72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

AFTER THE ARMISTICE.at Anzin, was continued. At Mesvin, also, a beginning wasmade at organizing sports between the battalions of the4thDivision.Leave was freely granted to men wishing to visitMons, and the famous town proved a great attraction.hospitality was unsurpassed, and all ranks enjoyed theirtours of this historic place and neighborhood.On December 3rd, the 72nd, as a part of the 12th Brigade, had the honour of marching past the DivisionalCommander, Sir David Watson, K.C.B., in the town ofMons, a proceeding not only interesting, but redolent ofhistoricassociations.About a week after the Battalion s arrival at Mesvin,detachments of men were requisitioned to guard the hugedumps of enemy war material along the various Belgian"B"railways. Company was given this duty, and thereafter the kilt was visible at various points along the Mons-Charleroi railway. Some of the guards said afterwardsthat these dumps contained "everything from tar-pager totraction engines."On December 12th, the Division,Itsand therefore the 72nd,quitted the genial hospitality of Mesvin and trekked eastabout nine miles, spending that night in Houdeng-Groegnies.The next day saw them ten miles further east, where theywere billeted for the night in the village of Gouy-lez-Pieton. These sudden moves gave rise to many billetingparties being detailed. If an officer or a private was.even suspected of being able to speak French he was immediately "nailed" as a billet seeker. Many humorousincidents arose through the attempts of these linguists ( ?)to interview householders as to the number of men theycould find room for.After one night at Grouy-lez-Pieton, the Battalion movedon December 14th to Fleurus, a moderately large railwayjunction, northeast of Charleroi. It was here that the 72nd175