactions duly attended to.On October 6th move orders were received, and late inthe evening the kilted veterans of none other than the51st Highland Division moved in and took over the billets of the 72nd, thus giving the officers and men a welcomeopportunity of fraternization. Upon completion of the"turning over"process, the Battalion took its place inthe long, dusty convoy of motor lorries which was toconvey them to their new location. German aircraft hadbeen actively engaged during the pas,t ten days in bombing, both in the day-time and at night, and it was a somewhat apprehensive 12th Brigade that crowded the lorryconvoy that night. During the wait that ensued beforestarting, German planes appeared. Fortunately ignorantof the line of stationary lorries below them, the hostileaviators scattered their bombs over the landscape in general,without hitting the Brigade, although some casualties151