72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

AFTER THE ARMISTICE.the canal and took the road, one was struck with the factthat more than a century before it was the troops ofBlucher who had taken the same road, and with thesame objective before them. It was Blucher s divisionswhich arrived at about 2 :30 on the afternoon of the fateful day, in the little village of Ohain, and pushing throughthe tangle of woods to the southwest had fallen upon Napoleon s right flank at the critical moment.Owing to a scarcity of billets in "B"Ohain, and "C"Companies were moved, a few days after arrival to theneighboring village of Ransbeche. The 72nd had made itslast move but one in the countries over which the war hadswept. They were now in billets which they were tooccupy until the wished-for hour of their departure forEngland arrived.Ohain, a small farming village, lies amid rolling, woodedcountry about 20 kilometers to the south of Brussels.Less than two miles away are the ruins of Hougomont, thefarm house forever famous in the annals of the greatfight in which Napoleon s dream of world domination wasshattered.As may be imagined, many of the 72nd men tookadvantage of their unique opportunity of studying thehistoric field, realizing a little more fully, perhaps, asthey walked over the peaceful farm lands, that withina year tourists would be inspecting in a similar mannerthe bloody fields which they themselves had not longquitted.The comparative nearness of Brussels was a decidedlypleasant feature of this period in contrast to that spentin Opprebais, and "Brussels leave"began almost immediately. Each day a certain number of men were allowedto spend a day or two in that gala place. The throngsof khaki-clad men which poured daily from the Gare duNord was sufficient evidence that this leave was enjoyedto the full.179