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+Project Gutenberg's The Great War As I Saw It, by Frederick George Scott
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Great War As I Saw It
+
+Author: Frederick George Scott
+
+Release Date: November 18, 2006 [EBook #19857]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GREAT WAR AS I SAW IT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Sigal Alon, Christine P. Travers and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
+
+
+
+
+
+[Transcriber's note:
+-Obvious printer's errors have been corrected.
+-Variable spelling of hyphenated words has been made consistent.
+-Missing page numbers correspond to blank pages.
+-Punctuation conventions of the original have been retained.
+-Inconsistent spelling of place names has been retained.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Frontispiece]
+
+
+
+
+                         The Great War as I Saw It
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Frederick George Scott.]
+
+
+
+
+                          The Great War as I Saw It
+
+                                    by
+
+                 Canon Frederick George Scott, C.M.G., D.S.O.
+                             _Late Senior Chaplain_
+                        _First Canadian Division, C.E.F._
+
+           Author of "Later Canadian Poems," and "Hymn of the Empire."
+
+
+
+                           F. D. GOODCHILD COMPANY
+                     Publishers                 Toronto
+
+
+
+
+                           Copyright, Canada, 1922
+                          by Frederick George Scott
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS                                                           (p. 005)
+
+                                                                 PAGE
+CHAPTER I.
+  How I got into the War--July to September, 1914                 15
+
+CHAPTER II.
+  The Voyage to England--September 29th to October 18th, 1914     25
+
+CHAPTER III.
+  On Salisbury Plain--October 18th, 1914 to January 1st, 1915     30
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+  Off to France--January to March, 1915                           34
+
+CHAPTER V.
+  Before the Storm--March and April, 1915                         48
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+  The Second Battle of Ypres--April 22nd, 1915                    55
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+  Festubert and Givenchy--May and June, 1915                      74
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+  A Lull in Operations--Ploegsteert, July to December, 1915       93
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+  Our First Christmas in France                                  118
+
+CHAPTER X.
+  Spring, 1916                                                   122
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+  The Attack on Mount Sorrel--Summer, 1916                       128
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+  The Battle of the Somme--Autumn, 1916                          134
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+  Our Home at Camblain l'Abbe--November, 1916                    149
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+  My Search is Rewarded                                          154
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+  A Time of Preparation--Christmas, 1916 to April, 1917          159
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+  The Capture of Vimy Ridge--April 9th, 1917                     167
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+  A Month on the Ridge--April and May, 1917                      173
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.                                                     (p. 006)
+  A Well-earned Rest--May and June, 1917                         179
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+  Paris Leave--June, 1917                                        186
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+  We take Hill 70--July and August, 1917                         192
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+  Every day Life--August and September, 1917                     203
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+  A Tragedy of War                                               210
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+  Visits to Rome and Paschendaele--Oct. and Nov., 1917           216
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+  Our Last War Christmas                                         230
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+  Victory Year Opens--January and February, 1918                 234
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+  The German Offensive--March, 1918                              240
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+  In Front of Arras--April, 1918                                 248
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+  Sports and Pastimes--May and June, 1918                        254
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+  The Beginning of the End                                       267
+
+CHAPTER XXX.
+  The Battle of Amiens--August 8th to August 16th, 1918          274
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.
+  We Return to Arras--August, 1918                               288
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.
+  The Smashing of the Drocourt-Queant Line--Sept. 2nd, 1918      292
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.
+  Preparing for the Final Blow--September, 1918                  298
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.
+  The Crossing of the Canal du Nord--September 27th, 1918        307
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.
+  VICTORY--November 11th, 1918                                   318
+
+INDEX                                                            321
+
+
+
+
+                              TO                                   (p. 007)
+                      THE OFFICERS AND MEN
+                            OF THE
+                 FIRST CANADIAN DIVISION, C.E.F.
+
+
+
+
+"THE UNBROKEN LINE."
+
+  We who have trod the borderlands of death,
+    Where courage high walks hand in hand with fear,
+  Shall we not hearken what the Spirit saith,
+    "All ye were brothers there, be brothers here?"
+
+  We who have struggled through the baffling night,
+    Where men were men and every man divine,
+  While round us brave hearts perished for the right
+    By chaliced shell-holes stained with life's rich wine.
+
+  Let us not lose the exalted love which came
+    From comradeship with danger and the joy
+  Of strong souls kindled into living flame
+    By one supreme desire, one high employ.
+
+  Let us draw closer in these narrower years,
+    Before us still the eternal visions spread;
+  We who outmastered death and all its fears
+    Are one great army still, living and dead.
+                                             F. G. S.
+
+
+
+
+FOREWORD                                                           (p. 009)
+
+
+It is with great pleasure I accede to the request of Canon Scott to
+write a foreword to his book.
+
+I first heard of my friend and comrade after the second battle of
+Ypres when he accompanied his beloved Canadians to Bethune after their
+glorious stand in that poisonous gap--which in my own mind he
+immortalised in verse:--
+
+  O England of our fathers, and England of our sons,
+  Above the roar of battling hosts, the thunder of the guns,
+  A mother's voice was calling us, we heard it oversea,
+  The blood which thou didst give us, is the blood we spill for thee.
+
+Little did I think when I first saw him that he could possibly, at his
+time of life, bear the rough and tumble of the heaviest fighting in
+history, and come through with buoyancy of spirit younger men envied
+and older men recognized as the sign and fruit of self-forgetfulness
+and the inspiration and cheering of others.
+
+Always in the thick of the fighting, bearing almost a charmed life,
+ignoring any suggestion that he should be posted to a softer job
+"further back," he held on to the very end.
+
+The last time I saw him was in a hospital at Etaples badly wounded,
+yet cheery as ever--having done his duty nobly.
+
+All the Canadians in France knew him, and his devotion and
+fearlessness were known all along the line, and his poems will, I am
+bold to prophesy, last longer in the ages to come than most of the
+histories of the war.
+
+I feel sure that his book--if anything like himself--will interest and
+inspire all who read it.
+
+                              LLEWELLYN H. GWYNNE.
+                                          _Bishop of Khartoum,
+                                           Deputy Chaplain General
+                                           to the C. of E. Chaplains
+                                           in France._
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE                                                            (p. 011)
+
+
+It is with a feeling of great hesitation that I send out this account
+of my personal experiences in the Great War. As I read it over, I am
+dismayed at finding how feebly it suggests the bitterness and the
+greatness of the sacrifice of our men. As the book is written from an
+entirely personal point of view, the use of the first personal pronoun
+is of course inevitable, but I trust that the narration of my
+experience has been used only as a lens through which the great and
+glorious deeds of our men may be seen by others. I have refrained, as
+far as possible, except where circumstances seemed to demand it, from
+mentioning the names of officers or the numbers of battalions.
+
+I cannot let the book go out without thanking, for many acts of
+kindness, Lieut.-General Sir Edwin Alderson, K.C.B., Lieut.-General
+Sir Arthur Currie, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., and Major-General Sir Archibald
+Macdonell, K.C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., who were each in turn Commanders of
+the First Canadian Division. In all the efforts the chaplains made for
+the welfare of the Division, they always had the backing of these true
+Christian Knights. Their kindness and consideration at all times were
+unbounded, and the degree of liberty which they allowed me was a
+privilege for which I cannot be too thankful, and which I trust I did
+not abuse.
+
+If, by these faulty and inadequate reminiscences, dug out of memories
+which have blended together in emotions too deep and indefinable to be
+expressed in words, I have reproduced something of the atmosphere in
+which our glorious men played their part in the deliverance of the
+world, I shall consider my task not in vain.
+
+May the ears of Canada never grow deaf to the plea of widows and
+orphans and our crippled men for care and support. May the eyes of
+Canada never be blind to that glorious light which shines upon our
+young national life from the deeds of those "Who counted not their
+lives dear unto themselves," and may the lips of Canada never be dumb
+to tell to future generations the tales of heroism which will kindle
+the imagination and fire the patriotism of children that are yet
+unborn.
+
+
+
+
+                         The Great War as I Saw It                 (p. 013)
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.                                                         (p. 015)
+
+HOW I GOT INTO THE WAR.
+
+_July to September, 1914._
+
+
+It happened on this wise. It was on the evening of the 31st of July,
+1914, that I went down to a newspaper office in Quebec to stand amid
+the crowd and watch the bulletins which were posted up every now and
+then, and to hear the news of the war. One after another the reports
+were given, and at last there flashed upon the board the words,
+"General Hughes offers a force of twenty thousand men to England in
+case war is declared against Germany." I turned to a friend and said,
+"That means that I have got to go to the war." Cold shivers went up
+and down my spine as I thought of it, and my friend replied, "Of
+course it does not mean that you should go. You have a parish and
+duties at home." I said, "No. I am a Chaplain of the 8th Royal Rifles.
+I must volunteer, and if I am accepted, I will go." It was a queer
+sensation, because I had never been to war before and I did not know
+how I should be able to stand the shell fire. I had read in books of
+people whose minds were keen and brave, but whose hind legs persisted
+in running away under the sound of guns. Now I knew that an ordinary
+officer on running away under fire would get the sympathy of a large
+number of people, who would say, "The poor fellow has got shell
+shock," and they would make allowance for him. But if a chaplain ran
+away, about six hundred men would say at once, "We have no more use
+for religion." So it was with very mingled feelings that I
+contemplated an expedition to the battle-fields of France, and I
+trusted that the difficulties of Europe would be settled without our
+intervention.
+
+However, preparations for war went on. On Sunday, August 2nd, in the
+afternoon, I telephoned to Militia Headquarters and gave in my name as
+a volunteer for the Great War. When I went to church that evening and
+told the wardens that I was off to France, they were much surprised
+and disconcerted. When I was preaching at the service and looked down
+at the congregation, I had a queer feeling that some mysterious power
+was dragging me into a whirlpool, and the ordinary life around me and
+the things that were so dear to me had already begun to fade away.
+
+On Tuesday, August the Fourth, war was declared, and the           (p. 016)
+Expeditionary Force began to be mobilized in earnest. It is like
+recalling a horrible dream when I look back to those days of
+apprehension and dread. The world seemed suddenly to have gone mad.
+All civilization appeared to be tottering. The Japanese Prime
+Minister, on the night war was declared, said, "This is the end of
+Europe." In a sense his words were true. Already we see power shifted
+from nations in Europe to that great Empire which is in its youth,
+whose home is in Europe, but whose dominions are scattered over the
+wide world, and also to that new Empire of America, which came in to
+the war at the end with such determination and high resolve. The
+destinies of mankind are now in the hands of the English-speaking
+nations and France.
+
+In those hot August days, a camp at Valcartier was prepared in a
+lovely valley surrounded by the old granite hills of the Laurentians,
+the oldest range of mountains in the world. The Canadian units began
+to collect, and the lines of white tents were laid out. On Saturday,
+August 22nd, at seven in the morning, the detachment of volunteers
+from Quebec marched off from the drill-shed to entrain for Valcartier.
+Our friends came to see us off and the band played "The Girl I Left
+Behind Me," in the traditional manner. On our arrival at Valcartier we
+marched over to the ground assigned to us, and the men set to work to
+put up the tents. I hope I am casting no slur upon the 8th Royal
+Rifles of Quebec, when I say that I think we were all pretty green in
+the matter of field experience. The South African veterans amongst us,
+both officers and men, saved the situation. But I know that the
+cooking arrangements rather "fell down", and I think a little bread
+and cheese, very late at night, was all we had to eat. We were lucky
+to get that. Little did we know then of the field kitchens, with their
+pipes smoking and dinners cooking, which later on used to follow up
+the battalions as they moved.
+
+The camp at Valcartier was really a wonderful place. Rapidly the roads
+were laid out, the tents were run up, and from west and east and north
+and south men poured in. There was activity everywhere. Water was laid
+on, and the men got the privilege of taking shower-baths, beside the
+dusty roads. Bands played; pipers retired to the woods and practised
+unearthly music calculated to fire the breast of the Scotsman with a
+lust for blood. We had rifle practice on the marvellous ranges. We had
+sham battles in which the men engaged so intensely that on one     (p. 017)
+occasion, when the enemy met, one over-eager soldier belaboured his
+opponent with the butt end of his rifle as though he were a real
+German, and the poor victim, who had not been taught to say "Kamarad",
+suffered grievous wounds and had to be taken away in an ambulance.
+Though many gales and tempests had blown round those ancient
+mountains, nothing had ever equalled the latent power in the hearts of
+the stalwart young Canadians who had come so swiftly and eagerly at
+the call of the Empire. It is astonishing how the war spirit grips
+one. In Valcartier began that splendid comradeship which spread out to
+all the divisions of the Canadian Corps, and which binds those who
+went to the great adventure in a brotherhood stronger than has ever
+been known before.
+
+Valcartier was to me a weird experience. The tents were cold. The
+ground was very hard. I got it into my mind that a chaplain should
+live the same life as the private soldier, and should avoid all
+luxuries. So I tried to sleep at night under my blanket, making a
+little hole in the ground for my thigh bone to rest in. After lying
+awake for some nights under these conditions, I found that the
+privates, especially the old soldiers, had learnt the art of making
+themselves comfortable and were hunting for straw for beds. I saw the
+wisdom of this and got a Wolesley sleeping bag, which I afterwards
+lost when my billet was shelled at Ypres. Under this new arrangement I
+was able to get a little rest. A kind friend in Quebec provided fifty
+oil stoves for the use of the Quebec contingent and so we became quite
+comfortable.
+
+The dominating spirit of the camp was General Hughes, who rode about
+with his aides-de-camp in great splendour like Napoleon. To me it
+seemed that his personality and his despotic rule hung like a dark
+shadow over the camp. He was especially interesting and terrible to us
+chaplains, because rumour had it that he did not believe in chaplains,
+and no one could find out whether he was going to take us or not. The
+chaplains in consequence were very polite when inadvertently they
+found themselves in his august presence. I was clad in a private's
+uniform, which was handed to me out of a box in the drill-shed the
+night before the 8th Royal Rifles left Quebec, and I was most
+punctilious in the matter of saluting General Hughes whenever we
+chanced to meet.
+
+The day after we arrived at the camp was a Sunday. The weather looked
+dark and showery, but we were to hold our first church parade,     (p. 018)
+and, as I was the senior chaplain in rank, I was ordered to take it
+over. We assembled about three thousand strong, on a little rise in
+the ground, and here the men were formed in a hollow square. Rain was
+threatening, but perhaps might have held off had it not been for the
+action of one of the members of my congregation, who in the rear ranks
+was overheard by my son to utter the prayer--"O Lord, have mercy in
+this hour, and send us now a gentle shower." The prayer of the young
+saint was answered immediately, the rain came down in torrents, the
+church parade was called off, and I went back to my tent to get dry.
+
+Day after day passed and more men poured in. They were a splendid lot,
+full of life, energy and keen delight in the great enterprise.
+Visitors from the city thronged the camp in the afternoons and
+evenings. A cinema was opened, but was brought to a fiery end by the
+men, who said that the old man in charge of it never changed his
+films.
+
+One of the most gruesome experiences I had was taking the funeral of a
+young fellow who had committed suicide. I shall never forget the
+dismal service which was held, for some reason or other, at ten
+o'clock at night. Rain was falling, and we marched off into the woods
+by the light of two smoky lanterns to the place selected as a military
+cemetery. To add to the weirdness of the scene two pipers played a
+dirge. In the dim light of the lanterns, with the dropping rain over
+head and the dripping trees around us, we laid the poor boy to rest.
+The whole scene made a lasting impression on those who were present.
+
+Meanwhile the camp extended and improvements were made, and many
+changes occurred in the disposition of the units. At one time the
+Quebec men were joined with a Montreal unit, then they were taken and
+joined with a New Brunswick detachment and formed into a battalion. Of
+course we grew more military, and I had assigned to me a batman whom I
+shall call Stephenson. I selected him because of his piety--he was a
+theological student from Ontario. I found afterwards that it is unwise
+to select batmen for their piety. Stephenson was a failure as a
+batman. When some duty had been neglected by him and I was on the
+point of giving vent to that spirit of turbulent anger, which I soon
+found was one of the natural and necessary equipments of an officer,
+he would say, "Would you like me to recite Browning's 'Prospice'?"
+What could the enraged Saul do on such occasions but forgive, throw
+down the javelin and listen to the music of the harping David?     (p. 019)
+Stephenson was with me till I left Salisbury Plain for France. He
+nearly exterminated me once by setting a stone water-bottle to heat on
+my stove without unscrewing the stopper. I arrived in my tent quite
+late and seeing the thing on the stove quickly unscrewed it. The steam
+blew out with terrific force and filled the tent. A moment or two more
+and the bottle would have burst with disastrous consequences. When I
+told Stephenson of the enormity of his offence and that he might have
+been the cause of my death, and would have sent me to the grave
+covered with dishonour for having been killed by the bursting of a hot
+water-bottle--an unworthy end for one about to enter the greatest war
+the world has ever known--he only smiled faintly and asked me if I
+should like to hear him recite a poem.
+
+News from overseas continued to be bad. Day after day brought us
+tidings of the German advance. The martial spirits amongst us were
+always afraid to hear that the war would be over before we got to
+England. I, but did not tell the people so, was afraid it wouldn't. I
+must confess I did not see in those days how a British force composed
+of men from farms, factories, offices and universities could get
+together in time to meet and overthrow the trained legions of Germany.
+It was certainly a period of anxious thought and deep foreboding, but
+I felt that I belonged to a race that has never been conquered. Above
+all, right and, therefore, God was on our side.
+
+The scenery around Valcartier is very beautiful. It was a joy now and
+then to get a horse and ride away from the camp to where the Jacques
+Cartier river comes down from the mountains, and to dream of the old
+days when the world was at peace and we could enjoy the lovely
+prospects of nature, without the anxious care that now gnawed at our
+hearts. The place had been a favorite haunt of mine in the days gone
+by, when I used to take a book of poems and spend the whole day beside
+the river, reading and dozing and listening to the myriad small voices
+of the woods.
+
+Still, the centre of interest now was the camp, with its turmoil and
+bustle and indefinite longing to be up and doing. The officer
+commanding my battalion had brought his own chaplain with him, and it
+was plainly evident that I was not wanted. This made it, I must
+confess, somewhat embarrassing. My tent, which was at the corner of
+the front line, was furnished only with my bed-roll and a box or two,
+and was not a particularly cheerful home. I used to feel rather    (p. 020)
+lonely at times. Now and then I would go to Quebec for the day. On one
+occasion, when I had been feeling particularly seedy, I returned to
+camp at eleven o'clock at night. It was cold and rainy. I made my way
+from the station to my tent. In doing so I had to pass a Highland
+Battalion from Vancouver. When I came to their lines, to my dismay I
+was halted by a sentry with a fixed bayonet, who shouted in the
+darkness, "Who goes there?" I gave the answer, but instead of being
+satisfied with my reply, the wretched youth stood unmoved, with his
+bayonet about six inches from my body, causing me a most unpleasant
+sensation. He said I should have to come to the guardroom and be
+identified. In the meantime, another sentry appeared, also with a
+fixed bayonet, and said that I had to be identified. Little did I
+think that the whole thing was a game of the young rascals, and that
+they were beguiling the tedious moments of the sentry-go by pulling a
+chaplain's leg. They confessed it to me months afterwards in France.
+However, I was unsuspecting and had come submissive into the great
+war. I said that if they would remove their bayonets from propinquity
+to my person--because the sight of them was causing me a fresh attack
+of the pains that had racked me all day--I would go with them to the
+guardroom. At this they said, "Well, Sir, we'll let you pass. We'll
+take your word and say no more about it." So off I went to my dripping
+canvas home, hoping that the war would be brought to a speedy
+termination.
+
+Every night I used to do what I called "parish visiting." I would go
+round among the tents, and sitting on the ground have a talk with the
+men. Very interesting and charming these talks were. I was much
+impressed with the miscellaneous interests and life histories of the
+men who had been so quickly drawn together. All were fast being shaken
+down into their places, and I think the great lessons of unselfishness
+and the duty of pulling together were being stamped upon the lives
+that had hitherto been more or less at loose ends. I used to sit in
+the tents talking long after lights were out, not wishing to break the
+discussion of some interesting life problem. This frequently entailed
+upon me great difficulty in finding my way back to my tent, for the
+evenings were closing in rapidly and it was hard to thread one's way
+among the various ropes and pegs which kept the tents in position. On
+one occasion when going down the lines, I tripped over a rope. Up to
+that moment the tent had been in perfect silence, but, as though I had
+fired a magazine of high explosives, a torrent of profanity burst  (p. 021)
+forth from the inhabitants at my misadventure. Of course the men
+inside did not know to whom they were talking, but I stood there with
+my blood curdling, wondering how far I was personally responsible for
+the language poured forth, and terrified lest anyone should look and
+find out who had disturbed their slumbers. I stole off into the
+darkness as quickly as I could, more than ever longing for a speedy
+termination of the great war, and resolving to be more careful in
+future about tripping over tent ropes.
+
+We had church parades regularly now on Sundays and early celebrations
+of the Holy Communion for the various units. Several weeks had gone by
+and as yet we had no definite information from General Hughes as to
+which or how many chaplains would be accepted. It was very annoying.
+Some of us could not make satisfactory arrangements for our parishes,
+until there was a certainty in the matter. The question came to me as
+to whether I ought to go, now that the Quebec men had been merged into
+a battalion of which I was not to be the chaplain. One evening as I
+was going to town, I put the matter before my friend Colonel, now
+General, Turner. It was a lovely night. The moon was shining, and
+stretching far off into the valley were the rows of white tents with
+the dark mountains enclosing them around. We stood outside the
+farmhouse used as headquarters, which overlooked the camp. When I
+asked the Colonel whether, now that I was separated from my men, I
+ought to leave my parish and go, he said to me, "Look at those lines
+of tents and think of the men in them. How many of those men will ever
+come back? The best expert opinion reckons that this war will last at
+least two years. The wastage of human life in war is tremendous. The
+battalions have to be filled and refilled again and again. Don't
+decide in a hurry, but think over what I have told you." On the next
+evening when I returned from Quebec, I went to the Colonel and said,
+"I have thought the matter over and I am going."
+
+The time was now drawing near for our departure and at last word was
+sent round that General Hughes wished to meet all the chaplains on the
+verandah of his bungalow. The time set was the cheerful hour of five
+a.m. I lay awake all night with a loud ticking alarm clock beside me,
+till about half an hour before the wretched thing was to go off. With
+great expedition I rose and shaved and making myself as smart as
+possible in the private's uniform, hurried off to the General's camp
+home. There the other chaplains were assembled, about twenty-five  (p. 022)
+or thirty in all. We all felt very sleepy and very chilly as we waited
+with expectancy the utterance which was going to seal our fate. The
+General soon appeared in all the magnificence and power of his
+position. We rose and saluted. When he metaphorically told us to
+"stand easy", we all sat down. I do not know what the feelings of the
+others were, but I had an impression that we were rather an awkward
+squad, neither fish, flesh, nor fowl. The General gave us a heart to
+heart talk. He told us he was going to send us with "the boys." From
+his manner I inferred that he looked upon us a kind of auxiliary and
+quite dispensable sanitary section. I gathered that he did not want us
+to be very exacting as to the performance of religious duties by the
+men. Rather we were to go in and out amongst them, make friends of
+them and cheer them on their way. Above all we were to remember that
+because a man said "Damn", it did not mean necessarily that he was
+going to hell. At the conclusion of the address, we were allowed to
+ask questions, and one of our number unadvisedly asked if he would be
+allowed to carry a revolver. "No," said Sam with great firmness, "take
+a bottle of castor oil." We didn't dare to be amused at the incident
+in the presence of the Chief, but we had a good laugh over it when we
+got back to our tents.
+
+Two Sundays before we left, the most remarkable church parade in the
+history of the division was held, at which fully fifteen thousand men
+were present. The Senior Chaplain asked me to preach. A large platform
+had been erected, on which the chaplains stood, and on the platform
+also were two signallers, whose duty it was to signal to the
+battalions and bands the numbers of the hymns. On the chairs in front
+of the platform were seated the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, the
+Princess Patricia, Sir Robert Borden, and other notables. Beyond them
+were gathered the men in battalions. At one side were the massed
+bands. It was a wonderful sight. The sun was shining. Autumn tints
+coloured the maple trees on the sides of the ancient mountains. Here
+was Canada quickening into national life and girding on the sword to
+take her place among the independent nations of the world. It had been
+my privilege, fifteen years before, to preach at the farewell service
+in Quebec Cathedral for the Canadian Contingent going to the South
+African war. It seemed to me then that never again should I have such
+an experience. Yet on that occasion there were only a thousand men
+present, and here were fifteen times that number. At that time     (p. 023)
+the war was with a small and half-civilized nation in Africa, now the
+war was with the foremost nations of Europe. On that occasion I used
+the second personal pronoun "you", now I was privileged to use the
+first personal pronoun "we". Almost to the last I did not know what
+text to choose and trusted to the inspiration of the moment what to
+say. My mind was confused with the vastness of the outlook. At last
+the words came to me which are the very foundation stone of human
+endeavour and human progress, "He that loseth his life for My sake
+shall find it." I do not know exactly what I said, and I do not
+suppose it mattered much, for it was hard to make oneself heard. I was
+content if the words of the text alone were audible. We sang that
+great hymn, "O God our help in ages past," which came into such
+prominence as an imperial anthem during the war. As we sang the
+words--
+
+  "Before the hills in order stood,
+  Or earth received her frame"--
+
+I looked at the everlasting mountains around us, where the sound of
+our worship died away, and thought how they had watched and waited for
+this day to come, and how, in the ages that were to dawn upon Canadian
+life and expansion, they would stand as monuments of the consecration
+of Canada to the service of mankind.
+
+Things began to move rapidly now. People from town told us that
+already a fleet of liners was waiting in the harbour, ready to carry
+overseas the thirty-three thousand men of the Canadian contingent.
+
+At last the eventful day of our departure arrived. On September 28th,
+with several other units, the 14th Battalion, to which I had been
+attached, marched off to the entraining point. I took one last look at
+the great camp which had now become a place of such absorbing interest
+and I wondered if I should ever see again that huge amphitheatre with
+its encompassing mountain witnesses. The men were in high spirits and
+good humour prevailed.
+
+We saw the three companies of Engineers moving off, each followed by
+those mysterious pontoons which followed them wherever they went and
+suggested the bridging of the Rhine and our advance to Berlin. Someone
+called out, "What are those boats?" and a voice replied, "That's the
+Canadian Navy." We had a pleasant trip in the train to Quebec,
+enlivened by jokes and songs. On our arrival at the docks, we were
+taken to the custom-house wharf and marched on board the fine      (p. 024)
+Cunard liner "Andania", which now rests, her troubles over, at the
+bottom of the Irish Sea. On the vessel, besides half of the 14th
+Battalion, there was the 16th (Canadian Scottish) Battalion, chiefly
+from Vancouver, and the Signal Company. Thus we had a ship full to
+overflowing of some of the noblest young fellows to whom the world has
+given birth. So ended our war experience in Valcartier Camp.
+
+Nearly five years passed before I saw that sacred spot again. It was
+in August 1919. The war was ended, peace had been signed, and the
+great force of brother knights had been dispersed. Little crosses by
+the highways and byways of France and Belgium now marked the
+resting-place of thousands of those whose eager hearts took flame
+among these autumn hills. As I motored past the deserted camp after
+sunset, my heart thrilled with strange memories and the sense of an
+abiding presence of something weird and ghostly. Here were the old
+roads, there were the vacant hutments. Here were the worn paths across
+the fields where the men had gone. The evening breeze whispered
+fitfully across the untrodden grass and one by one the strong
+mountains, as though fixing themselves more firmly in iron resolve,
+cast off the radiant hues of evening and stood out black and grim
+against the starlit sky.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.                                                        (p. 025)
+
+THE VOYAGE TO ENGLAND.
+
+_September 29th to October 18th, 1914._
+
+
+The "Andania" moved out to mid-stream and anchored off Cape Diamond.
+The harbour was full of liners, crowded with men in khaki. It was a
+great sensation to feel oneself at last merged into the great army
+life and no longer free to come and go. I looked at the City and saw
+the familiar outline of the Terrace and Chateau Frontenac and, over
+all, the Citadel, one of my favourite haunts in times past. A great
+gulf separated us now from the life we had known. We began to realize
+that the individual was submerged in the great flood of corporate
+life, and the words of the text came to me, "He that loseth his life
+for My sake shall find it."
+
+The evening was spent in settling down to our new quarters in what
+was, especially after the camp at Valcartier, a luxurious home. Dinner
+at night became the regimental mess, and the saloon with its sumptuous
+furnishings made a fine setting for the nightly gathering of officers.
+We lay stationary all that night and on the next evening, Sept. the
+29th, at six o'clock we weighed anchor and went at slow speed down the
+stream. Several other vessels had preceded us, the orders to move
+being sent by wireless. We passed the Terrace where cheer after cheer
+went up from the black line of spectators crowded against the railing.
+Our men climbed up into the rigging and their cheers went forth to the
+land that they were leaving. It was a glorious evening. The sun had
+set and the great golden light, fast deepening into crimson, burnt
+behind the northern hills and lit up the windows of the houses on the
+cliffs of Levis opposite. We moved down past the Custom House. We saw
+the St. Charles Valley and the Beauport shore, but ever our eyes
+turned to the grim outline of Cape Diamond and the city set upon the
+hill. Beside me on the upper deck stood a young officer. We were
+talking together and wondering if we should ever see that rock again.
+He never did. He and his only brother were killed in the war. We
+reached the end of the Island of Orleans, and looking back saw a
+deeper crimson flood the sky, till the purple mists of evening hid
+Quebec from our view.
+
+We had a lovely sail down the St. Lawrence in superb weather and   (p. 026)
+three days later entered the great harbour of Gaspe Basin. Here the
+green arms of the hills encompassed us, as though Canada were
+reluctant to let us go. Gaspe Basin has historical memories for
+Canada, for it was there that Wolfe assembled his fleet on his voyage
+to the capture of Quebec. We lay at anchor all day, and at night the
+moon came up and flooded the great water with light, against which
+stood out the black outline of thirty ships, so full of eager and
+vigorous life. About midnight I went on deck to contemplate the scene.
+The night was calm and still. The vessels lay dark and silent with all
+lights screened. The effect was one of lonely grandeur. What was it
+going to mean to us? What did fate hold in store? Among those hills,
+the outline of which I could now but faintly see, were the lakes and
+salmon rivers in the heart of the great forests which make our
+Canadian wild life so fascinating. We were being torn from that life
+and sent headlong into the seething militarism of a decadent European
+feudalism. I was leaning on the rail looking at the track of
+moonlight, when a young lad came up to me and said, "Excuse me, Sir,
+but may I talk to you for a while? It is such a weird sight that it
+has got on my nerves." He was a young boy of seventeen who had come
+from Vancouver. Many times afterwards I met him in France and Belgium,
+when big things were being done in the war, and we talked together
+over that night in Gaspe Basin and the strange thoughts that crowded
+upon us then. He was not the only one in that great fleet of
+transports who felt the significance of the enterprise.
+
+On Saturday afternoon we resumed our journey and steamed out of the
+narrows. Outside the bay the ships formed into a column of three abreast,
+making a line nine miles in length. Several cruisers, and later a
+battleship and battle cruiser, mounted guard over the expedition. Off
+Cape Race, the steamship "Florizel" joined us, bringing the Newfoundland
+troops. Our family party was now complete.
+
+It was indeed a family party. On every ship we had friends. It seemed
+as if Canada herself were steaming across the ocean. Day after day, in
+perfect weather, keeping our relative positions in absolute order, we
+sped over the deep. There was none of the usual sense of loneliness
+which characterizes the ocean voyage. We looked at the line of vessels
+and we felt that one spirit and one determination quickened the whole
+fleet into individual life.
+
+On board the "Andania" the spirit of the men was excellent. There  (p. 027)
+was physical drill daily to keep them fit. There was the gymnasium for
+the officers. We had boxing matches for all, and sword dances also for
+the Highlanders. In the early morning at five-thirty, the pipers used
+to play reveille down the passages. Not being a Scotsman, the music
+always woke me up. At such moments I considered it my duty to try to
+understand the music of the pipes. But in the early hours of the
+morning I made what I thought were discoveries. First I found out that
+all pipe melodies have the same bass. Secondly I found out that all
+pipe melodies have the same treble. On one occasion the pipers left
+the security of the Highlanders' quarters and invaded the precincts of
+the 14th Battalion, who retaliated by turning the hose on them. A
+genuine battle between the contending factions was only averted by the
+diplomacy of the O.C.
+
+I had made friends with the wireless operators on board the ship, and
+every night I used to go up to their cabin on the upper deck and they
+would give me reports of the news which had been flashed out to the
+leading cruiser. They told me of the continued German successes and of
+the fall of Antwerp. The news was not calculated to act as a soothing
+nightcap before going to bed. I was sworn to secrecy and so I did not
+let the men know what was happening at the front. I used to look round
+at the bright faces of the young officers in the saloon and think of
+all that those young fellows might have to endure before the world was
+saved. It gave everyone on board a special sacredness in my eyes, and
+one felt strangely inadequate and unworthy to be with them.
+
+The men lived below decks and some of them were packed in pretty
+tightly. Had the weather been rough there would have been a good deal
+of suffering. During the voyage our supply of flour gave out, but as
+we had a lot of wheat on board, the men were set to grind it in a
+coffee mill. More than fifty per cent of the men, I found, were
+members of the Church of England, and so I determined to have a
+celebration of Holy Communion, for all who cared to attend, at five
+o'clock every morning. I always had a certain number present, and very
+delightful were these services at that early hour. Outside on deck we
+could hear the tramp and orders of those engaged in physical drill,
+and inside the saloon where I had arranged the altar there knelt a
+small gathering of young fellows from various parts of Canada, who
+were pleased to find that the old Church was going with them on    (p. 028)
+their strange pilgrimage. The well-known hymn--
+
+  "Eternal Father strong to save,
+  Whose arm hath bound the restless wave"
+
+had never appealed to me much in the past, but it took on a new
+meaning at our Sunday church parade, for we all felt that we were a
+rather vulnerable body in any determined attack that might be made
+upon us by the German navy. Now and then vessels would be sighted on
+the horizon and there was always much excitement and speculation as to
+what they might be. We could see the cruisers making off in the
+direction of the strangers and taking a survey of the ocean at long
+range.
+
+One day a man on the "Royal George" fell overboard, and a boat was
+instantly lowered to pick him up. The whole fleet came to a
+standstill and all our glasses were turned towards the scene of
+rescue. Often in our battles when we saw the hideous slaughter of
+human beings, I have thought of the care for the individual life which
+stopped that great fleet in order to save one man.
+
+Our destination, of course, was not known to us. Some thought we might
+go directly to France, others that we should land in England. When at
+last, skirting the south coast of Ireland, we got into the English
+Channel, we felt more than ever the reality of our adventure. I believe
+we were destined for Southampton; but rumour had it that a German
+submarine was waiting for us in the Channel, so we turned into the
+harbour of Plymouth. It was night when we arrived. A low cloud and
+mist hung over the dark choppy waves of the Channel. From the forts at
+Plymouth and from vessels in the harbour, long searchlights moved like
+the fingers of a great ghostly hand that longed to clutch at something.
+We saw the small patrol boats darting about in all directions and we
+felt with a secret thrill that we had got into that part of the world
+which was at war. We arrived at Plymouth on the evening of October
+14th, our voyage having lasted more than a fortnight. Surely no
+expedition, ancient or modern, save that perhaps which Columbus led
+towards the undiscovered continent of his dreams, was ever fraught
+with greater significance to the world at large. We are still too
+close to the event to be able to measure its true import. Its real
+meaning was that the American continent with all its huge resources,
+its potential value in the ages to come, had entered upon the sphere
+of world politics, and ultimately would hold in its hands the sceptre
+of world dominion. Even the British thought that we had come       (p. 029)
+merely to assist the Mother Country in her difficulties. Those who
+were at the helm in Canada, however, knew that we were not fighting
+for the security of the Mother Country only, but for the security of
+Canadian nationalism itself. Whatever the ages hold in store for us in
+this great and rich Dominion which stretches from sea to sea and from
+the river unto the world's end, depended upon our coming out victors
+in the great European struggle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.                                                       (p. 030)
+
+ON SALISBURY PLAIN.
+
+_October 18th, 1914, to January 1st, 1915._
+
+
+On Sunday the 18th, our men entrained and travelled to Patney, and
+from thence marched to Westdown South, Salisbury Plain. There tents
+had been prepared and we settled down to life in our new English home.
+At first the situation was very pleasant. Around us on all sides
+spread the lines of tents. The weather was delightful. A ride over the
+mysterious plain was something never to be forgotten. The little
+villages around were lovely and quaint. The old town of Salisbury,
+with its wonderful Cathedral and memories of old England, threw the
+glamour of romance and chivalry over the new soldiers in the new
+crusade. But winter drew on, and such a winter it was. The rains
+descended, the floods came and the storms beat upon our tents, and the
+tents which were old and thin allowed a fine sprinkling of moisture to
+fall upon our faces. The green sward was soon trampled into deep and
+clinging mud. There was nothing for the men to do. Ammunition was
+short, there was little rifle practice. The weather was so bad that a
+route march meant a lot of wet soldiers with nowhere to dry their
+clothes upon their return. In some places the mud went over my long
+rubber boots. The gales of heaven swept over the plain unimpeded.
+Tents were blown down. On one particularly gloomy night, I met a
+chaplain friend of mine in the big Y.M.C.A. marquee. I said to him,
+"For goodness sake let us do something for the men. Let us have a
+sing-song." He agreed, and we stood in the middle of the marquee with
+our backs to the pole and began to sing a hymn. I do not know what it
+was. I started the air and was going on so beautifully that the men
+were beginning to be attracted and were coming around us. Suddenly my
+friend struck in with a high tenor note. Hardly had the sound gone
+forth when, like the fall of the walls of Jericho at the sound of
+Joshua's trumpets, a mighty gale struck the building, and with a
+ripping sound the whole thing collapsed. In the rain and darkness we
+rushed to the assistance of the attendants and extinguished the lamps,
+which had been upset, while the men made their way to the counters and
+put the cigarettes and other dainties into their pockets, lest they
+should get wet. On another occasion, the Paymaster's tent blew     (p. 031)
+away as he was paying off the battalion. Five shilling notes flew
+over the plain like white birds over the sea. The men quickly chased
+them and gathered them up, and on finding them stained with mud
+thought it unnecessary to return them. On another night the huge
+marquee where Harrod's ran the mess for a large number of officers,
+blew down just as we were going to dinner, and we had to forage in the
+various canteens for tinned salmon and packages of biscuits.
+
+Still, in spite of all, the spirits of our men never failed. One night
+when a heavy rain had turned every hollow into a lake, and every gully
+into a rushing cataract, I went down to some tents on a lower level
+than my own. I waded through water nearly a foot deep and came to a
+tent from which I saw a faint light emerging. I looked inside and
+there with their backs to the pole stood some stalwart young
+Canadians. On an island in the tent, was a pile of blankets, on which
+burnt a solitary candle. "Hello, boys, how are you getting on?" "Fine,
+Sir, fine," was their ready response. "Well, boys, keep that spirit
+up," I said, "and we'll win the war."
+
+At first we had no "wet" canteen where beer could be procured. The
+inns in the villages around became sources of great attraction to the
+men, and the publicans did their best to make what they could out of
+the well-paid Canadian troops. The maintenance of discipline under
+such circumstances was difficult. We were a civilian army, and our men
+had come over to do a gigantic task. Everyone knew that, when the hour
+for performance came, they would be ready, but till that hour came
+they were intolerant of restraint.
+
+The English people did not understand us, and many of our men
+certainly gave them good reason to be doubtful. Rumour had it at one
+time that we were going to be taken out of the mud and quartered in
+Exeter. Then the rumour was that the Exeter people said, "If the
+Canadians are sent here, we'll all leave the town." I did not mind, I
+told the men I would make my billet in the Bishop's Palace.
+
+The C.O. of one of the battalions was tempted to do what David did
+with such disastrous results, namely number the people. He called the
+roll of his battalion and found that four hundred and fifty men were
+absent without leave. But as I have said, we all knew that when the
+moment for big things came, every man would be at his post and would
+do his bit.
+
+Just before Christmas the 3rd Brigade were moved into huts at Lark
+Hill. They were certainly an improvement upon the tents, but they  (p. 032)
+were draughty and leaky. From my window I could see, on the few
+occasions when the weather permitted it, the weird and ancient circles
+of Stonehenge.
+
+The calm repose of those huge stones, which had watched unmoved the
+passing of human epochs, brought peace to the mind. They called to
+memory the lines;--
+
+  "Our little systems have their day,
+    They have their day and cease to be:
+    They are but broken lights of Thee,
+  And Thou, O Lord, art more than they."
+
+In order to give Christmas its religious significance, I asked
+permission of the Rector of Amesbury to use his church for a midnight
+Eucharist on Christmas Eve. He gladly gave his consent and notice of
+the service was sent round to the units of the Brigade. In the thick
+fog the men gathered and marched down the road to the village, where
+the church windows threw a soft light into the mist that hung over the
+ancient burial ground. The church inside was bright and beautiful. The
+old arches and pillars and the little side chapels told of days gone
+by, when the worship of the holy nuns, who had their convent there,
+rose up to God day by day. The altar was vested in white and the
+candles shone out bright and fair. The organist had kindly consented
+to play the Christmas hymns, in which the men joined heartily. It was
+a service never to be forgotten, and as I told the men, in the short
+address I gave them, never before perhaps, in the history of that
+venerable fane, had it witnessed a more striking assembly. From a
+distance of nearly seven thousand miles some of them had come, and
+this was to be our last Christmas before we entered the life and death
+struggle of the nations. Row after row of men knelt to receive the
+Bread of Life, and it was a rare privilege to administer it to them.
+The fog was heavier on our return and some of us had great difficulty
+in finding our lines.
+
+It seemed sometimes as if we had been forgotten by the War Office, but
+this was not the case. We had visits from the King, Lord Roberts and
+other high officials. All these were impressed with the physique and
+high spirits of our men.
+
+The conditions under which we lived were certainly atrocious, and an
+outbreak of meningitis cast a gloom over the camp. It was met bravely
+and skilfully by our medical men, of whose self-sacrifice and devotion
+no praise is too high. The same is true of their conduct all through
+the war.
+
+Our life on the Plain was certainly a puzzle to us. Why were we    (p. 033)
+kept there? When were we going to leave? Were we not wanted in France?
+These were the questions we asked one another. I met an Imperial
+officer one day, who had just returned from the front. I asked him
+when we were going to train for the trenches. "Why" he said, "what
+better training could you have than you are getting here? If you can
+stand the life here, you can stand the life in France." I think he was
+right. That strange experience was just what we needed to inure us to
+hardship, and it left a stamp of resolution and efficiency on the
+First Division which it never lost.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.                                                        (p. 034)
+
+OFF TO FRANCE.
+
+_January To March, 1915._
+
+
+Towards the end of January, rumors became more frequent that our
+departure was close at hand, and we could see signs of the coming
+movement in many quarters. The disposition of the chaplains was still
+a matter of uncertainty. At last we were informed that only five
+chaplains were to proceed with the troops to France. This was the
+original number which the War Office had told us to bring from Canada.
+The news fell like a thunderbolt upon us, and we at once determined to
+get the order changed. The Senior Roman Catholic Chaplain and myself,
+by permission of the General, made a special journey to the War
+Office. The Chaplain-General received us, if not coldly, at least
+austerely. We told him that we had come from Canada to be with the men
+and did not want to leave them. He replied by saying that the
+Canadians had been ordered by Lord Kitchener to bring only five
+chaplains with them, and they had brought thirty-one. He said, looking
+at me, "That is not military discipline; we must obey orders." I
+explained to him that since the Canadian Government was paying the
+chaplains the people thought it did not matter how many we had. Even
+this did not seem to convince him. "Besides", he said, "they tell me
+that of all the troops in England the Canadians are the most
+disorderly and undisciplined, and they have got thirty-one chaplains."
+"But", I replied, "you ought to see what they would have been like, if
+we had brought only five." We succeeded in our mission in so far that
+he promised to speak to Lord Kitchener that afternoon and see if the
+wild Canadians could not take more chaplains with them to France than
+were allotted to British Divisions. The result was that eleven of our
+chaplains were to be sent.
+
+Early in February we were told that our Division was to go in a few days.
+In spite of the mud and discomfort we had taken root in Salisbury
+Plain. I remember looking with affection one night at the Cathedral
+bathed in moonlight, and at the quaint streets of the dear old town,
+over which hung the shadow of war. Could it be possible that England
+was about to be crushed under the heel of a foreign tyrant? If     (p. 035)
+such were to be her fate, death on the battlefield would be easy to bear.
+What Briton could endure to live under the yoke or by the permission of
+a vulgar German autocrat?
+
+On entering the mess one evening I was horrified to read in the orders
+that Canon Scott was to report immediately for duty to No. 2 General
+Hospital. It was a great blow to be torn from the men of the fighting
+forces. I at once began to think out a plan of campaign. I went over
+to the G.O.C. of my brigade, and told him that I was to report to No.
+2 General Hospital. I said, with perfect truth, that I did not know
+where No. 2 General Hospital was, but I had determined to begin the
+hunt for it in France. I asked him if he would take me across with the
+Headquarters Staff, so that I might begin my search at the front. He
+had a twinkle in his eye as he told me that if I could get on board
+the transport, he would make no objection. I was delighted with the
+prospect of going over with the men.
+
+When the time came to pack up, I was overwhelmed by the number of things
+that I had accumulated during the winter. I disposed of a lot of
+useless camp furniture, such as folding tables and collapsible chairs,
+and my faithful friend the oil stove. With a well-filled Wolseley
+kit-bag and a number of haversacks bursting with their contents, I was
+ready for the journey. On February 11th, on a lovely afternoon, I
+started off with the Headquarters Staff. We arrived at Avonmouth and
+made our way to the docks. It was delightful to think that I was going
+with the men. I had no batman and no real standing with the unit with
+which I was travelling. However, I did not let this worry me. I got a
+friend to carry my kit-bag, and then covering myself with haversacks,
+till I looked, as the men said, like a Christmas tree, I made my way
+to the ship with a broad grin of satisfaction on my face. As I went up
+the gangway so attired and looking exceedingly pleased with myself, my
+appearance excited the suspicion of the officer in command of the ship,
+who was watching the troops come on board. Mistaking the cause of my
+good spirits, he called a captain to him and said, "There is an officer
+coming on board who is drunk; go and ask him who he is." The captain
+accordingly came over and greeting me pleasantly said, "How do you do,
+Sir?" "Very well, thank you," I replied, smiling all the more. I was
+afraid he had come up to send me back. Having been a teetotaler for
+twenty-two years, I knew nothing of the horrible suspicion under   (p. 036)
+which I lay at the moment. The captain then said, "Who are you, Sir?"
+and I, thinking of my happy escape from army red tape, answered quite
+innocently, with a still broader grin, "I'm No. 2, General Hospital."
+This, of course confirmed the captain's worst suspicions. He went back
+to the O.C. of the ship. "Who does he say he is?" said the Colonel.
+"He says he is No. 2 General Hospital," the Captain replied. "Let him
+come on board" said the Colonel. He thought I was safer on board the
+ship than left behind in that condition on the wharf. With great
+delight I found all dangers had been passed and I was actually about
+to sail for France.
+
+The boat which took us and the 3rd Artillery Brigade, was a small vessel
+called "The City of Chester." We were horribly crowded, so my bed had
+to be made on the table in the saloon. A doctor lay on the sofa at the
+side and several young officers slept on the floor. We had not been out
+many hours before a terrific gale blew up from the West, and we had to
+point our bow towards Canada. I told the men there was some satisfaction
+in that. We were exceedingly uncomfortable. My bed one night slid off
+the table on to the sleeping doctor and nearly crushed him. I squeezed
+out some wonderfully religious expressions from him in his state of
+partial unconsciousness. I replaced myself on the table, and then slid
+off on to the chairs on the other side. I finally found a happy and
+safe haven on the floor. On some of the other transports they fared
+even worse. My son, with a lot of other privates, was lying on the
+floor of the lowest deck in his boat, when a voice shouted down the
+gangway, "Lookout boys, there's a horse coming down." They cleared
+away just in time for a horse to land safely in the hold, having
+performed one of those miraculous feats which horses so often do
+without damage to themselves.
+
+On the 15th of February we arrived off the west coast of France and
+disembarked at St. Nazaire. Our life now took on fresh interest.
+Everything about us was new and strange. As a Quebecer I felt quite at
+home in a French town. A good sleep in a comfortable hotel was a great
+refreshment after the voyage. In the afternoon of the following day we
+entrained for the front. I spread out my Wolesley sleeping bag on the
+straw in a box car in which there were several other officers. Our
+progress was slow, but it was a great thing to feel that we were   (p. 037)
+travelling through France, that country of romance and chivalry. Our
+journey took more than two days, and we arrived at Hazebrouck one week
+after leaving Salisbury Plain. The town has since been badly wrecked,
+but then it was undamaged. The Brigadier lent me a horse and I rode
+with his staff over to Caestre where the brigade was to be billeted.
+In the same town were the 15th and 16th Battalions and the 3rd Field
+Ambulance. I had a room that night in the Chateau, a rather rambling
+modern house. The next morning I went out to find a billet for myself.
+I called on the Mayor and Mayoress, a nice old couple who not only gave
+me a comfortable room in their house, but insisted upon my accepting
+it free of charge. They also gave me breakfast in the kitchen downstairs.
+I was delighted to be so well housed and was going on my way rejoicing
+when I met an officer who told me that the Brigade Major wanted to see
+me in a hurry. I went over to his office and was addressed by him in a
+very military manner. He wanted to know why I was there and asked what
+unit I was attached to. I told him No. 2 General Hospital. He said,
+"Where is it?" "I don't know", I replied, "I came over to France to
+look for it." He said, "It is at Lavington on Salisbury Plain," and
+added, "You will have to report to General Alderson and get some
+attachment till the hospital comes over." His manner was so cold and
+businesslike that it was quite unnerving and I began to realize more
+than ever that I was in the Army. Accordingly that afternoon I walked
+over to the General's Headquarters, at Strazeele, some five miles
+away, and he attached me to the Brigade until my unit should come to
+France. I never knew when it did come to France, for I never asked.
+"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" was my motto. I held on
+to my job at the front. But the threat which the Brigadier held over
+me, that if I went into the trenches or anywhere out of his immediate
+ken I should be sent back to No. 2 General Hospital, was something
+which weighed upon my spirits very heavily at times, and caused me to
+acquire great adroitness in the art of dodging. In fact, I made up my
+mind that three things had to be avoided if I wished to live through
+the campaign--sentries, cesspools, and generals. They were all sources
+of special danger, as everyone who has been at the front can testify.
+Over and over again on my rambles in the dark, nothing has saved me
+from being stuck by a sentry but the white gleam of my clerical    (p. 038)
+collar, which on this account I had frequently thought of painting
+with luminous paint. One night I stepped into a cesspool and had to sit
+on a chair while my batman pumped water over me almost as ill-savoured
+as the pool itself. On another occasion, when, against orders, I was
+going into the trenches in Ploegsteert, I saw the General and his
+staff coming down the road. Quick as thought, I cantered my horse into
+an orchard behind a farm house, where there was a battery of Imperials.
+The men were surprised, not to say alarmed, at the sudden appearance
+of a chaplain in their midst. When I told them, however, that I was
+dodging a general, they received me with the utmost kindness and
+sympathy. They had often done the same themselves, and offered me some
+light refreshments.
+
+On the following Sunday we had our first church parade in the war
+zone. We were delighted during the service to hear in the distance the
+sound of guns and shells. As the war went on we preferred church
+parades when we could not hear guns and shells.
+
+After a brief stay in Caestre the whole brigade marched off to
+Armentieres. Near Fletre, the Army Commander, General Smith-Dorrien,
+stood by the roadside and took the salute as we passed. I went with
+the 15th Battalion, and, as I told the men, being a Canon, marched
+with the machine gun section. We went by the delightful old town of
+Bailleul. The fields were green. The hedges were beginning to show
+signs of spring life. The little villages were quaint and picturesque,
+but the pave road was rough and tiring. Bailleul made a delightful
+break in the journey. The old Spanish town hall, with its tower, the
+fine old church and spire and the houses around the Grande Place, will
+always live in one's memory. The place is all a ruin now, but then it
+formed a pleasant home and meeting place for friends from many parts.
+We skirted the borders of Belgium and arrived at Armentieres in the
+afternoon. The place had been shelled and was partly deserted, but was
+still a populous town. I made my home with the Brigade transport in a
+large school. In the courtyard our horses and mules were picketed. I
+had never heard mules bray before and I had a good sample next morning
+of what they can do, for with the buildings around them the sound had
+an added force. The streets of Armentieres were well laid out and some
+of the private residences were very fine. It is astonishing how our
+camp life at Salisbury had made us love cities. Armentieres has    (p. 039)
+since been destroyed and its church ruined. Many of us have pleasant
+memories of the town, and the cemetery there is the resting place of
+numbers of brave Canadians.
+
+I ran across an imperial Chaplain there, whom I had met in England. He
+told me he had a sad duty to perform that night. It was to prepare for
+death three men who were to be shot at daybreak. He felt it very
+keenly, and I afterwards found from experience how bitter the duty
+was.
+
+We were brought to Armentieres in order to be put into the trenches
+with some of the British units for instruction. On Wednesday evening,
+February the 24th, the men were marched off to the trenches for the
+first time and I went with a company of the 15th Battalion, who were
+to be attached to the Durham Light Infantry. I was warned to keep
+myself in the background as it was said that the chaplains were not
+allowed in the front line. The trenches were at Houplines to the east
+of Armentieres. We marched down the streets till we came to the edge
+of the town and there a guide met us and we went in single file across
+the field. We could see the German flare-lights and could hear the
+crack of rifles. It was intensely interesting, and the mystery of the
+war seemed to clear as we came nearer to the scene of action. The men
+went down into the narrow trench and I followed. I was welcomed by a
+very nice young captain whom I never heard of again till I saw the
+cross that marked his grave in the Salient. The trenches in those days
+were not what they afterwards became. Double rows of sandbags built
+like a wall were considered an adequate protection. I do not think
+there was any real parados. The dugouts were on a level with the
+trench and were roofed with pieces of corrugated iron covered with two
+layers of sandbags. They were a strange contrast to the dugouts thirty
+feet deep, lined with wood, which we afterwards made for our trench
+homes.
+
+I was immensely pleased at having at last got into the front line.
+Even if I were sent out I had at least seen the trenches. The captain
+brought me to his tiny dugout and told me that he and I could squeeze
+in there together for the night. He then asked me if I should like to
+see the trench, and took me with him on his rounds. By this time it
+was dark and rainy and very muddy. As we were going along the trench a
+tall officer, followed by another met us and exchanged a word with the
+captain. They then came up to me and the first one peered at me in (p. 040)
+the darkness and said in abrupt military fashion, "Who are you?"
+I thought my last hour had come, or at least I was going to be sent
+back. I told him I was a chaplain with the Canadians. "Did you come
+over with the men?" "Yes", I said. "Capital", he replied, "Won't you
+come and have lunch with me tomorrow?" "Where do you live?" I said.
+The other officer came up to my rescue at this moment and said, "The
+General's Headquarters are in such and such a place in Armentieres,"
+"Good Heavens", I whispered in a low tone to the officer, "Is he a
+general?" "Yes" he said. "I hope my deportment was all that it ought
+to have been in the presence of a general," I replied. "It was
+excellent, Padre," he said, with a laugh. So I arranged to go and have
+luncheon with him two days afterwards, for I was to spend forty-eight
+hours in the trenches. The first officer turned out to be General
+Congreve, V.C., a most gallant man. He told me at luncheon that if he
+could press a button and blow the whole German nation into the air he
+would do it. I felt a little bit shocked then, because I did not know
+the Germans as I afterwards did. I spent nearly four years at the
+front hunting for that button.
+
+The captain and I had very little room to move about in his dugout. I
+was very much impressed with the unostentatious way in which he said,
+"If you want to say your prayers, Padre, you can kneel over in that
+corner first, because there is only room for one at a time. I will say
+mine afterwards"--and he did. He was a Roman Catholic, and had lived
+in India, and was a very fine type of man. When I read the words two
+years afterwards on a cross in a cemetery near Poperinghe, "Of your
+charity pray for the soul of Major Harter, M.C.," I did it gladly and
+devoutly.
+
+I had brought with me in a small pyx, the Blessed Sacrament, and the
+next morning I gave Communion to a number of the men. One young
+officer, a boy of eighteen, who had just left school to come to the
+front, asked me to have the service in his dugout. The men came in
+three or four at a time and knelt on the muddy floor. Every now and
+then we could hear the crack of a bullet overhead striking the
+sandbags. The officer was afterwards killed, and the great promise of
+his life was not fulfilled in this world.
+
+There was a great deal of rifle fire in the trenches in those days.
+The captain told me the Canadians were adepts in getting rid of    (p. 041)
+their ammunition and kept firing all night long. Further down the
+line were the "Queen's Own Westminsters." They were a splendid body of
+young men and received us very kindly. On my way over to them the next
+morning, I found in a lonely part of a trench a man who had taken off
+his shirt and was examining the seams of it with interest. I knew he
+was hunting for one of those insects which afterwards played no small
+part in the general discomfort of the Great War, and I thought it
+would be a good opportunity to learn privately what they looked like.
+So I took a magnifying glass out of my pocket and said, "Well, my boy,
+let me have a look for I too am interested in botany." He pointed to a
+seam in his shirt and said, "There, Sir, there is one." I was just
+going to examine it under the glass when, crack! a bullet hit the
+sandbags near-by, and he told me the trench was enfiladed. I said, "My
+dear boy, I think I will postpone this scientific research until we
+get to safer quarters, for if I am knocked out, the first question my
+congregation will ask will be, "What was our beloved pastor doing when
+he was hit?" If they hear that I was hunting in a man's shirt for one
+of these insects, they will not think it a worthy ending to my life."
+He grinned, put on his shirt, and moved down the trench.
+
+That afternoon a good many shells passed over our heads and of course
+the novelty of the thing made it most interesting. After a war
+experience of nearly four years, one is almost ashamed to look back
+upon those early days which were like war in a nursery. The hideous
+thing was then only in its infancy. Poison gas, liquid fire, trench
+mortars, hand grenades, machine guns, (except a very few) and tanks
+were then unknown. The human mind had not then made, as it afterward
+did, the sole object of its energy the destruction of human life. Yet
+with a deepening knowledge of the instruments of death has come, I
+trust, a more revolting sense of the horrors and futility of war. The
+romance and chivalry of the profession of arms has gone forever. Let
+us hope that in the years to come the human mind will bend all its
+energies to right the wrongs and avert the contentions that result in
+bloodshed.
+
+On the following Sunday, we had a church parade in the square in
+Armentieres. Two or three men watched the sky with field glasses lest
+an enemy plane should come up. We had now finished our instruction in
+trench warfare and were going to take over part of the front line. (p. 042)
+We were marched off one afternoon to the village of Bac St. Maur,
+where we rested for the night. I had dinner with the officers of the
+15th Battalion, and went out afterwards to a big factory at the end of
+the straggling brick village to see my son, whose battalion was
+quartered there. On returning I found the night was very dark, and
+every door and window in the long rows of houses was tightly closed.
+No lights were allowed in the town. Once more my faculty for losing my
+way asserted itself, and I could not tell which was the house where I
+had dined. It was to be my billet for the night. The whole place was
+silent, and I wandered up and down the long street. I met a few
+soldiers and when I asked if they could tell me where I had had dinner
+they naturally began to eye me with suspicion. At the same time it was
+no laughing matter. I had had a long walk in the afternoon and had the
+prospect of another on the following day. I was separated from my
+kit-bag and my safety razor, which always, at the front, constituted
+my home, and the night was beginning to get cold. Besides it was more
+or less damaging to one's character as a chaplain to be found
+wandering aimlessly about the streets at night asking where you had
+dined. My habits were not as well known to the men then as they were
+after a few years of war. In despair I went down the road behind the
+village, and there to my joy I saw a friendly light emerging from the
+door of a coach house. I went up to it and entered and found to my
+relief the guard of the 16th Battalion. They had a big fire in the
+chimney-place, and were smoking and making tea. It was then about one
+o'clock, and they were both surprised and amused at my plight, but
+gave me a very glad welcome and offered me a bed and blankets on the
+floor. I was just going to accept them when I asked if the blankets
+were "crummy". The men burst out laughing. "You bet your life they
+are, Sir," they cried. "Well, boys," I said, "I think that I prefer to
+spend the night walking about the village and trying to compose a
+poem." Once more I made my way down the dark street, examining closely
+every door and window. At last I found a crack of light which came
+from one of the houses. I knocked at the door and it was opened by an
+officer from Quebec, who had been engaged with some others in a quiet
+game of cards. He was amused at my homeless condition and kindly took
+me in and gave me a comfortable bed in his own room. On the next   (p. 043)
+morning of course I was "ragged" tremendously on my disappearance during
+the night.
+
+The next day we marched off to the village of Sailly-sur-Lys, which
+was to become our rear headquarters during our occupation of the
+trenches. The little place had been damaged by shells, but every
+available house was occupied. Our battalion moved up the country road
+and was dispersed among the farm houses and barns in the
+neighbourhood.
+
+I made my home with some officers in a small and dirty farm house. The
+novelty of the situation, however, gave it a certain charm for the
+time. We were crowded into two or three little rooms and lay on piles
+of straw. We were short of rations, but each officer contributed
+something from his private store. I had a few articles of tinned food
+with me and they proved to be of use. From that moment I determined
+never to be without a tin of bully beef in my haversack, and I formed
+the bully beef habit in the trenches which lasted till the end and
+always amused the men. The general cesspool and manure heap of the
+farm was, as usual, in the midst of the buildings, and was
+particularly unsavoury. A cow waded through it and the family hens
+fattened on it. Opposite our window in one of the buildings dwelt an
+enormous sow with a large litter of young ones. When any of the ladies
+of the family went to throw refuse on the manure heap, the old sow,
+driven by the pangs of hunger, would stand on her hind legs and poke
+her huge face out over the half door of her prison appealing in pig
+language for some of the discarded dainties. Often nothing would stop
+her squeals but a smart slap on her fat cheeks by the lady's tender
+hand. In the hayloft of the barn the men were quartered. Their candles
+made the place an exceedingly dangerous abode. There was only one
+small hole down which they could escape in case of fire. It is a
+wonder we did not have more fires in our billets than we did.
+
+The trenches assigned to our Brigade were to the right of Fleurbaix.
+They were poorly constructed, but as the time went on were greatly
+improved by the labours of our men. The Brigadier assigned to me for
+my personal use a tiny mud-plastered cottage with thatched roof and a
+little garden in front. It was in the Rue du Bois, a road which ran
+parallel with the trenches about 800 yards behind them. I was very
+proud to have a home all to myself, and chalked on the door the word
+"Chaplain". In one room two piles of straw not only gave me a bed  (p. 044)
+for myself but enabled me to give hospitality to any officer who
+needed a billet. Another room I fitted up as a chapel. An old box
+covered with the silk Union Jack and white cloth and adorned with two
+candles and cross served as an altar. There were no chairs to be had,
+but the plain white walls were not unsuited to the purpose to which
+the room was dedicated.
+
+In this chapel I held several services. It was a fine sight to see a
+group of tall and stalwart young Highlanders present. Their heads
+almost reached to the low ceiling, and when they sang, the little
+building trembled with the sound.
+
+Every night when there were any men to be buried, I used to receive
+notice from the front line, and after dark I would set out preceded by
+my batman, Murdoch MacDonald, a proper young Highlander, carrying a
+rifle with fixed bayonet on his shoulder. It made one feel very proud
+to go off down the dark road so attended. When we got to the place of
+burial I would hold a short service over the open graves in which the
+bodies were laid to rest. Our casualties were light then, but in those
+days we had not become accustomed to the loss of comrades and so we
+felt the toll of death very bitterly.
+
+It made a great difference to me to have a house of my own. Previously
+I had found it most difficult to get any place in which to lay my
+head. On one occasion, I had obtained permission from a kind-hearted
+farmer's wife to rent one corner of the kitchen in her two-roomed
+house. It was on a Saturday night and when the family had retired to
+their room I spread my sleeping bag in the corner and went to bed. I
+got up when the family had gone to Mass in the morning. All through
+the day the kitchen was crowded, and I saw that if I went to bed that
+night I should not have the opportunity of getting up again until the
+family went to Mass on the following Sunday. So I paid the woman five
+francs for my lodging and started out in pursuit of another. I managed
+to find a room in another little farmhouse, somewhat larger and
+cleaner. My room was a small one and had an earth floor. The ceiling
+was so low that I could touch the beams with my head when I stood on
+my toes. But in it were two enormous double beds, a table and a chair.
+What more could one want? A large cupboard full of straw furnished a
+billet for Murdoch and he was allowed to do my simple cooking on the
+family stove.
+
+Small as my billet was, I was able on one occasion to take in and  (p. 045)
+house three officers of the Leicesters, who arrived one night in
+preparation for the battle of Neuve Chapelle. I also stowed away a
+sergeant in the cupboard with Murdoch. My three guests were very
+hungry and very tired and enjoyed a good sleep in the ponderous beds.
+I saw a photo of one of the lads afterwards in the Roll of Honour page
+of the "Graphic," and I remembered the delightful talk I had had with
+him during his visit.
+
+At that time we were all very much interested in a large fifteen-inch
+howitzer, which had been placed behind a farmhouse, fast crumbling
+into ruins. It was distant two fields from my abode. To our simple
+minds, it seemed that the war would soon come to an end when the
+Germans heard that such weapons were being turned against them. We
+were informed too, that three other guns of the same make and calibre
+were being brought to France. The gun was the invention of a retired
+admiral who lived in a farmhouse nearby and who, when it was loaded,
+fired it off by pressing an electric button. The officer in charge of
+the gun was very pleasant and several times took me in his car to
+interesting places. I went with him to Laventie on the day of the
+battle of Neuve Chapelle, and saw for the first time the effects of an
+attack and the wounded being brought back in ambulances.
+
+There was one large barn not far off full of beautiful yellow straw
+which held several hundred men. I had a service in it one night. The
+atmosphere was smoky and mysterious, and the hundreds of little
+candles propped up on mess-tins over the straw, looked like a special
+illumination. A large heap of straw at the end of the barn served as a
+platform, and in lieu of an organ I had a mandolin player to start the
+hymns. The service went very well, the men joining in heartily.
+
+The night before the battle of Neuve Chapelle, I went over to see the
+captain in charge of the big gun, and he showed me the orders for the
+next day, issued by the British General. He told me that at seven
+o'clock it would be "Hell let loose", all down the line. Next morning
+I woke up before seven, and blocked up my ears so that I should not be
+deafened by the noise of artillery. But for some reason or other the
+plans had been changed and I was quite disappointed that the Germans
+did not get the hammering it was intended to give them. We were on the
+left of the British line during the battle of Neuve Chapelle, and
+were not really in the fight. The British suffered very heavily    (p. 046)
+and did not meet with the success which they had hoped for.
+
+My son was wounded in this engagement and was sent out with the loss
+of an eye. On returning from seeing him put into a hospital train at
+Merville, I was held up for some hours in the darkness by the British
+Cavalry streaming past in a long line. I was delighted to see them for
+I thought we had broken through. On the next day to our great
+disappointment we saw them going back again.
+
+Near Canadian Headquarters at Sailly there was a large steam laundry
+which was used as a bath for our men. It was a godsend to them, for
+the scarcity of water made cleanliness difficult. The laundry during
+bath hours was a curious spectacle. Scores of large cauldrons of
+steaming water covered the floor. In each sat a man with only his head
+and shoulders showing, looking as if he were being boiled to death. In
+the mists of the heated atmosphere and in the dim light of candles,
+one was reminded of Dore's illustrations of Dante's Inferno. In one of
+them he represents a certain type of sinner as being tormented forever
+in boiling water.
+
+We had now finished our time in this part of the line and the Division
+was ordered back for a rest. The General was troubled about my
+transportation as I had no horse, but I quoted my favourite text, "The
+Lord will provide." It made him quite angry when I quoted the text,
+and he told me that we were engaged in a big war and could not take
+things so casually. When, however, he had seen me on various occasions
+picked up by stray motor cars and lorries and get to our destination
+before he did, he began to think there was more in the text than he
+had imagined. I was accused of helping Providence unduly by base
+subterfuges such as standing in the middle of a road and compelling
+the motor to stop until I got in. I considered that my being able to
+stop the car was really a part of the providing. In fact I found that,
+if one only had courage to stand long enough in the middle of the road
+without moving, almost any car, were it that of a private or a general,
+would come to a standstill. It was only a natural thing, when the car
+had stopped, to go to the occupants and say, "I know the Lord has sent
+you for the purpose of giving me a lift." It was quite a natural
+consequence of this for me to be taken in. One day at Estaires I tried
+to commandeer a fine car standing in the square, but desisted when I
+was informed by the driver that it was the private property of the (p. 047)
+Prince of Wales. I am sure that if the Prince had been there to hear the
+text, he would have driven me anywhere I wanted to go.
+
+On the present occasion, I had not gone far down the road before a car
+picked me up and took me on my way--an incident which I narrated to
+the General afterwards with intense satisfaction.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.                                                         (p. 048)
+
+BEFORE THE STORM.
+
+_March to April, 1915._
+
+
+Our rest-time at Estaires at the end of March was a delightful period
+of good fellowship. The beautiful early spring was beginning to assert
+its power over nature. The grass was green. The trees and hedgerows
+were full of sap and the buds ready to burst into new life. As one
+walked down the roads in the bright sunshine, and smelt the fresh
+winds bearing the scent of springtime, an exquisite feeling of delight
+filled the soul. Birds were singing in the sky, and it was pitiful to
+think that any other thoughts but those of rapture at the joy of
+living should ever cross the mind.
+
+A sergeant found me a comfortable billet in a house near the Church. A
+dear old man and his two venerable daughters were the only occupants.
+Like all the French people we met, their little home was to them a
+source of endless joy. Everything was bright and clean, and they took
+great pleasure in showing off its beauties. There was a large room
+with glass roof and sides, like a conservatory. On the wall was the
+fresco of a landscape, drawn by some strolling artist, which gave my
+hosts infinite delight. There was a river flowing out of some very
+green woods, with a brilliant blue sky overhead. We used to sit on
+chairs opposite and discuss the woodland scene, and I must say it
+brought back memories to me of many a Canadian brook and the charming
+home life of Canadian woods, from which, as it seemed then, we were
+likely to be cut off forever.
+
+The Bishop of London paid a visit to our men, and addressed them from
+the steps of the Town Hall in the Grande Place. The officers and men
+were charmed with his personality.
+
+It was a joy to me that we were to spend Easter at such a convenient
+place. On Good Friday afternoon we had a voluntary service in front of
+the Town Hall. It seemed very fitting that these men who had come in
+the spirit of self-sacrifice, should be invited to contemplate, for at
+least an hour, the great world sacrifice of Calvary. A table was
+brought out from an estaminet nearby and placed in front of the steps.
+I mounted on this and so was able to address the crowd which soon  (p. 049)
+assembled there. We sang some of the Good Friday hymns, "When I survey
+the wondrous Cross", and "Jesu, Lover of my Soul." There must have
+been several hundred present. I remember specially the faces of
+several who were themselves called upon within a few weeks to make the
+supreme sacrifice. Like almost all other religious services at the
+front, this one had to struggle with the exigencies of war. A stream
+of lorries at the side of the Grande Place and the noisy motor cycles
+of despatch riders made an accompaniment to the address which rendered
+both speaking and hearing difficult.
+
+Easter Day rose bright and clear. I had a hall situated down a narrow
+lane, which had been used as a cinema. There was a platform at one end
+and facing it, rows of benches. On the platform I arranged the altar,
+with the silk Union Jack as a frontal and with cross and lighted
+candles for ornaments. It looked bright and church-like amid the
+sordid surroundings. We had several celebrations of the Holy
+Communion, the first being at six a.m. A large number of officers and
+men came to perform their Easter duties. A strange solemnity
+prevailed. It was the first Easter spent away from home; it was the
+last Easter that most of those gallant young souls spent on earth. The
+other chaplains had equally large attendances. We sang the Easter hymn
+at each service, and the music more than anything else carried us back
+to the days that were.
+
+But our stay in Estaires was only for a time, and soon orders came
+that we were to move. On April 7th, a bright and lovely spring morning,
+the whole Division began its fateful journey to Ypres and marched off
+to Cassel, about thirty miles behind the Salient. The men were in good
+spirits, and by this time were becoming accustomed to the pave roads.
+We passed through Caestre, where I saw my old friends, the Mayor and
+Mayoress. That afternoon I was taken by two British officers to the
+little hotel in Cassel for luncheon. The extensive view over the
+country from the windows reminded me of dear old Quebec. After luncheon
+my friends motored me to Ypres. The city at that time had not been
+heavily shelled, except the Cloth Hall and Cathedral. The shops around
+the square were still carrying on their business and people there were
+selling post-cards and other small articles. We went into the
+Cathedral, which had been badly damaged. The roof was more or less
+intact and the altar and pulpit in their places. I saw what an     (p. 050)
+impressive place it must have been. The Cloth Hall had been burnt, but
+the beautiful stone facade was still undamaged. A fire engine and
+horses were quartered under the central tower. There was a quiet air
+of light and beauty in the quaint old buildings that suggested the
+mediaeval prosperity of the city. Behind the better class of houses
+there were the usual gardens, laid out with taste, and often containing
+fountains and rustic bridges. The French and the Belgians delighted in
+striving to make a landscape garden in the small area at their
+command.
+
+I shall always be thankful that I had the opportunity of paying this
+visit to Ypres while it still retained vestiges of its former beauty.
+Dark and hideous dreams of drives on ambulances in the midnight hours
+haunt me now when the name of Ypres is mentioned. I hear the rattle of
+lorries and motorcycles and the tramp of horses on the cobblestones.
+The grim ruins on either side of the road stand out hard and sombre in
+the dim light of the starry sky. There is the passing of innumerable
+men and the danger of the traffic-crowded streets. But Ypres, as I saw
+it then, was full of beauty touched with the sadness of the coming
+ruin.
+
+In the afternoon, I motored back to our brigade on the outskirts of
+Cassel. After dinner I started off to find my new billet. As usual I
+lost my way. I went off down the country roads. The farms were silent
+and dark. There was no one to tell me where my battalion was. I must
+have gone a long distance in the many detours I made. The country was
+still a place of mystery to me, and "The little owls that hoot and
+call" seemed to be the voice of the night itself. The roads were
+winding and lonely and the air was full of the pleasant odours of the
+spring fields. It was getting very late and I despaired of finding a
+roof under which to spend the night. I determined to walk back to the
+nearest village. As I had marched with the men that day all the way
+from Estaires, a distance of about twenty miles, I was quite
+reasonably tired and anxious to get a bed. I got back to the main road
+which leads to St. Sylvestre. On approaching the little village I was
+halted by a British sentry who was mounting guard over a line of Army
+Service Corps lorries. I went on and encountered more sentries till I
+stood in the town itself and made my difficulty known to a soldier who
+was passing. I asked him if he knew where I could get a lodging    (p. 051)
+for the night. He told me that some officers had their headquarters in
+the Cure's house, and that if I were to knock at the door, very
+probably I could find a room in which to stay. I went to the house
+which was pointed out to me and knocked. There was a light in a window
+upstairs so I knew that my knocking would be heard. Presently a voice
+called out from the hollow passage and asked me to open the door and
+come in. I did so, and in the dim light saw at the end of the hall a
+white figure which was barely distinguishable and which I took to be
+the individual who had spoken to me. Consequently I addressed my
+conversation to it. The shadowy form asked me what I wanted and I
+explained that I had lost my way and asked where the headquarters of
+my battalion were. The being replied that it did not know but invited
+me to come in and spend the night. At that moment somebody from the
+upstairs region came with an electric torch, and the light lit up the
+empty hall. To my surprise I found that I had been addressing my
+conversation to the life-sized statue of some saint which was standing
+on a pedestal at the foot of the stairs. I rather mystified my host by
+saying that I had been talking to the image in the hall. However, in
+spite of this, he asked me to come upstairs where he would give me a
+bed. By this time several of the British officers who occupied the
+upper flat had become interested in the arrival of the midnight
+visitor, and were looking over the bannisters. I can remember feeling
+that my only chance of receiving hospitality depended on my presenting
+a respectable appearance. I was on my best behaviour. It was greatly
+to my confusion, therefore, as I walked upstairs under the inspection
+of those of the upper flat, that I stumbled on the narrow steps. In
+order to reassure my would-be friends, I called out, "Don't be
+alarmed, I am a chaplain and a teetotaller". They burst out laughing
+and on my arrival at the top greeted me very heartily. I was taken
+into a long bedroom where there were five beds in a row, one of which
+was assigned to me. Not only was I given a bed, but one of their
+servants went and brought me a hot-cross bun and a glass of milk. In
+return for such wholehearted and magnificent hospitality, I sat on the
+edge of the bed and recited poems to my hosts, who at that hour of the
+morning were not averse to anything which might be conducive to sleep.
+On the next day I was made an honorary member of their mess. I should
+like to bear testimony here to the extraordinary cordiality and    (p. 052)
+kind hospitality which was always shown to us by British officers.
+
+Later on in the day, I found the 13th Battalion just a few miles
+outside Cassel at a place called Terdeghem. It was a quaint little
+village with an interesting church. I got a billet in a farmhouse. It
+was a curious building of brick and stood on the road where a little
+gate opened into a delightful garden, full of old-fashioned flowers.
+My room was reached by a flight of steps from the kitchen and was very
+comfortable. I disliked, however, the heavy fluffy bed. Murdoch
+MacDonald used to sleep in the kitchen.
+
+There were some charming walks around Terdeghem. One which I liked to
+take led to a very old and picturesque chateau, surrounded by a moat.
+I was immensely impressed with the rows of high trees on which the
+rooks built their noisy cities. Sometimes a double line of these trees,
+like an avenue, would stretch across a field. Often, as I have walked
+home in the dark after parish visiting, I have stood between the long
+rows of trees and listened to the wind sighing through their bare
+branches and looked up at the stars that "were tangled in them". Then
+the dread mystery of war and fate and destruction would come over me.
+It was a relief to think how comfortable and unconcerned the rooks
+were in their nests with their children about them in bed. They had
+wings too wherewith to fly away and be at rest.
+
+Cassel was used at that time by the French Army, so we were excluded
+from it unless we had a special permit. It was a delightful old town,
+and from its commanding position on a rock has been used as a fortress
+more or less since the days of Julius Caesar. The Grand Place is
+delightful and quaint. From it, through various archways, one looks
+down upon the rich verdure of the fields that stretch far off into the
+distance.
+
+We had a parade of our four battalions one day, when General
+Smith-Dorrien came to inspect us. The place chosen was a green slope
+not far from the entrance to the town. The General reviewed the men,
+and then gave a talk to the officers. As far as I can recollect, he
+was most sanguine about the speedy termination of the war. He told us
+that all we had to do was to keep worrying the Germans, and that the
+final crushing stroke would be given on the east by the Russians. He
+also told us that to us was assigned the place of honour on the extreme
+left of the British line next to the French Colonial troops. I     (p. 053)
+overheard an irreverent officer near me say, "Damn the place of honour",
+and I thought of Sam Hughes and his warning about not objecting to
+swearing. The General, whom I had met before, asked me to walk with
+him up to his car and then said, "I have had reports about the
+Canadian Artillery, and I am delighted at their efficiency. I have
+also heard the best accounts of the Infantry, but do you think, in the
+event of a sudden onslaught by the Germans, that the Canadians will
+hold their ground? They are untried troops." I told him that I was
+sure that one thing the Canadians would do would be to hold on. Before
+a fortnight had passed, in the awful struggle near Langemarcke, the
+Canadians proved their ability to hold their ground.
+
+Shortly after the General's visit we were ordered to move, and by some
+oversight on Murdoch MacDonald's part, my kit was not ready in time to
+be taken by the Brigade transport. In consequence, to my dismay, I saw
+the men march off from Terdeghem to parts unknown, and found myself
+seated on my kit by the wayside with no apparent hope of following. I
+administered a rebuke to Murdoch as sternly as was consistent with the
+position of a chaplain, and then asked him to see if he could find any
+sort of vehicle at all to carry my stuff off in the direction towards
+which the battalion had marched. I must say I felt very lonely and a
+"bit out of it", as I sat by the wayside wondering if I had lost the
+Brigade for good. In the meantime, Murdoch scoured the village for a
+horse and carriage. Suddenly, to my surprise, a despatch rider on a
+motorcycle came down the road and stopped and asked me if I knew where
+Canon Scott was. I said, "I'm the man", and he handed me a letter. It
+turned out to be one from General Smith-Dorrien, asking me to allow
+him to send a poem which I had written, called "On the Rue du Bois" to
+"The Times." It was such a kind friendly letter that at once it
+dispelled my sense of loneliness, and when Murdoch arrived and told me
+that there was not a horse in the place at my disposal, I replied that
+I did not mind so much now since I had the British General for a friend.
+I left Murdoch to guard my goods and chattels and went off myself down
+the road to the old Chateau and farmhouse. There I was lucky enough to
+obtain a cart with three wheels. It was an extremely long and heavily
+built vehicle and looked as if it dated from the 17th century. The
+horse that was put into it looked as if it had been born about the
+same period. The old man who held the solitary rein and sat over   (p. 054)
+the third wheel under the bow looked to be of almost equal antiquity.
+It must have been about thirty feet from the tip of the old horse's
+nose to the end of the cart. However I was glad to get any means of
+transportation at all, so I followed the thing to the road where my
+kit was waiting, Murdoch MacDonald put all my worldly possessions on
+the equipage. They seemed to occupy very little room in the huge
+structure. Murdoch, shouldering his rifle, followed it, and I, rather
+ashamed of the grotesque appearance of my caravan, marched on as
+quickly as I could in front, hoping to escape the ridicule which I
+knew would be heaped upon me by all ranks of my beloved brigade. A man
+we met told us that the battalion had gone to Steenvoorde, so thither
+we made our way. On our arrival I was taken to the Chateau and kindly
+treated by the laird and his family, who allowed me to spread out my
+bed-roll on the dining room floor.
+
+On the following morning an Imperial officer very kindly took me and
+my kit to Ypres. There at the end of Yser Canal, I found a pleasant
+billet in a large house belonging to a Mr. Vandervyver, who, with his
+mother, gave me a kind reception and a most comfortably furnished
+room. Later on, the units of our brigade arrived and I marched up with
+the 14th Battalion to the village of Wieltje. Over it, though we knew
+it not, hung the gloom of impending tragedy. Around it now cluster
+memories of the bitter price in blood and anguish which we were soon
+called upon to pay for the overthrow of tyranny. It was a lovely
+spring evening when we arrived, and the men were able to sit down on
+the green grass and have their supper before going into the trenches
+by St. Julien. I walked back down that memorable road which two years
+later I travelled for the last time on my return from Paschendaele.
+The great sunset lit the sky with beautiful colours. The rows of trees
+along that fateful way were ready to burst into new life. The air was
+fresh and invigorating. To the south, lay the hill which is known to
+the world as Hill 60, afterwards the scene of such bitter fighting.
+Before me in the distance, soft and mellow in the evening light, rose
+the towers and spires of Ypres--Ypres! the very name sends a strange
+thrill through the heart. For all time, the word will stand as a
+symbol for brutal assaults and ruthless destruction on the one hand
+and heroic resolve and dogged resistance on the other. On any grim
+monument raised to the Demon of War, the sole word "YPRES" would be a
+sufficient and fitting inscription.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.                                                        (p. 055)
+
+THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES.
+
+_April 22nd, 1915._
+
+
+Behind my house at Ypres there was an old-fashioned garden which was
+attended to very carefully by my landlady. A summerhouse gave a fine
+view of the waters of the Yser Canal, which was there quite wide. It
+was nice to see again a good-sized body of water, for the little
+streams often dignified by the name of rivers did not satisfy the
+Canadian ideas as to what rivers should be. A battalion was quartered
+in a large brick building several stories high on the east side of the
+canal. There was consequently much stir of life at that point, and
+from my summerhouse on the wall I could talk to the men passing by. My
+billet was filled with a lot of heavy furniture which was prized very
+highly by its owners. Madame told me that she had buried twelve
+valuable clocks in the garden in case of a German advance. She also
+told me that her grandfather had seen from the windows the British
+going to the battle of Waterloo. She had both a piano and a harmonium,
+and took great pleasure in playing some of the hymns in our Canadian
+hymn book. I was so comfortable that I hoped our residence at Ypres
+might be of long duration. At night, however, desultory shells fell
+into the city. We could hear them ripping along with a sound like a
+trolley on a track, and then there would be a fearful crash. One night
+when returning from Brigade Headquarters near Wieltje, I saw a
+magnificent display of fireworks to the South. I afterwards heard that
+it was the night the British attacked Hill 60.
+
+On Sunday, the 18th of April, I had a service for the 15th Battalion
+in one of the stories of the brick building beside the canal.
+Something told me that big things were going to happen. I had a
+feeling that we were resting on the top of a volcano. At the end of
+the service I prepared for any sudden call to ministration on the
+battlefield by reserving the Blessed Sacrament.
+
+On Monday some men had narrow escapes when a house was shelled and on
+the following day I went to the centre of the town with two officers
+to see the house which had been hit. They appeared to be in a hurry to
+get to the Square, so I went up one of the side streets to look    (p. 056)
+at the damaged house. In a cellar near by I found an old woman making
+lace. Her hunchback son was sitting beside her. While I was making a
+few purchases, we heard the ripping sound of an approaching shell. It
+grew louder, till at last a terrific crash told us that the monster
+had fallen not far off. At that moment a number of people crowded into
+an adjoining cellar, where they fell on their knees and began to say a
+litany. I stood at the door looking at them. It was a pitiful sight.
+There were one or two old men and some women, and some little children
+and a young girl who was in hysterics. They seemed so helpless, so
+defenceless against the rain of shells.
+
+I went off down the street towards the Square where the last shell had
+fallen, and there on the corner I saw a large house absolutely crushed
+in. It had formerly been a club, for there were billiard tables in the
+upper room. The front wall had crashed down upon the pavement, and from
+the debris some men were digging out the body of an officer who had
+been standing there when the shell fell. His was the first terribly
+mangled body that I had ever seen. He was laid face downwards on a
+stretcher and borne away. At that moment a soldier came up and told me
+that one of the officers with whom I had entered the town about half
+an hour ago had been killed, and his body had been taken to a British
+ambulance in the city. I walked across the Square, and there I saw the
+stretcher-bearers carrying off some civilians who had been hit by
+splinters of the shell. In the hospital were many dead bodies and
+wounded men for there had been over one hundred casualties in the city
+that day. We had hardly arrived when once again we heard the ripping
+sound which had such a sinister meaning. Then followed a terrific
+explosion. The final and dreadful bombardment of Ypres had begun. At
+intervals of ten minutes the huge seventeen-inch shells fell, sounding
+the death knell of the beautiful old town.
+
+On the next morning, the brother-in-law of the officer who had been
+killed called on me and asked me to go and see the Town Major and
+secure a piece of ground which might be used for the Canadian Cemetery.
+The Town Major gave us permission to mark off a plot in the new
+British cemetery. It was in an open field near the jail, known by the
+name of the Plain d'Amour, and by it was a branch canal. Our Headquarters
+ordered the Engineers to mark off the place, and that night we laid the
+body to rest.
+
+The following morning was Thursday, the memorable 22nd of April.   (p. 057)
+The day was bright and beautiful. After burying another man in the
+Canadian lot, I went off to have lunch and write some letters in my
+billet. In the afternoon one of the 16th Battalion came in and asked
+me to have a celebration of the Holy Communion on the following morning,
+as some of the men would like to attend. I asked him to stay to tea
+and amuse himself till I had finished my letters. While I was writing
+I heard the ripping sound of an approaching shell, quickly followed by
+a tremendous crash. Some building quite close by had evidently been
+struck. I put on my cap and went out, when the landlady followed me
+and said, "I hope you are not going into the town." "I am just going
+to see where the shell has struck", I replied, "and will come back
+immediately." I never saw her again. As I went up the street I saw the
+shell had hit a large building which had been used as a hospital. The
+smoke from the shell was still rolling up into the clear sky. Thinking
+my services might be needed in helping to remove the patients, I started
+off in the direction of the building. There I was joined by a
+stretcher-bearer and we went through the gate into the large garden
+where we saw the still smoking hole in the ground which the shell had
+made. I remember that, as I looked into it, I had the same sort of
+eerie feeling which I had experienced when looking down the crater of
+Vesuvius. There was something uncanny about the arrival of shells out
+of the clear sky. They seemed to be things supernatural. The holes
+made by the seventeen inch shells with which Ypres was assailed were
+monstrous in size. The engineers had measured one in a field; it was
+no less than thirty-nine feet across and fifteen feet deep. The
+stretcher-bearer who was with me said as he looked at this one, "You
+could put three ambulances into it." We had not contemplated the scene
+very long before once again there was the ripping sound and a huge
+explosion, and we found ourselves lying on the ground. Whether we had
+thrown ourselves down or had been blown down I could not make out. We
+got up and the man went back to his ambulance and I went into the
+building to see if I could help in getting out the wounded. The place
+I entered was a large chapel and had been used as a ward. There were
+rows of neat beds on each side, but not a living soul was to be seen.
+It seemed so ghostly and mysterious that I called out, "Is anyone here?"
+There was no reply. I went down to the end of the chapel and from  (p. 058)
+thence into a courtyard, where a Belgian told me that a number of
+people were in a cellar at the other end of a glass passage. I walked
+down the passage to go to the cellar, when once again there was the
+ominous ripping sound and a shell burst and all the glass was blown
+about my ears. An old man in a dazed condition came from the cellar at
+the end of the passage and told me that all the people had gone. I was
+helping him across the courtyard towards a gateway when a man came in
+from the street and took the old fellow on his back and carried him
+off. By the gateway was a room used as a guardroom. There I found a
+sentry with three or four Imperials. One of the lads had lost his
+nerve and was lying under a wooden bench. I tried to cheer them by
+telling them it was very unlikely that any more shells would come in
+our direction. I remembered reading in one of Marryatt's books that an
+officer in the Navy declared he had saved his life by always sticking
+his head into the hole in the ship which a cannon ball had made, as it
+was a million chances to one against another cannon ball striking that
+particular place. Still, at regular intervals, we heard the ripping
+sound and the huge explosion of a shell. Later on, two members of the
+14th Battalion came in, and a woman and a little boy carrying milk. We
+did our best to restore the lady's courage and hoped that the
+bombardment would soon cease.
+
+It was about seven p.m., when all of a sudden, we heard the roar of
+transports and the shouting of people in the street, and I went out to
+see what was the matter. To my horror I saw a battery of artillery
+galloping into the town. Civilians were rushing down the pavements on
+each side of the road, and had even filled the limbers. I called out
+to one of the drivers and asked him what it meant. "It is a general
+retreat", he shouted. "The Germans are on our heels." "Where are the
+infantry?" I called out. "They have all gone." That was one of the
+most awful moments in my life. I said to myself, "Has old England lost
+the War after all?" My mouth became suddenly dry as though filled with
+ashes. A young fellow on horseback stopped and, dismounting, very
+gallantly said, "Here, Sir, take my horse." "No thank you," I said,
+but I was grateful to him all the same for his self-sacrifice. I
+returned to the guardroom and told the sentries what had happened. The
+lady and the young boy disappeared and the men and I debated as to
+what we should do. The words, "The Germans are on our heels",      (p. 059)
+were still ringing in my ears. I did not quite know what they signified.
+Whether they meant in military language that the Germans were ten miles
+away or were really round the next corner, I did not know, but I took
+the precaution of looking up the street before entering the gateway. On
+talking the matter over, the men and I thought it might be the part of
+discretion to make our way down past the Railway Station to the
+Vlamertinghe road, as none of us wanted to be taken prisoners. We
+therefore went down some side streets and crossed the bridge on the
+road that leads to Vlamertinghe. There I found an ammunition column
+hurrying out of the town, and the man riding one of the horses on a
+limber invited me to mount the other, which was saddled. It is so
+long, however, since I left the circus ring that I cannot mount a
+galloping horse unless I put my foot into the stirrup. So after two or
+three ineffectual attempts at a running mount, I climbed up into the
+limber and asked the driver if it was a general retreat. "No", he
+said, "I don't think so, only the Germans are close at hand and we
+were ordered to put the ammunition column further off." "Well", I
+said, "If it isn't a general retreat, I must go back to my lines or I
+shall be shot for desertion." I got off the limber and out of the
+crowd of people, and was making my way back, when I saw a car with a
+staff officer in it coming up in the direction of the City. I stopped
+the car and asked the officer if he would give me a ride back to
+Ypres. When I got in, I said to him quite innocently, "Is this a
+general retreat?" His nerves were evidently on edge, and he turned on
+me fiercely, saying, "Padre, never use such a word out here. That word
+must never be mentioned at the front." I replied, in excuse, that I
+had been told it was a retreat by a battery that was coming back from
+the front. "Padre," he continued, "that word must never be used." I am
+not sure that he did not enforce his commands by some strong
+theological terms. "Padre, that word must never be used out here."
+"Well," I said, "this is the first war I have ever been at, and if I
+can arrange matters it is the last, but I promise you I will never use
+it again." Not the least flicker of a smile passed over his face. Of
+course, as time went on and I advanced in military knowledge, I came
+to know the way in which my question ought to have been phrased.
+Instead of saying, "Is this a general retreat?", I ought to have said,
+"Are we straightening the line?" or "Are we pinching the Salient?" We
+went on till we came to a general who was standing by the road     (p. 060)
+waiting to "straighten the line". I got out of the car and asked him
+where I should go. He seemed to be in a great hurry and said gruffly,
+"You had better go back to your lines." I did not know where they
+were, but I determined to go in their direction. The general got into
+the car which turned round and made off towards Vlamertinghe, and I,
+after a long and envious look in his direction, continued my return to
+Ypres.
+
+People were still pouring out of the City. I recrossed the bridge, and
+making my way towards the cemetery, met two men of one of our
+battalions who were going back. I handed them each a card with my
+address on it and asked them, in case of my being taken prisoner, to
+write and tell my family that I was in good health and that my kit was
+at Mr. Vandervyver's on the Quai. The short cut to my billet led past
+the quiet cemetery where our two comrades had been laid to rest. It
+seemed so peaceful that I could not help envying them that their race
+was won.
+
+It was dark now, but a bright moon was shining and lit up the waters
+of the branch canal as I walked along the bank towards my home. The
+sound of firing at the front was continuous and showed that a great
+battle was raging. I went by the house where the C.O. of the 16th
+Battalion had had his headquarters as I passed that afternoon. It was
+now quite deserted and the windows in it and in the houses round the
+square were all shattered. Not a living thing could I see. I walked
+across to my billet and found the shutters of the house closed. On the
+table where my letters were, a smoky oil lamp was burning. Not a human
+being was there. I never felt so lonely in my life, and those words,
+"The Germans are on our heels", still kept ringing in my ears. I took
+the lamp and went upstairs to my room. I was determined that the
+Germans should not get possession of the photographs of my family. I
+put them in my pocket, and over my shoulder the pair of glasses which
+the Bishop and clergy of Quebec had given me on my departure. I also
+hung round my neck the pyx containing the Blessed Sacrament, then I
+went out on the street, not knowing what way to take. To my infinite
+delight, some men came marching up in the moonlight from the end of
+the canal. I recognized them as the 16th Battalion, Canadian Scottish,
+and I called out, "Where are you going, boys?" The reply came glad and
+cheerful. "We are going to reinforce the line, Sir, the Germans have
+broken through." "That's all right, boys", I said, "play the game. I
+will go with you." Never before was I more glad to meet human      (p. 061)
+beings. The splendid battalion marched up through the streets towards
+St. Jean. The men wore their overcoats and full kits. I passed up and
+down the battalion talking to officers and men. As I was marching
+beside them, a sergeant called out to me, "Where are we going, Sir?"
+"That depends upon the lives you have led." A roar of laughter went up
+from the men. If I had known how near the truth my words were, I
+probably would not have said them. When we got to St. Jean, a sergeant
+told me that the 14th Battalion was holding the line. The news was
+received gladly, and the men were eager to go forward and share the
+glory of their comrades. Later on, as I was marching in front of the
+battalion a man of the 15th met us. He was in a state of great
+excitement, and said, "The men are poisoned, Sir, the Germans have
+turned on gas and our men are dying." I said to him very sternly,
+"Now, my boy, not another word about that here." "But it's true, Sir."
+"Well, that may be, but these men have got to go there all the same,
+and the gas may have gone before they arrive, so promise me not
+another word about the poison." He gave me his promise and when I met
+him a month afterwards in Bailleul he told me he had never said a word
+about the gas to any of the men that night.
+
+We passed through Weiltje where all was stir and commotion, and the
+dressing stations were already full, and then we deployed into the
+fields on a rise in the ground near St. Julien. By this time, our men
+had become aware of the gas, because, although the German attack had
+been made a good many hours before, the poisonous fumes still clung
+about the fields and made us cough. Our men were halted along the
+field and sat down waiting for orders. The crack of thousands of
+rifles and the savage roar of artillery were incessant, and the German
+flare-lights round the salient appeared to encircle us. There was a
+hurried consultation of officers and then the orders were given to the
+different companies. An officer who was killed that night came down
+and told us that the Germans were in the wood which we could see
+before us at some distance in the moonlight, and that a house from
+which we saw gleams of light was held by German machine guns. The men
+were told that they had to take the wood at the point of the bayonet
+and were not to fire, as the 10th Battalion would be in front of them.
+I passed down the line and told them that they had a chance to do a
+bigger thing for Canada that night than had ever been done before. (p. 062)
+"It's a great day for Canada, boys." I said. The words afterwards
+became a watchword, for the men said that whenever I told them that,
+it meant that half of them were going to be killed. The battalion rose
+and fixed bayonets and stood ready for the command to charge. It was a
+thrilling moment, for we were in the midst of one of the decisive
+battles of the war. A shrapnel burst just as the men moved off and a
+man dropped in the rear rank. I went over to him and found he was
+bleeding in the neck. I bound him up and then taking his kit, which he
+was loath to lose, was helping him to walk towards the dressing
+station when I saw what I thought were sandbags in the moonlight. I
+called out, "Is anybody there?" A voice replied, "Yes, Sir, there is a
+dying man here." I went over and there I found two stretcher-bearers
+beside a young fellow called Duffy, who was unconscious. He had been
+struck by a piece of shrapnel in the head and his brain was protruding.
+Duffy was a well-known athlete and had won the Marathon race. We tried
+to lift him, but with his equipment on he was too heavy, so I sent off
+the wounded man to Wieltje with one of the stretcher-bearers who was
+to return with a bearer party. The other one and I watched by Duffy.
+It was an awful and wonderful time. Our field batteries never slackened
+their fire and the wood echoed back the crackling sound of the guns.
+The flare lights all round gave a lurid background to the scene. At
+the foot of the long slope, down which the brave lads had gone to the
+attack, I saw the black outline of the trees. Over all fell the soft
+light of the moon. A great storm of emotion swept through me and I
+prayed for our men in their awful charge, for I knew that the Angel of
+Death was passing down our lines that night. When the bearer party
+arrived, we lifted Duffy on to the stretcher, and the men handed me
+their rifles and we moved off. I hung the rifles on my shoulder, and I
+thought if one of them goes off and blows my brains out, there will be
+a little paragraph in the Canadian papers, "Canon Scott accidentally
+killed by the discharge of a rifle," and my friends will say, "What a
+fool he was to fuss about rifles, why didn't he stick to his own job?"
+However, they were Ross rifles and had probably jammed. There were
+many wounded being carried or making their way towards Wieltje. The
+road was under shell fire all the way. When we got to the dressing
+station which was a small red-brick estaminet, we were confronted by a
+horrible sight. On the pavement before it were rows and rows of    (p. 063)
+stretcher cases, and inside the place, which was dimly lighted by
+candles and lamps, I found the doctor and his staff working away like
+Trojans. The operating room was a veritable shambles. The doctor had
+his shirt sleeves rolled up and his hands and arms were covered with
+blood.
+
+The wounded were brought in from outside and laid on the table, where
+the doctor attended to them. Some ghastly sights were disclosed when
+the stretcher-bearers ripped off the blood-stained clothes and laid
+bare the hideous wounds. At the end of the room, an old woman, with a
+face like the witch of Endor, apparently quite unmoved by anything
+that was happening, was grinding coffee in a mill and making a black
+concoction which she sold to the men. It was no doubt a good thing for
+them to get a little stimulant. In another room the floor was covered
+with wounded waiting to be evacuated. There were many Turcos present.
+Some of them were suffering terribly from the effects of the gas.
+Fresh cases were being brought down the road every moment, and laid
+out on the cold pavement till they could be attended to.
+
+About two in the morning a despatch rider arrived and meeting me at
+the door asked if I could speak French. He said, "Tell the Turcos and
+every one else who can walk to clear off to Ypres as soon as they can;
+the Germans are close at hand." Indeed it sounded so, because the rifle
+fire was very close. I went into the room and delivered my message, in
+French and English, to the wounded men. Immediately there was a general
+stampede of all who could possibly drag themselves towards the city.
+It was indeed a piteous procession which passed out of the door.
+Turcos with heads bandaged, or arms bound up or one leg limping, and
+our own men equally disabled, helped one another down that terrible
+road towards the City. Soon all the people who could walk had gone.
+But there in the room, and along the pavement outside, lay helpless
+men. I went to the M.O. and asked him what we were to do with the
+stretcher cases. "Well" he said, "I suppose we shall have to leave
+them because all the ambulances have gone." "How can we desert them?"
+I said. The Medical Officer was of course bound by orders to go back
+with his men but I myself felt quite free in the matter, so I said, "I
+will stay and be made prisoner." "Well," he said, "so will I. Possibly
+I shall get into trouble for it, but I cannot leave them to the enemy
+without any one to look after them." So we made a compact that we would
+both stay behind and be made prisoners. I went over to another Field
+Ambulance, where a former curate of mine was chaplain. They had    (p. 064)
+luckily been able to evacuate their wounded and were all going off. I
+told him that I should probably be made a prisoner that night, but
+asked him to cable home and tell my family that I was in good health
+and that the Germans treated chaplains, when they took them prisoners,
+very kindly. Then I made my way back. There was a tremendous noise of
+guns now at the front. It was a horrible thought that our men were up
+there bearing the brunt of German fury and hatred. Their faces passed
+through my mind as individuals were recalled. The men whom I knew so
+well, young, strong and full of hope and life, men from whom Canada
+had so much to expect, men whose lives were so precious to dear ones
+far away, were now up in that poisoned atmosphere and under the
+hideous hail of bullets and shells. The thought almost drove a
+chaplain to madness. One felt so powerless and longed to be up and
+doing. Not once or twice in the Great War, have I longed to be a
+combatant officer with enemy scalps to my credit. Our men had been
+absolutely guiltless of war ambitions. It was not their fault that
+they were over here. That the Kaiser's insatiable, mad lust for power
+should be able to launch destruction upon Canadian hearts and homes
+was intolerable. I looked down the Ypres road, and there, to my
+horror, saw the lovely City lit up with flames. The smoke rolled up
+into the moonlit sky, and behind the dull glow of the fires I saw the
+Cloth Hall tower stand out in bold defiance. There was nothing for us
+to do then and for nearly four years more but keep our heads cool, set
+our teeth and deepen our resolve.
+
+The dressing station had received more stretcher cases, and still more
+were coming in. The Medical Officer and his staff were working most
+heroically. I told him I had given instructions about cabling home
+should I be taken prisoner, and then I suddenly remembered that I had
+a scathing poem on the Kaiser in my pocket. I had written it in the
+quiet beauties of Beaupre, below Quebec, when the war first began.
+When I wrote it, I was told that if I were ever taken prisoner in
+Germany with that poem in my pocket, I should be shot or hanged. At
+that time, the German front line seemed so far off that it was like
+saying, "If you get to the moon the man there will eat you up." But
+the changes and chances of war had suddenly brought me face to face
+with the fact that I had resolved to be taken prisoner, and from what
+I heard and saw the event was not unlikely. So I said to the M.O. "I
+have just remembered that I have got in my pocket a printed copy   (p. 065)
+of a very terrible poem which I wrote about the Kaiser. Of course you
+know I don't mind being shot or hanged by the Germans, but, if I am,
+who will write the poems of the War?" The M.O. laughed and thinking it
+unwise on general principles to wave a red rag in front of a mad bull,
+advised me to tear up my verses. I did so with great reluctance, but
+the precaution was unnecessary as the Germans never got through after
+all.
+
+All along those terrible fields of death the battle raged. Young
+Canadians, new to war, but old in the inheritance of the blood of
+British freedom, were holding the line. The dressing station was soon
+full again, and, later on, a despatch rider came from the 3rd Infantry
+Brigade Headquarters in Shell-Trap Farm to tell us that more help was
+needed there. One of the M.O.'s assistants and a sergeant started off
+and I followed. We went down the road and then turned to the right up
+to the moated farmhouse where the Brigade was. As we went forward
+towards the battle front, the night air was sharp and bracing.
+Gun-flashes lit up the horizon, but above us the moon and stars looked
+quietly down. Wonderful deeds of heroism were being done by our men
+along those shell-ploughed fields, under that placid sky. What they
+endured, no living tongue can tell. Their Maker alone knows what they
+suffered and how they died. The eloquent tribute which history will
+give to their fame is that, in spite of the enemy's immense superiority
+in numbers, and his brutal launching of poisonous gas, he did not get
+through.
+
+In a ditch by the wayside, a battalion was waiting to follow up the
+charge. Every man among the Canadians was "on the job" that night. We
+crossed the field to the farmhouse which we found filled to overflowing.
+Ambulances were waiting there to carry the wounded back to Ypres. I
+saw many friends carried in, and men were lying on the pavement
+outside. Bullets were cracking against the outer brick walls. One
+Highlander mounted guard over a wounded German prisoner. He had
+captured him and was filled with the hunter's pride in his game. "I
+got him myself, Sir, and I was just going to run him through with my
+bayonet when he told me he had five children. As I have five children
+myself, I could not kill him. So I brought him out here." I looked
+down at the big prostrate German who was watching us with interest
+largely rooted in fear. "Funf kinder?" (five children) "Ja, ja." I
+wasn't going to be beaten by a German, so I told him I had seven   (p. 066)
+children and his face fell. I found out afterwards that a great many
+Germans, when they were captured, said they had five children. The
+Germans I think used to be put through a sort of catechism before they
+went into action, in case they should be taken prisoners. For example,
+they always told us they were sure we were going to win the war. They
+always said they were glad to be taken prisoners. When they were
+married men, they said they had five children and so appealed to our
+pity. People do not realize even yet how very thorough the Germans
+were in everything that they thought was going to bring them the
+mastership of the world. When a German soldier saw the game was up, he
+surrendered at once and thus was preserved to fight for his country in
+the next war.
+
+In the stable of the farm, I found many seriously wounded men lying on
+the straw, and I took down messages which they were sending to their
+relatives at home. On the other side of the wall, we could hear the
+bullets striking. As I had the Blessed Sacrament with me I was able to
+give communion to a number of the wounded. By this time the grey of
+approaching day began to silver the eastern sky. It was indeed a
+comfort to feel that the great clockwork of the universe went on just
+as if nothing was happening. Over and over again in the war the
+approach of dawn has put new life into one. It was such a tremendous
+and glorious thing to think that the world rolled on through space and
+turned on its axis, whatever turmoil foolish people were making upon
+its surface.
+
+With the dawn came the orders to clear the wounded. The ambulances
+were sent off and one of the doctors told me to come with him, as the
+General had commanded the place to be cleared of all but the necessary
+military staff. It was about four in the morning when we started.
+There was a momentary quieting down in the firing as we crossed the
+bridge over the moat, but shells were still crashing in the fields,
+and through the air we heard every now and then the whistling of
+bullets. We kept our heads low and were hurrying on when we encountered
+a signaller with two horses, which he had to take back to the main
+road. One of these he offered to me. I had not been wanting to mount
+higher in the air, but I did not like the fellow to think I had got
+"cold feet." So I accepted it graciously, but annoyed him very much by
+insisting upon lengthening the stirrups before I mounted. He got
+impatient at what he considered an unnecessary delay, but I told him I
+would not ride with my knees up to my chin for all the Germans     (p. 067)
+in the world. When I was mounted, we started off at a good gallop
+across the fields to the Ypres road. It was an exciting ride, and I
+must confess, looking back upon it, a thoroughly enjoyable one,
+reminding me of old stories of battles and the Indian escapes of my
+boyhood's novels. When we arrived at the main road, I had to deliver
+up my horse to its owner, and then I decided to walk to Ypres, as by
+so doing I could speak to the many Imperial men that were marching up
+to reinforce the line. I refused many kind offers of lifts on lorries
+and waggons. The British battalions were coming up and I was sorry for
+them. The young fellows looked so tired and hungry. They had been in
+France, I think, only twenty-four hours. At any rate, they had had a
+long march, and, as it turned out, were going up, most of them, to
+their death, I took great pleasure in hailing them cheerfully and
+telling them that it was all right, as the Canadians had held the
+line, and that the Germans were not going to get through. One sergeant
+said, "You put a lot of braces in my tunic when you talk like that,
+Sir." Nothing is more wonderful than the way in which men under tense
+anxiety will respond to the slightest note of cheer. This was the case
+all through the war. The slightest word or suggestion would often turn
+a man from a feeling of powerless dejection into one of defiant
+determination. These young Britishers whom I met that morning were a
+splendid type of men. Later on the machine-gun fire over the fields
+mowed them down in pitiful and ruthless destruction. As I journeyed
+towards Ypres I saw smoke rolling up from various parts of the city
+and down the road, in the air, I saw the flashes of bursting shrapnel.
+I passed St. Jean and made my way to my house by the canal.
+
+The shutters were still shut and the door was open. I entered and
+found in the dining room that the lamp was still burning on the table.
+It was now about seven o'clock and Mr. Vandervyver had returned and
+was upstairs arranging his toilet. I went out into the garden and
+called one of the sentries to tell Murdoch MacDonald to come to me.
+While I was talking to the sentry, an officer came by and warned me to
+get away from that corner because the Germans were likely to shell it
+as it was the only road in the neighbourhood for the passage of troops
+to and from the front. When Murdoch arrived, I told him I wanted to
+have breakfast, for I had had nothing to eat since luncheon the day
+before and had done a lot of walking. He looked surprised and      (p. 068)
+said, "Fancy having breakfast when the town is being shelled." "Well,"
+I said, "don't you know we always read in the papers, when a man is
+hanged, that before he went out to the gallows he ate a hearty
+breakfast? There must be some philosophy in it. At any rate, you might
+as well die on a full stomach as an empty one." So Murdoch began to
+get breakfast ready in the kitchen, where Mr. Vandervyver's maid was
+already preparing a meal for her master. I shaved and had a good clean
+up and was sitting in the dining room arranging the many letters and
+messages which I had received from men who asked me to write to their
+relatives. Breakfast had just been set on the table when I heard the
+loudest bang I have ever heard in my life. A seventeen inch shell had
+fallen in the corner of the garden where the sentry had been standing.
+The windows of the house were blown in, the ceiling came down and soot
+from the chimneys was scattered over everything. I suddenly found
+myself, still in a sitting posture, some feet beyond the chair in
+which I had been resting. Mr. Vandervyver ran downstairs and out into
+the street with his toilet so disarranged that he looked as if he were
+going to take a swim. Murdoch MacDonald disappeared and I did not see
+him again for several days. A poor old woman in the street had been
+hit in the head and was being taken off by a neighbour and a man was
+lying in the road with a broken leg. All my papers were unfortunately
+lost in the debris of the ceiling. I went upstairs and got a few more
+of my remaining treasures and came back to the dining room. There I
+scraped away the dust and found two boiled eggs. I got some biscuits
+from the sideboard and went and filled my water-bottle with tea in the
+damaged kitchen. I was just starting out of the door when another
+shell hit the building on the opposite side of the street. It had been
+used as a billet by some of our men. The sentry I had been talking to
+had disappeared and all they could find of him were his boots with his
+feet in them. In the building opposite, we found a Highlander badly
+wounded and I got stretcher-bearers to come and carry him off to the
+2nd Field Ambulance in the Square nearby. Their headquarters had been
+moved to Vlamertinghe and they were evacuating that morning. The
+civilians now had got out of the town. All sorts of carts and
+wheelbarrows had been called into requisition. There were still some
+wounded men in the dressing station and a sergeant was in charge. I
+managed to commandeer a motor ambulance and stow them in it. Shells
+were falling fast in that part of the town. It was perfectly       (p. 069)
+impossible to linger any longer. A certain old inhabitant, however,
+would not leave. He said he would trust to the good God and stay in
+the cellar of his house till the war was over. Poor man, if he did not
+change his mind, his body must be in the cellar still, for the last
+time I saw the place, which henceforth was known as "Hell Fire Corner,"
+there was not one stone left upon another. Only a little brick wall
+remained to show where the garden and house of my landlord had been. I
+collected the men of the Ambulance and started off with them to
+Vlamertinghe. On the way we added to our numbers men who had either
+lost their units or were being sent back from the line.
+
+As we passed through the Grande Place, which now wore a very much more
+dilapidated appearance than it had three days before, we found a
+soldier on the pavement completely intoxicated. He was quite unconscious
+and could not walk. There was nothing to do but to make him as
+comfortable as possible till he should awake next day to the horrors
+of the real world. We carried him into a room of a house and laid him
+on a heap of straw. I undid the collar of his shirt so that he might
+have full scope for extra blood pressure and left him to his fate. I
+heard afterwards that the house was struck and that he was wounded and
+taken away to a place of safety. When we got down to the bridge on the
+Vlamertinghe road, an Imperial Signal Officer met me in great
+distress. His men had been putting up telegraph wires on the other
+side of the canal and a shell had fallen and killed thirteen of them.
+He asked our men to carry the bodies back over the bridge and lay them
+side by side in an outhouse. The men did so, and the row of mutilated,
+twisted and bleeding forms was pitiful to see. The officer was very
+grateful to us, but the bodies were probably never buried because that
+part of the city was soon a ruin. We went on down the road towards
+Vlamertinghe, past the big asylum, so long known as a dressing
+station, with its wonderful and commodious cellars. It had been hit
+and the upstairs part was no longer used.
+
+The people along the road were leaving their homes as fast as they
+could. One little procession will always stand out in my mind. In
+front one small boy of about six years old was pulling a toy cart in
+which two younger children were packed. Behind followed the mother
+with a large bundle on her back. Then came the father with a still
+bigger one. There they were trudging along, leaving their home     (p. 070)
+behind with its happy memories, to go forth as penniless refugees,
+compelled to live on the charity of others. It was through no fault of
+their own, but only through the monstrous greed and ambition of a
+despot crazed with feudal dreams of a by-gone age. As I looked at that
+little procession, and at many other similar ones, the words of the
+Gospel kept ringing in my ears, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one
+of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." These
+words I felt sounded the doom of the Kaiser. Many and many a time when
+the war from our point of view has been going badly, and men would ask
+me, "How about the war, Sir?" or, "Are we winning the war, Sir?" I
+would reply, "Boys, unless the devil has got into heaven we are going
+to win. If he has, the German Emperor will have a good friend there.
+But he hasn't, and any nation which tramples on the rights and
+liberties of humanity, glories in it, makes it a matter of national
+boasting, and casts medals to commemorate the sinking of unprotected
+ships--any nation which does that is bound to lose the war, no matter
+how badly things may look at the present time." It was nothing but
+that unflinching faith in the power of right which kept our men so
+steadfast. Right is after all only another name for the will of God.
+Men who knew no theology, who professed no creed, who even pretended
+to great indifference about the venture of eternity, were unalterably
+fixed in their faith in the power of right. It gives one a great
+opportunity of building the higher edifice of religion when one
+discovers the rock foundation in a man's convictions.
+
+When we reached Vlamertinghe we found that a school house had been
+taken over by the 2nd Field Ambulance.
+
+There was a terrible shortage of stretchers and blankets, as most of
+the equipment had been lost at Ypres. All that day and night the
+furious battle raged, and many fresh British battalions passed up to
+reinforce the line. As soon as it was dark, the wounded began to come
+in, and by midnight the school-house was filled to overflowing. The
+men were lying out in rows on the cold stone floor with nothing under
+them. Ambulances were coming and going as hour after hour passed by. I
+went among the sufferers, many of whom I knew. The sergeant would come
+to me and tell me where the worst cases were. He whispered to me once,
+"There is a dying man over here." We trod softly between the prostrate
+forms till we came to one poor fellow who looked up with white face
+under the candle light. I saw he was dying. He belonged to one of  (p. 071)
+the British battalions that I had passed on the road. I asked him if
+he would like to receive the Holy Communion. He was pleased when I
+told him I could give it to him. He had been a chorister in England,
+and he felt so far from the ministrations of his church now. He made
+his confession and I pronounced the absolution. Then I gave him the
+Blessed Sacrament. Like many severely wounded men, he was not suffering
+much, but was dying of shock. We were now compelled to use the church
+and it also soon became a scene of suffering. The building to-day is a
+ruin, but then it had been untouched by shells and was large and
+impressive. We had only a few candles with which to light it. The
+wounded were laid out, some on the floor, some on chairs, and some sat
+up waiting for the convoys of ambulances that were to take them to the
+Base. It was a strange scene. In the distance we heard the roar of the
+battle, and here, in the dim light of the hollow-sounding aisles, were
+shadowy figures huddled up on chairs or lying on the floor. Once the
+silence was broken by a loud voice shouting out with startling
+suddenness, "O God! stop it." I went over to the man. He was a British
+sergeant. He would not speak, but I think in his terrible suffering he
+meant the exclamation as a kind of prayer. I thought it might help the
+men to have a talk with them, so I told them what great things were
+being done that night and what a noble part they had played in holding
+back the German advance and how all the world would honour them in
+after times. Then I said, "Boys, let us have a prayer for our comrades
+up in that roar of battle at the front. When I say the Lord's Prayer
+join in with me, but not too loudly as we don't want to disturb those
+who are trying to sleep." I had a short service and they all joined in
+the Lord's Prayer. It was most impressive in that large, dim church,
+to hear the voices, not loudly, but quite distinctly, repeating the
+words from different parts of the building, for some of the men had
+gone over to corners where they might be by themselves. After the
+Lord's Prayer I pronounced the Benediction, and then I said, "Boys,
+the Cure won't mind your smoking in the church tonight, so I am going
+to pass round some cigarettes." Luckily I had a box of five hundred
+which had been sent to me by post. These I handed round and lit them.
+Voices from different parts would say, "May I have one, Sir?" It was
+really delightful to feel that a moment's comfort could be given   (p. 072)
+to men in their condition. A man arrived that night with both his eyes
+gone, and even he asked for a cigarette. I had to put the cigarette
+into his mouth and light it for him. "It's so dark, Sir," he said, "I
+can't see." I was not going to tell him he would never see again, so I
+said, "Your head is all bandaged up. Of course you can't." He was one
+of the first to be taken off in the ambulance, and I do not know
+whether he is alive or dead. Our Canadians still held on with grim
+determination, and they deserved the tribute which Marshal Foch has
+paid them of saving the day at Ypres.
+
+When they came out of the line, and I was living once again among
+them, going from battalion to battalion, it was most amusing to hear
+them tell of all their adventures during the great attack. The English
+newspapers reached us and they were loud in their praise of "the
+gallant Canadians." The King, General Joffre, and Sir Robert Borden,
+sent messages to our troops. One man said, amid the laughter of his
+comrades, "All I can remember, Sir, was that I was in a blooming old
+funk for about three days and three nights and now I am told I am a
+hero. Isn't that fine?" Certainly they deserved all the praise they
+got. In a battle there is always the mixture of the serious and the
+comic. One Turco, more gallant than his fellows, refused to leave the
+line and joined the 16th Battalion. He fought so well that they decided
+to reward him by turning him into a Highlander. He consented to don
+the kilt, but would not give up his trousers as they concealed his
+black legs.
+
+The Second Battle of Ypres was the making of what grew to be the
+Canadian Corps. Up to that time, Canadians were looked upon, and
+looked upon themselves, merely as troops that might be expected to
+hold the line and do useful spade work, but from then onward the men
+felt they could rise to any emergency, and the army knew they could be
+depended upon. The pace then set was followed by the other divisions
+and, at the end, the Corps did not disappoint the expectations of
+General Foch. What higher praise could be desired?
+
+My billet in Vlamertinghe was in a neat little cottage owned by an old
+maid, who took great pride in making everything shine. The paymaster
+of one of our battalions and I had a cheerful home there when the poor
+old lady fled. Her home however did not long survive her absence, for,
+some days after she left, it was levelled by a shell. The church   (p. 073)
+too was struck and ruined. Beside it is the military cemetery within
+which lie the mortal remains of many gallant men, amongst them the two
+Grenfells, one of whom got the V.C. There I buried poor Duffy and many
+more. The other chaplains laid to rest men under their care.
+
+One picture always comes to my mind when I think of Vlamertinghe. In
+the road near the church was a Crucifix. The figure was life size and
+hung on a cross planted upon a rocky mound. One night when the sun had
+set and a great red glow burnt along the horizon, I saw the large black
+cross silhouetted against the crimson sky, and before it knelt an aged
+woman with grey hair falling from beneath the kerchief that was tied
+about her head. It was dangerous at all times to stay at that place,
+yet she knelt there silently in prayer. She seemed to be the
+embodiment of the old life and quiet contented religious hope which
+must have been the spirit of Vlamertinghe in the past. The village was
+an absolute ruin a few days later, and even the Sisters had to flee
+from their convent. The Crucifix, however, stood for a long time after
+the place was destroyed, but I never passed by without thinking of the
+poor old woman who knelt at its foot in the evening light and laid her
+burden of cares upon the heart of Eternal Pity.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.                                                       (p. 074)
+
+FESTUBERT AND GIVENCHY.
+
+_May and June, 1915._
+
+
+When our men came out of the line, the 2nd Field Ambulance was ordered
+back for rest and reorganization to a village called Ouderdom, three
+miles to the Southwest, and their O.C. invited me to follow them. It
+was late in the evening when I started to walk. The light was fading
+and, as I had no map, I was not certain where Ouderdom was. I went down
+the road, delighting in the sweet smells of nature. It was with a sense
+of unusual freedom that I walked along with all my worldly possessions
+in my haversack. I thought how convenient it was to lose one's kit.
+Now I could lie down beside any haystack and feel quite at home. The
+evening air grew chillier and I thought I had better get some roof
+over my head for the night. I asked various men that I met where
+Ouderdom was. None of them knew. I was forced once again to take my
+solitary journey into the great unknown. It was therefore with much
+satisfaction that, when quite dark, I came upon some wooden huts and
+saw a number of men round a little fire in a field. I went up to one
+of the huts and found in it a very kind and courteous middle-aged
+lieutenant, who was in charge of a detachment of Indian troops. When
+he heard I was looking for the Field Ambulance and going towards
+Ouderdom, he told me it was much too late to continue my journey that
+night. "You stay with me in my hut, Padre," he said, "and in the
+morning I will give you a horse to take you to your men." He told me
+that he had been living by himself and was only too delighted to have
+a companion to talk to. He treated me as bounteously as circumstances
+would permit, and after a good dinner, he gave me a blanket and straw
+bed on the floor of his hut. It was very pleasant to come out of the
+darkness and loneliness of the road and find such a kind host, and
+such good hospitality. We discussed many things that night, and the
+next day I was shown over the camp. Later on, the Lieutenant sent me
+on horseback to Ouderdom. There I found the Ambulance encamped in a
+pleasant field beside a large pond, which afforded us the luxury of a
+bath. I shall never forget those two restful days I spent at Ouderdom.
+I blamed the blankets, however, for causing an irritation of the   (p. 075)
+skin, which lasted till I was able to have another wash and change.
+
+Pleasant as my life was with the Ambulance, I felt I ought to go back
+and join my Brigade. I got a ride to the transport at Brielen, and
+there, under a waggon cover, had a very happy home. Near us an
+Imperial battery fired almost incessantly all night long. While lying
+awake one night thinking of the men that had gone, and wondering what
+those ardent spirits were now doing, the lines came to me which were
+afterwards published in "The Times":
+
+  "REQUIESCANT"
+
+  In lonely watches night by night,
+  Great visions burst upon my sight,
+  For down the stretches of the sky
+  The hosts of dead go marching by.
+
+  Strange ghostly banners o'er them float,
+  Strange bugles sound an awful note,
+  And all their faces and their eyes
+  Are lit with starlight from the skies.
+
+  The anguish and the pain have passed,
+  And peace hath come to them at last.
+  But in the stern looks linger still
+  The iron purpose and the will.
+
+  Dear Christ, who reign'st above the flood
+  Of human tears and human blood,
+  A weary road these men have trod,
+  O house them in the home of God.
+
+The Quartermaster of the 3rd Brigade furnished me with a change of
+underwear, for which I was most grateful. I felt quite proud of having
+some extra clothes again. The battalions were moved at last out of the
+area and we were ordered off to rest. Our first stop was near
+Vlamertinghe. We reached it in the afternoon, and, chilly though it
+was, I determined to have a bath. Murdoch MacDonald got a bucket of
+water from a green and slimy pond and put it on the other side of a
+hedge, and there I retired to have a wash and change. I was just in
+the midst of the process when, to my confusion, the Germans began to
+shell the adjoining field, and splinters of shell fell in the hedge
+behind me. The transport men on the other side called out to me    (p. 076)
+to run and take cover with them under the waggons. "I can't, boys",
+I replied, "I have got no clothes on." They roared with laughter at my
+plight. Though clothes are not at all an impregnable armour, somehow
+or other you feel safer when you are dressed. There was nothing for it
+but to complete my ablutions, which I did so effectually in the cold
+spring air that I got a chill. That night I was racked with pains as I
+rode on the horse which the M.O. lent me, on our march to Bailleul.
+
+We arrived in the quaint old town about two in the morning, and I made
+my way in the dark to the hotel in the Square. I was refused admission
+on the reasonable plea that every bed was already occupied. I was just
+turning away, wondering where I could go, for I was hardly able to
+stand up, when an officer came out and said I might go up to a room on
+the top storey and get into his bed as he would need it no more. It
+was quite delightful, not only to find a bed, but one which had been
+so nicely and wholesomely warmed. I spent a most uncomfortable night,
+and in the morning I wondered if my batman would find out where I was
+and come and look after me. About ten o'clock I heard a knock at the
+door and called out "Come in." To my astonishment, a very smart staff
+officer, with a brass hat and red badges, made his way into my room,
+and startled me by saying, "I am the Deputy-Judge-Advocate-General."
+"Oh", I said, "I was hoping you were my batman." He laughed at that
+and told me his business. There had been a report that one of our
+Highlanders had been crucified on the door of a barn. The Roman Catholic
+Chaplain of the 3rd Brigade and myself had tried to trace the story to
+its origin. We found that the nearest we could get to it was, that
+someone had told somebody else about it. One day I managed to discover
+a Canadian soldier who said he had seen the crucifixion himself. I at
+once took some paper out of my pocket and a New Testament and told
+him, "I want you to make that statement on oath and put your signature
+to it." He said, "It is not necessary." But he had been talking so
+much about the matter to the men around him that he could not escape.
+I had kept his sworn testimony in my pocket and it was to obtain this
+that the Deputy-Judge-Advocate-General had called upon me. I gave it
+to him and told him that in spite of the oath, I thought the man was
+not telling the truth. Weeks afterwards I got a letter from the
+Deputy-Judge telling me he had found the man, who, when confronted (p. 077)
+by a staff officer, weakened, and said he was mistaken in swearing
+that he had seen the crucifixion he had only been told about it by
+someone else. We have no right to charge the Germans with the crime.
+They have done so many things equally bad, that we do not need to
+bring charges against them of which we are not quite sure.
+
+The Brigade was quartered in the little village of Steenje. It was a
+pretty place, and it was delightful to be back in the peaceful country
+again. May was bringing out the spring flowers and the trees wore
+fresh green leaves. There was something about the exhilarating life we
+were leading which made one extremely sensitive to the beauties of
+nature. I have never cared much for flowers, except in a general way.
+But now I noticed a great change. A wild flower growing in a ditch by
+the wayside seemed to me to be almost a living thing, and spoke in its
+mute way of its life of peace and contentment, and mocked, by its very
+humility, the world of men which was so full of noise and death.
+Colour too made a most powerful appeal to the heart. The gleam of
+sunlight on the moss that covered an old thatched roof gave one a
+thrill of gladness. The world of nature putting on its fresh spring
+dress had its message to hearts that were lonely and anxious, and it
+was a message of calm courage and hope. In Julian Grenfell's beautiful
+poem "Into Battle," he notes this message of the field and trees.
+Everything in nature spoke to the fighting man and gave him its own
+word of cheer.
+
+Of course all the men did not show they were conscious of these emotional
+suggestions, but I think they felt them nevertheless. The green fields
+and shining waters around Steenje had a very soothing effect upon minds
+that had passed through the bitterest ordeal in their life's
+experience. I remember one morning having a service of Holy Communion
+in the open air. Everything was wonderful and beautiful. The golden
+sunlight was streaming across the earth in full radiance. The trees
+were fresh and green, and hedges marked out the field with walls of
+living beauty. The grass in the meadow was soft and velvety, and, just
+behind the spot where I had placed the altar, a silver stream wandered
+slowly by. When one adds to such a scene, the faces of a group of
+earnest, well-made and heroic young men, it is easily understood that
+the beauty of the service was complete. When it was over, I reminded
+them of the twenty-third Psalm, "He maketh me to lie down in green (p. 078)
+pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters." There too was the table
+prepared before us in the presence of our enemies.
+
+At Steenje, as no billet had been provided for me, the Engineers took
+me in and treated me right royally. Not only did they give me a pile
+of straw for a bed in the dormitory upstairs, but they also made me an
+honorary member of their mess. Of the work of the "Sappers", in the
+Great War, one cannot speak too highly. Brave and efficient, they were
+always working and co-operating enthusiastically with the infantry.
+Every week now that passed was deepening that sense of comradeship
+which bound our force together. The mean people, the men who thought
+only of themselves, were either being weeded out or taught that there
+was no place for selfishness in the army. One great lesson was
+impressed upon me in the war, and that is, how wonderfully the
+official repression of wrong thoughts and jealousies tends to their
+abolition. A man who lets his wild fancies free, and gives rein to his
+anger and selfishness, is going to become the victim of his own mind.
+If people at home could only be prevented, as men were in the war,
+from saying all the bitter and angry things they feel, and from
+criticising the actions of their neighbours, a different temper of
+thought would prevail. The comradeship men experienced in the Great
+War was due to the fact that everyone knew comradeship was essential
+to our happiness and success. It would be well if all over Canada men
+realized that the same is true of our happiness and success in times
+of peace. What might we not accomplish if our national and industrial
+life were full of mutual sympathy and love!
+
+Our rest at Steenje was not of long duration. Further South another
+attack was to be made and so one evening, going in the direction
+whither our troops were ordered, I was motored to the little village
+of Robecq. There I managed to get a comfortable billet for myself in
+the house of a carpenter. My bedroom was a tiny compartment which
+looked out on the backyard. It was quite delightful to lie in a real
+bed again and as I was enjoying the luxury late in the morning I
+watched the carpenter making a baby's coffin. Robecq then was a very
+charming place. The canal, on which was a hospital barge, gave the men
+an opportunity for a swim, and the spring air and the sunshine put
+them in high spirits.
+
+It was at Robecq, that I had my first sight of General Haig. I was
+standing in the Square one afternoon when I saw the men on the     (p. 079)
+opposite side spring suddenly to attention. I felt that something
+was going to happen. To my astonishment, I saw a man ride up carrying
+a flag on a lance. He was followed by several other mounted men. It
+was so like a pageant that I said to myself, "Hello, here comes Joan
+of Arc." Then a general appeared with his brilliant staff. The General
+advanced and we all saluted, but he, spying my chaplain's collar, rode
+over to me and shook hands and asked if I had come over with the
+Canadians. I told him I had. Then he said, "I am so glad you have all
+come into my Army." I did not know who he was or what army we were in,
+or in fact what the phrase meant, but I thought it was wise to say nice
+things to a general, so I told him we were all very glad too. He seemed
+gratified and rode off in all the pomp and circumstance of war. I heard
+afterwards that he was General Haig, who at that time commanded the First
+Army. He had from the start, the respect of all in the British
+Expeditionary Force.
+
+A sudden call "to stand to", however, reminded us that the war was not
+yet won. The Brigadier told me that we had to move the next morning at
+five. Then he asked me how I was going and I quoted my favourite text,
+"The Lord will provide." My breakfast at 3.30 next morning consisted
+of a tin of green peas without bread or other adulterations and a cup
+of coffee. At five a.m. I started to walk, but it was not long before I
+was overtaken by the car of an artillery officer, and carried, in great
+glory, past the General and his staff, whose horses we nearly pushed
+into the ditch on the narrow road. The Brigadier waved his hand and
+congratulated me upon the way in which Providence was looking after me.
+That afternoon our brigade was settled in reserve trenches at
+Lacouture. There were a number of Ghurka regiments in the neighbourhood,
+as well as some Guards battalions. I had a service for the bomb-throwers
+in a little orchard that evening, and I found a billet with the
+officers of the unit in a particularly small and dirty house by the
+wayside.
+
+Some of us lay on the floor and I made my bed on three chairs--a style
+of bed which I said I would patent on my return to Canada. The chairs,
+with the middle one facing in the opposite direction to prevent one
+rolling off, were placed at certain distances where the body needed
+special support, and made a very comfortable resting place, free from
+those inhabitants which infested the ordinary places of repose. Of
+course we did not sleep much, and somebody, amid roars of laughter (p. 080)
+called for breakfast about two-thirty a.m. The cook who was sleeping
+in the same room got up and prepared bacon and coffee, and we had
+quite an enjoyable meal, which did not prevent our having a later one
+about nine a.m., after which, I beguiled the time by reading aloud
+Leacock's "Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich." Later in the day,
+I marched off with our men who were going into the trenches, for the
+battle of Festubert. We passed the place called Indian Village and
+went to the trenches just beyond.
+
+We met a bearer-party bringing out a young German prisoner who was
+badly wounded. I went over to him and offered him a cigarette. This he
+declined, but asked for some water, putting out his dry tongue to show
+how parched it was. I called to some of our men to know if they could
+spare him a drink. Several gladly ran across and offered their
+water-bottles. They were always kind to wounded prisoners. "If thine
+enemy thirst give him drink." Just before the men went into the
+trenches, I shook hands with one or two and then, as they passed up,
+half the battalion shook hands with me. I was glad they did, but at
+the same time I felt then that it was not wise for a chaplain to do
+anything which looked as if he were taking matters too seriously. It
+was the duty of everyone to forget private feelings in the one
+absorbing desire to kill off the enemy. I saw the different battalions
+going up and was returning towards headquarters when whom should I
+meet but the dreaded Brigadier coming up the road with his staff. It
+was impossible to dodge him; I could see already that he was making
+towards me. When he came up to me, he asked me what I was doing there,
+and ordered me back to Headquarters on pain of a speedy return to No.
+2 General Hospital. "If you come east of my Headquarters," he said,
+"you will be sent back absolutely certainly." That night I took my
+revenge by sleeping in his deserted bed, and found it very
+comfortable.
+
+Our Brigade Headquarters were at Le Touret in a large farm surrounded
+by a moat. We were quite happy, but on the next day, which I spent in
+censoring the letters of the 13th Battalion, I was told that the 2nd
+Brigade were coming to occupy the billet and that I had to get out and
+forage for myself. At half past six in the evening I saw from my window
+the giant form of General Currie followed by his staff, riding across
+the bridge over the moat. He looked very imposing, but I knew it meant
+that the bed I had slept in was no longer mine. I called my friend (p. 081)
+Murdoch MacDonald and I got him to pack my haversack. "Murdoch", I
+said, "once more we have to face the big, black world alone, but--'the
+Lord will provide'". The sun had set, the air was cool and scented
+richly with the fermented manure spread upon the land. Many units were
+scattered through the fields. We went from one place to another, but
+alas there was no billet for us. It was tiring work, and both Murdoch
+and I were getting very hungry and also very grumpy. The prospect of
+sleeping under the stars in the chilly night was not pleasant. I am
+ashamed to say my faith began to waver, and I said to Murdoch MacDonald,
+"Murdoch, my friend, the Lord is a long time providing for us
+tonight." We made our way back to the main road and there I saw an
+Imperial Officer who was acting as a point man and directing traffic.
+I told him my difficulty and implored him, as it was now getting on
+towards eleven p.m., to tell me where I could get a lodging for the
+night. He thought for a while and then said, "I think you may find a
+bed for yourself and your man in the prison." The words had an ominous
+sound, but I remembered how often people at home found refuge for the
+night in the police station. He told me to go down the road to the
+third farmhouse, where I should find the quarters of some Highland
+officers and men. The farm was called the prison, because it was the
+place in which captured Germans were to be held until they were sent
+down the line. Followed by Murdoch, I made my way again down the busy
+road now crowded with transports, troops and ambulances. It was hard
+to dodge them in the mud and dark. I found the farmhouse, passed the
+sentry, and was admitted to the presence of two young officers of the
+Glasgow Highlanders. I told them who I was and how I had been bidden
+by the patrol officer to seek refuge with them. They received me most
+cordially and told me they had a spare heap of straw in the room. They
+not only said they would arrange for me for the night, but they called
+their servant and told him to get me some supper. They said I looked
+worn out. A good dish of ham and eggs and a cup of strong tea at that
+time were most refreshing and when I had finished eating, seeing a
+copy of the Oxford Book of Verse on the table, I began to read it to
+them, and finally, and quite naturally, found myself later on, about
+one a.m., reciting my own poems. It was most interesting meeting
+another set of men. The barn, which was kept as a prison for Germans
+was large and commodious. As we took only five or six prisoners    (p. 082)
+at that time, it was more than sufficient for the purpose. The officers
+told me that the reason why so few prisoners turned up was that the
+Canadians got tired of their charges before they arrived at the
+prison, and only handed over a few as souvenirs. I really think the
+Scotsmen believed it. The Glasgow men moved away and were succeeded by
+a company of Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. The tables were now
+turned, for as I had kept on inhabiting the large room with the three
+heaps of straw in it, the two officers who came "to take over" asked
+my permission to make their billet in the prison.
+
+In the meantime, the fighting in the trenches was very fierce. I spent
+my days in parish visiting and my nights at the various dressing
+stations. The batteries of artillery were all round us in the fields
+and orchards, and there was great concentration of British and
+Canadian guns. In spite of the brigadier's orders, I often went east
+of Headquarters. One lovely Sunday evening I had a late service for
+men of the 16th Battalion in an orchard. They were going off later
+into No Man's Land on a working party. The service, which was a
+voluntary one, had therefore an underlying pathos in it. Shells were
+falling in the fields on both sides of us. The great red sunset glowed
+in the west and the trees overhead cast an artistic gray green light
+upon the scene. The men were facing the sunset, and I told them as
+usual that there lay Canada. The last hymn was "Abide with Me", and
+the words, "Hold Thou Thy Cross before my closing eyes", were
+peculiarly touching in view of the fact that the working party was to
+start as soon as the service was ended. At Festubert our Cavalry
+Brigade, now deprived of their horses, joined us, and I remember one
+morning seeing Colonel, now General, Macdonell, coming out of the line
+at the head of his men. They were few in number and were very tired,
+for they had had a hard time and had lost many of their comrades. The
+Colonel, however, told them to whistle and keep step to the tune,
+which they were doing with a gallantry which showed that, in spite of
+the loss of their horses, the spirit of the old squadron was still
+undaunted.
+
+Our batteries round Le Touret were very heavily and systematically
+shelled, and of course rumour had it that there were spies in the
+neighbourhood. The French Police were searching for Germans in British
+uniforms, and everyone felt that some of the inhabitants might be
+housing emissaries from the German lines. Some said lights were    (p. 083)
+seen flashing from farmhouses; others averred that the French peasants
+signalled to the enemy by the way they ploughed their fields and by
+the colour of the horses used. In Belgium we were told that the
+arrangement of the arms of windmills gave away the location of our
+troops. At any rate everyone had a bad attack of spy-fever, and I did
+not escape it. One night about half past ten I was going down a dark
+road to get my letters from the post office, when an officer on a
+bicycle came up to me and, dismounting, asked me where a certain
+British Artillery Brigade was. I was not concerned with the number of
+the brigade, but I was horrified to hear the officer pronounce his
+"rs" in the back of his throat. Of course, when we are not at war with
+Germany, a man may pronounce his "rs" however he pleases, but when we
+are at war with the great guttural hordes of Teutons it is different.
+The moment I heard the sepulchral "r" I said, "This man is a German".
+He told me he had come from the Indian Army and had a message for the
+artillery brigade. I took him by subtlety, thinking all was fair in
+war, and I asked him to come with me. I made for the billet of our
+signallers and told the sentry that the officer wanted a British
+brigade. At the same time I whispered to the man to call out the
+guard, because I thought the stranger was a spy.
+
+The sentry went into the house, and in a few seconds eager Canadians
+with fixed bayonets came out of the building and surrounded the
+unfortunate officer. Canadians were always ready for a bit of sport.
+When I saw my man surrounded, I asked him for his pass. He appeared
+very much confused and said he had none, but had come from the Indian
+Army. What made us all the more suspicious was the fact that he
+displayed a squared map as an evidence of his official character. I
+told him that anybody could get a squared map. "Do you take me for a
+spy?" he said. I replied gently that we did, and that he would have to
+come to Headquarters and be identified. He had an ugly looking
+revolver in his belt, but he submitted very tamely to his temporary
+arrest. I was taking him off to our Headquarters, where strange
+officers were often brought for purposes of identification, when a
+young Highland Captain of diminutive stature, but unbounded dignity,
+appeared on the scene with four patrol men. He told me that as he was
+patrolling the roads for the capture of spies, he would take over the
+custody of my victim. The Canadians were loath to lose their prey. So
+we all followed down the road. After going a short distance, the
+signallers had to return to their quarters, much to my regret,     (p. 084)
+for it seemed to me that the safety of the whole British Army depended
+on our capturing the spy, and I knew I could depend upon the Canadians.
+However I made up my mind that I would follow to the bitter end.
+
+The Highlander put the officer between us and, followed by the four
+patrol men, we went off down a lonely road. The moon had now risen.
+After walking about half a mile we came to a large barn, outside of
+which stood a sentry. It was the billet of a battalion of Highlanders.
+I told the man privately, that we had arrested the officer under
+suspicion of his being a spy, and if the sentry on duty should see him
+coming back along the road, he was to detain him and have him
+identified. As we walked along, a number of men who had been concealed
+in the ditches on each side of the road rose up and followed us. They
+were men of the patrol commanded by the young Highlander on the other
+side of our prisoner. It was a delightfully weird experience. There
+was the long quiet moonlit road and the desolate fields all around us.
+While I was talking to one of the men, the patrol officer, unknown to
+me, allowed the spy to go off on his wheel, and to my astonishment
+when I turned I saw him going off down the road as hard as he could. I
+asked the officer why he had let him go. He said he thought it was all
+right and the man would be looked after. Saying this, he called his
+patrol about him and marched back again. The thing made me very angry.
+It seemed to me that the whole war might depend on our capturing the
+spy. At least, I owed it to the British Army to do my best to be
+certain the man was all right before I let him go. So I continued to
+follow him by myself down the road. The next farm I came to was about
+a mile off. There I was halted by a sentry, and on telling my business
+I was shown into a large barn, where the sergeant-major of a Scottish
+battalion got out of the straw and came to talk to me. He told me that
+an officer riding a wheel had passed sometime before, asking his way
+to a certain artillery brigade. I told the sergeant-major my
+suspicions and while we were talking, to our astonishment, the sentry
+announced that the officer, accompanied by a Black Watch despatch
+rider, had turned up again, having heard that the brigade he wanted
+was in the other direction.
+
+The sergeant and I went out and challenged him and said that he had to
+come to the colonel and be identified. The colonel was in the back
+room of a little cottage on the other side of the road. I made my way
+through the garden and entered the house. The colonel, an oldish   (p. 085)
+man, was sitting at a table. In front of him was an empty glass and an
+empty whisky bottle. It struck me from a superficial glance that the
+colonel was the only full thing in the room. He seemed surprised at
+having so late a visitor. I told him my suspicions. "Show the man in,
+Padre," he said, and I did.
+
+The spy seemed worried and excited and his "rs" were more guttural
+than ever. The old Colonel, who had himself been in India, at once put
+the suspect through his facings in Hindustani. Then the Colonel came
+out to me, and taking me aside said, "It's all right, Padre, he can
+talk Hindustani. I never met a German who could do that." Though still
+not quite satisfied, I said "Good night," and went out into the garden
+to return home. Immediately the young despatch rider came up to me and
+said, "Who are you, who are stopping a British officer in the
+performance of his duty? I arrest you. You must come in to the Colonel
+and be identified." This was a turning of the tables with a vengeance,
+and as I had recently laid stress on its being the duty of every
+officer to prove his identity whenever called upon, I had nothing to
+do but to go back into the presence of the Colonel and be questioned.
+I noticed this time that a full bottle of whiskey and another tumbler
+had been provided for the entertainment of the Indian Officer. The
+despatch rider saluted the Colonel and said, "I have brought in this
+officer, Sir, to be identified. He says he is a Canadian chaplain but
+I should like to make sure on the point." I stood there feeling rather
+disconcerted. The Colonel called to his adjutant who was sleeping in a
+bed in the next room. He came out in a not very agreeable frame of
+mind and began to ask me who I was. I immediately told my name, showed
+my identification disc and engraved silver cigarette case and some
+cablegrams that I had just received from home. The Colonel looked up
+with bleary eyes and said, "Shall I put him in the guardroom?" but
+the adjutant had been convinced by my papers that I was innocent and
+he said, "I think we can let him go, Sir." It was a great relief to
+me, because guard-rooms were not very clean. I was just making my way
+from the garden when out came the young despatch rider. I bore him no
+malice for his patriotic zeal. I felt that his heart was in the right
+place, so I said to him, "You have taken the part of this unknown
+officer, and now that you are sure I am all right, may I ask you what
+you know about him?" "I don't know anything", he said, "only that I
+met him and he asked me the way to the Brigade, and as I was going (p. 086)
+there myself I told him I would act as his guide." "Well", I said, "we
+are told that there are spies in the neighbourhood reporting the
+location of our batteries to the Germans, so we ought to be very
+careful how we give these locations away." "I tell you what, Sir," he
+replied, "I'll go and examine his wheel and see what the make is; I
+know a good deal about the wheels used in the army." We went over to
+the wheel and by the aid of my flashlight he examined it thoroughly
+and then said, "This is not an English wheel, I have never seen one
+like it before. This wheel was never in use in our army." The despatch
+rider now got an attack of spy-fever. It was decided that he should
+ride on to the Brigade Headquarters and find out if an Indian officer
+was expected there. He promised to come back as soon as possible and
+meet me in the road. We trusted that the bottle of whiskey in the
+Colonel's billet would cause sufficient delay for this to be
+accomplished. The night was cool and beautiful and the sense of an
+adventure added charm to the situation. I had not gone far down the
+road when to my horror I heard a wheel coming behind me, and turning,
+I saw my spy coming towards me as fast as he could. I was not of
+course going to let him get past. The added information as to the
+character of the wheel gave me even greater determination to see that
+everything was done to protect the army from the machinations of a
+German spy.
+
+I stood in the road and stopped the wheel. The poor man had to
+dismount and walk beside me. I wished to delay him long enough for the
+despatch rider to return with his message from the Brigade. Our
+conversation was a trifle forced, and I remember thinking that if my
+friend was really a British officer he would not have submitted quite
+so tamely to the interference of a Padre. Then I looked at the
+revolver in his belt, and I thought that, if, on the other hand, he
+was a German spy he would probably use his weapon in that lonely road
+and get rid of the man who was impeding his movements. We went on till
+we came to the sentry whom I had warned at first. At once, we were
+challenged, "Halt, who are you?" and the suspected spy replied "Indian
+Army." But the sentry was not satisfied, and to my delight he said,
+"You will both have to come in and be identified". We were taken into
+the guardroom and told that we should have to stay there for the
+night. My friend got very restless and said it was too bad to be held
+up like this. I looked anxiously down the road to see if there were
+any signs of the returning despatch rider. The sentries were       (p. 087)
+obdurate and said they wouldn't let us go till we could be identified
+in the morning. Then the officer requested that he might be sent to
+the Brigade under escort. The sergeant asked me if that would meet
+with my approval. I said, "Certainly", and so, turning out three
+members of the guard with fixed bayonets, they marched us off towards
+the Brigade. The spy had a man with a fixed bayonet on each side of
+him: they gave me only one. I felt that this was a slight upon my
+manhood, and asked why they did not put a soldier on each side of me
+too, as I was as good a man as the other. It was a queer procession in
+the moonlight. At last we came to the orchard in which stood the
+billet of the General commanding the Artillery Brigade. I was delighted
+to find that some Canadian Batteries were there, and told the men what
+my mission was. They instantly, as true Canadians, became fired with
+interest and spy-fever. When we got to the house I asked to see the
+General. He was asleep in a little room off the kitchen. I was shown
+in, and he lit a candle and proceeded to get up. I had never seen a
+general in bed before, so was much interested in discovering what he
+looked like and how he was dressed. I found that a general in war time
+goes to bed in his underclothes, like an ordinary private. The General
+got up and went outside and put the spy through a series of questions,
+but he did so in a very sleepy voice, and with a perfunctory manner
+which seemed to me to indicate that he was more concerned about
+getting back to bed than he was in saving the army from danger. He
+told the officer that it was too late then to carry on the business
+for which he had come, but that he would see about it in the morning.
+The spy with a guttural voice then said, "I suppose I may go, Sir?"
+and the General said, "Certainly." Quickly as possible, fearing a
+further arrest, the stranger went out, took his wheel, and sped down
+the road. When I went into the garden, I found a number of men from
+one of our ambulances. They had turned up with stolen rifles and were
+waiting with the keenest delight to join in "Canon Scott's spy hunt."
+Imagine therefore, their disappointment when the officer came out a
+free man, answered the sentry's challenge on the road, and disappeared
+in the distance.
+
+On the following day, the French military police came to my billet and
+asked for particulars about the Indian officer. They told Murdoch
+MacDonald that they were on the lookout for a German spy who was   (p. 088)
+reported to be going about through our lines dressed in a British
+uniform. He had been seen at an observation post, and was making
+enquiries which aroused suspicions. This of course made me more sorry
+than ever that I had allowed the spy to get through my fingers. Like
+the man the French police were after, the officer was fair, had a
+light moustache and was of good size and heavily built.
+
+My adventures with my friend did not end there. When we had left Festubert
+and got to the neighbourhood of Bethune, I took two young privates one
+day to have lunch with me in a French hotel near the Square. We were just
+beginning our meal when to my astonishment the suspected spy, accompanied
+by a French interpreter, sat down at an opposite table. He looked towards
+me but made no sign of recognition--a circumstance which I regarded as
+being decidedly suspicious. I naturally did not look for any demonstration
+of affection from him, but I thought he might have shown, if he were
+an honest man, that he remembered one who had caused him so much
+inconvenience. Once more the call of duty came to my soul. I felt that
+this man had dodged the British authorities and was now giving his
+information to a French interpreter to transmit it at the earliest
+possible moment to the Germans. I told my young friends to carry on as
+if nothing had happened, and excusing myself, said I would come back
+in a few minutes. I went out and inquired my way to the Town Major's
+office. There, I stated the object of my journey and asked for two
+policemen to come back with me and mount guard till I identified a
+suspicious looking officer. I then returned and finished my lunch.
+When the officer and the interpreter at the conclusion of their meal
+went out into the passage, I followed them and asked for their
+identification. The officer made no attempt to disguise or check his
+temper. He said that there must be an end to this sort of work. But
+the arrival of the two policemen in the passage showed that he had to
+do what I asked him. This he did, and the interpreter also, and the
+police took their names and addresses. Then I let my friends go, and
+heard them depart into the street hurling denunciations and threats of
+vengeance upon my devoted and loyal head.
+
+It was about a week or ten days afterwards that I was called into our
+own Brigadier's office. He held a bundle of letters in his hand stamped
+with all sorts of official seals. The gist of it all was that the G.O.C.
+of the Indian Division in France had reported to General Alderson the
+extraordinary and eccentric conduct of a Canadian Chaplain, who    (p. 089)
+persisted in arresting a certain British officer whenever they happened
+to meet. He wound up with this cutting comment, "The conduct of this
+chaplain seems to fit him rather for a lunatic asylum than for the
+theatre of a great war." Of course explanations were sent back. It was
+explained to the General that reports had reached us of the presence
+in our lines of a German spy in British uniform, who from the description
+given, resembled the Indian officer in all particulars.
+
+It is needless to say that every one was immensely amused at "the
+Canon's spy story," and I mentally resolved that I would be more
+careful in the future about being carried away by my suspicions. I
+told people however that I would rather run the risk of being laughed
+at over making a mistake than to let one real spy escape.
+
+Festubert made a heavy toll upon our numbers, and we were not sorry
+when we were ordered out of the line and found ourselves quartered in
+the neighbourhood of Bethune. Bethune at that time was a delightful
+place. It was full of people. The shops were well provided with
+articles for sale, and a restaurant in the quaint Grande Place, with
+its Spanish tower and Spanish houses, was the common meeting ground of
+friends. The gardens behind private residences brought back memories
+of pre-war days. The church was a beautiful one, built in the 16th
+century. The colours of the windows were especially rich. It was
+always delightful to enter it and think how it had stood the shock and
+turmoil of the centuries.
+
+One day when I was there the organ was being played most beautifully.
+Sitting next to me in a pew, was a Canadian Highlander clad in a very
+dirty uniform. He told me that a friend of his had been killed beside
+him drenching him in blood. The Highlander was the grandson of a
+British Prime Minister. We listened to the music till the recital was
+over, and then I went up to the gallery and made myself known to the
+organist. He was a delicate young fellow, quite blind, and was in a
+state of nervous excitement over his recent efforts. I made a bargain
+with him to give us a recital on the following evening. At the time
+appointed, therefore, I brought some of our men with me. The young
+organist met us at the church and I led him over to a monastery in
+which a British ambulance was making its headquarters. There, in the
+chapel, the blind man poured out his soul in the strains of a most
+beautiful instrument. We sat entranced in the evening light. He
+transported us into another world. We forgot the shells, the mud,  (p. 090)
+the darkness, the wounded men, the lonely graves, and the hideous fact
+of war. We wandered free and unanxious down the avenues of thought and
+emotion which were opened up before us by the genius of him whose eyes
+were shut to this world. It was with deep regret that, when the concert
+was over, we heard him close the keyboard. Three years later the
+organist was killed by a shell while he was sitting at his post in the
+church he loved so well and had never seen.
+
+When we were at Bethune a very important event in my military career
+took place. In answer to repeated requests, Headquarters procured me a
+horse. I am told that the one sent to me came by mistake and was not
+that which they intended me to have. The one I was to have, I heard,
+was the traditional padre's horse, heavy, slow, unemotional, and with
+knees ready at all times to sink in prayer. The animal sent to me,
+however, was a high-spirited chestnut thoroughbred, very pretty, very
+lively and neck-reined. It had once belonged to an Indian general, and
+was partly Arab. Poor Dandy was my constant companion to the end.
+After the Armistice, to prevent his being sold to the Belgian army, he
+was mercifully shot, by the orders of our A.D.V.S. Dandy certainly was
+a beauty, and his lively disposition made him interesting to ride. I
+was able now to do much more parish visiting, and I was rather amused
+at the way in which my mount was inspected by the different grooms in
+our units. I had to stand the fire of much criticism. Evil and
+covetous eyes were set upon Dandy. I was told he was "gone" in the
+knees. I was told he had a hump on the back--he had what is known as
+the "Jumper's bump." Men tickled his back and, because he wriggled,
+told me he was "gone" in the kidneys. I was told he was no proper
+horse for a padre, but that a fair exchange was always open to me. I
+was offered many an old transport hack for Dandy, and once was even
+asked if I would change him for a pair of mules. I took all the
+criticisms under consideration, and then when they were repeated I
+told the men that really I loved to ride a horse with a hump on its
+back. It was so biblical, just like riding a camel. As for bad
+kidneys, both Dandy and I were teetotallers and we could arrest
+disease by our temperance habits. The weakness of knees too was no
+objection in my eyes. In fact, I had so long, as a parson, sat over
+weak-kneed congregations that I felt quite at home sitting on a
+weak-kneed horse.
+
+Poor dear old Dandy, many were the rides we had together. Many     (p. 091)
+were the jumps we took. Many were the ditches we tumbled into. Many
+were the unseen barbed wires and overhanging telephone wires which we
+broke, you with your chest and I with my nose and forehead. Many were
+the risks we ran in front of batteries in action which neither of us
+had observed till we found ourselves deafened with a hideous explosion
+and wrapped in flame. I loved you dearly, Dandy, and I wish I could
+pull down your soft face towards mine once again, and talk of the
+times when you took me down Hill 63 and along Hyde Park corner at
+Ploegsteert. Had I not been wounded and sent back to England at the
+end of the war, I would have brought you home with me to show to my
+family--a friend that not merely uncomplainingly but cheerfully, with
+prancing feet and arching neck and well groomed skin, bore me safely
+through dangers and darkness, on crowded roads and untracked fields.
+What dances we have had together, Dandy, when I have got the bands to
+play a waltz and you have gone through the twists and turns of a
+performance in which you took an evident delight! I used to tell the
+men that Dandy and I always came home together. Sometimes I was on his
+back and sometimes he was on mine, but we always came home together.
+
+A few days later my establishment was increased by the purchase of a
+well-bred little white fox-terrier. He rejoiced in the name of Philo
+and became my inseparable companion. The men called him my curate.
+Dandy, Philo and I made a family party which was bound together by very
+close ties of affection. Though none of us could speak the language of
+the others, yet the sympathy of each enabled us to understand and
+appreciate one another's opinions. I always knew what Dandy thought
+and what he would do. I always knew too what Philo was thinking about.
+Philo had a great horror of shells. I put this down to the fact that
+he was born at Beuvry, a place which had been long under shell-fire.
+When he heard a shell coming in his direction, Philo used to go to the
+door of the dugout and listen for the explosion, and then come back to
+me in a state of whining terror. He could not even stand the sound of
+our own guns. It made him run round and round barking and howling
+furiously.
+
+It was while we were out in rest at Bethune that I was told I could go
+on a week's leave to London. I was glad of this, not only for the
+change of scene, but for the sake of getting new clothes. I awoke  (p. 092)
+in the early morning and listened to the French guns pounding away
+wearily near Souchez. At noon I started with a staff officer in a
+motor for Boulogne. It was a lovely day, and as we sped down the road
+through little white unspoilt villages and saw peaceful fields once
+again, it seemed as if I were waking from a hideous dream. That
+evening we pulled in to Victoria Station, and heard the Westminster
+chimes ringing out half past eight.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.                                                      (p. 093)
+
+PLOEGSTEERT--A LULL IN OPERATIONS.
+
+_July to December, 1915._
+
+
+Leave in London during the war never appealed to me. I always felt
+like a fish out of water. When I went to concerts and theatres, all
+the time amid the artistic gaiety of the scene I kept thinking of the
+men in the trenches, their lonely vigils, their dangerous working
+parties, and the cold rain and mud in which their lives were passed.
+And I thought too of the wonderful patrol kept up on the dark seas, by
+heroic and suffering men who guarded the life and liberty of Britain.
+The gaiety seemed to be a hollow mockery. I was not sorry therefore
+when my week's leave was over and I went back to the line. A staff
+officer whom I met on the leave boat informed me that the Division had
+changed its trenches, and my Brigade had left Bethune. We had a most
+wonderful run in the staff car from Boulogne, and in two hours arrived
+at the Brigade Headquarters at Steenje, near Bailleul. There, with my
+haversacks, I was left by the staff car at midnight and had to find a
+lodging place. The only light I saw was in the upper windows of the
+Cure's house, the rest of the village was in complete darkness. I
+knocked on the door and, after a few minutes, the head and shoulders
+of a man in pyjamas looked out from the window and asked me who I was
+and what I wanted. On my giving my name and requesting admission, he
+very kindly came down and let me in and gave me a bed on the floor. On
+a mattress beside me was a young officer of the Alberta Dragoons, only
+nineteen years of age. He afterwards joined the Flying Corps and met
+his death by jumping out of his machine at an altitude of six thousand
+feet, when it was hit and burst into flames. The Alberta Dragoons
+later on became the Canadian Light Horse, and were Corps Troops. At
+that time, they were part of the 1st Division and were a magnificent
+body. The practical elimination of cavalry in modern warfare has taken
+all the romance and chivalry out of fighting. It is just as well
+however for the world that the old feudal conception of war has passed
+away. The army will be looked upon in the future as a class of citizens
+who are performing the necessary and unpleasant task of policing the
+world, in order that the rational occupations of human life may    (p. 094)
+be carried on without interruption.
+
+Brigade Headquarters now moved to a large farm behind the trenches at
+Ploegsteert. I bid farewell to my friends of the Alberta Dragoons and
+found a billet at La Creche. From thence I moved to Romarin and made
+my home in a very dirty little French farmhouse. The Roman Catholic
+chaplain and I had each a heap of straw in an outhouse which was a
+kind of general workroom. At one end stood a large churn, which was
+operated, when necessary, by a trained dog, which was kept at other
+times in a cage. The churn was the breeding place of innumerable
+blue-bottles, who in spite of its savoury attractions annoyed us very
+much by alighting on our food and on our faces. I used to say to my
+friend, the chaplain, when at night we had retired to our straw beds
+and were reading by the light of candles stuck on bully beef tins,
+that the lion and the lamb were lying down together. We could never
+agree as to which of the animals each of us represented. At the head
+of my heap of straw there was an entrance to the cellar. The ladies of
+the family, who were shod in wooden shoes, used to clatter round our
+slumbers in the early morning getting provisions from below. Life
+under such conditions was peculiarly unpleasant. It was quite impossible
+too to have a bath. I announced to the family one day that I was going
+to take one. Murdoch MacDonald provided some kind of large tub which
+he filled with dishes of steaming water. Instead however of the fact
+that I was about to have a bath acting as a deterrent to the visits of
+the ladies, the announcement seemed to have the opposite effect. So
+great were the activities of the family in the cellar and round the
+churn that I had to abandon the idea of bathing altogether. I determined
+therefore to get a tent of my own and plant it in the field. I wrote
+to England and got a most wonderful little house. It was a small
+portable tent. When it was set up it covered a piece of ground six
+feet four inches square. The pole, made in two parts like a fishing
+rod, was four feet six inches high. The tent itself was brown, and
+made like a pyramid. One side had to be buttoned up when I had
+retired. It looked very small as a place for human habitation. On one
+side of the pole was my Wolseley sleeping bag, on the other a box in
+which to put my clothes, and on which stood a lantern. When Philo and
+I retired for the night we were really very comfortable, but we were
+much annoyed by earwigs and the inquisitiveness of the cows, who   (p. 095)
+never could quite satisfy themselves as to what we were. Many is the
+time we have been awakened out of sleep in the morning by the sniffings
+and sighings of a cow, who poked round my tent until I thought she had
+the intention of swallowing us up after the manner in which the cow
+disposed of Tom Thumb. At such times I would turn Philo loose upon the
+intruder. Philo used to suffer at night from the cold, and would wake
+me up by insisting upon burrowing his way down into my tightly laced
+valise. There he would sleep till he got so hot that he woke me up
+again burrowing his way out. It would not be long before once again
+the cold of the tent drove him to seek refuge in my bed. I hardly ever
+had a night's complete rest. Once I rolled over on him, and, as he was
+a very fiery tempered little dog, he got very displeased and began to
+snap and bark in a most unpleasant manner. As the sleeping bag was
+tightly laced it was difficult to extract him. Philo waged a kind of
+submarine warfare there until grasping his snout, I pulled him out and
+refused all his further appeals for readmission.
+
+My little tent gave me great comfort and a sense of independence. I
+could go where I pleased and camp in the lines of the battalions when
+they came out of the trenches. This enabled me to get into closer
+touch with the men. One young western fellow said that my encampment
+consisted of a caboose, my tent, a cayouse, which was Dandy, and a
+papoose, which was my little dog, friend Philo. Now that I had a
+comfortable billet of my own I determined that Romarin was too far
+from the men, so I removed my settlement up to the Neuve Eglise road
+and planted it near some trees in the field just below the row of huts
+called Bulford Camp. At this time, Murdoch MacDonald went to the
+transport lines, and his place was taken by my friend Private Ross, of
+the 16th Battalion, the Canadian Scottish. He stayed with me to the
+end. We were very comfortable in the field. Ross made himself a
+bivouac of rubber sheets. Dandy was picketed not far off and, under
+the trees, my little brown pyramid tent was erected, with a rude bench
+outside for a toilet table, and a large tin pail for a bath-tub. When
+the battalions came out of the line and inhabited Bulford Camp and the
+huts of Court-o-Pyp, I used to arrange a Communion Service for the men
+every morning. At Bulford Camp the early morning services were
+specially delightful. Not far off, was the men's washing place, a
+large ditch full of muddy water into which the men took headers.   (p. 096)
+Beside it were long rows of benches, in front of which the operation
+of shaving was carried on. The box I used as an altar was placed under
+the green trees, and covered with the dear old flag, which now hangs
+in the chancel of my church in Quebec. On top was a white altar cloth,
+two candles and a small crucifix. At these services only about ten or
+a dozen men attended, but it was inspiring to minister to them. I used
+to hear from time to time that so and so had been killed, and I knew
+he had made his last Communion at one of such services. It was an
+evidence of the changed attitude towards religion that the men in
+general did not count it strange that soldiers should thus come to
+Holy Communion in public. No one was ever laughed at or teased for
+doing so.
+
+Neuve Eglise, at the top of the road, had been badly wrecked by German
+shells. I went up there one night with an officer friend of mine, to
+see the scene of desolation. We were halted by some of our cyclists
+who were patrolling the road. Whenever they stopped me at night and
+asked who I was I always said, "German spy", and they would reply,
+"Pass, German spy, all's well." My friend and I went down the street
+of the broken and deserted village, which, from its position on the
+hill, was an easy mark for shell fire. Not a living thing was stirring
+except a big black cat which ran across our path. The moonlight made
+strange shadows in the roofless houses. Against the west wall of the
+church stood a large crucifix still undamaged. The roof had gone, and
+the moonlight flooded the ruins through the broken Gothic windows. To
+the left, ploughed up with shells, were the tombs of the civilian
+cemetery, and the whole place was ghostly and uncanny.
+
+Near the huts, on the hill at Bulford Camp was a hollow in the ground
+which made a natural amphitheatre. Here at night concerts were given.
+All the audience packed together very closely sat on the ground.
+Before us, at the end of the hollow, the performers would appear, and
+overhead the calm stars looked down. I always went to these
+entertainments well provided with Players' cigarettes. A neat trick
+was played upon me one night. I passed my silver cigarette case round
+to the men and told them that all I wanted back was the case. In a
+little while it was passed back to me. I looked into it to see if a
+cigarette had been left for my use, when, to my astonishment, I found
+that the case had been filled with De Reszke's, my favourite brand. I
+thanked my unknown benefactor for his graceful generosity.
+
+The field behind the huts at Court-o-Pyp was another of my         (p. 097)
+favourite camping grounds. It was on the Neuve Eglise side of the
+camp, and beyond us was some barbed wire. About two o'clock one night
+I was aroused by an excited conversation which was being carried on
+between my friend Ross in his bivouac, and a soldier who had been
+dining late and had lost his way. The young fellow had got it into his
+head that he had wandered into the German lines, and Ross had great
+difficulty in convincing him that he was quite safe. He was just going
+off with mind appeased when he caught sight of my pyramid tent on a
+rise in the ground. "What's that?" he cried in terror, evidently
+pointing towards my little house. "That's the Rev. Major Canon Scott's
+billet" said Ross with great dignity from under his rubber sheets, and
+the man went off in fear of his identity becoming known. He afterwards
+became an officer and a very gallant one too, and finally lost a leg
+in the service of his country. But many is the time I have chaffed him
+about the night he thought he had wandered into the German lines.
+
+One day when I had ridden up to Court-o-Pyp I found that a canteen had
+just been opened there, and being urged to make a purchase for good
+luck I bought a large bottle of tomato catsup, which I put into my
+saddle bag. I noticed that the action was under the observation of the
+battalion, which had just returned from the trenches and was about to
+be dismissed. I mounted my horse and went over to the C.O. and asked
+if I might say a word to the men before he dismissed them. He told me
+the men were tired, but I promised not to keep them long. He called
+out, "Men, Canon Scott wants to say a word to you before you are
+dismissed," and they stood to attention. "All I wanted to say to you,
+Boys, was this; that was a bottle of tomato catsup which I put in my
+saddle bag, and not, as you thought, a bottle of whiskey." A roar of
+laughter went up from all ranks.
+
+It was about this time that our Brigadier was recalled to England to
+take over the command of a Division. We were all sincerely sorry to
+lose him from the 3rd Brigade. He was ever a good and true friend, and
+took a deep interest in his men. But the immediate effect of his
+departure, as far as I was concerned, was to remove out of my life the
+hideous spectre of No. 2 General Hospital, and to give me absolute
+liberty in wandering through the trenches. In fact, as I told him
+sometime afterwards, I was beginning a little poem, the first line of
+which was "I never knew what freedom meant until he went away."
+
+One day, General Seely invited me to go and stay with him at his   (p. 098)
+Headquarters in Westhof Farm where I had a most delightful time.
+Not only was the General a most entertaining host, but his staff were
+very charming. At dinner, we avoided war topics and shop, and talked
+about things political and literary. The mess was in the farm building
+and our sleeping quarters were on an island in the moat. My stay here
+brought me into contact with the Canadian Cavalry Brigade, and a fine
+lot of men they were.
+
+But a change in my fortunes was awaiting me. The Senior Chaplain of
+the Division had gone back to England, and General Alderson sent for
+me one day to go to Nieppe. There he told me he wished me to be Senior
+Chaplain. I was not altogether pleased at the appointment, because it
+meant that I should be taken away from my beloved 3rd Brigade. I told
+the General so, but he assured me I should not have to stay all the
+time at Headquarters, and could go with the 3rd Brigade as much as I
+pleased.
+
+This unexpected promotion, after what I had gone through, opened up a
+life of almost dazzling splendour. I now had to go and live in the
+village of Nieppe on the Bailleul-Armentieres road. Here were our
+Headquarters. General Alderson had his house in the Square. Another
+building was occupied by our officers, and a theatre was at my
+disposal for Church Services and entertainments. The town was also the
+Headquarters of a British Division, so we had plenty of men to look
+after. I got an upper room in a house owned by an old lady. The front
+room downstairs was my office, and I had a man as a clerk. Round my
+bedroom window grew a grape vine, and at night when the moon was
+shining, I could sit on my window-sill, listen to the sound of shells,
+watch the flare lights behind Armentieres and eat the grapes which
+hung down in large clusters. Poor Nieppe has shared the fate of Neuve
+Eglise and Bailleul and is now a ruin. Everyone was exceedingly kind,
+and I soon found that the added liberty which came to me from having a
+definite position really increased my chances of getting amongst the
+men. By leaving my clerk to do the work of Senior Chaplain, I could go
+off and be lost at the front for a day and a night without ever being
+missed. I knew that each brigade must now have an equal share of my
+interest and I was very careful never to show any preference. A
+chaplain had at all times to be very careful to avoid anything that
+savoured of favouritism. I was now also formally inducted into the
+membership of that august body known as "C" mess, where the heads  (p. 099)
+of non-combatant departments met for dining and wining. Somebody
+asked me one day what "C" mess was. I told him it was a lot of
+withered old boughs on the great tree of the Canadian Expeditionary
+Force--a description which was naturally much resented by the other
+members. I had no difficulty now in arranging for my billets, as that
+was always done for me by our Camp Commandant.
+
+Life in Nieppe was very delightful and the presence of the British
+Division gave it an added charm. We had very pleasant services in the
+Hall, and every Sunday evening I had a choral Evensong. So many of the
+men who attended had been choristers in England or Canada that the
+responses were sung in harmony by the entire congregation. On week
+days we had smoking concerts and entertainments of various kinds. I
+sometimes had to take duty with the British units. On one occasion, I
+was invited to hold a service for his men by a very staunch churchman,
+a Colonel in the Army Service Corps. He told me, before the service,
+that his unit had to move on the following day, and also that he was
+accustomed to choose and read the lesson himself. I was delighted to
+find a layman so full of zeal. But in the midst of the service I was
+rather distressed at his choice of the lesson. It was hard enough to
+get the interest of the men as it was, but the Colonel made it more
+difficult by choosing a long chapter from Deuteronomy narrating the
+wanderings of the children of Israel in the desert. Of course the C.O.
+and I knew that the A.S.C. was to move on the following day, but the
+congregation was not aware of the fact, and they must have been
+puzzled by the application of the chapter to the religious needs of
+the men at the front. However the reader was delighted with his choice
+of subject, and at tea afterwards told me how singularly appropriate
+the lesson was on this particular occasion. I thought it was wiser to
+make no comment, but I wondered what spiritual fruit was gathered by
+the mind of the ordinary British Tommy from a long account of Israel's
+pitching their tents and perpetually moving to places with
+extraordinary names.
+
+We had several meetings of chaplains, and I paid a visit to the Deputy
+Chaplain General, Bishop Gwynne, at his headquarters in St. Omer. He
+was exceedingly kind and full of human interest in the men. The whole
+conception of the position of an army chaplain was undergoing a great
+and beneficial change. The rules which hitherto had fenced off the
+chaplains, as being officers, from easy intercourse with the men   (p. 100)
+were being relaxed. Chaplains were being looked upon more as parish
+priests to their battalions. They could be visited freely by the men,
+and could also have meals with the men when they saw fit. I am
+convinced that it is a mistake to lay stress upon the chaplain's
+office as a military one. The chaplain is not a soldier, and has no
+men, as a doctor has, under his command. His office being a spiritual
+one ought to be quite outside military rank. To both officers and men,
+he holds a unique position, enabling him to become the friend and
+companion of all. Bishop Gwynne upheld the spiritual side of the
+chaplain's work, and by establishing conferences and religious
+retreats for the chaplains, endeavoured to keep up the sacred
+standards which army life tended so much to drag down.
+
+The Cathedral at St. Omer is a very beautiful one, and it was most
+restful to sit in it and meditate, looking down the long aisles and
+arches that had stood so many centuries the political changes of
+Europe. One morning when the sun was flooding the building and casting
+the colours of the windows in rich patterns on the floor, I sat under
+the gallery at the west end and read Shelley's great elegy. I remember
+those wonderful last lines and I thought how, like an unshattered
+temple, the great works of literature survive the tempests of national
+strife. My mind was carried far away, beyond the anxieties and sorrows
+of the present,
+
+  "To where the soul of Adonais like a star
+  Beacons from the abode where the Eternal are."
+
+In the square was a large building which had been used originally as
+headquarters for the Intelligence Department. Later on, this building
+was taken by the Bishop and used as the Chaplains' Rest-Home. There is
+an amusing story told of a despatch rider who came to the place with a
+message for its original occupants, but when he inquired for the
+Intelligence Department the orderly answered, "This is the Chaplains'
+Rest Home, there is no Intelligence here." At St. Omer also was the
+office of the Principal Chaplain who had under his charge all the
+Non-Conformist Chaplains at the front. The very best relations existed
+between the various religious bodies, and it was the endeavour of all
+the chaplains to see that every man got the religious privileges of
+his own faith.
+
+We arrived in the Ploegsteert area at a good time for the digging and
+repairing of the trenches. The clay in Belgium in fine weather     (p. 101)
+is easily worked; consequently a most elaborate and well made system
+of trenches was established in front of Messines. The brown sides of
+the trenches became dry and hard in the sun, and the bath-mats along
+them made walking easy. The trenches were named, "Currie Avenue,"
+"McHarg Avenue," "Seely Avenue," and so forth. The men had their
+cookers and primus stoves, and occupied their spare time in the line
+by cooking all sorts of dainty dishes. Near the trenches on the other
+side of Hill 63 were several ruined farm houses, known as "Le Perdu
+Farm," "Ration Farm," and one, around which hovered a peculiarly
+unsavoury atmosphere, as "Stinking Farm." Hill 63 was a hill which ran
+immediately behind our trench area and was covered at its right end
+with a delightful wood. Here were "Grand Moncque Farm," "Petit Moncque
+Farm," "Kort Dreuve Farm" and the "Piggeries." All these farms were
+used as billets by the battalions who were in reserve. In Ploegsteert
+Wood, "Woodcote Farm," and "Red Lodge," were also used for the same
+purpose. The wood in those days was a very pleasant place to wander
+through. Anything that reminded us of the free life of nature acted as
+a tonic to the nerves, and the little paths among the trees which
+whispered overhead in the summer breezes made one imagine that one was
+wandering through the forests in Canada. In the wood were several
+cemeteries kept by different units, very neatly laid out and carefully
+fenced in. I met an officer one day who told me he was going up to the
+trenches one evening past a cemetery in the wood, when he heard the
+sound of someone sobbing. He looked into the place and there saw a
+young boy lying beside a newly made grave. He went in and spoke to him
+and the boy seemed confused that he had been discovered in his sorrow.
+"It's the grave of my brother, Sir," he said, "He was buried here this
+afternoon and now I have got to go back to the line without him." The
+lad dried his eyes, shouldered his rifle and went through the woodland
+path up to the trenches. No one would know again the inner sorrow that
+had darkened his life. The farms behind the wood made really very
+pleasant homes for awhile. They have all now been levelled to the
+ground, but at the time I speak of they were in good condition and had
+many large and commodious buildings. At Kort Dreuve there was a very
+good private chapel, which the proprietor gave me the use of for my
+Communion Services. It was quite nice to have a little Gothic chapel
+with fine altar, and the men who attended always enjoyed the       (p. 102)
+services there. Round the farm was a large moat full of good sized
+gold-fish, which the men used to catch surreptitiously and fry for
+their meals. "The Piggeries" was a large building in which the King of
+the Belgians had kept a fine breed of pigs. It was very long and
+furnished inside with two rows of styes built solidly of concrete.
+These were full of straw, and in them the men slept.
+
+I was visiting one of the battalions there one evening, when I heard
+that they had been ordered to go back to the trenches before Sunday. I
+told some of the men that I thought that, as they would be in the
+trenches on Sunday, it would be a good idea if we had a voluntary
+service that evening. They seemed pleased, so I collected quite a
+large congregation at one end of the Piggeries, and was leading up to
+the service by a little overture in the shape of a talk about the war
+outlook, when I became aware that there was a fight going on at the
+other end of the low building, and that some of the men on the
+outskirts of the congregation were beginning to get restive. I knew
+that a voluntary service could not stand up against the rivalry of a
+fight, so I thought I had better take the bull by the horns. I said,
+"Boys, I think there is a fight going on at the ether end of the
+Piggeries, and perhaps it would be well to postpone the service and go
+and see the fight, and then return and carry on." The men were much
+relieved and, amid great laughter, my congregation broke loose and ran
+to the other end of the building, followed by myself. The fight was
+soon settled by the intervention of a sergeant, and then I said, "Now,
+Boys, let us go back to the other end and have the service." I thought
+the change of location might have a good effect upon their minds and
+souls. So back we went again to the other end of the building and
+there had a really enthusiastic and devout service. When it was over,
+I told the men that nothing helped so much to make a service bright
+and hearty as the inclusion of a fight, and that when I returned to
+Canada, if at any time my congregation was listless or sleepy, I would
+arrange a fight on the other side of the street to which we could
+adjourn and from which we should return with renewed spiritual
+fervour. I have met many men at different times who look back upon
+that service with pleasure.
+
+We had a feeling that Ploegsteert was to be our home for a good long
+time, so we settled down to our life there. We had visits from Sir Sam
+Hughes and Sir Robert Borden, and also Lord Kitchener. I was not
+present when the latter inspected the men, but I asked one who     (p. 103)
+was there what it was like. "Oh Sir," he replied, "we stood to
+attention, and Kitchener passed down the lines very quietly and
+coldly. He merely looked at us with his steely grey eyes and said to
+himself, "I wonder how many of these men will be in hell next week."
+General Hughes' inspection of one of the battalions near Ploegsteert
+Wood was interrupted by shells and the men were hastily dismissed.
+
+A visit to the trenches was now a delightful expedition. All the way
+from Nieppe to Hill 63 one came upon the headquarters of some unit. At
+a large farm called "Lampernise Farm" all the transports of the 3rd
+Brigade were quartered. I used to have services for them in the open
+on a Sunday evening. It was very difficult at first to collect a
+congregation, so I adopted the plan of getting two or three men who
+could sing, and then going over with them to an open place in the
+field, and starting some well known hymn. One by one others would come
+up and hymn-books were distributed. By the time the service was
+finished, we generally had quite a good congregation, but it took a
+certain amount of courage and faith to start the service. One felt
+very much like a little band of Salvationists in a city square.
+
+In spite of having a horse to ride, it was sometimes difficult to
+cover the ground between the services on Sunday. One afternoon, when I
+had been to the Cavalry Brigade at Petit Moncque Farm, I had a great
+scramble to get back in time to the transport lines. In a bag hanging
+over the front of my saddle, I had five hundred hymn books. Having
+taken a wrong turn in the road I lost some time which it was necessary
+to make up, and, in my efforts to make haste, the string of the bag
+broke and hymn books fluttered out and fell along the road. Dandy took
+alarm, misunderstanding the nature of the fluttering white things, and
+started to gallop. With two haversacks on my back it was difficult to
+hold on to the bag of hymn books and at the same time to prevent their
+loss. The more the hymn books fluttered out, the harder Dandy bolted,
+and the harder Dandy bolted, the more the hymn books fluttered out. At
+last I passed a soldier in the road and asked him to come to my
+assistance. I managed to rein in the horse, and the man collected as
+many of the hymn books as were not spoilt by the mud. Knowing how hard
+it was and how long it took to get hymn books from the Base, it was
+with regret that I left any behind. But then I reflected that it might
+be really a scattering of the seed by the wayside. Some poor lone  (p. 104)
+soldier who had been wandering from the paths of rectitude might pick
+up the hymns by chance and be converted. Indulging in such self
+consolation I arrived just in time for the service.
+
+Services were never things you could be quite sure of until they came
+off. Often I have gone to bed on Saturday night feeling that
+everything had been done in the way of arranging for the following
+day. Battalions had been notified, adjutants had put the hours of
+service in orders, and places for the gatherings had been carefully
+located. Then on the following day, to my intense disgust, I would
+find that all my plans had been frustrated. Some general had taken it
+into his head to order an inspection, or some paymaster had been asked
+to come down and pay off the men. The Paymaster's Parade, in the eyes
+of the men, took precedence of everything else. A Church Service was
+nowhere in comparison. More often than I can recollect, all my
+arrangements for services have been upset by a sudden order for the
+men to go to a bathing parade. Every time this happened, the Adjutant
+would smile and tell me, as if I had never heard it before, that
+"cleanliness was next to godliness." A chaplain therefore had his
+trials, but in spite of them it was the policy of wisdom not to show
+resentment and to hold one's tongue. I used to look at the Adjutant,
+and merely remark quietly, in the words of the Psalmist, "I held my
+tongue with bit and bridle, while the ungodly was in my sight."
+
+People at Headquarters soon got accustomed to my absence and never
+gave me a thought. I used to take comfort in remembering Poo Bah's
+song in the Mikado, "He never will be missed, he never will be missed."
+Sometimes when I have started off from home in the morning my sergeant
+and Ross have asked me when I was going to return. I told them that if
+they would go down on their knees and pray for illumination on the
+subject, they might find out, but that I had not the slightest idea
+myself. A visit to the trenches was most fascinating. I used to take
+Philo with me. He found much amusement in hunting for rats, and would
+often wander off into No Man's Land and come back covered with the
+blood of his victims. One night I had missed him for some time, and
+was whistling for him, when a sentry told me that a white dog had been
+"captured" by one of the men with the thought that it was a German
+police dog, and he had carried it off to company headquarters under
+sentence of death. I hurried up the trench and was just in time    (p. 105)
+to save poor little Philo from a court martial. There had been a
+warning in orders that day against the admission of dogs from the
+German lines.
+
+The men were always glad of a visit, and I used to distribute little
+bronze crucifixes as I went along. I had them sent to me from London,
+and have given away hundreds of them. I told the men that if anyone
+asked them why they were at the war, that little cross with the patient
+figure of self-sacrifice upon it, would be the answer. The widow of an
+officer who was killed at Albert told me the cross which I gave her
+husband was taken from his dead body, and she now had it, and would
+wear it to her dying day. I was much surprised and touched to see the
+value which the men set upon these tokens of their faith. I told them
+to try to never think, say or do anything which would make them want
+to take off the cross from their necks.
+
+The dugouts in which the officers made their homes were quite
+comfortable, and very merry parties we have had in the little earth
+houses which were then on the surface of the ground. One night when
+some new officers had arrived to take over the line, one of the
+companies gave them a dinner, consisting of five or six courses, very
+nicely cooked. We were never far however, from the presence of the
+dark Angel, and our host on that occasion was killed the next night.
+Our casualties at this time were not heavy, although every day there
+were some men wounded or killed. The shells occasionally made direct
+hits upon the trenches. I came upon a place once which was terribly
+messed about, and two men were sitting by roaring with laughter. They
+said their dinner was all prepared in their dugout, and they had gone
+off to get some wood for the fire, when a shell landed and knocked
+their home into ruins. They were preparing to dig for their kit and so
+much of their dinner as would still be eatable. As they took the whole
+matter as a joke, I joined with them in the laugh. One day as I was
+going up the line, a young sapper was carried out on a sitting
+stretcher. He was hit through the chest, and all the way along the
+bath mats was the trail of the poor boy's blood. He was only nineteen
+years of age, and had done splendid work and won the admiration of all
+the men in his company. I had a short prayer with him, and then saw
+him carried off to the dressing station, where not long after he died.
+The sergeant who was with him was exceedingly kind, and looked after
+the boy like a father. As the war went on, the men were being      (p. 106)
+united more and more closely in the bonds of a common sympathy and a
+tender helpfulness. To the enemy, until he was captured, they were
+flint and iron; to one another they were friends and brothers.
+
+It always took a long time to pass down the trenches. There were so
+many men I knew and I could not pass them without a short
+conversation. Time, in the line had really no meaning, except in the
+matter of "standing to" or "changing guard". On fine days, the life
+was not unpleasant. I remember, however, on one dark rainy night,
+being in a trench in front of Wulverghem. The enemy trenches were at
+that point only thirty-five yards away. I was squeezed into a little
+muddy dugout with an officer, when the corporal came and asked for a
+tot of rum for his men. They had been lying out on patrol duty in the
+mud and rain in front of our trench for two hours.
+
+Dandy was still the envy of our men in the transport lines, and one
+day I nearly lost him. I rode up to Hill 63. Just behind it was an
+orchard, and in it there were two batteries of British Artillery,
+which were attached to our Division. I was going up to the trenches
+that afternoon, so I gave the horse some oats and tied him to a tree
+near the officers' billet. I then went up over the hill down to Ration
+Farm, and from thence into the line. It was quite late in the
+afternoon, but walking through the trenches was easy when it was not
+raining. I was returning about 10 o'clock, when the second in command
+of the 16th Battalion asked me to wait for him and we would come out
+together over the open. It must have been about midnight when I
+started with the Major, and another officer. The night was dark and it
+was rather a scramble, but the German flare lights would go up now and
+then and show us our course. Suddenly a machine gun opened up, and we
+had to lie on our faces listening to the swish of the flying bullets
+just overhead. I turned to the officer next to me and asked him how
+long he had been at the front. He said he had only arrived that
+afternoon at four o' clock. I told him it wasn't always like this, and
+we laughed over the curious life to which he had been so recently
+introduced. We finally made our way to Ration Farm and as I had a long
+ride before me, I determined to go back. I was very hungry, as I had
+had nothing to eat since luncheon. I went into a cellar at Ration Farm
+and there found one of the men reading by the light of a candle
+supported on tins of bully-beef. I asked him for one of these and he
+gladly gave it to me. As I started up the hill on the long         (p. 107)
+straight road with trees on either side, I tried to open the tin with
+the key, but as usual it broke and left only a little crack through
+which with my penknife I extracted strings of beef. I could not use my
+flashlight, as the hill was in sight of the enemy, so I had to content
+myself with what nourishment I was able to obtain. Half way up the
+hill I noticed a tall figure standing by one of the trees. I thought
+he might be a spy but I accosted him and found he was one of the
+Strathcona Horse who had a working party in the trenches that night. I
+told him my difficulty, and he got his knife and very kindly took off
+the top of the tin. By this time a drizzling rain was falling and the
+night was decidedly uncomfortable. I went over the hill and down to
+the orchard, and made my way to the tree to which poor old Dandy had
+been tied so many hours before. There, I found the tree just where I
+had left it--it was of no use to me, as, like the barren fig tree, it
+had no fruit upon it, but to my horror the horse, which was so
+necessary, had disappeared. I scoured the orchard in vain looking for
+my faithful friend, and then I went over to the Artillery officers'
+house and told them my trouble. We all decided that it was too late to
+search any longer, I was provided with a mackintosh, and determined to
+make my way over to Petit Moncque Farm where the 3rd Infantry Brigade
+Headquarters were. It was a long walk and the roads were sloppy. The
+path I took led through a field of Indian corn. This, though not ripe
+and not cooked, would remind me of Canada, so with my search-light I
+hunted for two or three of the hardest ears, and then, fortified with
+these, made my way over towards the farm.
+
+From past experience, I knew that a sentry was stationed somewhere in
+the road. The sudden challenge of a sentry in the dark always gave me
+a fright, so I determined this time to be on the watch and keep from
+getting a surprise. However when I arrived at the place where the man
+usually stood, no one challenged me. I thought that perhaps on account
+of the night being rainy and uncomfortable he had retired to the guard
+room, and I walked along with a free mind. I was just near the large
+gateway, however, when a most stentorian voice shouted out, "Halt, who
+goes there?" and at the same instant in the darkness I saw the sudden
+flash of a bayonet flourished in my direction. Not expecting such an
+event, I could not for the moment think of what I ought to say, but I
+called out in equally stentorian tones, "For heaven's sake, my boy,
+don't make such a row; its only Canon Scott and I have lost my     (p. 108)
+horse." A burst of laughter greeted my announcement, and the man
+told me that, seeing somebody with a flashlight at that time of the
+night wandering through the fields, and searching for something, he
+had become convinced that a German spy was at work cutting the
+telephone wires that led back to the guns, so he had got near the
+guard room where he could obtain assistance, and awaited my approach
+in the darkness. It was a great relief to get to headquarters, and the
+officer on duty kindly lent me his comfortable sleeping bag. The next
+morning I made my way back to Nieppe, and telegraphed to the various
+units, searching for Dandy. Later on, in the afternoon, he was brought
+in by a man of the Strathcona Horse. His story was that the
+intelligent animal had untied himself from the tree and followed the
+working party home from the orchard. It is most likely that he had
+preceded them. Luckily for me, their quartermaster had recognized him
+in the Strathcona lines, and, being an honest man, had sent him back.
+The incident taught me a great and useful lesson, and in future I was
+very careful to see that my horse was safely guarded whenever I had to
+leave him.
+
+Our signallers had been active in setting up a wireless telegraph in a
+field near Headquarters and were able to get the various communiques
+which were sent out during the night by the different nations. The
+information was passed round Headquarters every morning on typewritten
+sheets and made most interesting reading. We were able to anticipate
+the news detailed to us in the papers. Later on, however, someone in
+authority put an end to this and we were deprived of our Daily
+Chronicle.
+
+About this time we heard that the 2nd Division was coming to France,
+and that the two Divisions, which would be joined by a third, were to
+be formed into the Canadian Corps. This meant a very radical change in
+the status of the old 1st Division. Up to this time we were "the
+Canadians"; now we were only to be one among several divisions.
+General Alderson was to take command of the Corps, and the question
+which was daily asked among the officers at headquarters was, "Are you
+going to the Corps?" It was a sundering of ties amongst our friends,
+and we felt sorry that our society would be broken up. One of the
+staff officers asked me to write a poem on his departure. I did so. It
+began--
+
+  "He left the war
+  And went to the Corps,
+  Our hearts were sore,                                            (p. 109)
+  We could say no more."
+
+My friend was not at all pleased at the implication contained in the
+first two lines.
+
+Bailleul was made Corps Headquarters, whither General Alderson moved.
+His place at the division was taken by General Currie, who afterwards
+commanded the Corps and led it to victory. The old town now became a
+great Canadian centre. The General had comfortable quarters in a large
+house, which was nicely furnished, and had an air of opulence about
+it. The Grande Place was full of activity, and in the streets one met
+many friends. The hotel offered an opportunity for afternoon tea and a
+tolerable dinner. Besides this, there was the officers' tea room, kept
+by some damsels who provided cakes and served tea on little tables,
+like a restaurant in London. Here we could be sure of meeting many of
+our friends and very pleasant such gatherings were. In a large hall a
+concert took place every evening. We had a very special one attended
+by several generals with their staffs. The proceeds were given to the
+Canadian "Prisoners of War Fund". The concerts were most enjoyable and
+the real, artistic ability of some of the performers, both Canadian
+and British, was remarkable. It was always pleasant to live in the
+neighbourhood of a town, and the moment the men came out of the
+trenches they wanted to clean up and go into Bailleul. After a
+residence in the muddy and shaky little shacks in and behind the front
+lines, to enter a real house and sit on a real chair with a table in
+front of you was a great luxury.
+
+There were several well-equipped hospitals in Bailleul. One large
+British one had a nice chapel set aside for our use. In it one day we
+had a Confirmation service which was very impressive, a number of
+candidates being present.
+
+While Headquarters were at Nieppe the British attack upon Loos was to
+take place, and it was arranged that the Canadians, in order to keep
+the Germans busy in the North, were to make an attack. I happened to
+be visiting "the Piggeries" in the afternoon previous. The 1st
+Battalion was in the line. I heard the Colonel read out to the
+officers the orders for the attack. We were not told that the whole
+thing was what our soldiers call "a fake". As he read the orders for
+the next morning, they sounded serious, and I was invited to be
+present, which of course I gladly consented to. The guns were to open
+fire at 4 a.m. I had been away from Headquarters for some time so  (p. 110)
+I determined to ride back and return later. At three o'clock a.m. my
+servant woke me up and I had a cup of coffee, and started off on Dandy
+to go up to "the Piggeries". I took a tin of bully-beef with me, and
+so was prepared for any eventuality. It was just before dawn and the
+morning air was fresh and delightful. Dandy had had a good feed of
+oats and was full of life. He seemed to enjoy the sport as much as I
+did. We rode up the well known roads, and round their curious curves
+past the small white farm houses, till we came into the neighbourhood
+of our batteries. All of a sudden these opened fire. It was a splendid
+sound. Of all the music I have ever heard in my life, none comes near
+the glorious organ sound of a barrage. I look back with the greatest
+pleasure to that early morning ride through the twilight lit up by gun
+flashes from batteries scattered along our whole front. One great
+dread I always had, and that was the dread of being killed by our own
+artillery. On this occasion, I had to ride down roads that looked
+perilously near batteries in action. When I got to a corner near "the
+Piggeries", I was just stopped in time from what might have been my
+finish. There was a concealed battery among the trees by the wayside,
+and I, not knowing it was there, was about to ride by unconcernedly,
+when a gunner came out from the bushes and stopped me just in time,
+telling me that in half a minute the battery was going to open up.
+Dandy and I waited till the guns had fired and then went on. Along our
+front line there was much stir and commotion. Bundles of lighted straw
+making a hideous smoke were poked over the trenches, and the whole
+night previous, all the limbers available had been driven up and down
+the roads, making as much noise as possible. The Germans were
+convinced we were preparing for an attack on a big scale, and that the
+yellow smoke which they saw coming towards them was some new form of
+frightfulness. Of course they returned our fire, but our men knew by
+this time that the whole affair was only a pretence. Far off to the
+South, however, there was a real battle raging, and the cemeteries
+which we afterwards saw at Loos bore testimony to the bitter struggle
+which the British forces endured.
+
+The village of Ploegsteert behind the wood was very much damaged. Like
+the other villages at the front, it must at one time have been quite a
+prosperous place. The church, before it was ruined, was well built and
+capacious. There was a building on the main street which a         (p. 111)
+British chaplain had used as a clubhouse, and handed over to me when
+his division moved south. It was well stocked with all things necessary
+to make the men comfortable. It had a kitchen, reading rooms, and
+upstairs a chapel. Two or three shells, however, had made their way
+into it, and the holes were covered with canvas. The Mayor's house was
+on the other side of the street, and he had a young girl there as a
+servant, who kept the keys of the club. The chaplain who moved away
+told me that this girl, when the town was being heavily shelled one
+day, saved the lives of some men who were lying wounded in the house,
+by carrying them on her back over to a place of safety in a farmhouse.
+It was a deed that merited recognition, because she had to pass down
+the road which was then under heavy shell fire. I brought her case
+before the notice of the military authorities, and General Seely was
+asked to take the matter up and make an application to the King for a
+reward for the girl's bravery. There was a doubt as to what award
+could be given to her. We got the sworn testimony of the Mayor and
+other eye-witnesses, and the document was finally laid before the
+King. It was decided that she should receive the bronze medal of the
+Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Later on General Alderson sent for me
+and took me to the Mayor's house in Romarin, where we had the ceremony
+of conferring the medal. It was quite touching in its simplicity. The
+girl, who had a fine open face, was on the verge of giving way to
+tears. The Mayor and some other of the chief inhabitants were arrayed
+in their best clothes, and a Highland regiment lent us their pipers.
+One of the citizens presented the heroine with a large bouquet of
+flowers. General Alderson made a nice speech, which was translated to
+the townsfolk, and then he presented the medal. We were invited into
+the house, and the girl's health was proposed and drunk by the General
+in a glass of Romarin Champagne. We heard afterwards that the country
+people were much impressed by the way the British Army had recognized
+the gallantry of a poor Belgian maidservant.
+
+One day a German aeroplane was brought down behind our lines, near
+Ration Farm. Of its two occupants one was killed. On the aeroplane was
+found a Colt machine-gun, which had been taken by the Germans from the
+14th Battalion several months before, in the Second Battle of Ypres.
+It now came back to the brigade which had lost it. I buried the airman
+near Ration Farm, in a grave, which the men did up neatly and over
+which they erected a cross with his name upon it.
+
+Although our Headquarters were at Nieppe, the village was really   (p. 112)
+in the British Area, and so we were informed towards the end of
+November that we had been ordered to move to St. Jans Cappel. On
+Monday, November 22nd I started off by car via Bailleul to my new
+billet. Although I had left Nieppe and its pleasant society with great
+regret, I was quite pleased with my new home. It was a small house
+belonging to a widow, on the road that led from St. Jans Cappel up to
+Mount Kemmel. The house itself was brick and well built. The
+landlady's rooms were on one side of the passage, and mine were on the
+other. A large garret overhead gave a billet for Ross and my sergeant
+clerk. In the yard there was a stable for the horse. So the whole
+family was quite comfortably housed, and Ross undertook to do my
+cooking. The room which I used as my office in the front of the house
+had two large windows in it, and a neat tiled floor. The furniture was
+ample. At the back, up some steps, was my bedroom, and the window from
+it opened upon the yard. A former occupant of the house, a Major
+Murray, of King Edward's Horse, had left a series of maps on the wall,
+on which pins were stuck with a bit of red cord passing through them,
+to show the position of our front line. These maps deeply impressed
+visitors with my military exactness. In that little office I have
+received many guests of all ranks. I always said that the chaplain's
+house was like a church, and all men met there on equal terms.
+Sometimes it was rather difficult however, to convince them that this
+was the case. On one occasion two privates and I had just finished
+luncheon, and were having a delightful smoke, when a certain general
+was announced, and the men seized with panic, fled up the steps to my
+bedroom and bolting through my window hurried back to their lines.
+
+The landlady was quite well to do, and was a woman well thought of in
+the village. She both paid calls upon her neighbours and received
+callers in her rooms. Sometimes I used to be invited in to join these
+social gatherings and frequently she would bring me in a nice bowl of
+soup for dinner. Philo, too, made himself quite at home, and carefully
+inspected all visitors on their admission to the mansion. In front of
+the house, there was a pleasant view of the valley through which the
+road passed up towards Mont des Cats. Our Headquarters were down in
+the village in a large building which was part of the convent. General
+Currie and his staff lived in a charming chateau in pleasant grounds,
+on the hillside. The chateau, although a modern one, was reputed   (p. 113)
+to be haunted, which gave it a more or less romantic interest in the
+eyes of our men, though as far as I could hear no apparitions disturbed
+the slumbers of the G.S.O. or the A.A. & Q.M.G.
+
+The road past my house, which was a favourite walk of mine, went over
+the hill, and at the top a large windmill in a field commanded a fine
+view of the country for several miles. My garden was very pleasant,
+and in it was a summer house at the end of a moss-grown walk. One
+plant which gave me great delight was a large bush of rosemary. The
+smell of it always carried my mind back to peaceful times. It was like
+the odour of the middle ages, with that elusive suggestion of incense
+which reminded me of Gothic fanes and picturesque processions. Many
+elm trees fringed the fields, and made a welcome shade along the sides
+of the road. A little stream ran through the village and added its
+touch of beauty to the landscape. We were only a mile and a half from
+Bailleul, so we could easily get up to the town either for a concert
+or for dinner at the hotel. The Camp Commandant allotted me the school
+house, which I fitted up as a chapel. It was very small, and not
+particularly clean, but it served its purpose very well.
+
+My only objection to St. Jans Cappel was that it was situated such a
+long way from our men, for we still held the same front line near
+Ploegsteert. It was now a ride of twelve miles to Hill 63 whither I
+frequently had to go to take burial services, the round trip making a
+journey of nearly twenty-four miles. The Bailleul road, which was my
+best route, was a pave road, and was hard on a horse. I did not want
+poor willing Dandy to suffer from overwork, so I begged the loan of
+another mount from Headquarters. It was a young horse, but big and
+heavily built, and had no life in it. I was trotting down the road
+with him one day when he tumbled down, and I injured my knee, causing
+me to be laid up with water on the knee for about six weeks. The men
+used to chaff me about falling off my horse, but I told them that I
+could sit on a horse as long as he stood up, but I could not sit on
+the air when the horse lay down. I was very much afraid that the
+A.D.M.S. would send me off to a hospital, but I got private treatment
+from a doctor friend, who was acting A.D.C. to General Currie. Luckily
+for me, things were pretty quiet at the front at that time, and my
+being confined to the house did not really make much difference. I had
+a supper in my billet one night for a number of Bishop's College   (p. 114)
+men. Of those who attended, the majority have since made the supreme
+sacrifice, but it was an evening which brought back many pleasant
+memories of our Alma Mater.
+
+The roads round St. Jans Cappel were very pretty, and I had many a
+pleasant ride in our staff cars, which I, as Senior Chaplain, was
+permitted to use. It was always a great delight to me to pick up men
+on the road and give them a ride. I used to pile them in and give them
+as good a joy ride as the chauffeur, acting under orders, would allow.
+One day, in a heavy snowstorm, I picked up two nuns, whose garments
+were blowing about in the blizzard in a hopeless condition. The
+sisters were glad of the chance of a ride to Bailleul, whither they
+were going on foot through the snow. It was against orders to drive
+ladies in our staff cars, but I thought the circumstances of the case
+and the evident respectability of my guests would be a sufficient
+excuse for a breach of the rule. The sisters chatted in French very
+pleasantly, and I took them to their convent headquarters in Bailleul.
+I could see, as I passed through the village, how amused our men were
+at my use of the car. When I arrived at the convent door at Bailleul,
+the good ladies alighted and then asked me to give them my blessing.
+How could I refuse, or enter upon a discussion of the validity of
+Anglican Orders? The nuns with their hands crossed on their bosoms
+leaned forward, and I stood up and blessed them from the car, and
+departed leaving them both grateful and gratified.
+
+The village of St. Jans Cappel had been captured by the Germans in
+their advance in 1914, and we heard some unpleasant tales of the
+rudeness of the German officers who took up their quarters in the
+convent and compelled the nuns to wait upon them at the table. In
+1918, when the Germans made their big push round Mont Kemmel, St. Jans
+Cappel, along with Bailleul and Meteren, was captured once more by the
+enemy, and the village is now in ruins and its inhabitants scattered.
+
+I do not look back with much pleasure to the cold rides which I always
+used to have on my return from the line. In frosty weather the pave
+roads were very slippery, and I had to walk Dandy most of the distance,
+while I got colder and colder, and beguiled the time by composing
+poems or limericks on places at the front. Arriving at my billet in
+the small hours of the morning, I would find my friend Ross not always
+in the best of humors at being kept up so late. The ride back from
+Wulverghem or Dranoutre, owing to the narrowness of the road and   (p. 115)
+the amount of transport and lorries upon it, was rather dangerous. It
+was a matter of ten miles to come back from Wulverghem, and the roads
+were very dark. One night in particular I had a narrow escape. I had
+mounted Dandy at the back of a farmhouse, but for some reason or other
+I seemed to have lost control over him and he was unusually lively.
+Luckily for me a man offered to lead him out into the road, and just
+before he let him go discovered that the bit was not in his mouth.
+
+The Alberta Dragoons had billets in a side road that led to Bailleul.
+It was a quiet and peaceful neighbourhood, and they had good barns for
+their horses. In the fields they had splendid opportunities for training
+and exercise. I often took service for them. One Sunday afternoon I had
+been speaking of the necessity of purifying the commercial life of
+Canada on our return, and I said something uncomplimentary about land
+speculators. I was told afterwards that I had caused much amusement in
+all ranks, for every man in the troop from the officers downwards, or
+upwards, was a land speculator, and had town lots to sell in the West.
+In conversations with privates and non-coms., I often found they had
+left good positions in Canada and not infrequently were men of means.
+I have given mud-splashed soldiers a ride in the car, and they have
+talked about their own cars at home. It was quite pathetic to see how
+much men thought of some little courtesy or act of kindness. A young
+fellow was brought in on a stretcher to the Red Chateau dressing
+station one Sunday afternoon at Courcelette. He was terribly wounded
+and gave me his father's address in Canada so that I might write to
+him. He was carried away and I heard afterwards he died. Some months
+later I had a letter from his father, a Presbyterian minister in
+Ontario, thanking me for writing and telling me how pleased his son
+had been by my giving him a ride one day in a Headquarters car. I
+mention this so that people will realize how much the men had given up
+when they considered such a trifling thing worth mentioning.
+
+The position of a chaplain as the war went on became very different
+from what it had been at the beginning. The experience through which
+the army had passed had showed to the military authorities that there
+was something more subtle, more supernatural behind the life of the
+men, than one might gather from the King's Regulations. Our chaplains
+had done splendid work, and I think I may say that, with one or two
+exceptions, they were idolized by their units. I could tell of one (p. 116)
+of our chaplains who lived continually at the advanced dressing station
+in great hardship and discomfort, sharing the danger and privation of
+his men. The curious thing about a chaplain's popularity was that the
+men never praised a chaplain whom they knew without adding "It is a
+pity that all chaplains are not like him". On one occasion when I was
+going through the Division, I was told by the men of one unit that
+their chaplain was a prince, and it was a pity that all chaplains were
+not like him. I went to another unit, and there again I was told that
+their chaplain was a prince, and it was a pity that all chaplains were
+not like him. It seems to be a deeply rooted principle in a soldier's
+mind to beware of praising religion overmuch. But it amused me in a
+general survey to find that ignorance of the work of other chaplains
+led to their condemnation. I fancy the same spirit still manifests
+itself in the British Army and in Canada. I find officers and men
+eager enough to praise those who were their own chaplains but always
+adding to it a condemnation of those who were not. An officer said to
+me one day that the war had enabled chaplains to get to know men. I
+told him that the war also had enabled men to get to know chaplains.
+Large numbers of men in ordinary life are very seldom brought into
+contact with religion. They have the crude notion of it which they
+carried away as unfledged boys from Sunday School, and a sort of
+formal bowing acquaintance through the conventions of later life. In
+the war, when their minds and affections were put to a severe strain,
+it was a revelation to them to find that there were principles and
+relationships of divine origin which enabled the ordinary human will
+easily to surmount difficulties moral and physical, and which gave a
+quiet strength that nothing merely earthly could supply. Certainly the
+war gave chaplains a splendid opportunity of bearing witness to the
+power of Christ. A great deal has been written about the religion of
+the men at the front. Some have spoken of it in terms of exaggerated
+optimism, as though by the miracle of the war men had become beings of
+angelic outlook and temper. Others have taken a despairing attitude,
+and thought that religion has lost its real power over the world. The
+truth is, I think, that there was a revelation to most men, in a broad
+way, of a mysterious soul life within, and of a huge responsibility to
+an infinite and eternal Being above. There was a revelation also, wide
+and deep, to many individual men, of the living force and example of
+Him who is both God and Brother-man. Where the associations of     (p. 117)
+church and home had been clean and helpful, men under the batterings
+of war felt consciously the power of religion. In the life at the
+front, no doubt there was much evil thinking, evil talking and evil
+doing, but there was, underlying all this, the splendid manifestation
+in human nature of that image of God in which man was made. As one
+looks back upon it, the surface things of that life have drifted away,
+and the great things that one remembers are the self-sacrifice, the
+living comradeship, and the unquestioning faith in the eternal rightness
+of right and duty which characterized those who were striving to the
+death for the salvation of the world. This glorious vision of the
+nobility of human nature sustained the chaplain through many
+discouragements and difficulties. I have often sat on my horse on
+rainy nights near Hill 63, and watched the battalions going up to the
+line. With wet rubber sheets hanging over their huge packs and with
+rifles on their shoulders, the men marched up through the mud and cold
+and darkness, to face wounds and death. At such times, the sordid life
+has been transfigured before me. The hill was no longer Hill 63, but
+it was the hill of Calvary. The burden laid upon the men was no longer
+the heavy soldier's pack, but it was the cross of Christ, and, as the
+weary tramp of the men splashed in the mud, I said to myself "Each one
+has fulfilled the law of life, and has taken up his cross and is
+following Christ."
+
+I told the men this one day on church parade; and a corporal sometime
+afterwards said that, when next their battalion was moving up into the
+line, a young fellow beside him was swearing very hard over the amount
+of stuff he had to carry. My friend went over to him and said, "Don't
+you know that Canon Scott told us that this really isn't a pack, but
+it's the Cross of Christ?" The lad stopped swearing at once, and took
+up his burden without a word.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.                                                        (p. 118)
+
+OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE.
+
+
+The 25th of December 1915, was to be our first Christmas in France,
+and as the day approached there was much speculation among our men as
+to which Battalions would be in the line. At last orders came out that
+the 13th and 16th Battalions would relieve the 14th and 15th on
+Christmas Eve. I determined, therefore, to spend my Christmas with the
+former two. Our trenches at that time were in front of Ploegsteert.
+The 16th was on the right and the 13th on the left. Taking my bag with
+communion vessels and as many hymn books as I could carry, and with a
+haversack over my shoulder containing requisities for the night, I was
+motored over on Christmas Eve to the 3rd Brigade Headquarters at Petit
+Moncque Farm. The day was rainy and so was not calculated to improve
+the spirits and temper of the men who were going to spend their first
+Christmas in the line. At dusk I walked up the road to Hill 63, and
+then down on the other side to Le Plus Douve Farm. It was not a cheerful
+Christmas Eve. The roads were flooded with water, and the transports
+that were waiting for the relief were continually getting tangled up
+with one another in the darkness. To make matters worse, I was met by
+a Sergeant who told me he had some men to be buried, and a burial
+party was waiting on the side of the road. We went into the field
+which was used as a cemetery and there we laid the bodies to rest.
+
+The Germans had dammed the river Douve, and it had flooded some of the
+fields and old Battalion Headquarters. It was hard to find one's way
+in the dark, and I should never have done so without assistance. The
+men had acquired the power of seeing in the dark, like cats.
+
+A Battalion was coming out and the men were wet and muddy. I stood by
+the bridge watching them pass and, thinking it was the right and
+conventional thing to do, wished them all a Merry Christmas. My
+intentions were of the best, but I was afterwards told that it sounded
+to the men like the voice of one mocking them in their misery.
+However, as it turned out, the wish was fulfilled on the next day.
+
+As soon as I could cross the bridge, I made my way to the trenches
+which the 16th Battalion were taking over. They were at a higher   (p. 119)
+level and were not in a bad condition. Further up the line there was a
+barn known as St. Quentin's Farm, which for some reason or other,
+although it was in sight of the enemy, had not been demolished and was
+used as a billet. I determined therefore to have a service of Holy
+Communion at midnight, when the men would all have come into the line
+and settled down. About eleven o'clock I got things ready. The officers
+and men had been notified of the service and began to assemble. The
+barn was a fair size and had dark red brick walls. The roof was low
+and supported by big rafters. The floor was covered with yellow straw
+about two feet in depth. The men proceeded to search for a box which I
+could use as an altar. All they could get were three large empty biscuit
+tins. These we covered with my Union Jack and white linen cloth. A row
+of candles was stuck against the wall, which I was careful to see were
+prevented from setting fire to the straw. The dull red tint of the
+brick walls, the clean yellow straw, and the bright radiance of our
+glorious Union Jack made a splendid combination of colour. It would
+have been a fitting setting for a tableau of the Nativity.
+
+The Highlanders assembled in two rows and I handed out hymn books.
+There were many candles in the building so the men were able to read.
+It was wonderful to hear in such a place and on such an occasion, the
+beautiful old hymns, "While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night,"
+"Hark the Herald Angels Sing," and "O Come All Ye Faithful." The men
+sang them lustily and many and varied were the memories of past
+Christmases that welled up in their thoughts at that time.
+
+I had a comfortable bunk in one of the dugouts that night, and was up
+next morning early to spend the day among the men in the line. I was
+delighted to find that the weather had changed and a most glorious day
+was lighting up the face of nature. The sky overhead was blue and only
+a few drifting clouds told of the rain that had gone. The sun was beating
+down warm and strong, as if anxious to make up for his past neglect.
+The men, of course, were in high spirits, and the glad handshake and
+the words "A Merry Christmas" had got back their old-time meaning.
+
+The Colonel had given orders to the men not to fire on the enemy that
+day unless they fired on us. The Germans had evidently come to the
+same resolution. Early in the morning some of them had come over   (p. 120)
+to our wire and left two bottles of beer behind as a peace offering.
+The men were allowed to go back to their trenches unmolested, but the
+two bottles of beer quite naturally and without any difficulty continued
+their journey to our lines. When I got up to the front trench, I found
+our boys standing on the parapet and looking over at the enemy. I
+climbed up, and there, to my astonishment, I saw the Germans moving
+about in their trenches apparently quite indifferent to the fact that
+we were gazing at them. One man was sawing wood. Between us and them
+lay that mass of wire and iron posts which is known as the mysterious
+"No Man's Land." Further down the hill we saw the trenches of the 13th
+Battalion, where apparently intermittent "Straffing" was still going
+on. Where we were, however, there was nothing to disturb our Christmas
+peace and joy. I actually got out into "No Mans Land" and wandered
+down it. Many Christmas parcels had arrived and the men were making
+merry with their friends, and enjoying the soft spring-like air, and
+the warm sunshine. When I got down to the 13th Battalion however, I
+found that I had to take cover, as the German snipers and guns were
+active. I did not have any service for that Battalion then, as I was
+going to them on the following Sunday, but at evening I held another
+midnight service for those of the 16th who were on duty the night
+before.
+
+The only place available was the billet of the Machine Gun Officer in
+the second trench. It was the cellar of a ruined building and the
+entrance was down some broken steps. One of the sergeants had cleaned
+up the place and a shelf on the wall illuminated by candles was
+converted into an altar, and the dear old flag, the symbol of liberty,
+equality and fraternity, was once again my altar cloth. The Machine
+Gun Officer, owing to our close proximity to the enemy, was a little
+doubtful as to the wisdom of our singing hymns, but finally allowed us
+to do so. The tiny room and the passage outside were crowded with
+stalwart young soldiers, whose voices sang out the old hymns as though
+the Germans were miles away. Our quarters were so cramped that the men
+had difficulty in squeezing into the room for communion and could not
+kneel down. The service was rich and beautiful in the heartfelt
+devotion of men to whom, in their great need, religion was a real and
+vital thing. Not long after midnight, once again the pounding of the
+old war was resumed, and as I went to bed in the dugout that night, I
+felt from what a sublime height the world had dropped. We had two  (p. 121)
+more war Christmases in France, but I always look back upon that first
+one as something unique in its beauty and simplicity.
+
+When I stood on the parapet that day looking over at the Germans in
+their trenches, and thought how two great nations were held back for a
+time in their fierce struggle for supremacy, by their devotion to a
+little Child born in a stable in Bethlehem two thousand years before,
+I felt that there was still promise of a regenerated world. The Angels
+had not sung in vain their wonderful hymn "Glory to God in the Highest
+and on Earth Peace, Good Will towards men."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.                                                         (p. 122)
+
+SPRING, 1916.
+
+
+At the end of March our Division was ordered back to the Salient, and
+so Headquarters left St. Jans Cappel. It was with great regret that I
+bid good-by to the little place which had been such a pleasant home
+for several months. The tide of war since then has no doubt swept away
+many of the pastoral charms of the scenery, but the green fields and
+the hillsides will be reclothed in beauty as time goes on. We stopped
+for a few days at Fletre, and while there I made the acquaintance of
+the Australians, and visited the battalions which were billeted in the
+neighbourhood.
+
+It was always delightful to have the Division out in rest. As long as
+the men were in the line one could not be completely happy. But when
+they came out and one went amongst them, there was nothing to
+overcloud the pleasure of our intercourse. One day I rode over to a
+battalion and found a lot of men sitting round the cookhouse. We had a
+long talk about the war, and they asked me to recite my war limericks.
+I spent the evening with the O.C. of a battery and the night, on my
+return, was very dark. One of the battalions had been paid off that
+afternoon, and the men, who as usual had been celebrating the event in
+an estaminet, were in boisterous spirits. It was so hard to make my
+way through the crowd that Dandy got nervous and unmanageable. A young
+fellow who recognized me in the dark came up and asked me if I should
+like him to lead the horse down the road. I gratefully accepted his
+offer. He walked beside me till we came to a bridge, and then he told
+me that he had been very much interested in religion since he came to
+the war, and was rather troubled over the fact that he had never been
+baptised. He said he had listened to my limericks that day, and while
+he was listening had determined to speak to me about his baptism. I
+arranged to prepare him, and, before the battalion started north, I
+baptised him in the C.O.'s. room in a farmhouse. The Adjutant acted as
+his godfather. I do not know where the lad is now, or how he fared in
+the war, but someday I hope I shall hear from him again. It was often
+very difficult, owing to the numbers of men one was meeting, and the
+many changes that were continually taking place, to keep track of the
+lives of individuals. The revelations of the religious experiences (p. 123)
+and the needs of the human soul, which came over and over again from
+conversations with men, were always of the greatest help to a chaplain,
+and made him feel that, in spite of many discouragements and much
+indifference, there was always some soul asking for spiritual help.
+
+The Headquarters of our Division were now at a place called Hooggraaf.
+It consisted of a few small houses and a large school kept by nuns.
+Huts were run up for the officers and, at a little distance down the
+road, a home was built for "C" mess. At one side were some Armstrong
+canvas huts, one of which was mine. It was a pleasant place, and being
+back from the road was free from dust. Green fields, rich in grain,
+spread in all directions. It was at Hooggraaf that the Engineers built
+me a church, and a big sign over the door proclaimed it to be "St.
+George's Church." It was first used on Easter Day, which in 1916 fell
+on the Festival of St. George, and we had very hearty services.
+
+Poperinghe, only two miles away, became our city of refuge. Many of
+our units had their headquarters there, and the streets were filled
+with our friends. We had many pleasant gatherings there in an estaminet
+which became a meeting place for officers. The Guards Division, among
+other troops, were stationed in Poperinghe, so there was much variety
+of life and interest in the town. "Talbot House," for the men, and the
+new Officer's Club, presided over by Neville Talbot, were centres of
+interest. The gardens at the back made very pleasant places for an
+after-dinner smoke. There were very good entertainments in a theatre
+every evening, where "The Follies," a theatrical company of Imperial
+soldiers, used to perform. Poperinghe was even at that time damaged by
+shells, but since then it has suffered more severely. The graceful
+spire, which stood up over the plain with its outline against the sky,
+has luckily been preserved. We had some very good rest billets for the
+men in the area around Hooggraaf. They consisted of collections of
+large wooden huts situated in different places, and called by special
+names. "Scottish Lines," "Connaught Lines," and "Patricia Lines," were
+probably the most comfortable. In fact, all along the various roads
+which ran through our area different units made their homes.
+
+Our military prison was in a barn about a mile from Headquarters. I
+used to go there for service every Monday afternoon at six o'clock. By
+that time, the men had come back from work. They slept on shelves, (p. 124)
+one over another. The barn was poorly lighted, and got dark early in
+the afternoon. The first time I took service there, I was particularly
+anxious that everything should be done as nicely as possible, so that
+the men would not think they had come under the ban of the church.
+Most of their offences were military ones. The men therefore were not
+criminals in the ordinary sense of the term. I brought my surplice,
+scarf and hymn books, and I told the men that I wanted them to sing.
+They lay on the shelves with only their heads and shoulders visible. I
+told them that I wanted the service to be hearty, and asked them to
+choose the first hymn. A voice from one of the shelves said--
+
+  "Here we suffer grief and pain."
+
+A roar of laughter went up from the prisoners, in which I joined
+heartily.
+
+At the front, we held Hill 60 and the trenches to the south of it. In
+a railway embankment, a series of dugouts furnished the Brigade that
+was in the line with comfortable billets. The Brigadier's abode had a
+fireplace in it. One of the dugouts was used as a morgue, in which
+bodies were kept till they could be buried. A man told me that one
+night when he had come down from the line very late, he found a dugout
+full of men wrapped in their blankets, every one apparently asleep.
+Without more ado, he crawled in amongst them and slept soundly till
+morning. When he awoke, he found to his horror that he had slept all
+night among the dead men in the morgue. There was a cemetery at
+Railway Dugouts, which was carefully laid out. Beyond this there was
+another line of sandbag homes on one side of a large pond called
+"Zillebeke Lake." They were used by other divisions.
+
+From Railway Dugouts, by paths and then by communication trenches, one
+made one's way up to Hill 60 and the other parts of the front line,
+where the remains of a railway crossed the hill. Our dugouts were on
+the east side of it, and the line itself was called "Lover's Lane".
+The brick arch of a bridge which crossed the line was part of our
+front.
+
+One day I was asked by a British chaplain, who was ordered south, to
+accompany him on a trip he was making to his brother's grave at Hooge.
+He wished to mark it by a cross. As the place was in full view of the
+Germans, we had to visit it before dawn. I met my friend at 2.30 a.m.
+in the large dugout under the Ramparts at Ypres. We started off with
+two runners, but one managed most conveniently to lose us and      (p. 125)
+returned home. The other accompanied us all the way. It was a weird
+expedition. The night was partly cloudy, and faint moonlight struggled
+through the mist which shrouded us. The runner went first, and the
+Padre, who was a tall man, followed, carrying the cross on his
+shoulder. I brought up the rear. In the dim light, my friend looked
+like some allegorical figure from "Pilgrim's Progress". Occasionally
+we heard the hammering of a machine-gun, and we would lie down till
+the danger was past. We skirted the grim borders of Sanctuary Wood,
+and made our way to Hooge. There my friend got out his map to find, if
+possible, the place where he had buried his brother. He sat down in a
+large shell hole, and turned his flashlight upon the paper. It was
+difficult to find the location, because the place had recently been
+the scene of a hard struggle. The guide and I looked over the ground
+and we found a line of graves marked by broken crosses. The night was
+fast passing and in the grey of the eastern sky the stars were going
+out one by one. At last my friend found the spot he was looking for
+and there he set up the cross, and had a short memorial service for
+the dead. On our return, we passed once more by Sanctuary Wood, and in
+the daylight looked into the place torn and battered by shells and
+reeking with the odours of unburied bodies.
+
+We parted at Zillebeke Bund, and I made my way to Railway Dugouts. It
+was a lovely morning and the air was so fresh that although I had been
+walking all night I did not feel tired. The 3rd Battalion was holding
+the line just behind a piece of ground which was called the "Bean and
+Pollock." It was supposed that the Germans had mined the place and
+that an explosion might be expected at any minute. One company had
+built a rustic arbour, which they used as their mess-room. The bright
+sun shone through the green boughs overhead. There was intermittent
+shelling, but nothing to cause us any worry. I stayed till late in the
+afternoon, when I made my way towards the rear of Hill 60. There I
+found the 14th Battalion which was in reserve. They told me that the
+16th Battalion in the line was going to blow up a mine that night, and
+offered to give me a dugout if I would stay for the festivities. I
+gladly accepted, and just before midnight made my way to a dugout that
+had just been completed. I was told that there was a bed in it with a
+wire mattress. When I got into the dugout, I lit a candle, and found
+to my astonishment that the place was full of men lying on the     (p. 126)
+bed and the floor. They offered to get out but I told them not to
+think of it. So we lit another candle, and had a very pleasant time
+until the mine went up. We heard a fearful explosion, and the ground
+rocked as it does in an earthquake. It was not long before the Germans
+retaliated, and we heard the shells falling round us. At daybreak I
+went up to the line to see the result of the explosion. A large crater
+had been made in No Man's Land, but for some reason or other the side
+of our trench had been blown back upon our own men and there were many
+casualties.
+
+I stayed in the trenches all afternoon, and on my way back went to an
+artillery observation post on a hill which was crowned by the ruins of
+an old mill. The place was called Verbranden Molen. Here I found a young
+artillery officer on duty. The day was so clear that we were able to
+spread out a map before us on the ground and with our glasses look up
+every point named on the sheet. We looked far over to the North and saw
+the ruins of Wieltje. Ypres lay to the left, and we could see Zillebeke,
+Sanctuary Wood, High Wood, Square Wood, and Hooge. The light reflected
+from our glasses must have been seen by some German sniper, for suddenly
+we heard the crack of bullets in the hedge behind us and we hastily
+withdrew to the dugout. As I walked back down the road I came to one of
+the posts of the motor-machine-gunners who were there on guard. They were
+just having tea outside and kindly invited me to join them. We had a
+delightful conversation on poetry and literature, but were prepared to
+beat a hasty retreat into the dugout in case the Germans took to
+shelling the road, which they did every evening.
+
+Railway Dugouts was always a pleasant place to visit, there were so
+many men there. As one passed up and down the wooden walk which ran
+the length of the embankment there were many opportunities of meeting
+one's friends. On the other side of it, however, which was exposed to
+the German shells, the men frequently had a hard time in getting up to
+the line.
+
+There were several interesting chateaus in the neighbourhood. That
+nearest to the front was called Bedford House, and stood in what must
+have been once very beautiful grounds. The upper part of the house was
+in ruins, but the cellars were deep and capacious and formed a good
+billet for the officers and men. At one side there was a dressing
+station and in the garden were some huts protected by piles of sand
+bags.
+
+A chateau that was well-known in the Salient lay a little to the   (p. 127)
+west of Bedford House. It was called Swan Chateau, from the fact
+that a large white swan lived on the artificial lake in the grounds. I
+never saw the swan myself, but the men said it had been wounded in the
+wing and had lost an eye. It was long an object of interest to many
+battalions that at different times were housed in the chateau. One day
+the swan disappeared. It was rumoured that a hungry Canadian battalion
+had killed it for food. On the other hand, it was said that it had
+been taken to some place of safety to prevent its being killed. There
+was something very poetical in the idea of this beautiful bird living
+on through the scene of desolation, like the spirit of the world that
+had passed away. It brought back memories of the life that had gone,
+and the splendour of an age which had left Ypres forever.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.                                                        (p. 128)
+
+THE ATTACK ON MOUNT SORREL.
+
+_Summer, 1916._
+
+
+Easter Day, 1916, fell on the 23rd of April, and a great many
+interesting facts were connected with it. The 23rd of April is St.
+George's Day. It is also the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth and of
+his death, and also of the 2nd Battle of Ypres. The day was a glorious
+one. The air was sweet and fresh, the grass was the brightest green,
+hedgerows and trees were in leaf, and everybody was in high spirits.
+After services in St. George's church I rode over to Poperinghe and
+attended a memorial service which the 1st Brigade were holding in the
+Cinema. General Mercer, who himself was killed not long afterwards,
+was one of the speakers. The building was crowded with men, and the
+service was very solemn.
+
+Life at this time was very pleasant, except for the fact that we never
+knew what might happen when we were in the Salient. We always felt
+that it was a death-trap, and that the Germans would never give up
+trying to capture Ypres. I was kept busy riding about, visiting the
+different units. Round about Hooggraaf the spring roads were very
+attractive, and the numerous short cuts through the fields and under
+the overhanging trees reminded one of country life at home.
+
+One day Dandy bolted as I was mounting him, and I fell on some bath
+mats breaking a bone in my hand and cutting my face in several places.
+This necessitated my being sent up to the British C.C.S. at Mont des
+Cats. Mont des Cats was a picturesque hill which overlooked the Flanders
+Plain, and could be seen from all parts of the Salient. On the top
+there was a Trappist monastery. The buildings were modern and covered
+a large extent of ground. They were solidly built of brick and stone
+and the chapel was a beautiful building with a high vaulted roof. From
+the top of the hill, a magnificent view of the country could be
+obtained, to the North as far as the sea, and to the East as far as
+our trenches, where we could see the shells bursting.
+
+Mont des Cats hospital was a most delightful temporary home. There was
+a large ward full of young officers, who were more or less ill     (p. 129)
+or damaged. In another part of the building were wards for the men.
+From the O.C. downwards everyone in the C.C.S. was the soul of kindness,
+and the beautiful buildings with their pleasant grounds gave a peculiar
+charm to the life. My room was not far from the chapel, and every
+night at two a.m. I could hear the old monks chanting their offices.
+Most of the monks had been conscripted and were fighting in the French
+army; only a few of the older ones remained. But by day and night at
+stated intervals the volume of their prayer and praise rose up above
+the noise of war, just as it had risen through the centuries of the
+past. There were beautiful gardens which the monks tended carefully,
+and also many grape vines on the walls. We used to watch the silent
+old men doing their daily work and making signs to one another instead
+of speaking. In the evening I would make my way up the spiral staircase
+to the west-end gallery, which looked down upon the chapel. The red
+altar lamp cast a dim light in the sacred building, and every now and
+then in the stillness I could hear, like the roar of a distant sea,
+the sound of shells falling at the front. The mysterious silence of
+the lofty building, with the far off reverberations of war thrilling
+it now and then, was a solace to the soul.
+
+A smaller chapel in the monastery, with a well-appointed altar, was
+allotted by the monks to the chaplain for his services. While I was at
+Mont des Cats we heard of the death of Lord Kitchener. The news came
+to the Army with the force of a stunning blow; but thank God, the
+British character is hardened and strengthened by adversity, and while
+we all felt his loss keenly and looked forward to the future with
+anxiety, the determination to go on to victory was made stronger by
+the catastrophe. As the chaplain of the hospital was away at the time,
+I held a memorial service in the large refectory. Following upon the
+death of Lord Kitchener came another disaster. The Germans in the
+beginning of June launched a fierce attack upon the 3rd Division,
+causing many casualties and capturing many prisoners. General Mercer
+was killed, and a brigadier was wounded and taken prisoner. To make
+matters worse, we heard of the battle of Jutland, the first report of
+which was certainly disconcerting. We gathered from it that our navy
+had suffered a great reverse. The death of Lord Kitchener, the naval
+reverse, and the fierce attack on our front, following one another in
+such a short space of time, called for great steadiness of nerve and
+coolness of head. I felt that the hospital was no place for me     (p. 130)
+when Canadians were meeting reverses at the front, especially as the
+First Division was ordered to recapture the lost trenches. I telephoned
+to my good friend, Colonel Brutenell, the C.O. of the Motor Machine-Gun
+Brigade, and asked him to send me a side-car to take me forward. He
+had always in the past shown me much kindness in supplying me with
+means of locomotion. Colonel Brutenell was an old country Frenchman
+with the most courteous manners. When I first discovered that he was
+the possessor of side-cars, I used to obtain them by going over to him
+and saying, "Colonel, if you will give me a side-car I will recite you
+one of my poems." He was too polite at first to decline to enter into
+the bargain, but, as time went on, I found that the price I offered
+began to lose its value, and sometimes the side-cars were not
+forthcoming. It then became necessary to change my plan of campaign,
+so I hit upon another device. I used to walk into the orderly room and
+say in a raucous voice, "Colonel, if you _don't_ give me a side-car I
+will recite one of my poems." I found that in the long run this was
+the most effectual method. On the present occasion, therefore, the
+side-car was sent to me, and I made my way to Wippenhoek and from
+thence up to the dressing station at Vlamertinghe. Here our wounded
+were pouring in. Once again Canada was reddening the soil of the
+Salient with her best blood. It was indeed an anxious time. That
+evening, however, a telegram was received by the O.C. of the Ambulance
+saying that the British fleet had sunk twenty or thirty German
+vessels, and implying that what we had thought was a naval reverse was
+really a magnificent naval victory. I do not know who sent the
+telegram, or on what foundation in fact it was based. I think that
+somebody in authority considered it would be well to cheer up our men
+with a piece of good news. At any rate all who were at the dressing
+station believed it, and I determined to carry a copy of the telegram
+with me up to the men in the line. I started off on one of the
+ambulances for Railway Dugouts. Those ambulance journeys through the
+town of Ypres after midnight were things to be remembered. The desolate
+ruins of the city stood up black and grim. The road was crowded with men,
+lorries, ambulances, transports and motorcycles. Every now and then the
+scene of desolation would be lit up by gun flashes. Occasionally the
+crash of a shell would shake the already sorely smitten city. I can
+never cease to admire the pluck of those ambulance drivers, who night
+after night, backwards and forwards, threaded their way in the     (p. 131)
+darkness through the ghost-haunted streets. One night when the enemy's
+guns were particularly active, I was being driven by a young boy only
+eighteen years of age. Sitting beside him on the front seat, I told
+him how much I admired his nerve and coolness. He turned to me quite
+simply and said that he was not afraid. He just put himself in God's
+hands and didn't worry. When he came afterwards to Headquarters and
+drove our side-car he never minded where he went or how far towards
+the front he took it. I do not know where he is in Canada, but I know
+that Canada will be the better for having such a boy as one of her
+citizens.
+
+When I arrived at Railway Dugouts, I found that there was great activity
+on all sides, but my message about our naval victory had a most
+stimulating effect and I had the courage to wake up no less than three
+generals to tell them the good news. They said they didn't care how
+often they were awakened for news like that. I then got a runner, and
+was making my way up to the men in the front line when the Germans put
+on an attack. The trench that I was in became very hot, and, as I had
+my arm in a sling and could not walk very comfortably or do much in
+the way of dodging, the runner and I thought it would be wiser to
+return, especially as we could not expect the men, then so fully
+occupied, to listen to our message of cheer. We made our way back as
+best we could to Railway Dugouts, and telephoned the news to the
+various battalion headquarters. The telegram was never confirmed, and
+I was accused of having made it up myself. It certainly had a
+wholesome effect upon our men at a critical and anxious moment.
+
+We had a hard time in retaking the lost ground. Gallant were the charges
+which were made in broad daylight in the face of heavy machine-gun
+fire. In preparation for the attack, our men had to lie under the
+cover of broken hedges for twenty-four hours, living only on the iron
+rations which they carried with them. I went up one morning when one
+of our battalions had just come out after a hard fight. The men were
+in a shallow trench, ankle deep in mud and water. As they had lost
+very heavily, the Colonel put me in charge of a burial party. We
+buried a number of bodies but were stopped at last at the entrance of
+Armagh Wood, which the Germans were at the time heavily shelling, and
+we had to postpone the performance of our sad duty till things were
+quieter.
+
+Still in spite of reverses, the spirits of our men never declined. (p. 132)
+They were full of rebound, and quickly recovered themselves. As one
+looks back to that period of our experience, all sorts of pictures,
+bright and sombre, crowd the mind--the Square at Poperinghe in the
+evening, the Guards' fife and drum bands playing tattoo in the old
+town while hundreds of men looked on; the dark station of Poperinghe
+in the evening, and the battalions being sent up to the front in
+railway trucks; the old mill at Vlamertinghe with the reception room
+for the wounded, and the white tables on which the bleeding forms were
+laid; the dark streets of Ypres, rank with the poisonous odours of
+shell gas; the rickety horse-ambulances bearing their living freight
+over the shell broken roads from Bedford House and Railway Dugouts;
+the walking wounded, with bandaged arms and heads, making their way
+slowly and painfully down the dangerous foot-paths; all these pictures
+flash before the mind's eye, each with its own appeal, as one looks
+back upon those awful days. The end was not in sight then. The war, we
+were told, was going to be a war of attrition. It was to be a case of
+"dogged does it." Under the wheels of the car of the great Juggernaut
+our men had to throw themselves, till the progress of the car was
+stayed. How peaceful were the little cemeteries where lay those
+warriors who had entered into rest. But how stern was the voice from
+the sleeping dead to carry on undismayed.
+
+The Canadian Corps seemed to have taken root in the Salient, and,
+after the severe fighting had ended, things went on as if we were to
+have a long residence round Ypres. In looking over the notes in my
+diary for June and July, I see a great many records of visits to
+different units. How well one remembers the keen active life which
+made that region a second Canada. There was the small town of Abeele,
+where our Corps Headquarters were, and where our new commander,
+General Byng, had his house. Not far away, up the road, was the
+grenade school where the troops were instructed in the gentle art of
+bomb-throwing. We had our divisional rest-camp in a pleasant spot,
+where our men were sent to recuperate. The following is a typical
+Sunday's work at this time:--Celebration of Holy Communion at St.
+George's Church at eight a.m., Parade Service for the Division at nine
+fifteen a.m., followed by a second Celebration of Holy Communion at
+ten a.m., Parade Service followed by Holy Communion for a Battalion at
+Connaught lines at eleven a.m., service for the divisional rest-camp
+at three p.m., service at the Grenade School at four p.m., service (p. 133)
+outside St. George's Church for the Divisional Train six-thirty p.m.,
+service for the 3rd Field Ambulance and convalescent camp at
+eight-forty-five p.m. On week-days too, we had to arrange many
+services for units which had come out of the line. It was really a
+life full of activity and interest. It filled one with a thrill of
+delight to be able to get round among the men in the trenches, where
+the familiar scenery of Sanctuary Wood, Armagh Wood, Maple Copse and
+the Ravine will always remain impressed upon one's memory. Often when
+I have returned to my hut at night, I have stood outside in the
+darkness, looking over the fields towards the front, and as I saw the
+German flares going up, I said to myself, "Those are the foot-lights
+of the stage on which the world's greatest drama is being enacted."
+One seemed to be taking part, however humbly, in the making of human
+history. But it was a grievous thing to think of the toll of life that
+the war forced upon us and the suffering that it involved. The brave
+patient hearts of those at home were continually in our thoughts, and
+we always felt that the hardest burden was laid upon them. They had no
+excitement; they knew not the comradeship and the exaltation of
+feeling which came to those who were in the thick of things at the
+front. They had to go on day by day bearing their burden of anxiety,
+quietly and patiently in faith and courage. To them our men were
+always ready to give the palm of the victors.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.                                                       (p. 134)
+
+THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME.
+
+_Autumn, 1916._
+
+
+It always happened that just when we were beginning to feel settled in
+a place, orders came for us to move. At the end of July we heard of
+the attack at the Somme. Rumours began to circulate that we were to go
+South, and signs of the approaching pilgrimage began to manifest
+themselves. On August 10th all my superfluous baggage was sent back to
+England, and on the following day I bid good-bye to my comfortable
+little hut at Hooggraaf and started to ride to our new Divisional
+Headquarters which were to be for the time near St. Omer. After an
+early breakfast with my friend General Thacker, I started off on Dandy
+for the long ride. I passed through Abeele and Steenvoorde, where I
+paid my respects at the Chateau, overtaking many of our units, either
+on the march or in the fields by the wayside, and that night I arrived
+at Cassel and put up at the hotel. The town never looked more
+beautiful than at sunset on that lovely summer evening. It had about
+it the spell of the old world, and the quiet life which had gone on
+through the centuries in a kind of dream. One did hope that the attack
+to the South would be the beginning of the end and that peace would be
+restored to the shattered world. On that day, the King had arrived on
+a flying visit to the front, and some of his staff were billeted at
+the hotel. The following day I visited the Second Army Headquarters in
+the Casino Building, and met some of our old friends who had gone
+there from the Canadian Corps. In the afternoon I rode off to St.
+Omer, little Philo running beside me full of life and spirits. It was
+a hot and dusty ride. I put up at the Hotel du Commerce, where I met
+several Canadian officers and many airmen. The next day was Sunday so
+I attended the service in the military church. After it was over, I
+went with a young flying officer into the old cathedral.
+
+The service had ended and we were alone in the building, but the
+sunlight flooded it and brought out the richness of contrast in light
+and shadow, and the air was still fragrant with the smell of incense.
+My friend and I were talking, as we sat there, about the effect the
+war had had upon religion. Turning to me he said, "The great thing (p. 135)
+I find when I am in a tight place in the air is to pray to Jesus
+Christ. Many and many a time when I have been in difficulties and
+thought that I really must be brought down, I have prayed to Him and
+He has preserved me." I looked at the boy as he spoke. He was very
+young, but had a keen, earnest face, and I thought how often I had
+seen fights in the air and how little I had imagined that the human
+hearts in those little craft, which looked like tiny flies among the
+clouds, were praying to God for help and protection. I told him how
+glad I was to hear his testimony to the power of Christ. When we got
+back to the hotel, one of the airmen came up to him and said,
+"Congratulations, old chap, here's your telegram." The telegram was an
+order for him to join a squadron which held what the airmen considered
+to be, from it's exceeding danger, the post of honour at the Somme
+front. I often wonder if the boy came through the fierce ordeal alive.
+
+It was pleasant to meet Bishop Gwynne and his staff once again. There
+was always something spiritually bracing in visiting the Headquarters
+of our Chaplain Service at St. Omer. On the Monday I rode off to our
+Divisional Headquarters, which were in a fine old chateau at Tilques.
+I had a pleasant billet in a comfortable house at the entrance to the
+town, and the different units of the Division were encamped in the
+quaint villages round about. After their experience in the Salient,
+the men were glad to have a little peace and rest; although they knew
+they were on their journey to bigger and harder things. The country
+around St. Omer was so fresh and beautiful that the change of scene
+did everyone good. The people too were exceedingly kind and wherever
+we went we found that the Canadians were extremely popular. There were
+many interesting old places near by which brought back memories of
+French history. However, the day came when we had to move. From
+various points the battalions entrained for the South. On Monday,
+August 28th, I travelled by train with the 3rd Field Company of
+Engineers and finally found myself in a billet at Canaples. After two
+or three days we settled at a place called Rubempre. Here I had a
+clean billet beside a very malodorous pond which the village cows used
+as their drinking place. The country round us was quite different in
+character from what it had been further north. Wide stretches of open
+ground and rolling hills, with here and there patches of green woods,
+made up a very pleasant landscape. I rode one day to Amiens and
+visited the glorious cathedral which I had not seen since I came   (p. 136)
+there as a boy thirty-three years before. I attended the service of
+Benediction that evening at six o'clock. The sunlight was streaming
+through the glorious windows, and the whole place was filled with a
+beauty that seemed to be not of earth. There was a large congregation
+present and it was made up of a varied lot of people. There were women
+in deep mourning, Sisters of Charity and young children. There were
+soldiers and old men. But they were all one in their spirit of humble
+adoration and intercession. The organ pealed out its noble strains
+until the whole place was vibrant with devotion. I shall never forget
+the impression that service made upon me. The next time I saw the
+cathedral, Amiens was deserted of its inhabitants, four shells had
+pierced the sacred fane itself, and the long aisles, covered with bits
+of broken glass, were desolate and silent.
+
+From Rubempre we moved to Albert, where we were billeted in a small
+house on a back street. Our Battle Headquarters were in the Bapaume
+road in trenches and dugouts, on a rise in the ground which was called
+Tara Hill. By the side of the road was a little cemetery which had
+been laid out by the British, and was henceforth to be the last
+resting place of many Canadians. Our battalions were billeted in
+different places in the damaged town, and in the brick-fields near by.
+Our chief dressing station was in an old school-house not far from the
+Cathedral. Albert must have been a pleasant town in pre-war days, but
+now the people had deserted it and every building had either been
+shattered or damaged by shells. From the spire of the Cathedral hung
+at right angles the beautiful bronze image of the Blessed Virgin,
+holding up her child above her head for the adoration of the world. It
+seemed to me as if there was something appropriate in the strange
+position the statue now occupied, for, as the battalions marched past
+the church, it looked as if they were receiving a parting benediction
+from the Infant Saviour.
+
+The character of the war had now completely changed. For months and
+months, we seemed to have reached a deadlock. Now we had broken
+through and were to push on and on into the enemy's territory. As we
+passed over the ground which had already been won from the Germans, we
+were amazed at the wonderful dugouts which they had built, and the
+huge craters made by the explosion of our mines. The dugouts were deep
+in the ground, lined with wood and lighted by electric light. Bits of
+handsome furniture, too, had found their way there from the        (p. 137)
+captured villages, which showed that the Germans must have lived in
+great comfort. We were certainly glad of the homes they had made for
+us, for our division was in the line three times during the battle of
+the Somme, going back to Rubempre and Canaples when we came out for
+the necessary rest between the attacks.
+
+Looking back to those terrible days of fierce fighting, the mind is so
+crowded with memories and pictures that it is hard to disentangle
+them. How well one remembers the trips up the Bapaume road to La
+Boisselle and Pozieres. The country rolled off into the distance in
+vast billows, and bore marks of the fierce fighting which had occurred
+here when the British made their great advance. When one rode out from
+our rear headquarters at the end of the town one passed some brick
+houses more or less damaged and went on to Tara Hill. There by the
+wayside was a dressing station. On the hill itself there was the waste
+of pale yellow mud, and the piles of white chalk which marked the side
+of the trench in which were deep dugouts. There were many wooden huts,
+too, which were used as offices. The road went on down the slope on
+the other side of the hill to La Boisselle, where it forked into
+two--one going to Contalmaison, the other on the left to Pozieres and
+finally to Bapaume. La Boisselle stood, or rather used to stand, on
+the point of ground where the roads parted. When we saw it, it was
+simply a mass of broken ground, which showed the ironwork round the
+former church, some broken tombstones, and the red dust and bricks of
+what had been houses. There were still some cellars left in which men
+found shelter. A well there was used by the men for some time, until
+cases of illness provoked an investigation and a dead German was
+discovered at the bottom. The whole district was at all times the
+scene of great activity. Men were marching to or from the line;
+lorries, limbers, motorcycles, ambulances and staff cars were passing
+or following one another on the muddy and broken way. Along the road
+at various points batteries were concealed, and frequently, by a
+sudden burst of fire, gave one an unpleasant surprise. If one took the
+turn to the right, which led to Contalmaison, one passed up a gradual
+rise in the ground and saw the long, dreary waste of landscape which
+told the story, by shell-ploughed roads and blackened woods, of the
+deadly presence of war. One of the depressions among the hills was
+called Sausage Valley. In it were many batteries and some          (p. 138)
+cemeteries, and trenches where our brigade headquarters were. At the
+corner of a branch road, just above the ruins of Contalmaison, our
+engineers put up a little shack, and this was used by our Chaplains'
+Service as a distributing place for coffee and biscuits. Some men were
+kept there night and day boiling huge tins of water over a smoky fire
+in the corner. A hundred and twenty-five gallons of coffee were given
+away every twenty-four hours. Good strong coffee it was too, most
+bracing in effect. The cups used were cigarette tins, and the troops
+going up to the trenches or coming back from them, used to stop and
+have some coffee and some biscuits to cheer them on their way. The
+place in the road was called Casualty Corner, and was not supposed to
+be a very "healthy" resting place, but we did not lose any men in
+front of the little canteen. The work had been started by the Senior
+Chaplain of the Australian Division which we had relieved, and he
+handed it over to us.
+
+Under our Chaplains' Service the canteen became a most helpful
+institution; not only was coffee given away, but many other things,
+including cigarettes. Many a man has told me that that drink of coffee
+saved his life when he was quite used up.
+
+In Contalmaison itself, there had once been a very fine chateau. It,
+like the rest of the village, survived only as a heap of bricks and
+rubbish, but the cellars, which the Germans had used as a dressing
+station, were very large and from them branched off deep dugouts lined
+with planed boards and lit by electric light.
+
+The road which turned to the left led down to a waste of weary ground
+in a wide valley where many different units were stationed in dugouts
+and holes in the ground. Towards the Pozieres road there was a famous
+chalk pit. In the hillside were large dugouts, used by battalions when
+out of the line. There was also a light railway, and many huts and
+shacks of various kinds. Pozieres looked very much like La Boisselle.
+Some heaps or rubbish and earth reddened by bricks and brick-dust
+alone showed where the village had been. At Pozieres the Y.M.C.A. had
+another coffee-stall, where coffee was given away free. These
+coffee-stalls were a great institution, and in addition to the bracing
+effect of the drink provided, the rude shack with its cheery fire
+always made a pleasant place for rest and conversation.
+
+After Courcelette was taken by the 2nd Division, our front line lay
+beyond it past Death Valley on the slope leading down to Regina
+Trench, and onward to the villages of Pys and Miraumont. Over all  (p. 139)
+this stretch of country, waste and dreary as it got to be towards
+the end of September, our various fighting units were scattered, and
+along that front line, as we pushed the enemy back, our men made the
+bitter sacrifice of life and limb. It was a time of iron resolve and
+hard work. There was no opportunity now for amusement and social
+gatherings. When one spoke to staff officers, they answered in
+monosyllables. When one rode in their cars, one had very fixed and
+definite times at which to start and to return. The army had set its
+teeth and was out to battle in grim earnest. It was a time, however,
+of hope and encouragement. When, as we advanced, we saw what the
+German defences had been, we were filled with admiration for the
+splendid British attack in July which had forced the enemy to retreat.
+If that had been done once it could be done again, and so we pressed
+on. But the price we had to pay for victory was indeed costly and
+one's heart ached for the poor men in their awful struggle in that
+region of gloom and death. This was war indeed, and one wondered how
+long it was to last. Gradually the sad consciousness came that our
+advance was checked, but still the sacrifice was not in vain, for our
+gallant men were using up the forces of the enemy.
+
+Ghastly were the stories which we heard from time to time. One man
+told me that he had counted three hundred bodies hanging on the wire
+which we had failed to cut in preparation for the attack. An officer
+met me one day and told me how his company had had to hold on in a
+trench, hour after hour, under terrific bombardment. He was sitting in
+his dugout, expecting every moment to be blown up, when a young lad
+came in and asked if he might stay with him. The boy was only eighteen
+years of age and his nerve had utterly gone. He came into the dugout,
+and, like a child clinging to his mother clasped the officer with his
+arms. The latter could not be angry with the lad. There was nothing to
+do at that point but to hold on and wait, so, as he said to me, "I
+looked at the boy and thought of his mother, and just leaned down and
+gave him a kiss. Not long afterwards a shell struck the dugout and the
+boy was killed, and when we retired I had to leave his body there."
+Wonderful deeds were done; some were known and received well merited
+rewards, others were noted only by the Recording Angel. A piper won
+the V.C. for his gallantry in marching up and down in front of the
+wire playing his pipes while the men were struggling through it    (p. 140)
+in their attack upon Regina Trench. He was killed going back to
+hunt for his pipes which he had left in helping a wounded man to a
+place of safety. One cannot write of that awful time unmoved, for
+there come up before the mind faces of friends that one will see no
+more, faces of men who were strong, brave and even joyous in the midst
+of that burning fiery furnace, from which their lives passed, we trust
+into regions where there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor
+crying, and where the sound of war is hushed forever.
+
+One new feature which was introduced into the war at this time was the
+"Tank." A large family of these curious and newly developed
+instruments of battle was congregated in a wood on the outskirts of
+the town, and awoke great interest on all sides. At that time we were
+doubtful how far they would be able to fulfill the hopes that were
+entertained of them. Some of them had already been knocked out near
+Courcelette. One lay partly in the ditch by the road. It had been hit
+by a shell, and the petrol had burst into flames burning up the crew
+within, whose charred bones were taken out when an opportunity
+offered, and were reverently buried. The tank was often visited by our
+men, and for that reason the Germans made it a mark for their
+shell-fire. It was wise to give it a wide berth.
+
+Our chaplains were working manfully and took their duties at the
+different dressing-stations night and day in relays. The main
+dressing-station was the school-house in Albert which I have already
+described. It was a good sized building and there were several large
+rooms in it. Many is the night that I have passed there, and I see it
+now distinctly in my mind. In the largest room, there were the tables
+neatly prepared, white and clean, for the hours of active work which
+began towards midnight when the ambulances brought back the wounded
+from the front. The orderlies would be lying about taking a rest until
+their services were needed, and the doctors with their white aprons on
+would be sitting in the room or in their mess near by. The windows
+were entirely darkened, but in the building was the bright light and
+the persistent smell of acetylene gas. Innumerable bandages and
+various instruments were piled neatly on the white covered tables; and
+in the outer room, which was used as the office, were the record books
+and tags with which the wounded were labelled as they were sent off to
+the Base. Far off we could hear the noise of the shells, and
+occasionally one would fall in the town. When the ambulances       (p. 141)
+arrived everyone would be on the alert. I used to go out and stand in
+the darkness, and see the stretchers carried in gently and tenderly by
+the bearers, who laid them on the floor of the outer room. Torn and
+broken forms, racked with suffering, cold and wet with rain and mud,
+hidden under muddy blankets, lay there in rows upon the brick floor.
+Sometimes the heads were entirely covered; sometimes the eyes were
+bandaged; sometimes the pale faces, crowned with matted, muddy hair,
+turned restlessly from side to side, and parched lips asked for a sip
+of water. Then one by one the stretchers with their human burden would
+be carried to the tables in the dressing room. Long before these cases
+could be disposed of, other ambulances had arrived, and the floor of
+the outer room once more became covered with stretchers. Now and then
+the sufferers could not repress their groans. One night a man was
+brought in who looked very pale and asked me piteously to get him some
+water. I told him I could not do so until the doctor had seen his
+wound. I got him taken into the dressing room, and turned away for a
+moment to look after some fresh arrivals. Then I went back towards the
+table whereon the poor fellow was lying. They had uncovered him and,
+from the look on the faces of the attendants round about, I saw that
+some specially ghastly wound was disclosed. I went over to the table,
+and there I saw a sight too horrible to be described. A shell had
+burst at his feet, and his body from the waist down was shattered.
+Beyond this awful sight I saw the white face turning from side to
+side, and the parched lips asking for water. The man, thank God, did
+not suffer very acutely, as the shock had been so great, but he was
+perfectly conscious. The case was hopeless, so they kindly and
+tenderly covered him up, and he was carried out into the room set
+apart for the dying. When he was left alone, I knelt down beside him
+and talked to him. He was a French Canadian and a Roman Catholic, and,
+as there happened to be no Roman Catholic Chaplain present at the
+moment, I got him to repeat the "Lord's Prayer" and the "Hail Mary,"
+and gave him the benediction. He died about half an hour afterwards.
+When the sergeant came in to have the body removed to the morgue, he
+drew the man's paybook from his pocket, and there we found that for
+some offence he had been given a long period of field punishment, and
+his pay was cut down to seventy cents a day. For seventy cents a day
+he had come as a voluntary soldier to fight in the great war, and for
+seventy cents a day he had died this horrible death. I told the    (p. 142)
+sergeant that I felt like dipping that page of the man's paybook
+in his blood to blot out the memory of the past. The doctor who
+attended the case told me that that was the worst sight he had ever
+seen.
+
+One night a young German was brought in. He was perfectly conscious,
+but was reported to be seriously wounded. He was laid out on one of
+the tables and when his torn uniform was ripped off, we found he had
+been hit by shrapnel and had ten or twelve wounds in his body and
+limbs. I never saw anyone more brave. He was a beautifully developed
+man, with very white skin, and on the grey blanket looked like a
+marble statue, marked here and there by red, bleeding wounds. He never
+gave a sign by sound or movement of what he was suffering; but his
+white face showed the approach of death. He was tended carefully, and
+then carried over to a quiet corner in the room. I went over to him,
+and pointing to my collar said, "Pasteur." I knelt beside him and
+started the Lord's Prayer in German, which he finished adding some
+other prayer. I gave him the benediction and made the sign of the
+cross on his forehead, for the sign of the cross belongs to the
+universal language of men. Then the dying, friendless enemy, who had
+made expiation in his blood for the sins of his guilty nation, drew
+his hand from under the blanket and taking mine said, "Thank you."
+They carried him off to an ambulance, but I was told he would probably
+die long before he got to his destination.
+
+On the 26th of September I spent the night in a dressing station in
+the sunken road near Courcelette. I had walked from Pozieres down to
+the railway track, where in the dark I met a company of the Canadian
+Cyclist Corps, who were being used as stretcher bearers. We went in
+single file along the railway and then across the fields which were
+being shelled. At last we came to the dressing station. Beside the
+entrance, was a little shelter covered with corrugated iron, and there
+were laid a number of wounded, while some were lying on stretchers in
+the open road. Among these were several German prisoners and the
+bodies of dead men. The dressing station had once been the dugout of
+an enemy battery and its openings, therefore, were on the side of the
+road facing the Germans, who knew its location exactly. When I went
+down into it I found it crowded with men who were being tended by the
+doctor and his staff. It had three openings to the road. One of them
+had had a direct hit that night, and mid the debris which blocked it
+were the fragments of a human body. The Germans gave the place no  (p. 143)
+rest, and all along the road shells were falling, and bits would
+clatter upon the corrugated iron which roofed the shelter by the
+wayside. There was no room in the dugout for any but those who were
+being actually treated by the doctor, so the wounded had to wait up
+above till they could be borne off by the bearer parties. It was a
+trying experience for them, and it was hard to make them forget the
+danger they were in. I found a young officer lying in the road, who
+was badly hit in the leg. I had prayers with him and at his request I
+gave him the Holy Communion. On the stretcher next to him, lay the
+body of a dead man wrapped in a blanket. After I had finished the
+service, the officer asked for some water. I went down and got him a
+mouthful very strongly flavoured with petrol from the tin in which it
+was carried. He took it gladly, but, just as I had finished giving him
+the drink, a shell burst and there was a loud crack by his side. "Oh,"
+he cried, "they have got my other leg." I took my electric torch, and,
+allowing only a small streak of light to shine through my fingers, I
+made an examination of the stretcher, and there I found against it a
+shattered rum jar which had just been hit by a large piece of shell.
+The thing had saved him from another wound, and I told him that he
+owed his salvation to a rum jar. He was quite relieved to find that
+his good leg had not been hit. I got the bearer party to take him off
+as soon as possible down the long path across the fields which led to
+the light railway, where he could be put on a truck. Once while I was
+talking to the men in the shelter, a shell burst by the side of the
+road and ignited a pile of German ammunition. At once there were
+explosions, a weird red light lit up the whole place, and volumes of
+red smoke rolled off into the starlit sky. To my surprise, from a
+ditch on the other side of the road, a company of Highlanders emerged
+and ran further away from the danger of the exploding shells. It was
+one of the most theatrical sights I have ever seen. With the lurid
+light and the broken road in the foreground, and the hurrying figures
+carrying their rifles, it was just like a scene on the stage.
+
+The stars were always a great comfort to me. Above the gun-flashes or
+the bursting of shells and shrapnel, they would stand out calm and
+clear, twinkling just as merrily as I have seen them do on many a
+pleasant sleigh-drive in Canada. I had seen Orion for the first time
+that year, rising over the broken Cathedral at Albert. I always    (p. 144)
+felt when he arrived for his winter visit to the sky, that he came as
+an old friend, and was waiting like us for the wretched war to end. On
+that September night, when the hours were beginning to draw towards
+dawn, it gave me great pleasure to see him hanging in the East, while
+Sirius with undiminished courage merrily twinkled above the smoke-fringed
+horizon and told us of the eternal quietness of space.
+
+With dawn the enemy's artillery became less active and we sent off the
+wounded. Those who could walk were compelled to follow the bearer
+parties. One man, who was not badly hit, had lost his nerve and
+refused to leave. The doctor had to tell him sharply that he need not
+expect to be carried, as there were too many serious cases to be
+attended to. I went over to him and offered him my arm. At first he
+refused to come, and then I explained to him that he was in great
+danger and the thing to do was to get back as quickly as possible, if
+he did not wish to be wounded again. At last I got him going at a slow
+pace, and I was afraid I should have to drag him along. Suddenly a
+shell landed near us, and his movements were filled with alacrity. It
+was a great relief to me. After a little while he found he could walk
+quite well and whenever a whiz-bang came near us his limbs seemed to
+get additional strength. I took him down to a place were a battalion
+was camped, and there I had to stop and bury some men in a shell hole.
+While I was taking the service however, my companion persuaded some
+men to carry him, and I suppose finally reached a place of safety.
+
+There was a large dressing station in the cellars of the Red Chateau
+in Courcelette, whither I made my way on a Sunday morning in
+September. The fighting at the time was very heavy and I met many
+ambulances bringing out the wounded. I passed Pozieres and turned down
+the sunken road towards Courcelette.
+
+Beside the road was a dugout and shelter, where the wounded, who were
+carried in on stretchers from Courcelette, were kept until they could
+be shipped off in the ambulances. A doctor and some men were in charge
+of the post. The bearers, many of whom were German prisoners, were
+bringing out the wounded over the fields and laying them by the
+roadside. I went with some of the bearers past "Dead Man's Trench,"
+where were many German bodies. Every now and then we came upon a
+trench where men were in reserve, and we saw also many machine gun
+emplacements, for the rise in the ground gave the gun a fine sweep for
+its activity. The whole neighbourhood, however, was decidedly      (p. 145)
+unhealthy, and it was risky work for the men to go over the open. When
+we got to the ruins of Courcelette, we turned down a path which skirted
+the old cemetery and what remained of the church. Several shells fell
+near us, and one of the men got a bit nervous, so I repeated to him the
+verse of the psalm:
+
+  "A thousand shall fall beside thee, and ten thousand at
+  thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee."
+
+We had hardly arrived at the heaps of rubbish which surrounded the
+entrance to the dressing station, beside which lay the blackened body
+of a dead man, when a shell burst, and one of the bits broke the leg
+of the young fellow I was talking to. "What's the matter with your
+text now, Canon?" he said. "The text is all right, old man, you have
+only got a good Blighty and are lucky to get it," I replied. The
+cellars below had been used as a dressing station by the enemy before
+Courcelette was taken and consisted of several large rooms, which were
+now being used by our two divisions in the line. Beyond the room used
+for operations, there was one dark cellar fitted up with two long
+shelves, whereon lay scores of stretcher bearers and cyclists, and at
+the end of that, down some steps, there was another, in which more
+bearers awaited their call. Only two candles lit up the darkness. As
+there must have been between three and four hundred men in the Red
+Chateau, the air was not particularly fresh. Our choice lay, however,
+between foul air within and enemy shells without, for the Germans were
+making direct hits upon the debris overhead. Naturally we preferred
+the foul air. It showed how one had grown accustomed to the gruesome
+sights of war, that I was able to eat my meals in a place where rags
+saturated in human blood were lying on the floor in front of me. Two
+years before it would have been impossible. The stretcher bearers were
+doing noble work. When each case had been attended to, they were
+called out of the back cellar and entrusted with their burden, which
+they had to carry for more than a mile over those dangerous fields to
+the ambulances waiting in the sunken road. Again and again a bearer
+would be brought back on a stretcher himself, having been wounded
+while on the errand of mercy. Once a party, on their return, told me
+that one of their number had disappeared, blown to atoms by a shell.
+
+About four o'clock, though time had little meaning to us, because the
+only light we had was from the candles and acetylene lamps, I went (p. 146)
+into the cellar where the bearers lay, and, reminding them that it was
+Sunday, asked if they would not like to have a service. One of them
+handed me a candle, so we had prayers and a reading, and sang "Nearer
+My God to Thee," and some other hymns. When the service was over, I
+asked those who would like to make their Communion to come to the
+lower cellar at the end, where there was more room. We appropriated
+one of the corners and there I had seven or eight communicants. More
+than a year afterwards, in London, I met a young soldier in the
+Underground Railway, and he told me that he had made his communion on
+that day, and that when he was lying on the ground wounded at midnight,
+the shells falling round him, he thought what a comfort it was to know
+that he had received the Sacrament. I did not leave the Red Chateau
+till late the following afternoon, when I went back with a ration-party.
+
+The most unpleasant things at Albert were the air raids, which occurred
+every fine night. One moonlight night I lay on my bed, which was in
+the top storey of our house, and listened to some German planes
+dropping bombs upon the town. The machines were flying low and trying
+to get the roads. Crash would follow crash with great regularity. They
+came nearer and nearer, and I was just waiting for the house to be
+struck when, to my great relief, the planes went off in another
+direction. Next day a sentry told me that he had heard a hundred bombs
+burst, and, as far as he knew, not one of them had done any damage,
+all having fallen among the ruined houses and gardens of the town.
+
+I had been asked to look up the grave of a young officer of a Scottish
+battalion, who had been killed in the July advance. I rode over to
+Mametz and saw all that historic fighting ground. The village was a
+heap of ruins, but from out of a cellar came a smartly-dressed lieutenant,
+who told me that he had the great privilege and honour of being the
+Town Major of Mametz. We laughed as we surveyed his very smelly and
+unattractive little kingdom. I found the grave, and near it were
+several crosses over the last resting places of some of our Canadian
+Dragoons, who had been in the great advance. All that region was one
+of waste and lonely country-side, blown bare by the tempest of war.
+
+It was during our last visit to Albert that the 4th Division arrived
+to take over the line from us. I had the great joy, therefore, of
+having my second son near me for six days. His battalion, the      (p. 147)
+87th, was camped on a piece of high ground to the right of "Tara Hill,"
+and from my window I could see the officers and men walking about in
+their lines. It was a great privilege to have his battalion so near
+me, for I had many friends among all ranks.
+
+The Sunday before I left I had service for them and a celebration of
+the Holy Communion, after which one of the sergeants came and was
+baptized. Our Divisional Headquarters left Albert for good on October
+17th. We made our way to our abode at Canaples. We only stayed there
+two days and then went on to Bernaville and Frohen Le Grand, spending
+a night in each place, and on Sunday arrived at the Chateau of Le
+Cauroy, which we were afterwards to make our headquarters in the last
+year of the war. I was billetted in a filthy little room in a sort of
+farm building and passed one of the most dreary days I have ever
+known. It was rainy and cold, and every one was tired and ill-humoured.
+I had a strange feeling of gloom about me which I could not shake off,
+so I went over to the Cure's house at the end of the avenue and asked
+him if I might come in and sit beside the fire in his kitchen. He was
+very kind, and it was quite nice to have someone to talk to who was
+not in the war. We were able to understand each other pretty well, and
+he gave me an insight into the feelings of the French. On the next
+morning, the weather had cleared and the A.D.M.S. motored me to our
+new halting place at Roellencourt, where I was given a billet in the
+Cure's house. He was a dear old man and received me very kindly, and
+gave me a comfortable room overlooking his garden. Downstairs his aged
+and invalid mother sat in her chair, tended kindly by her son and
+daughter. Roellencourt was a pleasant place on the St. Pol Road, and
+quite a number of our men were billeted there. I went to St. Pol to
+lunch at the hotel and spent the day buying some souvenirs. On my
+return in the afternoon I made my way to the Cure's house, where I
+found my room neatly arranged for me. Suddenly I heard a knock at the
+door, and there stood the old man with a letter in his hand. I thought
+he looked somewhat strange. He handed me the letter, and then taking
+my hand, he said to me in French, "My brother, have courage, it is
+very sad." At once the truth flashed upon me and I said, "My son is
+dead." He shook my hand, and said again, "Have courage, my brother." I
+went downstairs later on and found his old mother sitting in her chair
+with the tears streaming down her cheeks. I shall never cease to be
+grateful to those kind, simple people for their sympathy at that   (p. 148)
+time. The next morning the General sent me in his car to Albert, and
+Colonel Ironside took me up to the chalk-pit where the 87th were
+resting. They had suffered very heavy losses, and I heard the account
+of my son's death. On the morning of October 21st, he was leading his
+company and another to the attack on Regina Trench. They had advanced,
+as the barrage lifted, and he was kneeling in a shell hole looking at
+his watch waiting for the moment to charge again, when a machine gun
+opened fire and he was hit in the head and killed instantly. As he
+still kept kneeling looking at his watch, no one knew that anything
+had happened. The barrage lifted again behind the German trench; still
+he gave no sign. The Germans stood up and turned their machine-guns on
+our men. Then the officer next in command went over to see what had
+happened, and, finding my son dead, gave the order to advance.
+Suffering heavy casualties, the men charged with determination and
+took the trench, completely routing the enemy. When the battalion was
+relieved the dead had to be left unburied, but several men volunteered
+to go and get my son's body. This I would not hear of, for the
+fighting was still severe, and I did not believe in living men risking
+their lives to bring out the dead. I looked far over into the murky
+distance, where I saw long ridges of brown land, now wet with a
+drizzling rain, and thought how gloriously consecrated was that soil,
+and how worthy to be the last resting place of those who had died for
+their country. Resolving to come back later on when things were
+quieter, and make my final search, I bid good-bye to the officers and
+men of the battalion and was motored back to my Headquarters.
+
+In the little church of Roellencourt hangs a crucifix which I gave the
+Cure in memory of my son. It is near the chancel-arch in the place
+which the old man chose for it. Some day I hope I may re-visit my kind
+friends at the Presbytere and talk over the sad events of the past in
+the light of the peace that has come through victory.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.                                                      (p. 149)
+
+OUR HOME AT CAMBLAIN L'ABBE.
+
+_November and December, 1916._
+
+
+From Roellencourt we moved up to our new headquarters in the Chateau
+at Camblain l'Abbe, which, after we left it in December, was long the
+home of the Canadian Corps. I had an Armstrong hut under the trees in
+the garden, and after it was lined with green canvas, and divided into
+two by green canvas curtains, it was quite artistic and very
+comfortable. Opposite the Chateau we had a large French hut which was
+arranged as a cinema. The band of the 3rd Battalion was stationed in
+town and gave us a concert every evening, also playing at our services
+on Sundays. After the concert was over I used to announce a "rum
+issue" at half-past nine in the building. The men knew what it meant,
+and a good number would stay behind. Then I would give them a talk on
+temperance, astronomy, literature or any subject about which I thought
+my audience knew less than I. We generally finished up by singing some
+well-known evening hymn. Very pleasant were the entertainments we had
+in that old cinema. One night, before a battalion was going up to the
+line, I proposed we should have a dance. The band furnished the music,
+and the men had one of the most enjoyable evenings they had ever had.
+Camblain l'Abbe was not a large place, so we were cramped for room,
+and a Nissen hut had to be built for "C" mess.
+
+My little friend Philo had been stolen on our march, so his place was
+taken now by a brindle bull terrier which had been born in Albert. I
+called her "Alberta" and as time went on she became a well-known
+figure in the First Division. She often accompanied me on my walks to
+the trenches, and one day was out in No Man's Land when a minnenwerfer
+burst. Alberta did not wait for the bits to come down, but made one
+dive into the trench, to the amusement of the men, who said she knew
+the use of the trenches. She was my constant companion till her
+untimely end in 1918.
+
+The country round about Camblain l'Abbe was very peaceful and pretty,
+and the road to the left from the Chateau gave one a fine view of the
+towers of Mont St. Eloi, which were not then damaged by shells. The
+two towers and the front wall of the old abbey were a striking     (p. 150)
+object against the horizon, and could be seen for miles around. They
+made a beautiful picture in the distance when seen at sunset from the
+trenches beyond Arras. Those two towers must stand out in the foreground
+of all the memories which Canadians have of that region which was so
+long their war-home. As far as I could learn, Mont St. Eloi had been
+the site of an old monastery which had been destroyed in the French
+Revolution, the towers and the walls of the church alone surviving.
+The farms of the monastery had passed to secular ownership, but were
+rich and well cultivated. A spiral stone staircase led up to an
+observation post at the top of one of the towers. The place was visible
+from the German lines, and till we had taken Vimy Ridge no one was
+allowed to climb the tower unless on duty.
+
+Our trenches now were extremely quiet, and were a pleasant contrast to
+those we had left on the Somme. The whole Corps had only a few
+casualties each day. The spirits of the men, who had been under a
+heavy strain, were now completely restored. Our Corps Headquarters at
+this time were at the beautiful Chateau of Ranchicourt, where they
+were very comfortably settled, the country round about being hilly,
+richly wooded and well watered. We had church parades in the cinema,
+and I often wished that the people at home could have heard the
+singing of the men when we had some favourite hymn which the band
+accompanied. Every morning I had a celebration of the Holy Communion
+there, and sometimes had a good congregation. One night I was talking
+to some men in a cookhouse on the opposite side of the village and I
+announced the service. When I was leaving, one of the men followed me
+and asked me if I would speak to his officer for him and get him sent
+back to some quiet job. He told me that he had once had an attack of
+nervous prostration, caused by the shock of his father's sudden death,
+and that he could not stand life in the trenches. He seemed very much
+upset, and I felt that perhaps it would be wise to get him out of the
+line, but I could not avoid a sense of disappointment in the midst of
+my pity. He told me that he had been confirmed, but had never made his
+Communion and was coming to my service the next morning. I promised I
+would speak to his officer and went off.
+
+The next morning, the man was at the service, and after the others
+left, waited to speak to me. I thought he wanted to remind me of my
+promise. But, instead of that, he came up and said to me, "I don't (p. 151)
+want you to speak to my officer, Sir, God has given me strength to
+carry on. I have determined to do so and go over the top with the
+others." I was delighted to see the change in him. It meant everything
+to him and was one of the turning points in his life. Whatever the
+future had in store, it was the man's victory over himself, and I gave
+him a glad handshake and told him how proud I was of him. Months
+afterwards, after the taking of Vimy Ridge, I was passing down the
+lines of his battalion, which was in tents near the La Targette road,
+when the young fellow came running up to me, his face radiant with
+smiles, and told me he had been through all the fighting and had gone
+over the top with the boys, and that it wasn't half so bad as he had
+thought. In the spring of 1919, I was going into the Beaver Hut in the
+Strand one day, when a young fellow came up to me and thanked me for
+what I had done for him in the war. I did not recognize him and asked
+him what I had done for him, and he told me he was the man who had
+been at that service in Camblain l'Abbe and had been through all the
+fighting ever since and had come out without a scratch. I met similar
+instances in which the human will, by the help of God, was able to
+master itself and come out victorious. Once at Bracquemont a man came
+to my billet and asked me to get him taken out of his battalion, and
+sent to some work behind the lines. He told me his mother and sisters
+knew his nerves were weak and had always taken special care of him. He
+said that up to this time God had been very good to him in answering
+his prayer that he might not have to go over the parapet. I asked him
+what right he had to pray such a prayer. He was really asking God to
+make another man do what he would not do himself. The prayer was
+selfish and wrong, and he could not expect God to answer it. The right
+prayer to pray was that, if he was called to go over the parapet God
+would give him strength to do his duty. He seemed quite surprised at
+the new light which was thus thrown upon the performance of what he
+considered his religious duties. Then I told him that he had the
+chance of his life to make himself a man. If in the past he had been
+more or less a weakling, he could now, by the help of God, rise up in
+the strength of his manhood and become a hero. His mother and sisters
+no doubt had loved him and taken care of him in the past, but they
+would love him far more if he did his duty now, "For", I said, "All
+women love a brave man." I told him to take as his text, "I can do all
+things through Christ which strengtheneth me," and I made him      (p. 152)
+repeat it after me several times. I saw that the young fellow was
+pulling himself together, and he shook hands with me and told me he
+would go up to the line and take his chance with the rest--and he did.
+Later on, he was invalided to the Base with some organic disease. I do
+not know where he is now, but he conquered; and like many another
+soldier in the great crusade will be the better for all eternity for
+his self-mastery.
+
+On the road which led to Ranchicourt there was an interesting old
+chateau at a place called Ohlain, which is mentioned by Dumas in "The
+Three Musketeers." The chateau is surrounded by a large moat, and was
+built in medieval times. It has a very fine tower, and some other old
+buildings surrounding a little courtyard with a garden. The place is
+entered by a drawbridge which in olden days used to be raised up
+against the massive gateway by chains. One night I had service in the
+courtyard at sunset, with the 16th Battalion. One could hardly imagine
+a more picturesque setting for a war service in dear old France. At
+one point, however, we were disturbed by the arrival of three men who
+had been dining in an estaminet in the village, and coming
+unexpectedly upon a church service were a little too hearty in their
+religious fervour. They had to be guided to some quiet spot where they
+might work it off in solitude. Incidents of that kind during voluntary
+services were always a little embarrassing, for officers and men felt,
+as well as myself, that under the softening influences of religion we
+could not be over-hard on the transgressions of frail mortality.
+Nothing but the direst necessity would compel us at such times to
+resort to the process of military discipline.
+
+Near Camblain l'Abbe, our ambulances were set up on an elevation of
+the ground where two roads crossed. The place rejoiced in the name of
+"The Four Winds", and anyone who has resided there for any length of
+time feels that the title is an appropriate one. At times the wind
+would sweep over the place, and, when rain was mingled with the gale,
+it was rather an unpleasant corner. But the ambulances were
+comfortable, and the patients were well looked after. Near by is the
+little cemetery, where the bodies of many Canadians lie in peace.
+
+Our life at Camblain l'Abbe, after the hard fighting at the Somme, was
+really very pleasant, and the battalions were filled up with new
+drafts from the Base. We felt that as the winter was approaching   (p. 153)
+there would probably be no hard fighting for some months. Special
+pains were taken to provide concert parties in the different
+battalions, so that the men might have amusement in the evening. It
+was wonderful what talent was discovered in the various units. As I
+look back upon some of those entertainments at the front I think I
+never enjoyed anything more. Not only were the performers clever and
+resourceful, but the audience was one that it was thrilling to sit
+amongst. In the cinema the stage was well appointed and lighted with
+electric lights; the costumes of the men, especially those who took
+the part of ladies, were good and well made. The music, vocal and
+instrumental, was all that could be desired. But the audience,
+composed of hundreds of strong, keen, young men who had endured hard
+things, and perhaps, in a few hours after the show, would be once
+again facing death in the front trenches, was a sight never to be
+forgotten. Could any performer ask for a more sympathetic hearing? Not
+a joke was lost upon the men, not a gesture was unobserved; and when
+some song with a well-known chorus was started, through the murky
+atmosphere of cigarette smoke would rise a volume of harmony which
+would fairly shake the building. I have often stood at the back and
+listened to a splendid burst of song, which to me had an added charm
+from the deep unconscious pathos of it all. Some of those men that
+were joining in the rollicking ragtime tune were dying men. Some of
+the eyes kindling with laughter at the broad farce of the play, within
+a few hours would be gazing upon the mysteries behind the screen of
+mortal life. The pathetic chorus of "A Long, Long Trail" always moved
+me, and I wondered how many of those brave young hearts in the crowded
+hall, now on "the long, long trail," would ever see again the land of
+their dreams. I took good care not to let the men know that I was ever
+moved by such sentimentalism. We were out to fight the Germans, and on
+that one object we had to concentrate all our thoughts to the
+obliteration of private emotions.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.                                                       (p. 154)
+
+MY SEARCH IS REWARDED.
+
+
+We had now reached the middle of November, and the 4th Division was
+expected to come north very soon. My only chance of finding my son's
+body lay in my making a journey to Albert before his battalion moved
+away. I woke up one morning and determined that I would start that
+day. I told Ross to get my trench clothes and long boots ready, for I
+was going to Albert. At luncheon my friends asked me how I proposed to
+travel, for Albert was nearly fifty miles away. I told them that the
+Lord would provide, and sallied off down the road with my knapsack,
+thoroughly confident that I should be able to achieve my purpose. An
+ambulance picked me up and took me to the Four Winds cross-roads, and
+then a lorry carried me to Aubigny. I went to the field canteen to get
+some cigarettes, and while there I met a Canadian Engineer officer
+whom I knew. We talked about many things, and as we were leaving I
+told him that I was going forth in faith as I hoped to get to Albert
+that evening. I said, "You know my motto is 'The Lord will provide'."
+As we walked along we came to a turn in the road, where we saw at a
+little distance a side-car with a driver all ready. I said to my
+friend, "It is just the thing I want. I think I will go to the owner
+of that car and say to him that the Lord has provided it for me." He
+burst out laughing and said, "I am the owner of that car, and you may
+have it." I thanked him and started off. It was a long ride, and at
+the end a very wet and muddy one, but I got to Tara Hill that evening
+and had dinner at General Thacker's Headquarters. I told the officers
+there of the purpose of my visit, that I was going up to the front
+line the next morning, and asked if they would telephone to one of the
+batteries and tell the O.C. that I should arrive some time in the
+middle of the night. The Brigade Major of course tried to dissuade me,
+but I told him that I was going in any case, that he was not
+responsible for my actions, but that if he liked to make thing easier
+for me he could. He quite understood the point, and telephoned to the
+11th Battery. I then went back to the reserve headquarters of the 4th
+Division in the town, and prepared myself for the journey. When I had
+to make an early start in the morning, I always shaved the night   (p. 155)
+before, because I thought that, of all the officers, the chaplain
+should look the freshest and cleanest. I was in the middle of the
+process of shaving, and some staff officers were making chocolate for
+our supper, when a German plane came over and dropped a huge bomb in
+the garden. It was about one a.m., and we could not help laughing at
+the surprise the Germans would have felt if they could have seen our
+occupation going on quite undisturbed by their attempt to murder us.
+
+About half-past one, I started up the street which led to the Bapaume
+road. The moon was shining, and I could see every object distinctly.
+Near our old Headquarters I got a lift in a lorry, which took me
+almost to Pozieres. There I got out and proceeded on my way alone. I
+entered the Y.M.C.A. hut and had a good strong cup of coffee, and
+started off afresh. That lonely region in the moonlight with the
+ruined village to one side and the fields stretching far away on
+either hand gave me an eerie feeling. I came upon four dead horses
+which had been killed that evening. To add to the strangeness of the
+situation, there was a strong scent of tear-gas in the air, which made
+my eyes water. Not a living soul could I see in the long white road.
+
+Suddenly I heard behind me the sound of a troop of horses. I turned
+and saw coming towards me one of the strangest sights I have ever
+seen, and one which fitted in well with the ghostly character of the
+surroundings. It was a troop of mounted men carrying ammunition. They
+wore their gas masks, and as they came nearer, and I could see them
+more distinctly in the moonlight, the long masks with their two big
+glass eye-pieces gave the men a horse-like appearance. They looked
+like horses upon horses, and did not seem to be like human beings at
+all. I was quite glad when they had passed. I walked on till I came to
+what was known as Centre Way. It was a path, sometimes with bath-mats
+on it, which led across the fields down to the battery positions in
+the valley. Huge shell holes, half filled with water, pitted the
+fields in every direction, and on the slippery wood I had great
+difficulty to keep from sliding into those which were skirted by the
+path. Far off beyond Courcellette I saw the German flare-lights and
+the bursting of shells. It was a scene of vast desolation, weird
+beyond description. I had some difficulty when I got into the trench
+at the end of Centre Way, in finding the 11th Battery. The ground had
+been ploughed by shells and the trenches were heavy with soft and
+clinging mud. At last I met a sentry who told me where the O.C.'s  (p. 156)
+dugout was. It was then about half-past three in the morning, but I
+went down the steps, and there, having been kindly welcomed, was given
+a blanket on the floor. I started at 6 a.m. with a young sergeant for
+Death Valley, where I was to get a runner to take me to Regina Trench.
+The sergeant was a splendid young fellow from Montreal who had won the
+D.C.M., and was most highly thought of in the battery. He was
+afterwards killed on Vimy Ridge, where I buried him in the cemetery
+near Thelus. I had been warned that we were going to make a
+bombardment of the enemy's lines that morning, and that I ought to be
+out of the way before that began. I left the sergeant near
+Courcellette and made my way over to the Brigade Headquarters which
+were in a dugout in Death Valley. There with the permission of his
+O.C., a runner volunteered to come with me. He brought a spade, and we
+started down the trench to the front line. When I got into Regina
+Trench, I found that it was impossible to pass along it, as one sank
+down so deeply into the heavy mud. I had brought a little sketch with
+me of the trenches, which showed the shell hole where it was supposed
+that the body had been buried. The previous night a cross had been
+placed there by a corporal of the battalion before it left the front
+line. No one I spoke to, however, could tell me the exact map location
+of the place where it stood. I looked over the trenches, and on all
+sides spread a waste of brown mud, made more desolate by the morning
+mist which clung over everything. I was determined, however, not to be
+baffled in my search, and told the runner who was with me that, if I
+stayed there six months, I was not going to leave till I had found
+that grave. We walked back along the communication trench and turned
+into one on the right, peering over the top every now and then to see
+if we could recognize anything corresponding to the marks on our map.
+Suddenly the runner, who was looking over the top, pointed far away to
+a lonely white cross that stood at a point where the ground sloped
+down through the mist towards Regina Trench. At once we climbed out of
+the trench and made our way over the slippery ground and past the deep
+shell holes to where the white cross stood out in the solitude. We
+passed many bodies which were still unburied, and here and there were
+bits of accoutrement which had been lost during the advance. When we
+came up to the cross I read my son's name upon it, and knew that I had
+reached the object I had in view. As the corporal who had placed   (p. 157)
+the cross there had not been quite sure that it was actually on the
+place of burial, I got the runner to dig the ground in front of it. He
+did so, but we discovered nothing but a large piece of a shell. Then I
+got him to try in another place, and still we could find nothing. I
+tried once again, and after he had dug a little while he came upon
+something white. It was my son's left hand, with his signet ring upon
+it. They had removed his identification disc, revolver and
+pocket-book, so the signet ring was the only thing which could have
+led to his identification. It was really quite miraculous that we
+should have made the discovery. The mist was lifting now, and the sun
+to the East was beginning to light up the ground. We heard the crack
+of bullets, for the Germans were sniping us. I made the runner go down
+into a shell hole, while I read the burial service, and then took off
+the ring. I looked over the ground where the charge had been made.
+There lay Regina Trench, and far beyond it, standing out against the
+morning light, I saw the villages of Pys and Miraumont which were our
+objective. It was a strange scene of desolation, for the November
+rains had made the battle fields a dreary, sodden waste. How many of
+our brave men had laid down their lives as the purchase price of that
+consecrated soil! Through the centuries to come it must always remain
+sacred to the hearts of Canadians. We made a small mound where the
+body lay, and then by quick dashes from shell hole to shell hole we
+got back at last to the communication trench, and I was indeed
+thankful to feel that my mission had been successful. I have received
+letters since I returned to Canada from the kind young fellow, who
+accompanied me on the journey, and I shall never cease to be grateful
+to him. I left him at his headquarters in Death Valley, and made my
+way past Courcellette towards the road. As the trench was very muddy,
+I got out of it, and was walking along the top when I came across
+something red on the ground. It was a piece of a man's lung with the
+windpipe attached. I suppose some poor lad had had a direct hit from a
+shell and his body had been blown to pieces. The Germans were shelling
+the road, so with some men I met we made a detour through the fields
+and joined it further on, and finally got to the chalk-pit where the
+87th Battalion was waiting to go in again to the final attack. I was
+delighted to see my friends once more, and they were thankful that I
+had been able to find the grave. Not many days afterwards, some of
+those whom I then met were called themselves to make the supreme   (p. 158)
+sacrifice. I spent that night at the Rear Headquarters of the 4th
+Division, and they kindly sent me back the next day to Camblain l'Abbe
+in one of their cars.
+
+On November 24th I received a telegram saying that a working party of
+one of the battalions of the 4th Division had brought my son's body
+back, and so on the following day I motored once again to Albert and
+laid my dear boy to rest in the little cemetery on Tara Hill, which he
+and I had seen when he was encamped near it, and in which now were the
+bodies of some of his friends whom I had met on my last visit. I was
+thankful to have been able to have him buried in a place which is
+known and can be visited, but I would say to the many parents whose
+sons lie now in unknown graves, that, after all, the grave seems to be
+a small and minor thing in view of the glorious victory and triumphant
+life which is all that really matters. If I had not been successful in
+my quest, I should not have vexed my soul with anxious thought as to
+what had become of that which is merely the earthly house of the
+immortal spirit which goes forth into the eternal. Let those whose
+dear ones lie in unrecorded graves remember that the strong, glad
+spirits--like Valiant for Truth in "Pilgrim's Progress"--have passed
+through the turbulent waters of the river of death, and "all the
+trumpets have sounded for them on the other side."
+
+In June of the following year, when the Germans had retired after our
+victory at Vimy Ridge, I paid one more visit to Regina Trench. The
+early summer had clothed the waste land in fresh and living green.
+Larks were singing gaily in the sunny sky. No sound of shell or gun
+disturbed the whisper of the breeze as it passed over the
+sweet-smelling fields. Even the trenches were filling up and Mother
+Nature was trying to hide the cruel wounds which the war had made upon
+her loving breast. One could hardly recall the visions of gloom and
+darkness which had once shrouded that scene of battle. In the healing
+process of time all mortal agonies, thank God, will be finally
+obliterated.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.                                                        (p. 159)
+
+A TIME OF PREPARATION.
+
+_Christmas, 1916, to April, 1917._
+
+
+It was certain now that all serious fighting was at an end till next
+spring, so everyone settled down to his work with a sense of relief
+and tried to make the best of things. A few days after my return from
+Albert I went to England.
+
+On my return to France, I heard with some regret that our Divisional
+Headquarters were going to move, and that the Corps would make
+Camblain l'Abbe their headquarters. On December 20th we moved back to
+the town of Bruay, where we were to stay till after the New Year.
+Bruay in comparison with Camblain l'Abbe is a large and thriving town,
+all the inhabitants being more or less connected with the mines in the
+neighbourhood. Our Headquarters were in the administration building of
+the Mining Company, in a square, and I had a billet in a street near
+by. There was a good theatre in the place, which our 1st Divisional
+Concert party took over, and where I had services on Sunday. In and
+around the town were several of the battalions; the rest of the
+division were in the villages near by. Bruay had not been shelled, and
+the mines were being worked as in pre-war days. It was a comfort to
+have the men out of the line once again, and the roads round about
+were very pleasant, the country being hilly and unspoilt. Bethune was
+within easy reach, and a visit to the quaint town made a pleasant
+afternoon's ride.
+
+Rumours were abroad that with the opening of Spring we were to begin
+an offensive, and it was generally believed that towards the close of
+the next year we might hope for the end of hostilities. Our men were
+being trained, when weather permitted, in open warfare, and the time
+of so-called rest was really a period of constant activity. The chief
+hotel in the place became an officers' club, and very pleasant were
+the reunions we had there. I was glad we were going to spend Christmas
+out of the line, and determined to take advantage of the theatre as a
+place for Christmas services. The 8th and 14th Battalions were
+quartered in the town, besides some smaller units, so we had a good
+many men to draw upon for a congregation. On Christmas Eve, at
+half-past eleven, I had a celebration of the Holy Communion. We    (p. 160)
+had a splendid band to play the Christmas hymns, and a large number
+of men attended. The stage was made to look as much as possible like a
+chancel, and the service was very hearty. Many made their communion. I
+also had a watch-night service on New Year's Eve. The theatre was
+almost filled with men--there were rows of them even in the gallery.
+It was an inspiring sight, and we all felt we were beginning a year
+that was to decide the destinies of the Empire. I told the men that
+somewhere in the pages of the book which we were opening that night
+lay hidden the tremendous secret of our success or failure. At ten
+minutes to twelve we sat in silence, while the band played Chopin's
+Funeral March. It was almost too moving, for once again the vision
+came before us of the terrible battle-fields of the Somme and the
+faces that had gone. Then we all rose, and there was a brief moment
+for silent prayer. At midnight the buglers of the 14th Battalion
+sounded the Last Post, and at the close the band struck up the hymn "O
+God our help in ages past." A mighty chorus of voices joined in the
+well-known strains. After the Benediction, I went down to the door and
+shook hands with as many of the men as I could and wished them a happy
+New Year. No one who was at that service will ever forget it. As we
+found out, the trail before us was longer than we had expected, and
+the next New Year's Eve found many of us, though, alas, not all, in
+that theatre once more, still awaiting the issue of the conflict.
+
+In January, I paid a flying visit to the Canadian Cavalry Headquarters
+at Tully near Abbeville, and saw many old friends. On my return, I had
+a curious experience which throws a light upon railway travelling at
+the Front. A friend had motored me to Abbeville that afternoon, just
+in time to catch a leave-train full of men returning from England. I
+only wanted to go as far as St. Pol, about thirty miles off, where I
+hoped to get a car for Bruay. I got into a carriage with four
+officers, one of whom was a chaplain who had just been decorated with
+the D.S.O. I had crossed the Channel with him once before, so was glad
+to renew our acquaintance. The train left Abbeville about four
+o'clock. We found ourselves in a second-class compartment. The windows
+were broken, the floor was dirty, and there was no lamp to lighten our
+darkness. By pulling down the curtains we tried to keep out the cold
+wind, but the draught was very unpleasant, and we had to trust to the
+accumulated warmth of our bodies to keep from freezing.
+
+Instead of going directly to St. Pol, for some reason or other,    (p. 161)
+the train started off to the South. We travelled on and on at a
+snail's pace, and had frequent and lengthy stops. When the light died
+away, we should have been in complete darkness if one of the officers
+had not brought a candle with him. Hour after hour passed by and we
+began to get hungry. Somebody had some sandwiches and a piece of cake,
+and this was shared by all the company. It served to stimulate rather
+than soothe the appetite. About midnight to our astonishment we found
+we had got to Canaples, where I had stayed when we were going to the
+Somme. Someone said there had been a railway accident and we had to
+travel by branch lines. In spite of the cold, we tried to sleep. I sat
+between my parson friend, who was inclined to be stout, and another
+officer who was remarkably angular. When I leaned upon my corpulent
+friend, his frequent fits of coughing made my head bounce as though it
+were resting on an air-cushion. When I got tired of this and leaned
+against my angular friend on the other side, the jolting of the
+carriage scraped my ear against his ribs. I spent the night by leaning
+first on one companion, and then on the other. The morning found us
+still travelling, and finally at half-past ten the train drew up once
+more at our starting point in Abbeville station. Having been eighteen
+hours without food or drink or the opportunity of a shave, I thought
+it was about time to retire, and told my companions that life was too
+short to spend it in railway journeys of that description. So, with a
+feeling of superiority and independence which made the others green
+with envy, I bid them good-bye. I never heard any more of my friends,
+but, although the war has long since ended, I have a sort of dim
+impression in my mind that they are still travelling round and round
+and coming back to Abbeville again. I went over to the officers' club
+and had a good wash and luncheon, and there meeting a very nice
+engineer officer, I asked him if he could tell me where I could find
+any lorries going North. I told him my railway experience, and it so
+moved him that he very kindly sent me off in his own car to St. Pol,
+where I was picked up by one of our staff cars and taken home in time
+for dinner. Railway journeys in France were not things to remember
+with pleasure, and if they were bad for the officers, what must they
+have been for the poor men in the crowded third-class carriages?
+
+At the end of January, our pleasant life at Bruay came to an end, and
+we moved off to Barlin which was to be our headquarters for a      (p. 162)
+month and a half. It was while we were there that I had an attack of
+trench-fever, which, like being "crummy," is really part of a complete
+war experience. Barlin was not a bad place of residence. There were
+many men within easy reach, and I had an upper room in the Town Hall
+for use as a chapel. The presence of a well equipped British hospital
+also gave one opportunities of seeing our wounded men. We had come to
+know by this time that the first task which lay before us in the
+opening of spring was the taking of Vimy Ridge, and our life became
+filled with fresh zest and interest in view of the coming attack.
+
+On the 15th of March our Division moved up to a place called Ecoivres,
+where we were billeted in the old Chateau. The Count who owned the
+Chateau kept some rooms downstairs for himself, but we occupied all
+the rest of the building. In the hall upstairs we had a large model of
+Vimy Ridge, which all the officers and men of the battalions visited
+in turn, in order to study the character of the land over which they
+had to charge. In the garden were numerous huts, and in a large
+building in a street to the right of the Chateau was a billet which
+held a great number of men. It was almost entirely filled up with
+tiers upon tiers of wooden shelves, on which the men made their beds.
+They were reached by wooden stairs. Nearly fifteen hundred men were
+crowded into the building. On the ground floor beside the door, there
+was a high platform which commanded a view of the whole interior. On
+this, one of the bands lived and gave us music in the evening. Every
+night after dinner, I used to go to the cinema, as we called the
+place, and have either a service or a talk with the men on general
+subjects. At such times outsiders would crowd in, and we have had very
+hearty singing when the band struck up a hymn. I always tried to have
+some piece of good news to announce, and would get the latest reports
+from the signallers to read aloud. The men were in splendid spirits,
+and we were all buoyed up with the hope that we were going to end the
+war. I used to speak about the war outlook, and would tell the men
+that there were only two issues before us: Victory or Slavery. When I
+asked them one night "Which shall it be, Boys?" a loud shout of
+"Victory!" went up.
+
+News was not always plentiful, and it was a little hard at times to
+find anything particularly interesting to say, and so, one night I
+determined to make a variation. I told the men that on the next
+evening, if they would bring in questions to me on any subject which
+had been troubling them, I should be very glad to try to give an   (p. 163)
+answer. I thought that an entertainment of that kind might be both
+attractive and helpful. On the next evening, therefore, I ascended the
+platform as usual and found the place crowded with men. I had my
+acetylene lamp with me to furnish light for reading any questions that
+might be sent up. I called the meeting to order, and then asked if any
+men had any questions to ask. To my great delight, someone at the back
+held an envelope above the crowd, and it was passed up to me. I tore
+it open, and, holding my lamp in one hand, without first looking over
+the letter, I read it aloud to the men, who were hushed in the silence
+of anticipation. I give it just as it was written:--
+
+                                                  "Somewhere in France,
+                                                                3/4/17.
+    Dear Sir:--
+
+    I am going to ask you a question which has been a load to my
+    little bit of mental capacity for a period of months. Often have I
+    woke up in the old dugout, my hair standing straight up and one
+    eye looking straight into the eyeball of the other, trying to
+    obtain an answer to this burning question. I have kept my weary
+    vigil over the parapet at night, with my rifle in one hand and a
+    couple of bombs in the other, and two or three in each pocket, and
+    still I am pondering over this burning question. I will now ask
+    you the question. When do you think this God dam war will be over,
+    eh?"
+
+I never was so completely taken aback in all my life. A roar of
+laughter burst from the men, in which I joined heartily. From the
+tiers of bunks and every part of the building, cheers went up, and we
+had one of the pleasantest evenings in that old cinema that we had
+ever experienced. I do not know who the man was who sent the letter,
+or whether he is alive now. If he is, I wish he would write to me. I
+want to thank him for giving us all a good, hearty laugh at that time
+of preparation and anxiety. I keep the letter among my most treasured
+war souvenirs.
+
+The winter rains had not improved the roads, but still day and night,
+through mud and water, a constant stream of vehicles of all descriptions
+passed up towards the front carrying ammunition. Ammunition was
+everywhere. At certain places it was stacked along the roads. The
+strain upon the horses was very great, and numbers of them died,   (p. 164)
+and their bodies lay by the wayside for many days, no one having time to
+bury them.
+
+It was perfectly impossible to get any place in which to hold
+Communion services, so, with the permission of the family who owned
+it, I made use of a little Gothic shrine near the church, which stood
+over a family vault. It was a miniature chapel, and had an altar in
+it. The glass in the coloured windows had been broken, but we replaced
+it by canvas. I hung upon the wall outside the board which I used as a
+sign, with the words "St. George's Church" upon it. In this little
+building every morning at eight o'clock I had a celebration of Holy
+Communion, and I always had some men attending.
+
+Our trenches were tolerably quiet, and lay beyond the Arras-Bethune
+Road. At a place called Maison Blanche there was a large cavern which
+was used as a billet for one of the battalions in reserve. Some
+strange stories were told about the fighting that had taken place in
+it between the French and the Germans at the beginning of the war. I
+went down into it one evening when the 16th Battalion was there. It
+was a most picturesque place. The walls and roof were white chalk and
+the place was cut up by passages and openings which led into other
+caves. The atmosphere was smoky, and a multitude of candles lit up the
+strange abode. The men were cooking in their mess tins, some were
+playing cards, and some were examining the seams of their shirts. I
+told them I was going to have a service at one end of the cavern and I
+proceeded thither with a good number following. Some of the card
+players seemed too interested in their game to care to attend, and so
+I called out to the men in a loud voice not to make too much noise,
+lest they should disturb the gamblers. One of the men who was playing
+cards responded "If you will wait till we have finished this hand,
+Sir, we will all come too." I made the announcement therefor that we
+would not begin till the players were ready. The result of this was
+that in a very little while all the men came and joined in the
+service.
+
+The possession of the Ridge gave the Germans a great advantage, because
+it commanded a view of a very large piece of country and several main
+roads. Further up the road from Maison Blanche there was a place
+called Arriane Dump, where the Engineers had stored material in
+preparation for our attack. A long plank road connected it with the
+Anzin-St. Eloi road. On a dark and rainy night that wooden track   (p. 165)
+was an unpleasant place for a walk. Lorries, wagons, limbers, transports,
+horses and men crowded it, and the traffic every now and then would
+get blocked. No flashlights could be used, and it was hard to escape
+being run over. Yet to step off the boards meant to sink almost to
+your knees in mud. The language that one heard at such times in the
+darkness was not quite fit for ears polite. It is well that the horses
+were not able to understand the uncomplimentary speeches that were
+addressed to them.
+
+There was a tremendous concentration of artillery in the back area.
+The town of Anzin, on the bank of the river Scarpe, was filled with
+heavy batteries. To ride through it was to run the risk of many
+unpleasant surprises from the sudden firing of big guns by the
+wayside. Once, I was approaching an apparently harmless hole in a
+brick wall, when all of a sudden Dandy and I found ourselves enveloped
+in flame and almost stunned by a huge report. As we bounded past the
+hole, I saw a large gun moving up and down under the force of its
+recoil, and with smoke still curling out of its mouth.
+
+The siege battery in which my third son was a gunner had now arrived
+and taken up its position in a field behind Anzin, where a 15-inch
+howitzer sent forth its deadly missives to the Germans every fifteen
+minutes and in return drew their fire. One day a shell burst in a hut
+used by some Railway Troops. A large number of them were wounded and
+eleven killed, whom I buried in a row on the hillside.
+
+On the 4th of April, we received news that America had declared war upon
+Germany. I thanked God in my heart that at last the English-speaking
+world had been drawn together, and I knew that the effect upon the
+Germans would be disastrous. I rode out that afternoon to give the
+good news to our men. I met a British Battalion coming out of the
+line, looking very tired and hungry. They were resting by the
+roadside, and I passed along and cheered them by telling them that the
+United States had now come in definitely as one of our Allies, and
+that I thought the effect would be the shortening of the war.
+America's decision could not have come at a better time. The year was
+opening out before us, and the initiative was coming into our hands
+The prospect was bright and our men were keen for the encounter.
+
+April 6th was Good Friday. It was impossible to have service at    (p. 166)
+Ecoivres, as everyone was so busy, so I rode over to Anzin and had
+service for the 7th Siege Battery in an empty Nissen hut. Most of the
+men of the battery were present, and I had forty communicants. The
+place was lit by candles which every now and then were extinguished by
+the firing of the fifteen-inch gun nearby. Easter Day was originally
+intended to be the day for our attack, but it had been postponed till
+Monday. We could not do much in the way of observing the great feast.
+Every room and shed in the town was filled, and men were lying out
+under rubber sheets in the fields. I had two celebrations of the Holy
+Communion in the Y.M.C.A. hut, the floor of which was covered with
+sleeping men. I managed to clear a little space on the stage for the
+altar. Of course, not many attended, but at one of the services was an
+officer who had won the V.C. and the D.S.O. and had a foreign
+Decoration as well. In the afternoon I visited and gave an address to
+one of the battalions moving up the line. I also had a service in the
+cinema that evening.
+
+It was a time of mingled anxiety and exhilaration. What did the next
+twenty-four hours hold in store for us? Was it to be a true Easter for
+the world, and a resurrection to a new and better life? If death
+awaited us, what nobler passage could there be to Eternity than such a
+death in such a cause? Never was the spirit of comradeship higher in
+the Canadian Corps. Never was there a greater sense of unity. The task
+laid upon us was a tremendous one, but in the heart of each man, from
+private to general, was the determination that it should be performed.
+On that Easter night, the battalions took their places in the line.
+The men at the guns, which had hitherto been concealed and kept
+silent, were ready to open fire at zero hour, and all along that front
+the eager heart of Canada waited impatiently for the dawn.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.                                                       (p. 167)
+
+THE CAPTURE OF VIMY RIDGE.
+
+_April 9th, 1917._
+
+
+My alarm clock went off at four a.m. on the great day of April 9th,
+which will always shine brightly in the annals of the war. I got up
+and ate the breakfast which I had prepared the night before, and
+taking with me my tin of bully-beef, I started off to see the opening
+barrage. It was quite dark when I emerged from the door of the Chateau
+and passed the sentry at the gate. I went through the village of
+Ecoivres, past the Crucifix by the cemetery, and then turning to the
+right went on to a path which led up to Bray Hill on the St. Eloi
+road. I found some men of one of our battalions bent on the same
+enterprise. We got into the field and climbed the hill, and there on
+the top of it waited for the attack to begin. The sky was overcast,
+but towards the east the grey light of approaching dawn was beginning
+to appear. It was a thrilling moment. Human lives were at stake. The
+honour of our country was at stake. The fate of civilization was at
+stake.
+
+Far over the dark fields, I looked towards the German lines, and, now
+and then, in the distance I saw a flare-light appear for a moment and
+then die away. Now and again, along our nine-mile front, I saw the
+flash of a gun and heard the distant report of a shell. It looked as
+if the war had gone to sleep, but we knew that all along the line our
+trenches were bristling with energy and filled with men animated with
+one resolve, with one fierce determination. It is no wonder that to
+those who have been in the war and passed through such moments,
+ordinary life and literature seem very tame. The thrill of such a
+moment is worth years of peace-time existence. To the watcher of a
+spectacle so awful and sublime, even human companionship struck a
+jarring note. I went over to a place by myself where I could not hear
+the other men talking, and there I waited. I watched the luminous
+hands of my watch get nearer and nearer to the fateful moment, for the
+barrage was to open at five-thirty. At five-fifteen the sky was
+getting lighter and already one could make out objects distinctly in
+the fields below. The long hand of my watch was at five-twenty-five.
+The fields, the roads, and the hedges were beginning to show the
+difference of colour in the early light. Five-twenty-seven! In     (p. 168)
+three minutes the rain of death was to begin. In the awful silence
+around it seemed as if Nature were holding her breath in expectation
+of the staggering moment. Five-twenty-nine! God help our men!
+Five-thirty! With crisp sharp reports the iron throats of a battery
+nearby crashed forth their message of death to the Germans, and from
+three thousand guns at that moment the tempest of death swept through
+the air. It was a wonderful sound. The flashes of guns in all
+directions made lightnings in the dawn. The swish of shells through
+the air was continuous, and far over on the German trenches I saw the
+bursts of flame and smoke in a long continuous line, and, above the
+smoke, the white, red and green lights, which were the S.O.S. signals
+from the terrified enemy. In an instant his artillery replied, and
+against the morning clouds the bursting shrapnel flashed. Now and then
+our shells would hit a German ammunition dump, and, for a moment, a
+dull red light behind the clouds of smoke, added to the grandeur of
+the scene. I knelt on the ground and prayed to the God of Battles to
+guard our noble men in that awful line of death and destruction, and
+to give them victory, and I am not ashamed to confess that it was with
+the greatest difficulty I kept back my tears. There was so much human
+suffering and sorrow, there were such tremendous issues involved in
+that fierce attack, there was such splendour of human character being
+manifested now in that "far flung line," where smoke and flame mocked
+the calm of the morning sky, that the watcher felt he was gazing upon
+eternal things.
+
+When it got thoroughly light I determined to go on up the road to the
+3rd Artillery Brigade which was to press on after the infantry. I
+found both officers and men very keen and preparing to advance. For
+weeks at night, they had been making bridges over the trenches, so
+that the guns could be moved forward rapidly on the day of the attack.
+I had breakfast with the O.C. of one of the batteries, a young fellow
+only twenty-three years of age who had left McGill to enter the war.
+He was afterwards killed in front of Arras. After breakfast I went on
+up the line till I came to the 3rd Artillery Brigade Headquarters, and
+there asked for the latest reports of progress. They were feeling
+anxious because the advancing battalions had given no signal for some
+time, and it was thought that they might have been held up. Someone,
+however looked at his watch and then at the schedule time of attack,
+and found that at that particular moment the men were to rest for  (p. 169)
+ten minutes before pressing on. The instant the time for advance came,
+rockets were sent up to show that our men were still going ahead. I
+went up the road to Neuville St. Vaast, where there was an aid post,
+and there I saw the wounded coming in, some walking, with bandaged
+arms and heads, and some being brought in on stretchers. They were all
+in high spirits and said that the attack had been a great success. Of
+course, the walking wounded were the first to appear, the more serious
+cases came afterwards, but still there was the note of triumph in all
+the accounts of the fighting which I heard. I moved on to a track near
+Maison Blanche, and then followed up the men. The ridge by this time
+was secured and our front line was still pressing forward on the heels
+of the retreating Germans. It was a glorious moment. The attack which
+we had looked forward to and prepared for so long had been successful.
+The Germans had been taken by surprise and the important strategic
+point which guarded the rich coal fields of Northern France was in our
+possession.
+
+The sight of the German trenches was something never to be forgotten.
+They had been strongly held and had been fortified with an immense
+maze of wire. But now they were ploughed and shattered by enormous
+shell holes. The wire was twisted and torn and the whole of that
+region looked as if a volcanic upheaval had broken the crust of the
+earth. Hundreds of men were now walking over the open in all
+directions. German prisoners were being hurried back in scores.
+Wounded men, stretcher-bearers and men following up the advance were
+seen on all sides, and on the ground lay the bodies of friends and
+foes who had passed to the Great Beyond. I met a British staff officer
+coming back from the front, who told me he belonged to Army
+Headquarters. He asked me if I was a Canadian, and when I replied that
+I was, he said, "I congratulate you upon it." I reminded him that
+British artillery were also engaged in the attack and should share in
+the glory. "That may be", he said, "but, never since the world began
+have men made a charge with finer spirit. It was a magnificent
+achievement."
+
+Our burial parties were hard at work collecting the bodies of those
+who had fallen, and the chaplains were with them. I met some of the
+battalions, who, having done their part in the fighting, were coming
+back. Many of them had suffered heavily and the mingled feelings   (p. 170)
+of loss and gain chastened their exaltation and tempered their sorrow.
+I made my way over to the ruins of the village of Thelus on our left,
+and there I had my lunch in a shell hole with some men, who were
+laughing over an incident of the attack. So sudden had been our
+advance that a German artillery officer who had a comfortable dugout
+in Thelus, had to run away before he was dressed. Two of our men had
+gone down into the dugout and there they found the water in the
+wash-basin still warm and many things scattered about in confusion.
+They took possession of everything that might be of use including some
+German war maps, and were just trying to get a very fine telephone
+when two other of our men hearing voices in the dugout and thinking
+the enemy might still be there, threw down a smoke bomb which set fire
+to the place. The invaders had to relinquish their pursuit of the
+telephone and beat a hasty retreat. Smoke was still rising from the
+dugout when I saw it and continued to do so for a day or two.
+
+Our signallers were following up the infantry and laying wires over
+the open. Everyone was in high spirits. By this time the retreating
+Germans had got well beyond the crest of the Ridge and across the
+valley. It was about six o'clock in the evening when I reached our
+final objective, which was just below the edge of the hill. There our
+men were digging themselves in. It was no pleasant task, because the
+wind was cold and it was beginning to snow. The prospect of spending a
+night there was not an attractive one, and every man was anxious to
+make the best home for himself he could in the ground. It was
+wonderful to look over the valley. I saw the villages of Willerval,
+Arleux and Bailleul-sur-Berthouit. They looked so peaceful in the
+green plain which had not been disturbed as yet by shells. The church
+spires stood up undamaged like those of some quiet hamlet in England.
+I thought, "If we could only follow up our advance and keep the
+Germans on the move," but the day was at an end and the snow was
+getting heavier. I saw far off in the valley, numbers of little grey
+figures who seemed to be gradually gathering together, and I heard an
+officer say he thought the Germans were preparing for a counter-attack.
+Our men, however, paid little attention to them. The pressing question
+of the moment was how to get a comfortable and advantageous position
+for the night. Canadians never showed up better than at such times.
+They were so quiet and determined and bore their hardships with a
+spirit of good nature which rested on something sounder and more   (p. 171)
+fundamental than even pleasure in achieving victory. About half-past
+six, when I started back, I met our Intelligence Officer, V.C.,
+D.S.O., coming up to look over the line. He was a man who did much but
+said little and generally looked very solemn. I went up to him and
+said, "Major, far be it from me, as a man of peace and a man of God,
+to say anything suggestive of slaughter, but, if I were a combatant
+officer, I would drop some shrapnel in that valley in front of our
+lines." Just the faint flicker of a smile passed over his countenance
+and he replied, "We are shelling the valley." "No," I said, "Our
+shells are going over the valley into the villages beyond, and the
+Germans in the plain are getting ready for a counter-attack. I could
+see them with my naked eyes." "Well." he replied, "I will go and
+look."
+
+Later on when I was down in a German dugout which had been turned into
+the headquarters of our advanced artillery brigade, and was eating the
+half tin of cold baked beans which my friend, the C.O. had failed to
+consume, I had the satisfaction of hearing the message come through on
+the wires, that our artillery had to concentrate its fire on the
+valley, as the Germans were preparing for a counter-attack. When I
+left the warm comfortable dugout, I found that it was quite dark and
+still snowing. My flashlight was of little use for it only lit up the
+snowflakes immediately in front of me, and threw no light upon my
+path. I did not know how I should be able to get back in the darkness
+through the maze of shell holes and broken wire. Luckily a signaller
+came up to me and seeing my plight led me over to a light railway
+track which had just been laid, and told me that if I kept on it I
+should ultimately get back to the Arras-Bethune road. It was a hard
+scramble, for the track was narrow and very slippery, and had to be
+felt with the feet rather than seen with the eyes. I was terribly
+tired, for I had had a long walk and the excitement of the day and
+talking to such numbers of men had been very fatiguing. To add to my
+difficulties, our batteries lay between me and the road and were now
+in full action. My old dread of being killed by our own guns seemed to
+be justified on the present occasion. Gun flashes came every few
+seconds with a blinding effect, and I thought I should never get
+behind those confounded batteries. I had several tumbles in the
+snow-covered mud, but there was nothing to be done except to struggle
+on and trust to good luck to get through. When at last I reached   (p. 172)
+the road I was devoutly thankful to be there and I made my way to the
+dugout of the signallers, where I was most kindly received and hospitably
+entertained, in spite of the fact that I kept dropping asleep in the
+midst of the conversation. One of our signal officers, in the morning,
+had gone over with some men in the first wave of the attack. He made
+directly for the German signallers' dugout and went down with his
+followers, and, finding about forty men there, told them they were his
+prisoners. They were astonished at his appearance, but he took
+possession of the switch-board and told them that the Canadians had
+captured the Ridge. One of the Germans was sent up to find out, and
+returned with the report that the Canadians held the ground. Our men
+at once took possession of all the telegraph instruments and prevented
+information being sent back to the enemy in the rear lines. Having
+done this, our gallant Canadians ordered the prisoners out of the
+dugout and then sat down and ate the breakfast which they had just
+prepared. This was only one of many deeds of cool daring done that
+day. On one occasion the Germans were running so fast in front of one
+of our battalions that our men could not resist following them. They
+were actually rushing into the zone of our own fire in order to get at
+them. A gallant young lieutenant, who afterwards won the V.C., seeing
+the danger, with great pluck, ran in front of the men and halted them
+with the words, "Stop, Boys, give the barrage a chance."
+
+In spite of the numbers of wounded and dying men which I had seen, the
+victory was such a complete and splendid one that April 9th, 1917, was
+one of the happiest days in my life, and when I started out from the
+signallers dugout on my way back to Ecoivres, and passed the hill
+where I had seen the opening of the great drama in the early morning,
+my heart was full of thankfulness to Almighty God for his blessing on
+our arms. I arrived at my room in the Chateau at about half past two
+a.m., very tired and very happy. I made myself a large cup of strong
+coffee, on my primus stove, ate a whole tin of cold baked beans, and
+then turned in to a sound slumber, filled with dreams of victory and
+glory, and awoke well and fit in the morning, more than ever proud of
+the grand old First Division which, as General Horne told us later, had
+made a new record in British war annals by taking every objective on
+the scheduled dot of the clock.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.                                                      (p. 173)
+
+A MONTH ON THE RIDGE.
+
+_April to May, 1917._
+
+
+The great drawback to a victory in a war of movement, which we were
+told we were now engaged in, is that, after an advance, one has to
+follow up the line, and consequently, comfortable billets have to be
+exchanged for broken down shacks in the forward area. Not many days
+after our men had taken Vimy Ridge, Divisional Headquarters had to
+move up to the Arras-Bethune road and occupy a chalk cave which was
+known as the Labyrinth. It had once been the scene of fierce fighting
+between the French and the Germans. Deep down, in passages scooped out
+of the chalk were the various offices of the division and the billets
+for the staff. The place was very much crowded, and I quickly
+perceived that the last person whose society was wanted there was the
+Senior Chaplain. Having taken the situation in at a glance, I made my
+way to my friend the Staff Captain of the Artillery, and he very
+kindly invited me to share with him and another officer, the little
+dugout he had chosen for himself. It was entered by a narrow passage
+cut through the chalk in the side of the trench, and the roof
+consisted of a large semi-circular piece of iron under the ground. We
+had three beds and a table, and so were comfortable. When one stood on
+the earth which covered our roof, it was impossible to see any
+suggestion of a home underneath. Nothing was in sight but the wide
+expanse of rolling country cut up on all sides by trenches and shell
+holes, and wearing a sort of khaki uniform of light brown mud. To the
+east of us, lay the road bordered with leafless and battered trees,
+past which went an interminable line of lorries, guns and limbers. We
+were very comfortable, and at night when the winds were blowing and
+the rain was coming down in sheets, it was not half bad after dinner
+to read aloud Tennyson's "Ulysses" or other of my favourite poems. I
+am not sure that I did not at times, relying upon the inclemency of
+the weather overhead, recite some of my own. I know that one morning,
+when I had awakened at about four o'clock, I turned on the light of a
+storage battery which I had found in a German dugout, and sitting up
+wrote the verses which I called "The Silent Toast" and which my    (p. 174)
+artillery friends approved of when I recited them at breakfast.
+
+The aftermath of victory is of course very sad. Many were the gallant
+men whose bodies were laid to rest in the little cemetery at Ecoivres.
+The cemetery is well kept and very prettily situated. The relatives of
+those who are buried there will be pleased to find the graves so
+carefully preserved. The large crucifix which stands on a mound near
+the gate is most picturesquely surrounded by trees. In the mound some
+soldier, probably a Frenchman, had once made a dugout. The site was
+evidently chosen with the idea that crucifixes were untouched by
+shells, and therefore places of refuge from danger. I often thought,
+as I looked at the crucifix with the human shelter beneath it, that it
+might stand as a symbol of the hymn:--
+
+  "Rock of Ages cleft for me
+  Let me hide myself in Thee."
+
+The engineers had had a dump for their material near the Bethune-Arras
+road, and when they moved it forward to a place called the "Nine
+Elms," the engineer officer gave me his dugout, which was partly
+beside the road and partly under it. It consisted of several rooms,
+one of which contained a bed, and had steps going down to a deep
+chamber whither one could retire in case of shelling. It was good to
+have such a large and comfortable establishment, and when Alberta was
+chained up in her corner and I had strapped myself into my kit bag at
+night, we both felt very snug. The only trouble was that visitors kept
+coming at all hours to ask for engineering materials, not knowing that
+the character of the abode had changed. Early one morning, an officer
+came in a great hurry, and waking me up, asked if there were any
+winches there,--he pronounced the word like wenches. I sat up in bed
+and looked at him sternly, and said, "Young man, this is a religious
+establishment, I am the Senior Chaplain, and there are no wenches
+here." He did not know quite what to make of the situation. "I mean
+wooden ones," he said. I replied, "Young man, there are no wenches
+here, either wooden or any other kind; the engineers have gone
+forward." He apologized and left. On another occasion, in the darkness
+of middle night, an Imperial soldier who had lost his way came down
+the steps and put his head into my door and began to stammer and hiss
+in such an extraordinary way that Alberta was roused and barked    (p. 175)
+furiously. I woke up with a start and asked what the matter was, but all
+I could get from the poor man was a series of noises and hisses. I
+turned on my flashlight, and a very muddy face covered with a shock of
+red hair looked in at the door of my little room, and with many
+contortions and winkings, emitted a series of incomprehensible noises.
+What with the stammering man and the barking dog, I was at my wits end
+to find out the trouble. At last by a process of synthesis, I pieced
+the various sounds together and found that the man wanted the location
+of a certain British battery. I gave him the best information I could.
+
+Not far from me, at Arriane Dump, the Chaplain's Service established a
+coffee stall, and there men who were going up to or coming from the
+line could get coffee, biscuits and cigarettes at all hours. The
+neighbourhood had now become so safe that little huts were being run
+up in various places. I asked our C.R.E. to build me a church, and, to
+my great joy, an officer and some men were detailed to put up a little
+structure of corrugated iron. At one end, over the entrance door,
+there was a belfry in which was hung a good sized German gas bell
+found in the trenches on our advance. Surmounting the belfry, was a
+cross painted with luminous paint. Inside the church, I had an altar
+with crucifix and candlesticks, and the Union Jack for a frontal. I
+also had a lectern and portable organ. The oiled linen in the windows
+let in a sufficient quantity of light, and the whole place was
+thoroughly church-like. I shall never forget the first service we held
+in it when the building was completed. It was in the evening and the
+sun was just setting. The air was balmy and spring-like and there was
+no shelling in the front line. The bell was rung and the congregation
+began to collect. I went over to the church and there I found, lying
+wrapped in a blanket on a stretcher beside the building, the body of a
+poor lad of the 2nd Division. It could not be buried until word had
+been received from his battalion. I got some of the men to carry the
+stretcher in and lay it in the aisle. I put on my cassock and
+surplice, lit the candles, and we had choral evensong, my organist
+playing the responses. The little church was filled, and there, in the
+midst of us, was one who had entered into his rest. It seemed to me
+that the most suitable hymn was:--
+
+  "Let saints on earth in concert sing
+    With those whose work is done,
+  For all the servants of our King                                 (p. 176)
+    In heaven and earth are one.
+
+  One army of the living God
+    To His command we bow;
+  Part of the host have crossed the flood,
+    And part are crossing now."
+
+All present sang the hymn most heartily, and we felt its
+appropriateness. I never hear it now without thinking of that evening
+service in St. George's Church at Arriane Dump. To those at home, I
+suppose, it will appear strange that an incident of that kind would
+not be almost too moving. At the front, however, death did not seem to
+be such a terrible thing--it was part of our life and something to be
+expected and met uncomplainingly. Every morning, until we moved, I had
+a Celebration of the Holy Communion in the church at eight o'clock,
+and every evening I had Evensong at six. I was told long afterwards
+that when General Horne paid his first visit to our Battle
+Headquarters, he pointed to the little iron structure with its belfry
+and white cross, and asked what it was. When they told him it was a
+church, he said, "A church! Now I know why the Canadians won Vimy
+Ridge." Unfortunately, the point of the observation was lost by the
+fact that the church was built, not before, but after we had taken the
+Ridge.
+
+When we left Arriane Dump, I handed over the church to the Senior
+Chaplain of the British division which took our place, and he had the
+building taken down, put in lorries, and re-erected in the village of
+Roclincourt, where he adorned it with a painted window of St. George
+and the Dragon.
+
+Along the Arras-Bethune road are various cemeteries where the men of
+the different battalions are buried. The greatest care was taken in
+collecting the dead and making their last resting place as neat and
+comely as possible. A plank road was constructed to connect the
+Bethune-Arras road with the Lens-Arras road further forward. It lay in
+a straight line over the broken ground cut up by trenches and huge
+craters, and brought one to the headquarters of the siege battery in
+which my son was a gunner. On all sides stretched the plain which our
+men had won. Far off, on clear days, one could see in the distance the
+little hamlets behind the German lines.
+
+We had taken the Ridge, but there were villages in the plain which
+were not yet in our hands. I heard there was to be an attack one   (p. 177)
+morning early. So the night before, I left my dugout at one a.m.
+It was a strange, weird walk along the plank road and then down the
+railway track to Farbus wood. The barrage was to open at four-thirty,
+and at four-ten a.m. I walked into the dugout where the Headquarters
+of the 3rd Artillery Brigade were. We waited till four twenty-five,
+and then I went up to see the barrage. Before us lay the plain, and
+all round us on the hillside, except in the space before us, were
+trees of Farbus Wood. At four-thirty the barrage opened, and we had a
+fine view of the line of bursting shells along the enemy's front. For
+a time our fire was very intense, and when it eased off I started down
+the hill to the town of Willerval, where in a dugout I found the
+officers of one of our battalions regaling themselves with the bottles
+of wine and mineral water which the Germans had left behind them in
+their well-stocked cellars. Willerval was badly smashed, but enough
+was left to show what a charming place it must have been in the days
+before the war. In the shell-ploughed gardens, spring flowers were
+putting up inquiring faces, and asking for the smiles and admiration
+of the flower-lovers who would tread those broken paths no more. I sat
+in a quiet place by a ruined brick wall and tried to disentangle the
+curious sensations which passed through the mind, as I felt the breeze
+lightly fanning my face, smelt the scent of flowers, heard the
+skylarks singing, saw the broken houses and conservatories, and
+listened to the shells which every now and then fell on the road to
+the east of the village. That super-sensitiveness to the charms of
+nature, which I have mentioned before, thrilled me with delight. The
+warm spring sun beat down from a cloudless sky, and the glorious
+romance of being out in the war-zone added to the charm.
+
+One of our ambulances had a dressing station in the cellars of the
+Chateau, and there were a number of German prisoners there who were
+waiting their turn as stretcher bearers. From Willerval I went to the
+dressing station in the sunken road, where one of our chaplains was
+hard at work rendering assistance to the wounded. We had taken Arleux,
+but of course had to pay the price, and over the fields in different
+directions one could see stretchers being carried, bearing their loads
+of broken and suffering bodies. Our grand old Division never failed in
+taking its objective, and later on, we advanced from Arleux to Fresnoy,
+which completed for us our campaign on Vimy Ridge. The Divisions   (p. 178)
+on each side of us were held up, but when we left the Ridge we handed
+over Fresnoy to our successors in the line. Later, they were obliged
+to relinquish it.
+
+There is something splendid in the esprit-de-corps of a Division, and
+none could be greater than that which animated all the units of the
+1st Canadian Division, or as we were called, "the boys of the old red
+patch," from the red patch which we wore as a distinguishing mark upon
+our arms.
+
+On May 4th, orders came to us that we had to move, and at night I
+walked over the old plank road to say good-bye to my son--for their
+battery was to retain its position--and on the next day, followed by
+little Alberta, I rode from Arriane Dump to my old billet in Bruay,
+breaking the journey by a visit to the 87th Battalion at Chateau de la
+Haie. We had returned to our old quarters covered with glory, and, on
+all sides, the French people were sincere in their admiration for what
+the Canadian Corps had done. It was certainly delightful to get back
+to clean billets, and to be able to enjoy the charming spring weather
+on roads that were not shelled and in fields that were rich in the
+promise of summer. Our Headquarters once again made their home in the
+Administration Building in the square, and the usual round of
+entertaining went on. During the daytime, battalions practised the
+noble art of open warfare. The sense of "Something accomplished,
+something done," inspired our men with the ardour of military life,
+and bound us all even closer together in the spirit of valiant
+comradeship.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.                                                     (p. 179)
+
+A WELL-EARNED REST.
+
+_May and June, 1917._
+
+
+Three days after we had settled at Bruay I was invited by one of our
+staff officers and the Colonel of one of our battalions to accompany
+them on a visit to our old trenches on the Somme. We left in the
+morning and went south, over the roads and past the little villages
+which we knew so well, till we came to Albert. We went up the Bapaume
+road, now deserted and lonely. Our front line was some miles to the
+east, and so all that waste of country over which we had fought was
+now without inhabitants. We left the motor near Courcellette and
+walked over the fields to the old trenches where the First Brigade had
+made their attack. It was a dreary day. Low clouds hung over the sky
+and a cold wind blew from the east. Spring had made very little
+advance in those wide fields of death, and the grass was hardly green,
+where there was any grass. We walked over the well-known tracks
+reviewing incidents of the great battle. We crossed Death Valley and
+saw our old lines. The place was so solemn that by mutual agreement we
+did not talk, but each went off by himself. I found a number of
+Canadian and German bodies still unburied, and all over the fields
+were rifles and mess tins, spades and bits of accoutrement. One could
+hardly imagine a scene more desolate and forlorn. Every inch of that
+ground had been fought over and bought with the price of human blood.
+The moan of the wind over the fields seemed like the great lament of
+Nature for her sons who had gone. It was impossible to identify the
+bodies we found, but we knew that burial parties would soon set to
+work to collect them. Over each poor brown and muddy form I held a
+short service and used the form of committal from the burial office in
+our prayer-book.
+
+It was with a sense of relief that we walked back up the road, past
+the ruins of Courcelette, and rejoined the motor. The scene was too
+painful, and made too great a pull upon the heart-strings. In the
+great army of the slain that lay beneath that waste of mud were many
+whom we had known and loved with that peculiar love which binds
+comrades in the fighting line to one another--
+
+  "God rest you valiant Gentlemen                                  (p. 180)
+  Who sleep beneath that ground."
+
+Once more, at the end of the month, I paid another visit to Regina
+Trench, when I was on my way to place a cross over my son's grave in
+the cemetery at Tara Hill. By this time, the grass was green, the
+trenches were filling up and in the cloudless blue sky larks were
+singing. The impression of dreariness was passing away, and the wounds
+on the breast of nature were being healed.
+
+Our life at Bruay as usual was exceedingly pleasant, and the men
+thoroughly enjoyed the beauty and the freshness of the country. Games
+and sports were indulged in and the nightly entertainments in the
+theatre given by our concert party were most enjoyable.
+
+I shall never forget the happy rides on Dandy down the roads and
+across the fields to the various battalions and artillery brigades. At
+every turn I would meet men whom I knew, and to shake hands with those
+glorious lads who had done such great things for the world was an
+honour and a privilege. In looking back to that time faces and places
+come before me, and I feel once again the warm spring winds over the
+fields of France, and see the quaint old villages of Houdain, Ruitz
+and Hallicourt where our various battalions were billetted. Sometimes,
+at exalted moments, I had meals with generals in their comfortable
+quarters; sometimes with company officers; sometimes with the non-coms,
+but I think the most enjoyable were those that I took with the men in
+dirty cook-houses. With a dish-cloth they would wipe off some old box
+for a chair, another for a table; then, getting contributions of
+cutlery, they would cook me a special dinner and provide me with a
+mess-tin of strong hot tea. When the meal was over and cigarettes had
+been lighted, general conversation was indulged in, and there would be
+talks of home, of war experiences, and many discussions of religion
+and politics. One question which was asked me again and again in
+trenches and dugouts and billets was--"Are we winning the war?" It may
+be hard for people at home to realize how little our men knew of what
+was happening. The majority of them never saw the newspapers, and of
+course the monotony of our life and the apparent hopelessness of
+making any great advance was a puzzle to them. I never failed to take
+the question seriously and give them, as far as I was able, a general
+idea of the aspect of the war on the various fronts. In order to be
+able to do this I read "The Times" daily with great care. It was   (p. 181)
+really the only paper that one could depend on, and its marvellous
+influence on the conduct of the campaign completely justified its
+claim to be still the exponent of British policy, and its inherited
+right to the title of "The Thunderer."
+
+Our artillery were still in the line along the Ridge, but our infantry
+brigades were all at rest. It was proposed that we should have a
+thanksgiving service for victory with each brigade. The Senior Chaplain
+of the Corps took the matter in hand with the Senior Chaplain of the
+Army. A form of service was printed on slips of paper, and on Sunday,
+May 13th, we had services for the three infantry brigades. It was a
+lovely warm day, and the services were held at the most convenient
+points. The 2nd Brigade were assembled at Ruitz. It was a splendid
+sight. The 5th, 7th, 8th and 10th Battalions were drawn up in a great
+square, generals and staff officers were present; a band played the
+hymns and the army chaplain gave us a most stirring address. The next
+service was with the 1st Brigade in a field near Coupigny, where the
+1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Battalions were drawn up, making a magnificent
+show of young, ardent and stalwart manhood. The moment it was over the
+general and staff were motored over to the 3rd Brigade at
+Chateau-de-la-Haie. Here were assembled the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th
+Battalions. General Horne attended this Service, and, after the
+religious ceremony was over, gave an address. His admiration for the
+achievement of our men was evidently sincere, and he always showed the
+deepest interest in everything connected with the welfare of the
+Canadians.
+
+Near Bruay on the way to Houdain were some large aerodromes and the
+headquarters of the squadron. I had met their chaplain before at
+Armentieres when he was attached to the infantry. He very kindly
+invited me up to his quarters, and several times I dined with him at
+the officers' mess. He was the chaplain of several squadrons, and had
+to fly from one to another to take services on Sundays after the manner
+of a true "sky pilot." He told me some splendid tales of the gallantry
+of the young men to whom he had to minister. On one occasion the order
+was given that six German observation balloons along the front line
+had to be brought down, for we were about to make an advance. Six men
+were therefore, told off for this important but dangerous duty. The
+chaplain told me that at once the question arose as to how they    (p. 182)
+were to dress for the encounter. Should they wear old clothes or should
+they be arrayed in their best? They decided that if they were brought
+down they would like, by their appearance, to do most credit to their
+squadron, and so it was determined that they should wear their newest
+uniforms. He told me that to him, who knew the dangers underlying the
+enterprise, it was most pathetic to see the young fellows in the highest
+spirits getting themselves polished up as if they were going to an
+investiture at Buckingham Palace. He had thought of having a service
+of Holy Communion for them, but there was no time, so he saw them
+start off on their voyage telling them that he would follow them with
+his prayers. The danger of such an undertaking was very great, as the
+planes had to fly low over the German trenches and then rise up and
+attack the balloons. That night six young airmen came to dinner in the
+mess as usual, but there were six observation balloons less in the
+German lines.
+
+One night when I went to dinner with the officers of the squadron I
+was placed at the right hand of the O.C. He was late in arriving, and
+I wondered what sort of man would come to fill the vacant chair. To my
+surprise, when we were half way through dinner, a young officer, not
+much more than a boy came and took the seat and welcomed me to the
+mess. I asked him if he were the Major. He said he was, and on his
+left breast were several decorations. I was just going to make some
+remark about his youthful appearance when he said, "Now don't say it,
+Padre, don't say I look young, I really can't help it." I had a long
+and interesting talk with him about his work. He was full of enthusiasm,
+and his knowledge of men impressed me deeply. There was a large number
+of officers at the table all under his command. I thought it was
+wonderful that a man so young should have such a knowledge of human
+character. This war has certainly shown that mellowed age is not such
+a necessary qualification for right judgment as we thought it was. Old
+age has had its day, and the young world, that has just been born in
+the anguish and travail of the old, must be "run" by young men who
+unite in themselves the qualities of judgment and the love of adventure.
+The hut used as a mess-room was most artistically decorated, and made
+a fine setting for the noble young fellows, who sat round the table
+chaffing one another and laughing as if they never had to face death
+in the blinding mists of morning or the blazing sun of noon, with the
+rain of shells and machine gun fire falling round them, as they    (p. 183)
+climbed higher and higher like skylarks into the wide vault of heaven.
+
+On the first of June, we were ordered back to the line, and our
+Divisional Headquarters was to be divided. The General and staff were
+to be at the advanced position in the huts and dugouts on the La
+Targette road, and the non-combatant officers were to be billetted
+near Villers au Bois in Chateau d'Acq, a comfortable modern house with
+a large garden on one side and a pleasant tree-covered hill at the
+back. Here, to my surprise and delight, I found myself in possession
+of a large front room with furniture in it that appeared almost
+gorgeous. I had one comfortable night's sleep in it, but alas only
+one. On the next evening, when the full moon was shining with that
+fateful power which she has of turning night into day and of guiding
+the flight of hostile bombers, we were sitting smoking our cigars
+after dinner at the artillery headquarters in the La Targette road,
+when suddenly we heard the pulsating buzzing of a German plane. At
+once someone called out, "A Boche plane, put out the lights." In an
+instant the lights were out, but the fatal moonlight shone with clear
+and cruel lustre. There was a huge crash, then another, then another,
+then another, and someone said, "It has discharged its load." For a
+few moments we waited in silence, then we heard the sound of voices
+and men calling for help. I went across the open to the huts where the
+staff officers and the clerks lived. The German plane kept buzzing
+round and round at a low altitude, the observer evidently trying to
+find out what mischief he had done. To my dismay, I found that sixteen
+persons including the A.D.M.S. and the Assistant to the A.P.M., had
+been wounded, two of them fatally. We could not use the lights in
+attending to the wounded for the German airman was on the watch, and
+it was not until he went away that we could get ambulances to carry
+them off.
+
+The General did not think it was worth while to risk a second attack
+by remaining at the place, so, in the middle of the night, with great
+dispatch the headquarters was moved back to the Chateau, and instead
+of my occupying the mahogany bed in the front room, I found myself on
+the floor of one of the huts in the garden. The General quite rightly
+and naturally taking to himself the bed which I had left.
+
+Chateau d'Acq was for many weeks and at different times our comfortable
+and delightful home. There were many Nissen huts round the Chateau (p. 184)
+and under the beautiful trees on the hillside. Here the different
+branches of the service had their offices, and the engineers built for
+me a little house of tar paper lined with green canvas, over the door
+of which was painted the sign "St. George's Rectory." The C.R.E. also
+built me a new St. George's Church on the other side of the road. It
+was to be the chef d'oeuvre of his architectural skill, and to be made
+as complete and perfect as possible. A compass was brought and the
+true east and west found. The material of which the church was to be
+built was tar paper and scantling. The roof was to be covered with
+corrugated iron. The belfry was to be hung this time with two German
+gas bells, which were dignified with the title of a chime of bells.
+The windows, filled with oiled linen, were to be pointed after the
+manner of Gothic architecture. The church was to be cruciform, with a
+vestry on one side balanced by an organ chamber on the other. We had a
+nice altar, with the legal ornaments, and an altar rail. We had a
+lectern, and the proper number of benches for the congregation. We
+even had a font, which was carved out of chalk by the C.R.E.'s batman
+and given as an offering to the church. The C.R.E., a most devout and
+staunch Presbyterian, was proud of his architectural achievement and
+told me that now he had handed over to me a complete church he wished
+every service which the Church of England could hold to be celebrated
+in it. He said, "In addition to your usual services, I want men to be
+baptised, to be married, and to be ordained in that church." When I
+protested that possibly no men could be found desiring these offices,
+he replied, "The matter is perfectly simple. Like the centurion in the
+Bible, I am a man under authority. All I have to do is to call up ten
+men and say 'Go and be baptised tomorrow morning in Canon Scott's
+Church', and they will go. If they don't, they will be put in the
+guard room. Then I will call up ten more men and say, 'Go and be
+married in Canon Scott's church.' If they don't, I will put them in
+the guardroom. Then I will call up ten more men and say, 'Go and be
+ordained in Canon Scott's church'. If they don't, I will put them in
+the guard room." All this was said with perfect solemnity. As a matter
+of fact, when another division was occupying Chateau d'Acq, a man
+really was baptised in the little church. It was used daily for a time
+by the Roman Catholic Chaplain.
+
+A photograph of the building is preserved in the Canadian War Records
+Office. The first morning I rang the chime of bells for the early  (p. 185)
+service, our A.D.M.S. avowed that he, mistaking the character of the
+sound, and supposing that it was a warning of a gas attack, sat up in
+his bed in the sweltering heat and put on his gas helmet.
+
+From Chateau d'Acq I used to go and take services for the siege
+artillery on the Lens-Arras road, and also at the charmingly situated
+rest camp at Fresnicourt. We knew however that a bombing raid might
+occur at Chateau d'Acq on any clear night. Whenever we heard German
+planes in the air we always felt how unprotected we were, and it gave
+us a sense of relief when the buzzing sound grew fainter and fainter
+and died off in the distance.
+
+The cool green shade of the trees made a pleasant roof over our heads
+on the hot days of early summer, and at dawn in the woods opposite we
+could hear the nightingales. Later on, the owner of the Chateau sold
+some of the bigger trees, and we found on our return to it in the
+following year that the beauty of the place had been destroyed, and
+the hillside looked like the scene of a Canadian lumber camp. However,
+the rose-trees in the garden with their breath of sweetest odour were
+a continual joy and delight to the soul.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.                                                       (p. 186)
+
+PARIS LEAVE.
+
+_June 1917._
+
+
+My time for leave was due again, and as we were allowed to spend it in
+France without interfering with the number of those who desired to see
+their friends in England, I determined to go to Chamounix. I thought
+that the sight of a great natural wonder like Mont Blanc would have an
+uplifting effect upon the mind, at a time when everything human seemed
+to be going to rack and ruin. The white peaks of the Alps in their
+changeless purity against the blue of the infinite sky seemed to me a
+vision which the soul needed. So I started off one lovely morning on
+my way to Paris. I went by side-car to Amiens, where I took the train.
+It was a delightful expedition, and I left with a good conscience,
+because our men were not expected to attack, and were in a quiet
+sector of the line. The driver of the car, with the prospect of a good
+meal at Amiens and a good tip, was in the best of humours. The air was
+sweet and fresh and the grass wore its brightest green. The sunshine
+beat down from a cloudless sky, and when we paused for repairs, as we
+had to do from time to time, birds' songs furnished us with a most
+enjoyable concert. An expedition of this kind was made doubly charming
+by having in it a touch of adventure. When we came to a village, at
+once the map had to be studied and the turns in the road noted. A
+conversation with some of the villagers as we journeyed, always broke
+the sense of loneliness, and gave us an insight into the feelings of
+the people. However, on this particular occasion, I was not able to
+complete the journey to Amiens in the side-car. Either the car broke
+down, or the driver preferred to go on by himself, for the thing came
+to a dead stop just as a car from the Corps was about to pass us. The
+occupants kindly invited me to go on to Amiens with them. It was a
+swifter way of continuing the journey and much more comfortable, so I
+said good-bye to my original driver and started off with my new
+friends.
+
+Amiens was a bustling place then and very unlike the Amiens I saw a
+little over a year later. I started by train at six-thirty p.m., and
+at eight-thirty, after a pleasant journey, arrived at Paris, where I
+went to the Hotel Westminster. On the next evening, I started off  (p. 187)
+with some friends for Evians-les-Bains. The train was very full, and
+there were no berths in the wagon-lit, so we had to stay up all night
+in a crowded first-class carriage. There was an old French Cure at one
+end of the compartment, who, quite early in the evening, drew out a
+silk handkerchief and covered his head and face therewith, leading us
+to suppose that he had sunk into oblivion. We therefore carried on a
+very pleasant and vivacious conversation, as the night was warm and we
+were not inclined to sleep. Suddenly the old Cure pulled off the
+handkerchief and said in a gruff voice, "It is the time for sleeps and
+not for talks." and, having uttered this stinging rebuke, re-covered
+his head and left us in penitent silence. We arrived at Evians-les-Bains
+in good time, and went to a very charming hotel with a lovely view of
+the Lake of Geneva in front. Unfortunately, I had hurt my foot some
+time before and it looked as if it had got infected. Not wishing to be
+laid up so far from medical assistance, I decided to return the same
+evening, which I did, and once more found myself at the Hotel
+Westminster. I now determined to spend my leave in Paris. There were
+many of our men in the city at that time. They were all in a very
+impecunious condition, for there was some difficulty in getting their
+pay and, in Paris, money did not last long. I did my best to try and
+help them, and later our system of payment was improved. It was
+perhaps just as well for some of them that their money was short.
+
+Poor old Paris looked very shabby to one who remembered her in former
+days with her clean streets and many-fountained parks. She wore the
+air of shabby gentility. The streets were not clean; the people were
+not well-dressed, the fountains no longer played. France had been hard
+hit by the war, and the ruin and desolation of her eastern borders
+were reflected in the metropolis. I spent most of my time in Paris
+trying to keep men straight, with more or less success. I can imagine
+nothing worse for a lonely young fellow, who had taken his leave after
+weary months in the front line, than to find himself in the midst of
+the heartless gaiety of the French capital. On all sides the minions
+of vice, diseased in mind and body, lay in waiting for their prey. To
+one who loved Canada and longed for the uplifting of the pure life of
+Canadian homes, it was a spectacle which filled the heart with anxiety.
+Before I left Paris, I wrote a letter to the Continental Daily Mail
+advocating the taking over of some hotels which could be turned into
+hostels or clubs for soldiers while on leave. This, I am happy to  (p. 188)
+say was afterwards done.
+
+I met many of our men at the soldiers' tea-rooms called "A corner of
+Blighty" in the Place Vendome, and I organized several dinner and
+theatre parties which went off very pleasantly. When the men had
+companionship, they did not feel the lure of vice which came to them
+in moments of loneliness. I met some interesting people in Paris, and
+at a Sunday luncheon in the charming house of the Duchess de la M---- I
+met Madame ----, the writer of a series of novels of rather lurid
+reputation. The authoress was a large person with rich orange-coloured
+hair, powdered cheeks, and darkened eyelashes. She wore a large black
+hat, enormous solitaire pearl ear-rings, and, as a symbol of her
+personal purity, was arrayed in white. She lamented the fact that
+women writers were not allowed to visit the front. When I told her
+that Mrs. Humphrey Ward had been there, she said, "Oh yes, they
+allowed her to go because they said she could write good English, but
+she cannot get the ear of the American people in the way _I_ can."
+
+There were two or three French officers present, one of whom was an
+attache at the Embassy in Madrid. I was much impressed by their quiet
+dignified bearing, so typical of the chivalrous heroism of France, and
+so unlike anything which we could look for in the officers of the
+German Army. I could not help observing that the French were much
+depressed and filled with anxiety as to the issue of the war. A French
+lady said to me "How can we go on much longer; our man-power is nearly
+exhausted?" It is a supreme delight to me to think that that wonderful
+nation, which suffered and bled so deeply and bore its wrongs so
+nobly, has now been avenged on the ruthless enemy, and that the
+tricolour once more floats over Alsace and Lorraine. Profoundly
+patriotic though we of the British Empire are, there is something in
+the patriotism of the French which goes down into the deepest roots of
+the human soul. I remember once in the private burying place of a
+noble family who owned a chateau not far from our front line, seeing a
+little child's grave. The child had died in Canada at the age of two
+years, and its body had been brought back to its ancestral resting
+place. On the tombstone, under the inscription were the words:--
+
+  "Petit ange
+  Priez pour
+  la France."
+
+I was very much struck by the prayer. That the sorrow for a        (p. 189)
+child's death should be coupled with the love of country seemed most
+strange and pathetic. I venture to say that it would be impossible to
+find a parallel instance of such a blending of emotions in any English
+churchyard. The present owner of the Chateau, which was at least two
+or three hundred years old, was away fighting for his country, and
+long grass and weeds filled the uncared for corner by the side of the
+old church. In past history, we have fought with the French again and
+again, but we always felt that we were fighting with gentlemen, and
+were sure that every courteous deed done by us would meet with an
+equally courteous response. One of the saddest things in the war was
+that, while we often admired the military efficiency of the Germans,
+we had absolutely no respect for their officers or men, nor could we
+regard them as anything but well-trained brutes. The ties which bind
+us to France now are very intimate and personal, and it is a matter of
+thankfulness to all who love human idealism and true culture, that the
+reproach of the defeat of 1870 has been washed away in blood, and that
+France will emerge from her fiery trial a purer and a loftier nation.
+
+I was not sorry when my Paris leave was over and I returned to my
+Headquarters at Chateau d'Acq. It was always delightful to get back to
+my war home and settle down again in the midst of those on whose
+shoulders the fate of civilization rested. I arrived back on June
+29th, just in time to prepare for the special services which were to
+be held throughout the Corps on Sunday, July 1st, it being the jubilee
+of the Dominion. I made arrangements with the band of the Royal
+Canadian Regiment, as our Divisional band was away, to march over from
+Villers au Bois and play for us at the service. We had special hymns
+and prayers neatly printed on cards, which the men were to retain as
+souvenirs. The parade was held just outside St. George's Church, our
+new Divisional Commander, General Macdonell, and his staff attending.
+The occasion was particularly interesting to me, because I was the
+only man in the whole Canadian Corps at the front who could remember
+the first Dominion Day. I could remember as a child being taken by my
+father on the 1st of July, 1867, to hear the guns firing a salute on
+the grounds of McGill College, Montreal. Canada had travelled a long
+distance on the path of nationhood since that far-off time, and now,
+after fifty years, I had the satisfaction of being with the great  (p. 190)
+Canadian Army Corps on European soil, engaged in the biggest war of
+history. Such an experience is not often the privilege of a human
+life, and the splendid body of men before me gave promise of Canada's
+progress and national glory in the future. Everyone felt the peculiar
+significance of the celebration.
+
+Owing to the fact that my foot was still troubling me, I was sent down
+to the rest-camp at Fresnicourt, where I met many of the officers and
+men in that delightful old Chateau. The country round about was very
+pretty, and the views from the hills were charming. Every night I used
+to have either a service, or a talk with the men, on the grass beside
+a little stream. They were all enjoying the rest and refreshment that
+came from being able to live in pleasant surroundings and away from
+shells and work in the trenches. On July 18th, I went by side-car to
+St. Omer where the Senior Chaplains of the Army were summoned to a
+conference. We were billeted in the large building used as the Chaplains'
+Rest Home, and there enjoyed the great privilege, not only of meeting
+one another, but of listening to some splendid addresses and lectures
+by those in charge. It was pleasant to re-visit St. Omer. The quaint
+old French town, with its rambling streets and polite inhabitants,
+took one away from the thoughts of war and gave one almost a feeling
+of home. In the smoking-room at night, we had the opportunity of
+discussing with one another the various moral and religious problems
+with which the chaplain had to contend, and many were the interesting
+experiences of those chaplains. On the last day of our meetings, at
+the early Eucharist, we had an address from the Archbishop of York,
+who had just come over to France. Later on, he gave an address at a
+general meeting of the chaplains at Bethune.
+
+While at St. Omer I paid a visit to the Second Army School in their
+magnificent buildings in Wisques, where I saw the room that my son had
+occupied, and met some of the people who remembered him. The place was
+used as a training school for officers and was most wonderfully equipped.
+The building was a modern convent, and the large unfinished chapel, with
+its high vaulted roof, was used as a dining-room. It was inspiring at
+dinner to see the hundreds of young officers, all so keen and cheery,
+sitting round the tables, while a good band played during the meal. It
+was hard to realize that they were only having a momentary respite
+from the war, and, in a week or two, would be once more up in the line
+facing wounds and death. The Commandant took great pride in the    (p. 191)
+institution, and told me of the splendid records of the men who had
+passed through his hands.
+
+Our Divisional Headquarters now moved to a place called Bracquemont,
+near Noeux les Mines. Here I had a very fine room in the house of the
+manager of one of the Mines, the offices of which were on the other
+side of the road. The house was well built, and had a most charming
+garden at the back. It was large and commodious, and I always feared
+that my billet would attract the covetous desires of some high staff
+officer and that I should be thrown out to make way for him. My room
+was on the ground floor with two large windows opening on the street,
+enabling me to get the Daily Mail from the newsboy in the morning. The
+ceiling was high and the furniture most sumptuous. A large mirror
+stood upon the marble mantel-piece. I had linen sheets on the bed and
+an electric light at my side. It did not seem at all like war, but the
+end of the mahogany bed and some of the chairs, also one corner of the
+ceiling, had been perforated by bits of shrapnel. So in the midst of
+luxury, there was the constant reminder that the war was still going
+on--a death's head at the feast.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.                                                        (p. 192)
+
+WE TAKE HILL 70.
+
+_July and August, 1917._
+
+
+Bracquemont was a very charming home. There were many men about us,
+the artillery horse lines were there as well as two battalions in
+rest, and various other units. Behind the British C.C.S. there was a
+large hall with a stage at one end. Here our concert party gave a
+performance every night. Between us and the front line, were the
+villages of Maroc, Le Brebis, Mazingarbe, and Bully-Grenay, which were
+our billeting area while we occupied the trenches in advance of Loos.
+I was thus in easy reach of all the units in the Division and could do
+a great deal of parish visiting.
+
+In the country behind us, there were many Chinese Labour Companies and
+one of Zulus. When not at work, they were encamped in large compounds
+surrounded by barbed wire. Our band used to play occasionally for the
+entertainment of the Chinese, who very much enjoyed both the music and
+the compliment that was paid to them by its being provided. On one
+occasion, I went with General Thacker to visit one of the Chinese
+Labour Companies. The officer in charge wished us to see some of their
+sports, and so we sat on chairs at the top of the field and the
+Chinamen came up and gave us an exhibition of their skill in something
+that looked like fencing. They used sticks for foils. We could not
+quite see who won in the encounter, or what constituted the finishing
+stroke, but, as soon as each pair of performers retired they turned
+and bowed solemnly to the General and made way for two other
+combatants. They were great powerful men, very different from the type
+of Chinese one sees in this country. One of the performers we were
+told by the O.C., could carry a weight of five hundred pounds on his
+shoulders. After the gymnastic performance, we had a concert, and a
+man sang, or rather made a hideous nasal sound, to the accompaniment
+of something that looked like a three stringed fiddle. The song, which
+greatly delighted the Chinese listeners, consisted of an interminable
+number of verses; in fact we never heard the end of it, for the O.C.
+stopped it and told the musicians that the officers had to leave. He
+told us that the men were well behaved, and that only once had he had
+occasion to hold a court-martial.
+
+The Zulus were encamped near Ranchicourt. They too were a stalwart (p. 193)
+lot of men, but felt the cold of the winter very much. I was riding
+past them in the road one day and spoke to the British sergeant in
+charge of them. He pointed out one young man who, he said, was the son
+of a chief, and, in his own country, was entitled to a body-guard of
+fifteen men. In recognition, therefore, of his aristocratic birth, he
+was allowed to wear three stripes. While we were talking, the boy
+looked round and saw that we were speaking about him. The sergeant
+called out something to him in Zulu language, and the boy smiled and
+nodded to me. I asked the sergeant what he had said to him. He
+replied: "I told him that you thought you had met him before, and it
+pleased him." This accounted for the boy's smiling at me and the nod
+of recognition. I suppose he thought that on some occasion in my
+rambles through Africa we had met in the jungle. At any rate, I
+admired the sergeant's tact and savoir faire. There was a great
+mixture of races among the allied forces in France, and I always felt
+sorry for the poor heathen that they should be dragged into the war of
+the Christian nations.
+
+Our front trenches were not comfortable places. To reach them one had
+to pass through Maroc and along a road on the outskirts of Loos.
+Beside the road, in the cellars of a broken building, called Fort
+Glatz, was a dressing station. The neighbourhood was frequently
+shelled, for the road from Maroc to Loos was under observation from
+the two mysterious iron towers in Wingles. Beyond Fort Glatz, the
+engineers had a store of trench materials. The place was called
+"Crucifix Dump," on account of the large crucifix which stood there on
+a mound of earth. The figure on the crucifix was made of metal and it
+had been struck by shrapnel. It looked so pathetic standing there amid
+the ruin and desolation around, mutely saying to those who had ears to
+hear, "Is it nothing to you, all ye who pass by; behold and see if
+there was ever sorrow like unto my sorrow?" From a shrapnel hole near
+the heart of the figure, birds could be seen flying in and out,
+getting food for their young. At the foot, there was the grave of a
+German officer who had been killed when the Germans occupied Loos.
+
+I often used to go to Bully-Grenay to visit some of the siege batteries.
+They had comfortable billets but the Germans soon found out their
+location and sent over some very big shells. One large shell had a curious
+experience. It fell in the road to the south of Bully-Grenay,      (p. 194)
+burrowing under the ground without exploding. Then it rose and went
+through the side of a brick house, and finally reposed on the floor of
+an upper room. We all went to see it lying there, like some gigantic
+sea monster dead and stranded on the shore. The potential force of the
+huge shell was enormous, but it lay there perfectly harmless after its
+strange pilgrimage.
+
+I was passing one of the siege batteries one day, when I saw a number
+of men working round a damaged gun-pit. I went over to it and found
+that a shell had landed there that morning, just as they were changing
+shifts on the guns. It had killed and buried a number of the men, at
+the same time setting fire to our ammunition. The bodies of those who
+were buried were burnt almost to ashes by the terrific heat, and only
+charred bits of them were recovered.
+
+South of Loos there was the famous Double Crassier. It was a large
+slag heap on which once ran a line of railway. The top, of course, was
+in sight of the Germans, but down in the hollow on our side of it we
+had a great number of battery positions. That little corner where our
+guns were concentrated was an easy target for the German artillery,
+and many were the high explosives and gas-shells which they dropped.
+In the town of Maroc itself there was a large fosse or mine-head. The
+buildings round it were capacious, and well made. They were of course
+now much damaged, but the cellars were extraordinarily commodious and
+extensive. They were lined with white tiles, and the largest one was
+fitted up as a place of rest and amusement with a canteen where the
+men could get coffee, cakes and cigarettes. I stationed one of our
+chaplains there to look after the work and hold services in one of the
+cellars which was fitted up as a chapel. In the large room there were
+benches, and a stage afforded a good floor for boxing. I determined to
+start boxing there as a sport for the artillerymen, who had few
+opportunities of enjoying the entertainments which were given behind
+the line. I had a great friend in one of the Highland battalions, who
+had been wounded three times in the war, and was heavy-weight champion
+of the 1st Division. I got his O.C. to attach him to me, and I placed
+him in the cellar at Maroc where he began to instruct the men in the
+noble art of self defence. People used to wonder why I had a
+prize-fighter attached to me, and I told them that if the Junior
+Chaplains were insubordinate, I wanted to be able to call in some one
+in an emergency to administer discipline. I always said, with      (p. 195)
+perfect truth, that since my prize-fighter was attached to me I had
+had no trouble with any of the chaplains. It is wonderful what things
+one can do in the Army which are not according to the King's Regulations.
+By right, as Senior Chaplain of a Division, I was entitled only to one
+man who was to act in the dual capacity of batman and groom, but later
+on I managed to get a man to act as secretary, who was given sergeant's
+stripes and looked after the office when I went on my wanderings
+through the Division. Then I got a man who knew something about music
+to be appointed as my organist. He used to travel with me in the staff
+car with my portable organ when I went to take church parades on
+Sunday. He was afterwards gassed and I lost him, but he did useful
+work while he was with me in helping the singing. The prize-fighter
+made another addition to what I called the Senior Chaplain's battalion.
+Then, as time went on, I was able to get a man to take over the duties
+of a batman, and I finally obtained a chauffeur to run my side-car.
+This large army of assistants was a sore puzzle to our Camp Commandant,
+who had to arrange for their rations and discipline. I was always being
+asked how many men I had on my staff. However, to use a soldier's
+expression "I got away with it."
+
+The road through Maroc was not a pleasant one to travel. It was liable
+to be shelled at any moment. On one side of the street was a large
+brick wall which had been perforated by a shell and the place was
+called "The Hole in the Wall." The Germans knew that we had many
+batteries concealed in the ruined town, so they never left it alone
+for very long. I was going up to the front one day, when I met in the
+street an artillery officer coming back. We had not seen each other
+for some time, and he gave me such a warm greeting that I at once
+determined to reward him by reciting to him one of my poems. I got
+about half way through when the enemy, not knowing, of course, what
+was going on, began to shell the place, and some bits of mud and brick
+fell in the road not far off. In spite of the beauty of the poem, my
+friend began to get restless, and I was faced with the problem of
+either hurrying the recitation and thereby spoiling the effect of the
+rhythm, or of trusting to his artistic temperament and going on as if
+nothing was happening. I did the latter, and went on unmoved by the
+exploding shells. I thought the Major would see that the climax of the
+poem had not yet been reached and was worth waiting for. I was
+mistaken. He became more and more restless, till at last he said,  (p. 196)
+"Excuse me, Canon, but I think I must be hurrying on." He left me
+standing in the road with the last part of the poem and its magnificent
+climax still in my throat. I looked after him for a moment or two,
+then turned sorrowfully, lamenting the depravity of human nature, and
+pursued my journey. I had not gone far in the street before I came to
+a large pool of blood, where a man had just been killed. There was
+some excuse, therefore, for my friend's conduct, for he must have
+passed that pool of blood before he met me, and his nerves were
+probably not in their normal condition. He went back to his battery
+and told his friends there that I had actually buttonholed him in
+Maroc and insisted upon his listening to a miserable poem of mine
+while shells were falling in the place.
+
+In order to avoid the danger of passing through the town, we generally
+used a path across the fields. I was returning from the trenches with
+some men one night along this path, when we saw from Maroc flashes of
+a light which was apparently being used as a signal. At once we were
+seized with an attack of spy-fever, and I said to the men, "There is
+someone signalling to the Germans." The night was so dark that
+signalling could have been seen at a considerable distance.
+Immediately we started off towards the light, which went out when we
+approached, but we discovered an officer in a mackintosh, and I at
+once asked him who he was. Tired as our men were, for they were coming
+out after being several days in the trenches, they followed me and
+were so keen on the adventure that one of them had drawn his revolver.
+The officer became very rude and he used some blasphemous words
+towards me in the dark, which naturally provoked a stern rebuke. I
+told him I was a Lieut.-Colonel, and that I should report him to his
+commanding officer. Then we asked him to give proof of his identity. I
+could see by his manner that he was becoming exceedingly uncomfortable,
+so I insisted upon his leading us to his headquarters. He did, and we
+stumbled on over telephone wires and piles of bricks till he brought
+us into the yard of a broken down house, in the cellars of which we
+found the officers of his battery. The O.C. was very polite and, when
+I pointed out to him the danger of flashing a light in the neighbourhood
+of the track which was used by our infantry battalions at night when
+going to or coming from the trenches, he said his unit would be more
+careful in the future. After a little conversation we left. A day  (p. 197)
+or two afterwards I met one of the officers of the battery, and we
+had a good laugh over the incident, but he told me that it was even
+more amusing than I had thought, for the young officer had a dugout in
+the field and was making his way thither with nothing on but his
+pyjamas and his mackintosh. When we asked him for some proofs of his
+identity, he was terrified lest we should search him and find him in
+this peculiarly unmilitary costume, which might have made us still
+more suspicious.
+
+Ever since our moving to Bracquemont, we had been preparing to complete
+the work of our advance towards Lens by an attack on Hill 70, the high
+ground to the north-west of that city. Compared with the taking of
+Vimy Ridge, the exploit was of course a minor one, but, for many
+reasons, it was felt to be an exceedingly dangerous task and one which
+would cost us dearly. The Germans had had time to concentrate their
+forces in front of us, and they knew the value of the commanding
+position which they held. Everyone felt anxious as to the result of
+the enterprise, and we had learnt from recent experiences on the Ridge
+and at Fresnoy how powerful the enemy was. Although, of course, I did
+not let the men see it, I was always worried when we had an attack in
+view. When I held services for them on parade, or addressed them at
+their entertainments, or met them by the roadside, I used to look into
+their eyes and wonder if those eyes would soon be viewing the eternal
+mysteries "in the land that is very far off." I tried to make it a
+point never to pass anyone without a handshake or a word of cheer and
+encouragement. How their faces used to brighten up at some trifling
+kindness or some funny story!
+
+I was fond of visiting the men who acted as the road control on the
+east side of Maroc. One of their number was of course on guard day and
+night, so I was always sure of meeting a friend whenever I passed. I
+never went down to their cellar without being offered a cup of tea and
+other dainties. They used to sleep on shelves, and often invited me to
+rest my weary limbs there. I would thank them for their kindness, but
+thought it prudent, for reasons of personal cleanliness, not to accept
+it. It always gave me great pleasure to come upon friends in out of
+the way places. I remember meeting an officer late one night near the
+front at Loos. It was very dark, and, as soon as he recognized me, he
+exclaimed, "Here's old Canon Scott, I'll be d--d!" "My friend," I said
+solemnly, "I hope you will not allow that sad truth to get abroad. (p. 198)
+The Canadian Government is paying me a large salary to try and keep
+you from that awful fate, and if they hear that your meeting me has
+had such a result, I shall lose my job." He apologized for the expression,
+and said it was only meant as an exclamation of surprise.
+
+By the beginning of August, everything was ready for the attack, and
+on the 14th, carrying my rations with me, I made my way to the 7th
+Siege Battery; for I had arranged to go to their observation post and
+watch the barrage from there. I started off in the evening, with one
+of the gunners. We skirted Maroc and reached the O.P., which was called
+St. Pat's. It was a long walk over the open and through the trenches
+before we got into the place. From it we looked down the slope towards
+our front line, and beyond this we saw the rise in the ground called
+Hill 70, held by the Germans. The barrage was to begin at four
+twenty-five in the morning; so the gunner and I went down into a
+dugout and tried to get a little rest. Before we got to sleep,
+however, we became aware of the smell of gas, and, hearing the
+tramping of feet in the trench at the top of the stairs, I went up and
+found the men of the 14th Battalion with their helmets on going
+forward in preparation for the advance. They recognized me because I
+did not put on my mask, and as they passed they shook hands with me
+and I wished them "good luck in the name of the Lord." Such cheery
+souls they were, going forth in their stifling helmets to the unknown
+dangers which awaited them.
+
+I found that sleep was impossible, so I went up to the O.P. and waited
+for the barrage. It was a lovely night; the stars were shining
+beautifully, and the constellation of Orion hung on the horizon in the
+eastern sky, with the pale moon above. A great silence, stirred only
+by the morning breeze, brooded over the wide expanse of darkness.
+Then, at four-twenty-five, the guns burst forth in all their fury, and
+all along the German line I saw not only exploding shells, but the
+bursting oil drums with their pillars of liquid fire, whose smoke rose
+high in the air with a peculiar turn at the top which looked like the
+neck of a huge giraffe. At once the Germans sent up rockets of various
+colours, signalling for aid from their guns, and the artillery duel of
+the two great armies waxed loud and furious. I stood on the hill with
+some of our men, and watched the magnificent scene. Nothing but the
+thought of what it meant to human beings took away from our        (p. 199)
+enjoyment of the mighty spectacle. When day dawned, we could see,
+silhouetted against the morning sky, men walking over the hilltop, and
+now and then jumping down into the captured trenches. Once again our
+Division had got its objective. At various points difficulties had
+been encountered, and in a place called the "Chalk Pit", which afterwards
+became our front line, the Germans had made a determined stand. They
+had a wonderful dugout there, like a rabbit-warren, with many passages
+and entrances, from which they were bombed out with great difficulty.
+One of our western battalions suffered heavily in taking the
+stronghold.
+
+I went on to Fort Glatz and to some of the other advanced aid-posts.
+We had many casualties, but we felt that the worst was not yet over,
+for we knew that, although we had taken the hill, the Germans would
+make a desperate fight to get it back again. All day long our artillery
+pounded away and our infantry consolidated the line. Our Pioneer
+Battalion did splendid work in digging trenches under heavy fire, in
+order to connect our advanced positions. When the sun set and the
+night once more cast its shade over the earth, there was no cessation
+in the sound of battle.
+
+The next morning I visited the wounded in the C.C.S., and in the
+afternoon went by car once more to the 7th Siege Battery and thence
+made my way through Maroc to the front, as I had heard from the General
+that the artillery were having a hard time. Their guns had been firing
+incessantly since the barrage started. I met many men on the journey
+who gave me accounts of their experiences during the battle, and, by
+the time I reached the Y.M.C.A. coffee-stall in a ruined building on
+the Maroc-Loos road it was quite late. Here in a cellar I found some
+men making coffee for the walking wounded, who were coming back very
+tired and glad of a shelter and a hot drink. I went on down the road
+to the well concealed trenches which led to the 1st and 2nd Artillery
+Brigade Headquarters. In the deep dugout, I found the O.C.s of the two
+brigades and their staffs hard at work. It was an anxious time, because
+ammunition was short, and every available man was employed in carrying
+it up to the guns. The Senior Colonel asked me if I would go round to
+some of the gun pits and talk to the men. They were tired out, he
+said, with the constant firing, and there was still no prospect of a
+rest. I told him that if he would give me a runner to act as guide, I
+would visit all the gun-pits of the two Brigades. Accordingly a    (p. 200)
+runner was sent for, and he and I started off at midnight. It was very
+dark, and when we emerged from the trench and turned to the right on
+the Lens-Bethune road we met parties of wounded men coming back, and
+the batteries in the fields beside us were firing over our heads. We
+visited first the cellar of a building by the way, where there was an
+aid post. Here were many men being attended to by the doctors. They
+were all worn out, and did not look forward with much pleasure to
+their journey back to Maroc along the dark and dangerous road.
+
+From the dressing station, my guide and I went into a trench and along
+this to the gun positions. As we came to each, we visited the officers
+and men. We got a glad welcome from the faithful, true-hearted fellows
+who were working with might and main to save the lives of their comrades
+in the front line. Some of the guns were fearfully heated and were
+hard to handle. Yet the S.O.S. signals from the front trenches would
+go up every now and then, telling our gunners that the Germans were
+making another counter-attack, and asking for artillery support to
+save the situation. We made our way through the trench towards the
+batteries at the foot of the Loos Crassier. In doing so, we had to
+pass under the road. I was going on ahead, and when I stooped down to
+pass under the bridge, to my surprise I could dimly descry in the
+darkness a row of silent men sitting on each side of the passage
+facing one another. I said, "Good-night, boys," but there was no
+answer. The figures in the darkness remained motionless and still. I
+could not quite make out what the matter was, for our men always
+responded to my greeting. Suddenly, an enemy flare-light went up in
+the distance, and I saw, to my horror, that the two rows of men
+sitting so silently were Germans. I was wondering if I had run my neck
+into a noose, when a voice from the other end of the passage called
+out, "They are prisoners, Sir. I am taking them back with me and
+giving them a few minutes rest." I must say that I was greatly
+relieved. I went on to the gun-pits just in front of the crassier, and
+here the men were working hard. It was splendid to see their absolute
+disregard of everything but their duty. I felt myself to be such a
+slacker beside them, but I told them how gloriously they were carrying
+on, and how their work was appreciated by the infantry. The night
+began to wear away, and when I reached the gun-pits that were further
+back it was broad daylight. In fact, I visited the last one at six
+a.m. Some of the batteries had by this time ceased firing, and the (p. 201)
+men had fallen asleep in all sorts of curious positions, ready to be
+roused in an instant. Altogether, my guide and I visited forty-eight
+gun-pits that night, and it was about seven o'clock when we returned
+to Brigade Headquarters.
+
+The next night the Germans sent over a rain of gas-shells on the
+batteries, and the men at the guns found it impossible to see the
+sights through the eye-pieces of their gas-helmets, and so chose to
+face the poison unprotected rather than run the risk of injuring our
+infantry by bad firing. There were of course heavy casualties among
+the gunners as a result of this. Some died and many were badly gassed,
+but the line was held.
+
+As I was returning after spending the night at the gun-pits, I felt
+terribly tired. The morning sun rose higher and higher, and beat down
+with summer heat on my steel helmet as I made my way along the path
+which skirted the town of Maroc. I sat down by the side of a trench to
+have some breakfast, and opened a tin of milk and my tin of bully beef
+and was just preparing to have a meal, when I must have fallen asleep
+instantaneously. How long I slumbered I do not know, but when I woke
+up I found, standing in front of me, three amused and puzzled Australian
+tunnellers. When I fell asleep, I must have upset my breakfast, which
+was lying at my feet, and the tunnellers were evidently enjoying what
+they considered to be the discovery of a padre a little the worse for
+wear. They were somewhat surprised, not to say disappointed, when I
+woke up, and they said, "You seem to be very tired, Sir." I told them
+that I had had very little sleep for several nights, and had been
+walking all night long, winding up my story (for the honour of the
+cloth) with the statement that I was a teetotaller. Whether they
+believed it or not I do not know, but we had a long talk together and
+they told me of the work they were doing in digging a tunnel from Loos
+to the front line.
+
+The next day I went to the advanced dressing station and saw the men
+that were gassed being brought in. So strongly were their clothes
+saturated with the poison that, as they were being cut off, in order
+that the bodies of the men might be washed with the liquid used for
+counteracting the burning effects of the gas, our eyes and throats
+smarted from the fumes. There was nothing more horrible than to see
+men dying from gas. Nothing could be done to relieve their suffering.
+The body, as well as the throat and lungs, was burned and blistered by
+the poison.
+
+The German counter-attack had now spent itself, and Hill 70 was    (p. 202)
+ours. One more splendid deed had been achieved by the Canadian Corps,
+and we now held in our hands the commanding position which threatened
+the town of Lens.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.                                                       (p. 203)
+
+EVERY DAY LIFE.
+
+_August to October 1917._
+
+
+Hill 70 being now in our grip the Division came out of the line on
+August 21st, and moved back to our old billets in Bruay.
+
+Every night, as usual, our concert party gave a performance in the
+theatre. We were very proud of them. The men's costumes were well made
+and very tasteful. "Babs," our leading lady, was most charming and
+engaging, in spite of the fact that her hands looked decidedly masculine.
+The townspeople enjoyed the entertainments as much as we did, and the
+battalions were given their own special nights. Occasionally, some of
+the jokes appeared to me a trifle too broad. At such times I would pay
+a visit to the Green-room, as Senior Chaplain, and mildly suggest
+their withdrawal. I must say that the men took my interference in good
+part and kept their exuberance of spirits well in check. Our Divisional
+band was up to high-water mark, and their rendering of the hymns and
+chants on Sundays made our services in the theatre extraordinarily
+hearty.
+
+One afternoon I motored over to Quatre Vents to take a funeral service
+in the cemetery there. Instead of returning, I went down to Cambligneul
+to see the men of the 7th Battalion. They were enjoying a rest in the
+quaint old town. In the evening, I went down to the Y.M.C.A. hut which
+was in charge of the British. Here I found our men crowded into the
+building, not knowing what to do with themselves. The officer in charge
+of the hut was a quiet man, who was doing his best in superintending
+the work at the counter. It struck me, however, that he felt a little
+embarrassed by the situation, and did not know how to provide amusement
+for the wild Canadians. I asked him if he would object to our having a
+stag-dance. He said, "Certainly not, you may do anything you like." At
+once we got several dozen candles and illuminated the place. Then we
+sent out for a pianist and some violinists, and got up a scratch
+orchestra. We then cleared away the tables and benches and turned the
+place into a dance-hall. The orchestra struck up a lively two-step,
+and great burly chaps chose their equally burly partners, and      (p. 204)
+started off in the dance with such gusto that the place was filled
+with the sounds of dissipation. This attracted more men from outside,
+and finally we had the liveliest scene imaginable. I actually found
+myself joining in the mazes of the waltz, and amid roars of laughter
+the dancing went on fast and furious. So delighted was the Y.M.C.A.
+officer, that he mounted the platform at the end of a dance, and in
+spite of my protest, called for three cheers for the man who had
+suggested the entertainment. At the close of the evening, we had cups
+of hot coffee and biscuits, and parted in the best of humours. I was
+then confronted by a problem that had not presented itself to me
+before, and that was, how I was to get back to my home in Bruay, which
+was about ten miles off. Once more my favourite text came to my mind,
+"The Lord will provide." So I bid good-bye to my friends in the hut
+and went off, trusting that a car or lorry would pick me up on the
+road. This time I found that the Lord did not provide, so I started at
+about half-past ten on my homeward journey on foot. As I passed
+through the sleeping village of Estree-Cauchie, I came upon some men
+of another Division who had been imbibing very freely in an estaminet,
+and who were about to wind up a heated argument with a free fight. It
+was very dark, and it was hard for me to convince them that I was a
+chaplain with the rank of Lieut.-Colonel, until I turned my flashlight
+upon my white collar. Happily, my efforts as peacemaker were not in
+vain. I poured oil on the troubled waters till I saw them subside, and
+the men went off to their billets. One young fellow, however, was
+experiencing that interest in spiritual problems, which was sometimes
+aroused in the most unexpected quarters by free libations of spirituous
+liquors. He caught hold of my arm and implored me to enlighten him on
+the theological differences which separated Anglicans and Presbyterians.
+I forget which he was himself, but at the time the problem was a
+matter of extraordinary interest to him. While I always considered it
+my duty to impart enlightenment to darkened souls whenever I could,
+the recollection that I had about seven miles to walk to my home that
+night rather tempered my missionary zeal, and by a promise to discuss
+the whole matter on our next meeting I managed to tear myself away and
+proceed on my journey.
+
+It was a long tramp down the silent road in the darkness. The houses
+in the little villages through which I passed were tightly shut. Not a
+light could be seen, and Providence supplied no car or lorry       (p. 205)
+for my conveyance. On a hill in the distance, I saw the revolving
+light which acted as a signal to the aeroplanes. It would shine out
+for a few seconds and then die away. The air was fresh and cool, and I
+had time to meditate on the curious events of the intense life which I
+lived. It was still day in Canada, and the sun was shining over our
+cities, the great lakes, the prairies, and the jagged peaks in the
+mountain province on the Pacific coast. When was this life going to
+end? Were we really making any progress? Overhead, my beloved friends
+the stars, kept up their silent twinkling, which gave them an appearance
+of life. In the valley lay the old medieval Chateau of Ohlain. I
+thought of the historical figures from the pages of French history who
+had walked along that road centuries before, filled with the anxieties
+and problems of their own age. Now and then, some bird of the night
+would break the silence with its cry or twitter, and still I plodded
+on. At last, long after midnight, I reached the outskirts of Bruay,
+and entering the High Street, made my way to my billet, where Alberta
+was waiting to give me a warm welcome.
+
+It was the privilege of the British Army to have as its commanders,
+good and devout men. One always felt that, in any appeal, the cause of
+religion would be upheld. General Horne, who commanded the First Army,
+of which we formed a part, was a man of sincere religious life, and
+never failed to show his appreciation of the chaplains and their work.
+One day he invited all the Chaplains of the First Army to have tea
+with him at his headquarters in the beautiful Chateau of Ranchicourt.
+It was a lovely afternoon, and we motored over to the meeting in
+busses. Tables were set for tea and refreshments on the lawn, and the
+Count and his charming daughter were there, giving a touch of home
+life to the gathering. All the chaplains who could be off duty were
+present. After tea, while we sat on the grass, the General gave us a
+very helpful talk on religious work among the men from a soldier's
+point of view. The old Chateau, with its beautiful gardens in front of
+the huge elms gave a fine setting to the scene.
+
+On August 31st I was driven over to a field at the back of Villers-Chatel,
+where the 2nd Brigade was to hold a memorial service for those who had
+been killed at the taking of Hill 70. I had been asked to give the
+address. The place chosen was a wide and green field which sloped
+gradually towards the line of rich forest trees. On the highest part
+of the ground facing the woods, a small platform had been erected  (p. 206)
+and was decorated with flags. On this the chaplains stood, the Corps
+Commander and the Brigadier and staff being at one side. Before us,
+forming three sides of a square, were the four battalions of the
+Brigade. The scene when viewed from the platform was magnificent. The
+sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the glorious trees guarded the
+green mysteries of the forest behind. The troops were in splendid
+form, and the bright red patches on their arms gave a touch of colour
+which set off the khaki uniforms. Every one of the men had been
+through the battle and was a hero. The service went well, and the
+hymns, to the accompaniment of the band, were sung heartily. At the
+close, the Corps Commander and staff went round to each battalion, and
+those who had won honours came forward to receive them. As the
+officers and men stood in turn before the General, the A.D.C. read out
+a short account of what each had done to win the decoration. It was
+deeply moving to hear the acts of gallantry that had been performed.
+Fixed and motionless each man would stand, while we were told how his
+courage had saved his company or platoon at some critical moment. I
+remember particularly hearing how one sergeant who got the D.C.M., had
+carried his Lewis gun, after all the other members of the crew had
+been wounded or killed, and, placing it at a point of vantage, had, by
+his steady fire, covered the advance of a company going forward to
+attack. Little do people at home know by what supreme self-sacrifice
+and dauntless courage those strips of bright-coloured ribbon on the
+breasts of soldiers have been won. After the decorations had been
+presented, the men fell back to their battalions. The band struck up
+the strains of "D'ye ken John Peel?", and the whole Brigade marched
+past the General, the masses of men moving with machine-like
+precision. Even the rain which had begun to fall did not mar the fine
+effect.
+
+Our stay at Bruay was not to be of long duration. In the early hours
+of September 5th a bomb dropped in the garden behind the administration
+building where our Headquarters were, waking us from sleep with a
+sudden start. It did no harm, but on the next day we were informed
+that we were all to move back to our old quarters in Barlin. I always
+said that I regarded a bomb dropped on Headquarters as a portent sent
+from heaven, telling us we were going to move. Accordingly on
+September 6th we all made our way to Barlin, where I was given a
+billet in an upper room in an estaminet. The propriety of housing  (p. 207)
+a Senior Chaplain in an estaminet might be questioned, but this
+particular one was called the estaminet of St. Joseph. An estaminet
+with such a title, and carried on under such high patronage, was one
+in which I could make myself at home. So on the door was hung my sign,
+"Canon Scott, Senior Chaplain," which provoked many smiles and much
+comment from the men of the battalions as they passed by. I was
+looking out of my window in the upper storey one day when the 2nd
+Battalion was marching past, and, to the breach of all good discipline,
+I called out to the men and asked them if they did not envy me my
+billet. A roar of laughter went up, and they asked me how I got there
+and if I could take them in as well. I told them that it was the
+reward of virtue, and only those who could be trusted were allowed to
+be housed in estaminets.
+
+Near me, at Barlin, the motor machine-gun brigade was encamped. It had
+been there for some time, and I was glad to meet old friends and renew
+acquaintance with the unit that had such a distinguished career at the
+front. I had not seen them much since the old days at Poperinghe, but
+wherever they went they covered themselves with glory. To spend an
+evening in the hut used as the sergeants' mess was a delight. The
+rollicking good humour that prevailed was most contagious, and I shall
+always treasure the memory of it which has now been made sacred
+through the death of so many whom I met there. I used to visit the
+tents, too, and sitting on a box in their midst have a smoke and talk
+with the men. Heavy indeed has been the toll of casualties which that
+noble brigade has suffered since those happy days.
+
+Word was sent to the Division one day by the British troops holding
+our trenches on Hill 70, that some bodies of our men were lying
+unburied in No Man's Land. One of our battalions was ordered to
+provide a burial party and I decided to accompany them. I was to meet
+the men at a certain place near Loos on the Lens-Arras road in the
+evening, and go with them. The burial officer turned up on time, but
+the party did not. At last the men arrived and we went through the
+well-known trenches till we came to the front line. Here I had to go
+down and see some officers of the British battalions, and try to find
+out where the bodies were. Apparently the officers could give us
+little information, so we decided to divide up into small parties and
+go into No Man's Land and search for the dead ourselves. As we were in
+sight of the enemy, we could not use our electric torches, and     (p. 208)
+only by the assistance of German flare-lights were we able to pick
+our steps over the broken ground. We found a few bodies which had not
+been buried, but it was impossible to do more than cover them with
+earth, for the position was an exposed one. We did the best we could
+under the circumstances, and were glad to find that the number of
+unburied had been greatly exaggerated. On another occasion I took a
+burial party out one night, and found that the officers and men sent
+were a new draft that had never been in the line before. They were
+much interested in the novel and somewhat hazardous nature of the
+expedition. On this occasion when we returned to Bully-Grenay, the
+morning sun was shining brightly overhead, and it began to get quite
+warm. The men were very tired with their night's work, and when we
+halted they lay down on the pavement by the road and went to sleep.
+One poor fellow actually collapsed, and we had to send off to a
+dressing station for a stretcher on which he was taken away for
+medical treatment. A burial party, from the nature of the case, was
+not a pleasant expedition, and Canada ought to be grateful for the way
+in which our Corps burial officers and the men under them carried out
+their gruesome and often dangerous duty. One of our burial officers, a
+fine young fellow, told me how much he disliked the work. He said,
+"There is no glory in it, and people think that we have an easy time,
+but two of my predecessors have been killed and I expect to get
+knocked out myself some day." A year later he was killed near Cambrai,
+after he had faithfully done his duty in caring for the bodies of the
+slain.
+
+Our front trenches were now to the right of Hill 70, in advance of
+Lieven, and it seemed as if we were going to be stationed in the
+neighbourhood for some time, for the rumour was that the Canadians had
+to complete their work at Vimy by the capture of Lens. Barlin,
+therefore, and the area around it was a great centre of Canadian life
+and activity. We had our large Canadian tent-hospitals, our brigade
+schools, and various Y.M.C.A. places of entertainment, besides our
+officers' clubs.
+
+In an open field near my billet were stationed the horse lines of our
+Divisional Train, and it used to give me great pleasure to pass the
+long rows of wagons which by the constant labour of the men were kept
+in prime condition. The paint was always fresh, and all the chains
+were polished as if they were merely for show. It would be hard    (p. 209)
+for people at home to realize that the wagons which had been used
+for years under such rough conditions always looked as if they had
+just come out of the shop, but that was the case. The constant
+attention to detail in the army, the smartness of the men, and the
+good turn-out of the horses and limbers, have a great moral effect
+upon every department of the service. The men were always grumbling
+about polishing buttons and chains, but I told them that the
+impression of efficiency it gave one made it quite worth while. A
+Division that could turn out such a fine looking Train as we had could
+always be depended upon to do its duty.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.                                                      (p. 210)
+
+A TRAGEDY OF WAR.
+
+
+There is nothing which brings home to the heart with such force the
+iron discipline of war as the execution of men who desert from the
+front line. It was my painful duty on one occasion to have to witness
+the carrying out of the death sentence. One evening I was informed by
+the A.P.M. that a man in one of our brigades was to be shot the next
+morning, and I was asked to go and see him and prepare him for death.
+The sentence had already been read to him at six o'clock, and the
+brigade chaplain was present, but the A.P.M., wished me to take the
+case in hand. We motored over to the village where the prisoner was
+and stopped at a brick building which was entered through a courtyard.
+There were men on guard in the outer room and also in a second room
+from which a door led into a large brick chamber used as the condemned
+cell. Here I found the man who was to pay the penalty of his
+cowardice. He had a table before him and on it a glass of brandy and
+water and writing materials. He was sitting back in his chair and his
+face wore a dazed expression. The guards kindly left us alone. He rose
+and shook hands with me, and we began to talk about his sentence. He
+was evidently steeling himself and trying to fortify his mind by the
+sense of great injustice done to him. I allowed him to talk freely and
+say just what he pleased. Gradually, I succeeded in getting at the
+heart of the true man which I knew was hidden under the hard exterior,
+and the poor fellow began to tell me about his life. From the age of
+eleven, when he became an orphan, he had to get his own living and
+make his way in a world that is often cold and cruel to those who have
+no friends. Then by degrees he began to talk about religion and his
+whole manner changed. All the time I kept feeling that every moment
+the dreaded event was coming nearer and nearer and that no time was to
+be lost. He had never been baptised, but wished now to try and make up
+for the past and begin to prepare in a real way to meet his God.
+
+I had brought my bag with the communion vessels in it, and so he and I
+arranged the table together, taking away the glass of brandy and water
+and the books and papers, and putting in their place the white     (p. 211)
+linen altar cloth. When everything was prepared, he knelt down
+and I baptised him and gave him his first communion. The man's mind
+was completely changed. The hard, steely indifference and the sense of
+wrong and injustice had passed away, and he was perfectly natural. I
+was so much impressed by it that while I was talking to him, I kept
+wondering if I could not even then, at that late hour, do something to
+avert the carrying out of the sentence. Making some excuse and saying
+I would be back in a little while, I left him, and the guard went into
+the room accompanied by one of the officers of the man's company. When
+I got outside, I told the brigade chaplain that I was going to walk
+over to Army Headquarters and ask the Army Commander to have the death
+sentence commuted to imprisonment.
+
+It was then about one a.m. and I started off in the rain down the dark
+road. The Chateau in which the General lived was two miles off, and
+when I came to it, I found it wrapped in darkness. I went to the
+sentry on guard, and told him that I wished to see the General on
+important business. Turning my flashlight upon my face, I showed who I
+was. He told me that the General's room was in the second storey at
+the head of a flight of stairs in a tower at the end of the building.
+I went over there, and finding the door unlocked, I mounted the wooden
+steps, my flashlight lighting up the place. I knocked at a door on the
+right and a voice asked me who I was. When I told my name, I was
+invited to enter, and an electric light was turned on and I found I
+was in the room of the A.D.C., who was sitting up in bed. Luckily, I
+had met him before and he was most sympathetic. I apologized for
+disturbing him but told him my mission and asked if I might see the
+General. He got up and went into the General's room. In a few moments
+he returned, and told me that the General would see me. Instead of
+being angry at my extraordinary intrusion, he discussed the matter
+with me. Before a death sentence could be passed on any man, his case
+had to come up first in his Battalion orderly room, and, if he was
+found guilty there, it would be sent to the Brigade. From the Brigade
+it was sent to the Division, from the Division to Corps, from Corps to
+Army, and from Army to General Headquarters. If each of these courts
+confirmed the sentence, and the British Commander-in-Chief signed the
+warrant, there was no appeal, unless some new facts came to light. Of
+all the men found guilty of desertion from the front trenches, only a
+small percentage were executed. It was considered absolutely       (p. 212)
+necessary for the safety of the Army that the death sentence should
+not be entirely abolished. The failure of one man to do his duty might
+spoil the morale of his platoon, and spread the contagion of fear from
+the platoon to the company and from the company to the battalion,
+endangering the fate of the whole line. The General told me, however,
+that if any new facts came to light, suggesting mental weakness or
+insanity in the prisoner, it might be possible for the execution to be
+stayed, and a new trial instituted. This seemed to give hope that
+something might yet be done, so I thanked the General for his kindness
+and left.
+
+When I got back to the prison, I made my way to the cell, not of
+course, letting the condemned man know anything that had happened. By
+degrees, in our conversation, I found that on both sides of his family
+there were cases of mental weakness. When I had all the information
+that was possible, I went out and accompanied by the brigade chaplain,
+made my way once again to Army Headquarters. The chances of averting
+the doom seemed to be faint, but still a human life was at stake, and
+we could not rest till every effort had been made. I went to the room
+of the A.D.C., and was again admitted to the presence of the Army
+Commander. He told me now that the only person who could stop the
+execution was the Divisional Commander, if he thought it right to do
+so. At the same time, he held out very little hope that anything could
+be done to commute the sentence. Once more I thanked him and went off.
+The brigade chaplain was waiting for me outside and we talked the
+matter over, and decided that, although the case seemed very hopeless
+and it was now half-past three, one last effort should be made. We
+walked back through the rain to the village, and there awoke the
+A.P.M. and the Colonel of the battalion. Each of them was most
+sympathetic and most anxious, if possible, that the man's life should
+be spared. The A.P.M. warned me that if we had to go to Divisional
+Headquarters, some seven miles away, and return, we had no time to
+lose, because the hour fixed for the execution was in the early dawn.
+
+The question now was to find a car. The only person in the place who
+had one was the Town Major. So the Colonel and I started off to find
+him, which we did with a great deal of difficulty, as no one knew
+where he lived. He too, was most anxious to help us. Then we had to
+find the chauffeur. We managed to get him roused up, and told him  (p. 213)
+that he had to go to Divisional Headquarters on a matter of life and
+death. It was not long before we were in the car and speeding down the
+dark, muddy roads at a tremendous rate, whirling round corners in a
+way that seemed likely to end in disaster. We got to the Divisional
+Commander's Headquarters and then made our way to his room and laid
+the matter before him. He talked over the question very kindly, but
+told us that the courts had gone into the case so carefully that he
+considered it quite impossible to alter the final decision. If the
+action of the prisoner had given any indication of his desertion being
+the result of insanity, something might be done, but there was nothing
+to suggest such was the case. To delay the execution for twenty-four
+hours and then to have to carry it out would mean subjecting a human
+being to unspeakable torture. He felt he could not take it upon
+himself to run the chance of inflicting such misery upon the man. The
+Colonel and I saw at once that the case was utterly hopeless and that
+we could do no more. The question then was to get back in time for the
+carrying out of the sentence. Once more the car dashed along the
+roads. The night was passing away, and through the drizzling rain the
+gray dawn was struggling.
+
+By the time we arrived at the prison, we could see objects quite
+distinctly. I went in to the prisoner, who was walking up and down in
+his cell. He stopped and turned to me and said, "I know what you have
+been trying to do for me, Sir, is there any hope?" I said, "No, I am
+afraid there is not. Everyone is longing just as much as I am to save
+you, but the matter has been gone into so carefully and has gone so
+far, and so much depends upon every man doing his duty to the
+uttermost, that the sentence must be carried out." He took the matter
+very quietly, and I told him to try to look beyond the present to the
+great hope which lay before us in another life. I pointed out that he
+had just one chance left to prove his courage and set himself right
+before the world. I urged him to go out and meet death bravely with
+senses unclouded, and advised him not to take any brandy. He shook
+hands with me and said, "I will do it." Then he called the guard and
+asked him to bring me a cup of tea. While I was drinking it, he looked
+at his watch, which was lying on the table and asked me if I knew what
+time "IT" was to take place. I told him I did not. He said, "I think
+my watch is a little bit fast." The big hand was pointing to ten
+minutes to six. A few moments later the guards entered and put a   (p. 214)
+gas helmet over his head with the two eye-pieces behind so that he was
+completely blindfolded. Then they handcuffed him behind his back, and
+we started off in an ambulance to a crossroad which went up the side
+of a hill. There we got out, and the prisoner was led over to a box
+behind which a post had been driven into the ground. Beyond this a
+piece of canvas was stretched as a screen. The firing party stood at a
+little distance in front with their backs towards us. It was just
+daylight. A drizzling rain was falling and the country looked chilly
+and drear. The prisoner was seated on the box and his hands were
+handcuffed behind the post. He asked the A.P.M. if the helmet could be
+taken off, but this was mercifully refused him. A round piece of white
+paper was pinned over his heart by the doctor as a guide for the men's
+aim. I went over and pronounced the Benediction. He added, "And may
+God have mercy upon my soul." The doctor and I then went into the road
+on the other side of the hedge and blocked up our ears, but of course
+we heard the shots fired. It was sickening. We went back to the
+prisoner who was leaning forward and the doctor felt his pulse and
+pronounced him dead. The spirit had left the dreary hillside and, I
+trust, had entered the ranks of his heroic comrades in Paradise.
+
+The effect of the scene was something quite unutterable. The firing
+party marched off and drew up in the courtyard of the prison. I told
+them how deeply all ranks felt the occasion, and that nothing but the
+dire necessity of guarding the lives of the men in the front line from
+the panic and rout that might result, through the failure of one
+individual, compelled the taking of such measures of punishment. A
+young lad in the firing party utterly broke down, but, as one rifle on
+such occasions is always loaded with a blank cartridge, no man can be
+absolutely sure that he has had a part in the shooting. The body was
+then placed in a coffin and taken in the ambulance to the military
+cemetery, where I held the service. The usual cross was erected with
+no mention upon it of the manner of the death. That was now forgotten.
+The man had mastered himself and had died bravely.
+
+I have seen many ghastly sights in the war, and hideous forms of
+death. I have heard heart-rending tales of what men have suffered, but
+nothing ever brought home to me so deeply, and with such cutting
+force, the hideous nature of war and the iron hand of discipline, as
+did that lonely death on the misty hillside in the early morning.  (p. 215)
+Even now, as I write this brief account of it, a dark nightmare
+seems to rise out of the past and almost makes me shrink from facing
+once again memories that were so painful. It is well, however, that
+people should know what our men had to endure. Before them were the
+German shells, the machine-guns and the floods of gas. Behind them, if
+their courage failed, was the court-martial, always administered with
+great compassion and strict justice, but still bound by inexorable
+laws of war to put into execution, when duty compelled, a grim and
+hideous sentence of death.
+
+If this book should fall into the hands of any man who, from
+cowardice, shirked his duty in the war, and stayed at home, let him
+reflect that, but for the frustration of justice, he ought to have
+been sitting that morning, blindfolded and handcuffed, beside the
+prisoner on the box. HE was one of the originals and a volunteer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.                                                     (p. 216)
+
+VISITS TO ROME AND PASCHENDAELE.
+
+_October and November, 1917._
+
+
+It was a good thing, after the bitter experience which I had just
+passed through, that permission was granted me at this time to take
+some men on a leave trip to Rome. My visit to Paris had convinced me
+that it was no proper place for men to spend their leave in, so when
+my next leave was nearly due I wrote to Division and asked permission
+to take a party to Italy in order that some of our men might have the
+benefit of seeing the great monuments of European history and art.
+Weeks passed away and I heard nothing about the matter, until at last
+a telegram came through granting my request. I had only asked
+permission to take twelve men with me whose names had to be sent in
+beforehand. But the telegram which granted permission was couched in
+such vague terms, merely referring to a certain file-number, that I,
+knowing that nobody would take the trouble to turn up the original
+document, said nothing about it, and by a stroke of good luck
+succeeded in taking with me forty-six men, including two chaplains,
+two young officers and one of the staff of the Y.M.C.A. Two of the
+men, alas, became casualties in the Paris barrage on the first night,
+and were reported "missing, believed dead," but were found two days
+afterwards by the police and sent back. The rest of us had a glorious
+time and travelled to Rome via Marseilles, Nice--which included a
+visit to Monte Carlo--Genoa and Pisa. I shall never forget the
+delightful trip across France by daylight, and the moonlight night at
+Marseilles, where we put up at the Hotel Regina. The men were in fine
+form and presented a splendid soldierlike appearance. Their new
+uniforms were set off by the bright red patch upon their sleeves, and
+their buttons were kept well polished. I told them, before we started,
+that I did not wish to be either a detective or a nursery-maid, but I
+asked them to play the game and they did. We were going into the
+country of an ally and I knew that such a large party would be under
+very critical observation wherever we went. I had really no authority
+over the men beyond that which they were willing that I should
+exercise. The individuals of the party were not specially selected,
+but I felt perfect confidence that we should have no trouble,
+although I was naturally very much teased by members of "C" mess   (p. 217)
+who prophesied that I should lose some men in Paris, some in
+Marseilles and some in Rome, and my friends even went so far as to
+declare that they doubted whether I should ever come back myself. We
+were favoured with glorious weather, and travelled by daylight the
+whole length of the Riviera. The utmost good humour prevailed, and the
+glorious view of the blue Mediterranean on one side, with that of the
+romantic mountains on the other, drove from our minds all
+uncomfortable memories of the war. In fact we seemed to get into
+another world.
+
+The train arrived at Pisa at about nine o'clock p.m. and was to wait
+there for three hours, so we all got out and had some supper and
+started off to see the famous leaning tower by moonlight. The sudden
+appearance of British troops in the quaint old town caused quite a
+sensation, and the people came out of the cafes to see us and a mob
+followed us wherever we went. We were of course pounced upon by the
+vendors of souvenirs, and a number of the men came back to the station
+carrying alabaster leaning towers under their arms. I warned the party
+about the danger of loading themselves with such heavy and brittle
+mementos, for we had still a long journey before us. The wisdom of my
+warning was apparent later on, for on leaving Rome the alabaster
+towers had begun to lean so much that they could no longer stand up. A
+shelf full of leaning towers propped up one against another, looking
+as if they had just partaken of an issue of rum, was left in the
+hotel. We journeyed all night, some of the men sleeping on the seats,
+some on the floor, and some in the hatracks overhead, and in the
+morning amid intense excitement we arrived at the station in Rome. I
+had been able to get a shave and clean up in the train, so on arrival
+was ready to go and hunt for a hotel. I told the men, however, to find
+their way to the Leave Club and make themselves presentable and that I
+would return for them as soon as possible. After securing billets in
+the Hotel Bristol, I went back for the party. Although I knew the men
+would want to go about the city by themselves, I felt it would be a
+good thing for our esprit-de-corps, that we should march to the hotel
+in a body. So, not knowing how to give military orders myself, and
+remembering what real colonels always did in similar predicaments, I
+turned to the senior sergeant and said, "Sergeant, make the men fall
+in, and when they are ready I will take over the parade." When the
+sergeant came up to me and saluting said the parade was ready,     (p. 218)
+I found to my dismay that the men were facing the wrong way and if I
+said "Quick march", they would walk into the brick wall opposite. I
+went up close to the sergeant and whispered to him, "Turn the men
+round." This he did, and placing myself at their head I shouted,
+"Quick March." I think that moment, as I started off to march through
+Rome at the head of that fine body of men who followed two abreast,
+was the proudest of my life. I had always been interested in history,
+and have read Gibbon from cover to cover, so the thought suddenly
+flashed upon me, "Julius Caesar once led his forces through Rome.
+Later on, Augustus Caesar led his forces through Rome. In the middle
+ages, Rienzi led his forces through Rome, and now, (here my head began
+to swell till it grew too big for my cap) Canon Scott is leading his
+forces through Rome." We marched through the streets at "attention"
+and looked not to the right nor to the left, in spite of the fact that
+we passed many groups of admiring onlookers. When we arrived at the
+hotel, I called out, "Halt", in proper military tones and the men
+halted, but I did not know the usual formula for telling them to
+disperse, and I did not want such a proper beginning to have a
+miserable end. I thought of saying, "Now I will dismiss the
+congregation," but that sounded too religious. I knew that if I said,
+"Now we will take up the collection," my army would fly off quickly
+enough. However, while I was debating with myself, the men took the
+law into their own hands and, breaking off, went into the hotel.
+
+We happened to arrive in Rome just at the time of the great Italian
+disaster in the North, and we found the populace plunged into great
+anxiety. English and French newspapers were banned by the censor, so
+it was difficult to find out what was happening, but I was told
+privately that matters were very critical, and there might be a
+revolution in Rome at any moment. I was also advised to see that our
+men behaved with great circumspection, for German agents were secretly
+trying to make trouble between the British and Italians. I told our
+men to remember we had to help on the cause of the Allies and to be
+very careful about details, such as saluting every Italian officer. I
+think they saluted every Italian private as well. I also told them, in
+case they were questioned on the subject, to say they were quite
+pleased with the war, in fact that they rather enjoyed it and were not
+a bit afraid of the Germans, and were determined to fight until a
+decisive victory gave us a chance of lasting peace.
+
+Wherever we went on the journey, we stayed at the best hotels, for (p. 219)
+I had told each man to bring with him a thousand francs. It was a
+great puzzle to the Italians that Canadian soldiers were able to stay
+at the most select hotel in Rome, and also that the officers and men
+were able to mix together in real comradeship. The Highlanders in our
+party of course attracted the greatest attention, and were frequently
+followed by an admiring crowd as they passed through the streets.
+Colonel Lamb, the military attache at the Embassy, was very kind to us
+and secured us many privileges, not the least acceptable of which was
+free transportation. We split up into small parties, and visited the
+sights of the Eternal City as we pleased. On the first night after
+dinner, we paid a visit to the Coliseum by moonlight, which is
+something to remember. Wherever we went we met with the kindest
+treatment. The ladies of the Leave Club gave us an entertainment one
+evening, which was attended by the military and naval attaches at the
+British and American Embassies, and by some of the English residents.
+I was proud of the appearance of the men. Before we left the hotel at
+Nice, an English lady, the wife of a British General at the front,
+came up and congratulated me upon the men, and said they were the most
+gentlemanly young fellows she had ever seen. I think it was a help to
+them to feel that their appearance in Rome at that critical time was
+something which gave our party a kind of political significance, and
+the phrase, "to help on the cause of the Allies," became a watchword
+among us.
+
+One night an Italian Colonel asked some of our men to dine with him at
+his hotel and took them to the theatre afterwards. On another occasion,
+five of our men were sitting in the front row of one of the theatres
+when an actor gave an impersonation of the different sovereigns of
+Europe. When he appeared as King George, the orchestra struck up our
+National Anthem, and at once our men rose up and stood to attention.
+One of them told me afterwards that he felt cold shivers going down
+his back as he did so, because he was in full view of everybody. For a
+moment there was a pause, then the audience, understanding what the
+action meant, rose en masse and stood till the music was over and then
+clapped their hands and shouted "Viva l'Inghilterra!"
+
+Many of our men were very anxious to see the Pope, and so it was
+arranged that we should have an audience. Colonel Lamb informed the
+1st Italian Division that we would march in a body through         (p. 220)
+their district. We started off in the morning, our young Highland
+officer being in command. As we passed through the streets, the people
+greeted us very cordially. Many of them raised their hats. The traffic,
+too, would stop to let us pass. We went over the bridge of Hadrian and
+arrived at the entrance of the Vatican beside St. Peter's in good
+time. There we were met by an Irish priest, who remembered me from my
+previous visit. I asked him if the men should break ranks but he told
+me to let them come in formation. So, two by two, we mounted the
+glorious Royal Staircase, the splendid surroundings being a good
+setting for the fine looking soldiers. At the various landings, the
+Swiss Guards in their picturesque uniforms presented arms, and we
+found ourselves at last in a wonderful hall with richly frescoed walls
+and ceiling. Here the men were halted and passed in single file into
+the audience chamber. We had to wait for quite a long time, and at
+last the Pope entered, clothed in white and looking much older and
+more worn than when I had seen him only a year and a half before. He
+was very guarded in what he said to us, because we were the first
+soldiers whom he had received in a body, and any expression he might
+make with reference to the war would be liable to various
+interpretations. He spoke to some of our men in French and then wished
+us health and protection and a safe return to Canada. Then, giving his
+blessing he left us, and we made our way to the outer room where we
+reformed and marched off as we had come.
+
+That afternoon we were photographed in the Coliseum, and I visited the
+interesting old church of St. Clement afterwards. Every evening, after
+a day spent in rambling among antiquities, we used to attend the opera
+in the Grand Opera House. It acted as a sort of relaxation after the
+serious business of sight-seeing. Rumours now reached us of the attack
+that our Division was making up in the Salient, and one night when I
+was having tea in the Grand Hotel I went over and asked a young
+British staff officer whom I saw there, if he had any news. He said to
+me that the Canadian Corps were making an attack at Passchendaele
+under the most appalling conditions of mud and rain and had covered
+themselves with glory. I asked him if it were true that Sir William
+Robertson had come to Rome. "Yes," he said, "I am his son. He has
+brought me with him and we are all very proud of the Canadians." At
+another table I saw M. Venezelos. It was understood now that       (p. 221)
+Britain and France were to come to the assistance of Italy, but still
+Venice was in imminent peril, and the Italians were heart-broken at
+the way the 3rd Italian Army had behaved. Refugees from the North
+began to pour into Rome and affairs were very serious. I told our men
+of the gravity of the situation and the increased importance of
+helping on the cause of the Allies in every possible way.
+
+It is the custom at Rome on All Soul's day, November 2nd, to place
+flowers and wreaths on the marble steps in front of the equestrian
+statue of Victor Emmanuel. This year, I was told, the people were
+going to make a special demonstration. It occurred to me that it might
+not be a bad idea if we, too, placed a wreath to the memory of our
+comrades. I put the matter before Colonel Lamb and he said it was a
+very good idea indeed, but asked us to put on the card which would be
+attached to our wreath, the words, "To the brave Italian dead, from
+their comrades in the British Empire," rather than, "To the brave
+Italian dead from their Canadian comrades." He said he was anxious to
+emphasize the connection between the British and the Italians. An
+Italian major made the arrangements with me for carrying out the
+project. Poor man, he was so moved at the thought of the disgraceful
+surrender of the 3rd Italian Army that his eyes filled with tears as
+he talked about it, and he said, "What will our Allies think of Italy
+when her men behave like that?" I told him it was only a small part of
+their army that had failed and that the rest had behaved very
+gallantly. That afternoon, preceded by two of our sergeants carrying a
+large wreath of laurel tied with purple ribbon, to which we attached
+two cards with the inscription, one in English and one in Italian, we
+marched through the crowds of onlookers, who took off their hats as we
+passed, until we reached the great marble steps which lead up to the
+gilded statue of the late King. Here there was a magnificent display
+of flowers made up in all sorts of designs. The crowd gave away before
+us, and one of the officials, who had been directed by the Italian
+major, took the wreath from us and gave it a place of honour in front
+of the statue. We stood in a long line on the marble steps and saluted
+and then turned and left. The people clapped their hands and shouted,
+"Viva l'Inghilterra!" We were pleased at the impression the simple act
+of courtesy made, and felt that it was helping on the cause of the
+Allies.
+
+Our men were always very much amused by the moving picture shows,  (p. 222)
+the characters of these entertainments being so different from that of
+similar exhibitions at the front. They were so tragic and so sentimental
+that they did not appeal strongly to the wholesome minds of Canadian
+soldiers. It was always very interesting to hear their criticisms of
+the customs and outlook of the people with whom we were sojourning.
+There is no doubt that the army mind is the sanest and most wholesome
+in the whole community. It may not express itself in the most artistic
+terms or the most religious language, but its judgments are absolutely
+sound and worthy of the most careful consideration. I am sure that
+Canadian political life, unless other influences nullify it, will be
+immeasurably bettered by the soldiers' vote.
+
+I had the great privilege of a visit to Cardinal Gasquet in the home
+of the Dominicans not far from St. Peter's. The interview had been
+arranged for me by an English priest whom I met at the hospital of the
+Blue Nuns, where I had taken two of our men who were ill with
+pneumonia. The Cardinal is engaged in the stupendous task of revising
+the text of the Latin Vulgate. He showed me photographs of the ancient
+manuscripts with the various readings noted. It will be years before
+the great task is completed, but when it is, it will remain untouched
+for centuries to come. He told me that news had just been received of
+the consecration of the first Roman Catholic Bishop in Russia. This
+had been made possible by the overthrow of the reigning dynasty. He
+was most kind, and told me many interesting things about life in Rome
+during the war, and before I left asked me to write my name in his
+visitor's book, pointing out to me on the upper part of the page the
+recent signature of the Cardinal Archbishop of Cologne.
+
+Altogether we had been absent by this time for nearly two weeks, and
+had still a long return journey ahead of us. I thought, however, that
+the valuable service our men were rendering the great cause justified
+our over-staying our leave. In fact, when I went to say good-bye to
+Colonel Lamb, he and his staff told me that the presence of our men in
+the City at that time had been worth any amount of printed propaganda.
+I hinted that some statement of that kind to General Currie might be a
+good thing. To my great delight, soon after we had returned, General
+Currie received the following letter, which has an official stamp
+which I never expected:--
+
+                              BRITISH EMBASSY,                     (p. 223)
+                                   ROME.
+                                          9th November, 1917.
+    "Dear General,
+
+    "With reference to the recent visit to Rome of a party of Canadian
+    officers and soldiers, I am requested by H. E. Sir Rennel Rodd to
+    inform you of the excellent impression produced among the
+    inhabitants of this city, by the soldierlike turnout, and
+    excellent and courteous behaviour of all ranks belonging to the
+    party.
+
+    "Their visit has helped to inspire Italians with a feeling of
+    confidence in their allies at a time of great anxiety and trial.
+                                   "Believe me,
+                                        Yours very truly,
+                                        (Sgd.) CHARLES A. LAMB,
+                                               Colonel,
+                                         Military Attache.
+                                                     Rome."
+
+We left for Florence on Saturday November 3rd. The ladies of the Leave
+Club came to see us off, and after a delightful trip in brilliant
+sunshine, we arrived at our destination at seven in the evening. On
+our journey we passed many trains filled with refugees, who were
+crowded together in third-class carriages. As the Austrian and German
+armies advanced in the North the people in the villages were given a
+quarter of an hour in which to decide whether they would stay or go.
+They were warned, however, that if they stayed and the Italians ever
+tried to retake the towns they would all be put to death. I was told
+by some officers of a British hospital in Turin, who had had to leave
+the Italian front in a hurry, that it was a sad sight to see the
+inhabitants of the towns fleeing down the roads from the advancing
+enemy. Old and infirm people dragged themselves along. Parents lost
+their children and children lost their parents in the crowd, and the
+people took with them only the things which they could carry on their
+persons. Florence was crowded with these unfortunates, who were lying
+out at night in the squares and being tended by the citizens. There
+was a great crowd at the station when we arrived, and a number of
+Italian soldiers who spoke English gathered round our party and told
+us that the war was over and that the soldiers would not fight any
+more. Our men, however, were equal to the occasion, and told them  (p. 224)
+that _we_ were going to keep on fighting no matter what the Italians did,
+and that there could be no peace until we had a decisive victory. The
+whole city was astir, and many Italian regiments were quartered there.
+I told the men before we sought for accommodation in the crowded town,
+how important it was that we should show a determined face at this
+time.
+
+On the following afternoon, which was Sunday, I had a curious
+experience. The Y.M.C.A. officer and I were going off to see the great
+church of Santa Croce, which is the Italian Westminster Abbey, many
+great Italians having been buried there. As we passed down the street
+my friend went into a shop to buy some chocolates. While I was
+waiting, I heard the stirring notes of the Marseillaise, and looking
+round saw a band coming up the street followed by three Italian flags,
+a number of soldiers, and a rabble of men, women and children. I
+called to my companion to come out quickly and salute the Italian
+colours. As they passed, we stood on the curb and saluted with strict
+military precision. In fact we saluted so well that the delighted
+members of the procession grabbed us by the hand and finally dragged
+us into their midst, others clapping their hands and shouting "Viva
+l'Inghilterra!" I was separated from my companion in the rabble and
+called over to him and asked him what it was. He said, "I think it is
+a Socialist demonstration." This rather dismayed me, but I turned to
+one of the people by my side and asked him in French what the crowd
+was. He told me it was the society for finishing the war, so I called
+out to my friend, "It's all right Captain, it is the society for
+finishing the war. I have wanted to join that society for some time."
+I saw at once that the procession was an attempt to pull the Italians
+together and rouse them to a supreme effort to resist the enemy and
+save Italy. The crowd was so enthusiastic about the presence of
+representatives of the British Army, that they finally caught us by
+our legs and carried us on their shoulders through the streets. It was
+a most amusing incident. I could not help thinking that the crowd were
+the descendants of the men who had burnt Savonarola at the stake. My
+friend, whose sense of humour had failed him, shouted over to me, "I
+hate being made a fool of like this." I told him not to be rude as we
+were helping on the cause of the Allies. Finally, overcome by our
+struggles, the men let us down, and we were pushed along in the crowd
+to the square in front of the Hotel Minerva. Here the leaders of the
+procession invited us into the hotel and we were taken upstairs to (p. 225)
+the front room, out of which opened a balcony overlooking the square.
+A young Italian officer, who had been a lawyer before the war and had
+lost both his eyes, went on to the balcony and made a most impassioned
+appeal to his countrymen. The crowd in the square was now very dense,
+and received his speech with great enthusiasm. When it was over, one
+of the officers of "The society for finishing the war," came and urged
+me to address the crowd. I was so pleased to find that my French was
+better understood in Italy than in any place except England, that I
+asked my friend if I should speak to them in French. He looked at me
+very sourly, for he had not quite got back his equanimity, and said
+curtly, "You had better not." Then I said, "I will talk to them in
+Italian." I shall never forget the look of dismay which passed over
+his countenance, but I told him it was helping on the cause of the
+Allies. I went out on the balcony, and the people seeing the British
+uniform and probably mistaking me for a general, at once began to
+cheer. I took off my cap, waved it in the air and shouted at the top
+of my voice "Viva l'Italia." It was the only speech they wanted. It
+was neither too long nor too short. The crowd repeated the words, and
+then shouted, "Viva l'Inghilterra!" and the band actually struck up
+"God save the King" and followed it by "Rule Britannia, Britannia
+rules the waves" (I wished at the time she had ruled under the waves
+as well.) I went back to the room and the Italians were so delighted
+with my short and pithy speech, that they invited me to dine with them
+that night and bring two officers with me. When we got down to the
+square, the mob crowded round us and shook hands with us, and I was
+afraid that some of the ladies were going to embrace us. I think
+people thought we were part of the advance guard that had been sent
+from France to the assistance of Italy.
+
+That night three of us attended the dinner given by the officers of
+"The society for finishing the war," in a very fine restaurant. The
+Deputy for Florence, who had been one of the members of the government
+which had declared war on Austria, was present and I sat by the side
+of an alderman of the city. Opposite to me was an English lady who
+acted as an interpreter. At the close of the dinner the Deputy rose
+and made a very eloquent speech, welcoming us to Italy and saying how
+much Italians appreciated the fact that England was one of her Allies.
+I replied in English, which was translated by our fair interpreter,
+and told them how glad we were to be with them and that we had come,
+some of our men seven thousand miles, as a voluntary army to fight (p. 226)
+not only for the British Empire, but for something even bigger than
+that, for our common civilization, and that the war had made the
+Allies one family. I said that our men were determined to fight to the
+bitter end, for we could have no true peace until we had a decisive
+victory. Then I added that, if our Division were sent to Italy, we
+should all come with great pleasure, knowing that the Italians were
+our comrades and warm friends. I thought too, during my speech, that a
+dugout in Florence would be worth two in Bully-Grenay. The party
+seemed very pleased with my remarks and we all exchanged visiting
+cards and separated good friends. The whole affair was very amusing,
+and when the Italians pushed back the enemy in 1918, I used to tell
+the men, amid roars of laughter, that nothing but my modesty prevented
+my saying who it was that had saved Italy, that no one would ever hear
+from my lips the name of the man who, when Italy was lying prostrate
+at the feet of the advancing foe, shouted into her dying ear the
+startling words "Viva l'Italia" and set her on her feet.
+
+Two days afterwards, accompanied to the station by an admiring crowd
+and three ladies carrying Italian flags, we bade farewell to Florence
+and started on our return journey. We spent the afternoon in Pisa,
+and, after a night's journey, arrived at Turin in the morning. Our men
+got out of the train and were making their way to the station when
+they were met by the British R.T.O. a very large officer who wore an
+eyeglass. He brought them quickly to attention by calling out, "Who
+are you?" They told him they were Canadians on leave, and I, fearing
+bloodshed, went up to the officer and explained who they were and why
+they had come. He told me that there had been a mutiny in Turin that
+summer and relations between the British and Italians were very much
+strained, owing to the action of German agents. He said he had been
+living on the top of a volcano for the past three months, and was
+afraid to allow any large body of troops to go about the town lest
+there might be trouble. I assured him that our men would behave with
+great circumspection. He then told me that they would have to be back
+in rest-billets, near the station, not later than ten o'clock. I asked
+if he could not make it eleven, because I knew that the men wanted to
+go to the theatre. He agreed to this and asked me to tell them that
+roll would be called in the rest-billets at eleven o'clock. I halted
+the men and said, "Boys, roll will be called in the rest-billets
+tonight at eleven o'clock sharp." Whether it was or not we never   (p. 227)
+knew, for none of us was there to hear. The men went to the theatres
+and to the various hotels afterwards. No trouble ensued, and when we
+left on the following afternoon the R.T.O. was most friendly and gave
+us a hearty send-off, no doubt feeling too relieved at our departure
+to make any inquiries.
+
+Although we had had a most delightful trip I was really thankful we
+were at last setting our faces towards the North. We arrived in Paris
+the next morning, and before we left the station I told the men that
+every one of them had to be at the train that evening. I had taken it
+upon myself to extend their leave, as I thought their presence in
+Italy was beneficial to the cause, but I asked them to show their
+gratitude by not failing to return all together. That night, to my
+intense satisfaction, they all turned up at the station at seven
+o'clock, and we started for Calais. We arrived there the next morning,
+and in the afternoon left for the front.
+
+We arrived at Poperinghe that night at six o'clock. It was dark, a
+drizzling rain was falling, and the mud was thick. We could hear the
+big guns firing, and the men were coming and going in all directions.
+We took a hasty farewell of one another and then parted. No one we met
+cared whether we had come from Italy or were going to Jericho. The men
+did not know where their headquarters were, and I was particularly
+anxious not to find mine. I went over to the Officer's Club and
+secured a shake-down in the garret, but, as I heard that our Division
+had made an attack that day, I determined to go up to the line. I
+started off after dinner in an ambulance to the old mill at
+Vlamertinghe, where there was a repetition of the sights and sounds
+which I had experienced there on two previous occasions. Later on, I
+went forward in another ambulance through Ypres to an advanced
+dressing station. Then I started to walk up the terrible, muddy roads
+till I came to the different German pill-boxes which had been
+converted into headquarters for the battalions. Finally, after wading
+through water and mud nearly up to my knees, I found myself the next
+afternoon wandering through the mud and by the shell holes and
+miserable trenches near Goudberg Copse, with a clear view of the ruins
+of Paschendaele, which was held by another division on our right. The
+whole region was unspeakably horrible. Rain was falling, the dreary
+waste of shell-ploughed mud, yellow and clinging, stretched off into
+the distance as far as the eye could see. Bearer parties, tired    (p. 228)
+and pale, were carrying out the wounded on stretchers, making a
+journey of several miles in doing so. The bodies of dead men lay here
+and there where they had fallen in the advance. I came across one poor
+boy who had been killed that morning. His body was covered with a
+shiny coating of yellow mud, and looked like a statue made of bronze.
+He had a beautiful face, with finely shaped head covered with close
+curling hair, and looked more like some work of art than a human
+being. The huge shell holes were half full of water often reddened
+with human blood and many of the wounded had rolled down into the
+pools and been drowned. As I went on, some one I met told me that
+there was a wounded man in the trenches ahead of me. I made my way in
+the direction indicated and shouted out asking if anybody was there.
+Suddenly I heard a faint voice replying, and I hurried to the place
+from which the sound came. There I found sitting up in the mud of the
+trench, his legs almost covered with water, a lad who told me that he
+had been there for many hours. I never saw anything like the wonderful
+expression on his face. He was smiling most cheerfully, and made no
+complaint about what he had suffered. I told him I would get a
+stretcher, so I went to some trenches not far away and got a bearer
+party and a stretcher and went over to rescue him. The men jumped down
+into the trench and moved him very gently, but his legs were so numb
+that although they were hit he felt no pain. One of the men asked him
+if he was only hit in the legs. He said, "Yes," but the man looked up
+at me and pulling up the boy's tunic showed me a hideous wound in his
+back. They carried him off happy and cheerful. Whether he ever
+recovered or not I do not know. If he did and ever sees this book, I
+wish he would write and tell me how he is.
+
+That was our last attack at Paschendaele. Our Division had taken its
+final objective. The next morning, the infantry were to come out of
+the line, so in the late afternoon I returned with some stretcher
+bearers. Several times shells came near enough to splatter us with
+mud, and here and there I turned aside to bury those for whom graves
+had just been prepared.
+
+At the front that day, a runner and I had joined in a brief burial
+service over the body of a gallant young officer lying where he fell
+on the side of a large shell-hole. As I uttered the words--"I am the
+Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord," it seemed to me that the
+lonely wind bore them over that region of gloom and death as       (p. 229)
+if it longed to carry the message of hope far away to the many sad
+hearts in Canada whose loved ones will lie, until the end, in unknown
+graves at Paschendaele.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.                                                      (p. 230)
+
+OUR LAST WAR CHRISTMAS.
+
+
+Our Division moved back to Barlin and I was once more established in
+my old billet. As our artillery were still at Ypres, I determined to
+go back on the following day to the Salient. I started in a car the
+next morning at six, and arrived at Talbot House, Poperinghe, in time
+to have breakfast with Padre Clayton, who was in charge of that
+splendid institution. Then I made my way to Ypres and found my son at
+his battery headquarters under the Cloth Hall Tower. It was a most
+romantic billet, for the debris of the ruins made a splendid
+protection from shells, and the stone-vaulted chambers were airy and
+commodious, much better than the underground cellars in which most of
+the men were quartered. The guns of the battery were forward in a very
+"unhealthy" neighbourhood. The officers and men used to take turns in
+going on duty there for twenty-four hours at a time. They found that
+quite long enough, as the forward area was continually exposed to
+shells and aeroplane attacks. I went on to visit our own field
+batteries, and found them distributed in a most desolate region. The
+mud was so deep that to step off the bath-mats meant sinking almost to
+the knees. In order to move the guns, planks had to be laid in front
+of them for a track, and the guns were roped and dragged along by the
+men. It was hard physical labour but they bore it, as they did other
+difficulties and dangers, with the utmost good humour. It was tiring
+enough merely to walk out to see them, without having anything else to
+do. What those men went through at that time no one can imagine. Just
+to watch them laying the planks and hauling on the ropes which drew
+the heavy mud-covered guns made me weary. When I meet some of my
+gunner friends in Montreal and Toronto looking so clean and happy, I
+think of what they did behind Passchendaele Ridge, and I take off my
+hat to them.
+
+I spent three days at Ypres, and then, by jumping lorries, made my way
+back to St. Venant and Robecq, where I spent the night. The next
+morning I left for Bethune, and thence by the assistance of lorries
+and a car continued my journey to our new Divisional Headquarters,
+which had found a home at Chateau de la Haie. Here I had a billet  (p. 231)
+in an upstairs room over what had been part of a stable. The room was
+neither beautiful nor clean, but served as an abode for me and Alberta
+and her newly-arrived family. The Chateau was a large house of no
+distinction, but it stood in delightful grounds, and at the back of it
+was a pond whose clear waters reflected the tall, leafless trees which
+bordered it. One fact made the Chateau popular and that was, that, up
+to that time, no shell or bomb had fallen in the neighbourhood. It was
+said that the location of the Chateau was not to be found on the
+enemy's maps. Round about were huts with accommodation sufficient to
+house a whole brigade. The charm of the place was completed by our 4th
+Division having erected there a large and most artistic theatre, which
+would seat on benches nearly one thousand men. It had a good stage and
+a pit for the orchestra in front. This theatre, when our concert party
+was in full swing, was a source of infinite delight to us all. It was
+built on the slope of a hill, the stage being at the lower end and a
+good view of the play therefore, could be had from all parts. The
+scenery was beautifully painted and the electric lights and
+foot-lights well arranged.
+
+Near us was the village of Gouy-Servins, where many men were billeted,
+and in huts at Souchez and other places along the valley the various
+units found their homes. The year's campaign was now over and we could
+look forward to a quiet time during the winter. "C" mess had a very
+comfortable hut, with an open fireplace. We were supposed to have the
+liveliest entertainments of any mess at Headquarters, and had
+therefore many visitors. I shall never forget the jolly face of our
+president, the D.A.D.M.S., nor the irrepressible spirit of our A.P.M.,
+son of a distinguished father who commanded an Army, nor the dry
+common-sense humour of our Field Cashier. What delight they took in
+ragging the Senior Chaplain, whose automatic ears, as he averred,
+prevented his hearing the things he should not. Nor must we forget the
+Camp Commandant, often perplexed like Martha with much serving. It was
+a goodly company and one much addicted to bridge and other diversions.
+I shall not forget the continual appeals of a gallant staff officer
+with two or three ribbons, who asked me penitently every morning for a
+moral uplift, which I noticed completely evaporated before evening.
+There was a freedom about our gatherings that was quite unique and has
+left pleasant memories in the mind, in spite of the fact that I told
+my fellow members they were the most godless crowd in Christendom.
+One day when we were at Ecoivres, a shell fell by the house, while (p. 232)
+we were having dinner. Someone asked me afterwards if it had "put my
+wind up?" "Not a bit", I replied, "I knew that the Devil was not going
+to destroy one of his favourite machine-gun emplacements."
+
+There was much excitement at this time over the question of
+conscription. The soldiers were to have votes and much depended upon
+their being given in the right way. It was a critical time, as our
+man-power was being exhausted. Recruiting under the voluntary system
+had become inadequate to meet our needs. Beyond this, however, one
+felt that the moral effect of Canada's refusing conscription would be
+very harmful. The Germans would at once see in it an indication that
+Canada was growing weary of fighting and they would consequently take
+heart. It was most essential then that our men should cast a solid
+vote for the coalition government. I felt it my duty therefore to do
+as much electioneering work as I could. At night I used to address the
+men in the theatre between the acts of the play, and tell them that if
+we threw out the conscription bill, it would go a long way to undo the
+good of all they had done and destroy the value of the sacrifice our
+dead comrades had made. Once I was invited to speak to a battalion of
+the 4th Division during an entertainment which they were holding. When
+I closed my address I told them that the last thing I wanted to do was
+to influence their vote. All I asked of them when they went to the
+polls was to make a cross in front of Borden's name. From the laughter
+and cheers with which this statement was received, I think they
+probably did. A few of the men told me that the thing which made them
+hesitate about voting for conscription was that they could not bring
+themselves to do anything which would force others to come and endure
+the hellish life at the front. The great unionist victory at the polls
+in Canada, which we heard of on December 18th, showed us that the
+heart of the young country was sound, and this no doubt was noted by
+the Germans.
+
+One more, (and this was the last,) St. George's church was built for
+me near the Chateau. Thus I was enabled to have a daily celebration of
+the Holy Communion.
+
+The arrival of one of the battalions of the 4th Division gave us the
+first indication that we were to move. On December 20th we left once
+more for Bruay. Here I found that my old billet was no longer
+available, but I managed to find a home in a clean little cottage  (p. 233)
+in the same street, where I had a room downstairs for an office,
+cheered by an open fire, and a large bare room upstairs in which I put
+my bed. On the garden-gate I hung out my sign "St. George's Rectory."
+Once again I found myself in the familiar neighbourhood with all the
+beloved battalions round us as before. The theatre was filled night
+after night, and there were the old gatherings of officers in the
+hotel. We regarded it as a great stroke of luck that once more we were
+going to spend Christmas out of the line.
+
+On Christmas Eve, when I was preparing to go up to the midnight
+Communion Service in the theatre, a new C. of E. Chaplain arrived and
+came with me to assist. On the stage the altar was set as before, and
+the dear old flag which now for three long years had been devoted to
+the sacred purpose shone out as the frontal. The band played the
+Christmas hymns and a large number of men attended. Some of them, but
+not many, had been there the year before. It was very beautiful and
+solemn. At midnight on New Year's Eve we repeated the service. Again
+there was a large congregation, and to me as I looked back to the
+gathering held in that place just one year ago it was quite
+overpowering. How many of those who had been with us at the dawn of
+1917 had passed away? The seats where they had sat were filled with
+other men. The hymns they had joined in were sung by other lips. In my
+heart went up the cry, "How long, O Lord, how long?" Once more the
+hands of the weary world clock had passed over the weeks and months of
+another year, and still the end was not in sight. As we stood in
+silence, while the buglers sounded the Last Post for the dying year, a
+wild and strange vision swept before me: I saw again the weary waste
+of mud and the shell ploughed ridge at Vimy; the fierce attacks at
+Arleux and Fresnoy; the grim assault on Hill 70 and the hellish agony
+of Paschendaele. Surely the ceaseless chiselling of pain and death had
+graven deeply into the inmost heart of Canada, the figures 1917.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV.                                                       (p. 234)
+
+VICTORY YEAR OPENS.
+
+_January and February, 1918._
+
+
+Victory Year, though we did not know it by that name then, opened with
+fine bracing weather, and there was the usual round of dinners and
+entertainments with which we always greeted the birth of a new
+twelve-month. We had several Canadian-like snow storms. In the midst
+of one, I met a forlorn despatch rider coming up the main street on
+his wheel with the blinding snow in his face. I stopped him and asked
+him if he wouldn't like to have some dinner, and I took him into the
+hotel. He had been to Bethune to buy some V.C. ribbon for one of the
+men of his battalion who was going to be presented with it on the
+following day, and was so proud of his mission that he made no
+complaint about the long and tiring journey through the snowstorm. The
+country behind Bruay is broken up into pleasant valleys, and there are
+plenty of trees on the hills, so the winter aspect of the district
+made us feel quite at home. I used to give many talks to the men on
+what I called "The war outlook", I thought it helped to encourage
+them, and I was perfectly sincere in my belief, which grew stronger as
+time went on, in spite of notable set-backs, that we should have
+victory before the end of the year.
+
+We had a visit at this time from Bishop du Pencier, who came to hold a
+confirmation for us at Divion. There were forty candidates, nearly all
+of them being presented by chaplains of the 1st Brigade. It was a
+solemn service and made a deep impression upon the men. The hymns were
+sung very heartily, and the Bishop gave a most helpful address. I
+remember specially one young fellow called Vaughan Groves, who came to
+me for the preparation. He was a small, rather delicate young lad
+about nineteen years of age, and was a runner for the 2nd Brigade. He
+had a fine open face and had the distinction of having won the M.M.
+and bar. To have won these honours as a Brigade runner was a mark of
+rare courage. I felt the deepest admiration for the boy, who was the
+only son of a widowed mother in Canada. He never touched liquor and
+had lived a perfectly straight life, and his was just the type of
+character which found scope for great deeds in the war. After the  (p. 235)
+confirmation I lost sight of him, until some months afterwards when,
+as I was going through Arras one night, I looked into a cellar near
+the 2nd Brigade Headquarters, and seeing a number of men in there,
+went down to have a talk. I found they were the Brigade runners, and
+so I at once asked for my young friend. They told me that he had been
+wounded in the arm and when he came to the dressing station, finding
+there a man who was dying from loss of blood, had at once offered his
+own blood for transfusion into the veins of the sufferer. So much had
+to be taken from him that the boy got very weak and had to be sent
+back to England to recuperate. The men added that it was just the
+thing that little Vaughan would do. He was the finest, cleanest little
+chap, they said, that they had ever met. It was always delightful to
+hear such testimony from men to the innate power of human goodness. I
+have never seen or heard of Vaughan Groves since, but I hope that some
+one may read this book who will be able to tell me how and where he
+is.
+
+I was not sorry when our rest was over. There was more time to get
+home-sick when we were out of the line. If we had to be in the war at
+all, the happiest place was at the front. So when on January 23rd I
+left Bruay for Bracquemont, I did so with little regret. My billet at
+Bracquemont was the same which I had occupied in the previous
+September, and it seemed quite like home. Once more our men held the
+trenches on Hill 70 and the battalions in the back area were billeted
+in Mazingarbe, Le Brebris, and Sains-en-Gohelle.
+
+The day after I arrived, I determined to do some parish visiting in
+the slums--as I called the front line. I started off in my old trench
+uniform and long habitant boots, carrying with me a supply of bully-beef,
+tinned milk and hardtack. I went through Bully-Grenay and then out
+through Maroc to Loos. Here once again the dressing station at Fort
+Glatz was occupied by a doctor and staff from one of our ambulances. I
+spent a little while there and then continued my journey up the road
+past Crucifix Corner to the trenches. The 7th and 8th Battalions were
+in the line. The day was fine and the warm sunshine was hardening the
+mud, so things did not look too unpleasant. I went to the 7th Battalion
+first and found the gallant men carrying on in the usual way. Hugo
+Trench was very quiet, and from it one could obtain a good view of the
+German lines and of Lens beyond. It was great fun to go into the saps
+and surprise the two or three men who were on guard in them. The   (p. 236)
+dugouts were curious places. The entrance steps were steep, and
+protected by blankets to keep out gas. At the bottom would be a long
+timber-lined passage, dark and smelly, out of which two or three
+little rooms would open. The men off duty would be lying about on the
+floor sound asleep, and it was often hard to make one's way among the
+prostrate bodies. The officers' mess would have a table in it and
+boxes for seats. On a shelf were generally some old newspapers or
+magazines and a pack of cards. In the passage, making it narrower than
+ever, were a few shelves used as bunks. At the end of the passage
+would be the kitchen, supplied with a rude stove which sent its smoke
+up a narrow pipe through a small opening. In the trenches the cooks
+were always busy, and how they served up the meals they did was a
+mystery to me. Water was brought in tins from a tap in one of the
+trenches to the rear, and therefore was not very abundant. I have
+occasionally, and against my will, seen the process of dish-washing in
+the trenches. I could never make out from the appearance of the water
+whether the cook and his assistant were washing the plates or making
+the soup, the liquid in the tin dish was so thick with grease.
+However, it was part of the war, and the men were doing their best
+under most unpropitious circumstances.
+
+I had come prepared to spend a night in the trenches, and had decided
+to do so in the large German-made dugout in the chalk-pit which was
+held by "D" Company of the 8th Battalion. The officer on duty with the
+7th Battalion kindly acted as my guide. The day had worn away, and the
+bright moon was lighting up the maze of yellow trenches. We passed
+along, exchanging many greetings at different places, until we came to
+the outpost of the 8th Battalion at the top of the path which leads
+down to the chalk-pit. Here four men were sitting keeping guard. They
+gave me a warm greeting, and I told them that if I were not in a hurry
+to let my guide go back to his lines, I would stop and recite some of
+my poems in the moonlight. It struck me that they seemed more amused
+than disappointed. So wishing them good-luck, we started onward down
+the slippery path which led into the pit, where many shells had torn
+up the ground and where were remains not only of uniforms and mess-tins
+and rifles but also of German bodies. We had hardly reached the
+entrance to the dugout when two or three of those shells which the men
+called "pineapples" arrived in quick succession. They sounded so   (p. 237)
+close that we dived into the place of refuge. We found the O.C. of the
+company inside, and he kindly arranged to give me a large bed all to
+myself in one of the chambers of the dugout. Suddenly a runner
+appeared and told us that the pineapples had hit the outpost, killing
+not only some of the men to whom I had just been talking but also the
+Adjutant of the battalion. I at once got up and went back to the
+place. The line was quiet now, and the whole scene was brightly
+lighted by the moon and looked so peaceful that one could hardly
+imagine that we were in the midst of war, but, lying in the deep
+shadow at the bottom of the trench, with its face downwards, was the
+body of the Adjutant. He had been killed instantly. In the outpost
+beside the trench, were the bodies of the men who had been on duty
+when I passed a few minutes before.
+
+I stayed with the sentry guarding the bodies until a stretcher party
+arrived and carried them away. Then I went back to the dugout and
+visited the men who were crowded into its most extraordinary labyrinth
+of passages and recesses. In the very centre of the place, which must
+have been deep underground, there was a kitchen, and the cooks were
+preparing a hot meal for the men to eat before "stand to" at dawn. The
+men of course were excessively crowded and many were heating their own
+food in mess-tins over smoking wicks steeped in melted candle grease.
+All were bright and cheerful as ever, in spite of the stifling
+atmosphere, which must have been breathed by human lungs over and over
+again. It was quite late when I stretched myself on my wire mattress
+with my steel helmet for a pillow. Only a piece of canvas separated me
+from the room where a lot of men were supposed to be sleeping. They
+were not only not asleep but kept me awake by the roars of laughter
+which greeted the stories they were telling. However, I managed to
+doze off in time, and was rudely wakened early in the morning by the
+metallic thud of pineapples on the ground overhead. I was wondering
+what it meant when a man came down to the O.C.'s room, next to mine,
+and aroused him with the somewhat exciting news, "Major, the Germans
+are making an attack." It was not long before the Major was hurrying
+up the steps to the passage above, and it was not long before I
+followed, because I always had a horror of being bombed in a dugout.
+In the passage upstairs all the men were "standing to" with fixed
+bayonets, and plenty of Mills bombs in their pockets. They were a most
+cheerful crowd, and really I think that we all felt quite pleased at
+the excitement. A man came up to me and asked me what weapon I     (p. 238)
+had. I told him I had a fixed bayonet on the end of my walking stick.
+This did not seem to satisfy him, so he went over to a cupboard and
+brought me two bombs. I told him to take them away because they might
+be prematures. He laughed at this and said, "How will you protect
+yourself, Sir, if the enemy should get into the trench?" I told him I
+would recite one of my poems. They always put my friends to flight and
+would probably have the same effect upon my foes.
+
+By this time the rain of pineapples overhead was very heavy, and I
+went to the door of the dugout where the Major was looking out. It was
+a curious scene. Day had just dawned, and we could see the heaps of
+broken rubbish and ripped up ground in front of us, while directly
+opposite at the top of the chalk-pit was our front line. Pacing up and
+down this was a corporal, his form silhouetted against the gray
+morning sky. He had his rifle with fixed bayonet on his shoulder, and
+as he walked to and fro he sang at the top of his voice the old song,
+"Oh my, I don't want to die, I want to go home." The accompaniment to
+the song was the "swish" of the shells overhead and the bursting of
+them in the trenches behind. I told the Major that if we could only
+get a moving picture of the corporal and a gramophone record of his
+song with its accompaniment we could make thousands of dollars by an
+exhibition of it in Canada.
+
+The next night I stayed at Cite St. Pierre. Who will ever forget the
+road up to it, and the corner near the ruined fosse, which was always
+liable to be shelled unexpectedly? In cellars beneath the unwholesome
+and dilapidated town our men found billets. They were really quite
+comfortable, but at night when the place was as black as pitch, and
+one had to grope one's way in the darkness along debris-covered
+streets, shaken every now and then by the German missiles from the
+sky, one longed for Canada and the well-lighted pavements of Montreal
+and Toronto.
+
+On February 14th, at the officers' club at Corps Headquarters in
+Camblain l'Abbe, we had a great gathering of all the officers who had
+landed in France three years before. The one hundred and fifty who sat
+down to dinner were only a small part of the original number, and,
+before the anniversary came round again, many of those present were
+called to join the unseen host to whose memory that night we drank in
+silence. It was strange to look back over three years and think that
+the war, which in February 1915 we thought was going to be a       (p. 239)
+matter of months, had now been protracted for three years and was
+still going on. What experiences each of those present had had! What a
+strange unnatural life we had been called upon to live, and how
+extraordinarily efficient in the great war game had each become! It
+was a most interesting gathering of strong and resolute men filled
+with sublime ideals of duty and patriotism, who nevertheless were
+absolutely free from all posing and self-consciousness. They had
+learnt how to play the game; they had learnt both how to command and
+how to obey; they had learnt how to sink selfish interests and aims,
+and to work only and unitedly for the great cause.
+
+On February 19th I held the dedication service at the unveiling of the
+artillery monument at Les Tilleuls. Owing to its exposed position no
+concourse of men was allowed, but there was a large gathering of the
+Staff, including the Army Commander, and of course a number of
+officers from the artillery. The lines of the monument are very
+severe. A plain white cross surmounts a large mass of solid masonry on
+which is the tablet, which General Currie unveiled. It stands in a
+commanding position on Vimy Ridge, and can be seen for miles around.
+Many generations of Canadians in future ages will visit that lonely
+tribute to the heroism of those, who, leaving home and loved ones,
+voluntarily came and laid down their lives in order that our country
+might be free.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.                                                      (p. 240)
+
+THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE.
+
+_March, 1918._
+
+
+Over four months had passed away since my return from Rome, so leave
+was again due. Immediately after the unveiling of the Artillery
+monument I started off in a car for Boulogne, and the next afternoon
+arrived in London. Conditions there were worse than they had been the
+year before. The streets were darker and food was scarcer. I went as
+far north as Edinburgh, but when I arrived at that city I found it
+cold and wintry and wrapped in mists. There were many naval men there,
+and I paid an interesting visit to a damaged submarine which was being
+repaired in the dry-dock. It was of course nice to meet friends again,
+but, beyond that, my last leave was not a pleasant one. It was a time
+of great anxiety. The Americans had come into the war, but they were
+not yet ready. Another campaign was before us, and the issue of it
+none could foresee. I was haunted perpetually by the dread of meeting
+with some accident, and so being sent back from the front. Several
+times I had a vivid dream, that I had got back to Canada and found
+that the war was still going on and I could not return to it. I shall
+never forget the joy of waking on such occasions and looking with
+dawning consciousness upon my surroundings and feeling that I was
+still at the front. It was a happy day for me, therefore, when on
+March 8th I arrived once more at Bracquemont, in the midst of my
+beloved war-family, and able to re-visit Lievin, Loos, and Hill 70.
+
+My favorite home in the trenches was the dugout in the chalk-pit,
+which I have just described, and I often wish I could be suddenly
+transported there and revive old memories. We were planning at this
+time to make a big gas-attack along the Canadian Corps front. Three
+thousand gas-cylinders were to be fired by electricity upon the enemy.
+As I wanted to see this, I made my way to the chalk-pit. The time
+fixed for the event was five minutes to eleven at night. If the attack
+was to come off, the word "Japan" was to come through on the wires;
+if, owing to the wind being in the wrong direction, the attack had to
+be postponed, the word "Russia" would be sent. At 10.45 I climbed up
+the steps to the observation post at the back of the chalk-pit     (p. 241)
+and waited. From this point I had a good view of the line towards
+Lens. I watched the luminous hands of my watch, and they passed the
+hour of eleven without anything occurring, as the breeze came from the
+East. I knew the word "Russia," the name of the country that failed
+us, must have been sent over the wires. It was a queer sensation to
+sit up there in the dark with no sound but the soft murmur of the
+night wind in our ears, and the crash of an occasional shell. In those
+long dark stretches of waste land around me, thousands of human beings
+on both sides of the line were awake and active, either burrowing like
+ants in the ground or bringing up rations and war material along the
+communication trenches.
+
+I spent four nights that week in the chalk-pit waiting for the attack,
+and on March 21st, the night of the day on which the Germans launched
+their fierce attack against our Fifth Army, my patience was rewarded
+and the wind was propitious. I mounted the observation post and once
+more peered over the black stretches of country under the starlit sky.
+Suddenly, at five minutes to eleven, there was a burst of artillery
+fire, and over our heads with the usual swishing sound the
+gas-cylinders sped forth. The German lines were lit with bursting
+shells. Up went their rockets calling to their artillery for
+retaliation. I could hear their gas bells ringing to warn their men of
+the poison that was being poured upon them. It must have been a
+drenching rain of death. I heard gruesome tales afterwards of desolate
+enemy trenches and batteries denuded of men. The display of fireworks
+was magnificent, and the German artillery in the rear were not slow in
+replying. A great artillery duel like that in the darkness of the
+night over a waste of ground on which no human habitation could be
+seen had a very weird effect, and was wonderful to behold. I climbed
+down into the dugout and made my way through it to the chalk-pit, and
+then up to an outpost beyond. Here were four men, and I found that
+three of them had just come up from the base and that this was their
+first night in the line. They did not seem to be enjoying it as much
+as I thought they should, so I remarked that it was a beautiful night
+and pointed out to them the extraordinary romance of being actually
+out in the front line during such a bombardment. They seemed to get
+more enthusiastic later on, but the next morning I was wakened in my
+room by the laughter of men on the other side of the canvas wall, and
+I heard one old soldier telling, to the amusement of his fellows,  (p. 242)
+of my visit on the previous evening. He said "We were out there with
+the shells falling round us, and who should come up but the Canon, and
+the first thing the old beggar said was, 'Boys, what a lovely night it
+is.'" The men roared at the idea. It was always illuminating to get a
+chance of seeing yourself as others saw you.
+
+That day, before I had gone to the chalk-pit, I heard from a staff
+officer at Corps of the German attack in the South, and I gathered
+from his manner that things were not going well. On March 29th we
+suddenly shifted our headquarters to Chateau de la Haie. Here we were
+told that we had to be ready to move again at a moment's notice. Very
+bad news had come from the South, for the Germans were advancing, and
+our Fifth Army had been pushed back. The enemy had now got the
+initiative into his hands, and things were exceedingly serious. The
+Americans would not be ready for some time, and the question was how
+to stay the onrush of the fresh divisions which the Germans were
+hurling against us. An order from General Currie, couched in beautiful
+language, told us that there was to be no retreat for Canadians, and
+that, if need be, we should fall where we stood. There was no panic,
+only firmer resolve and greater activity in every department. Though I
+made it a point of never questioning our staff about war secrets, I
+soon became aware that our Division was to be sent South to try and
+stem the oncoming tide.
+
+Every night the 4th Divisional concert party gave an entertainment in
+the theatre, which was crowded with men. A stranger could not have
+told from the roars of laughter that shook the audience from time to
+time that we were about to face the fiercest ordeal of the war. The
+2nd Brigade was quartered round us first, and one night in the theatre
+an officer appeared in front of the stage between the acts and ordered
+all the officers and men of the 5th Battalion, who were present, to
+report at once to their headquarters. Instantly the men got up and
+left, the rows of vacant seats looking quite tragic. The play went on.
+Again, another battalion, and another, was called off. The audience
+dwindled. It reminded one of the description in the "Tale of Two
+Cities" of the condemned men in prison waiting for the call of the
+executioner. Before the close of the performance the theatre was
+almost empty. The 2nd Brigade moved away that night and the 3rd took
+their places the next day. I knew that they, too, would have to move
+suddenly, so I arranged that at night we should have a service     (p. 243)
+followed by a Celebration of the Holy Communion in the theatre after
+the play was over. Once again the building was crowded with an
+enthusiastic audience, and, after the play was ended, I announced the
+service. To my astonishment, most of the men stayed and others crowded
+in, so we must have had nearly a thousand men present. The concert
+party had received orders to pack up their scenery immediately and
+move off. While I was on the stage getting the altar ready the scene
+shifters were hard at work behind me. In spite of this disturbance, we
+had a wonderful service. I gave them a short address, and spoke about
+the high call which had come to Canadians to do big things, and how
+the eyes of the world were upon us. We were the champions of right,
+and I asked them to go forth in the power of God and do their duty.
+Then I began the Communion Service. The colours of the flag which hung
+over the altar glowed like an inspiration. The two altar lights shone
+like stars above it. At the back of the stage (but we heeded them not)
+were the busy men packing up the scenery. We sang the hymn "O God our
+help in ages past," and at the time of communion about two hundred
+officers and men mounted the stage in turn and knelt in rows to
+receive the Bread of Life. It was a thrilling moment, and it showed
+how, underlying the superficial thoughtlessness of the soldier's life,
+there was the deep and abiding sense of the reality and need of God.
+The service ended about eleven p.m.
+
+After shaking hands with some of the men I went back to my billet and
+there found that we had to start that night for parts unknown. All our
+surplus baggage had been sent off and only what was absolutely
+necessary was retained. The members of "C" mess were sitting round the
+table having a little liquid refreshment and waiting for the bus which
+was to take them off. Our A.D.M.S., who was starting at once, kindly
+offered to take me with him in an ambulance. Alberta and I, with two
+or three men, got into the vehicle, and I bid farewell for the last
+time to Chateau de la Haie. It was a bright moonlight night and the
+air was cold, but the roads were dry and dusty. The A.D.M.S., who was
+the only person who knew our destination, sat in front with the driver
+and told him the various turns to take. Clouds of dust blew back into
+the ambulance as we sped onward. It was a curious expedition. The war
+seemed to be more real than ever. One felt that a new page in its
+history was being turned. I wondered what was in store for us and
+what our experiences were going to be. I was also surprised that   (p. 244)
+one was able to go forth without any emotion upon an adventure of such
+magnitude. On and on we rattled down the moonlit roads, past sleeping
+villages, and round sharp curves which jolted us in the car, until at
+last, at half-past two, we pulled up suddenly in front of some large
+iron gates which gave entrance to the grounds of a chateau standing
+back some distance from the road. The A.D.M.S. and his staff got out
+and hunted for a cottage which they could use as an office.
+
+I thought I had better go off and find a place where I could spend the
+rest of the night. With my haversack over my shoulder and followed by
+Alberta, I entered the gate, and made my way up the avenue till I came
+to the Chateau. It was a large and picturesque building, and stood out
+nobly against the outline of the trees in the park. The moon lit up
+the gray stone front, which was made all the richer by the variegated
+light and shade. The mansion, however, showed no inclination to be
+hospitable. All the windows were tightly closed with shutters, and
+there was no appearance of life anywhere. I knew we were not far from
+the advancing Germans, and I supposed that the inhabitants had all
+fled. I was so cold and tired that I determined to force an entrance
+and spend the night inside. I walked round to the back, where I saw a
+great park richly wooded. A large door in the centre of the building,
+reached by a broad flight of stone steps, seemed to offer me a chance
+of getting inside. I went up and tried the handle, when, to my surprise,
+the door opened and I found myself in a beautiful hall richly
+furnished and lighted by a lamp. Antlers hung on the wall, and the
+place had the appearance of an English country-house. After my long
+ride, and at that hour of the night, I felt as if I were in a dream. I
+saw a door to the right, and opening it was admitted to a modern
+drawing-room luxuriously furnished. A grate fire was burning on the
+hearth, and on a centre-table stood silver candelabra with lighted
+candles. There were also plates of bread and butter, some very nice
+cups and saucers, and a silver coffee-pot. At once I said to myself,
+"I am evidently expected." It was like a story from the Arabian
+Nights. I looked about the place and not a soul appeared, Alberta
+tucked herself up on a rug and was soon fast asleep. I was just
+preparing to partake of the refreshments which, it seemed, some fairy
+godmother had provided, when in came one of our A.D.Cs. He was as much
+surprised to see me as I was to see him. He told me that our       (p. 245)
+Divisional Commander had arrived there about an hour or two before and
+had gone to bed, and that we were in the home of a certain count whose
+servants had all fled. He also told me that there was a bedroom that I
+could have upstairs, and which would not be occupied by our staff
+until the next evening. I had a cup of coffee, and then, calling
+Alberta and taking a candle, I climbed a very rambling staircase till
+I reached the top storey, where I found an empty room with a very
+dirty bed in it. However, I was glad to get a place in which to rest,
+and so, with my rain-coat for a covering, I went to sleep. The next
+morning, having foraged for some water in which I had a good wash, I
+went off to the village to get some food. I met many of our units
+coming up in busses. Some were halted by the wayside, and nobody knew
+what we were going to do or why we were there. The Imperial transport
+officer in charge had either acted under wrong orders or else the
+drivers did not know the roads. Some of our battalions had lost their
+way, one even entered a village at the other end of which were the
+Germans, and two of our Engineer Companies disappeared completely for
+two days.
+
+The country people were hurrying off in carts, taking their household
+goods with them. I found a primitive farmhouse where I was able to buy
+some eggs and bread, and I invited a number of stragglers in to have
+something to eat. By noon, however, we got orders from the Army to
+move back to a place called Fosseaux. There we occupied an empty
+chateau which before the war must have been a very fine place. A wide
+grassy road nearly a mile in length, bordered on each side by fine old
+trees, stretched off into the distance in front of the central door.
+The entrance to the road was guarded by an exquisitely wrought iron
+gate, flanked on each side by stone pillars surmounted by carved
+heraldic figures. It was now cold and rainy, and our two Artillery
+Brigades were halted in a field opposite and were awaiting orders.
+Before nightfall they had left, and the forward section of our
+Division made their headquarters in a hut at Warlus; the members of
+"C" mess remaining at Fosseaux.
+
+March the 29th was Good Friday, and a strange one it was. There was
+much stir and commotion everywhere, and we were so unsettled, that all
+I could do was to have a service in the cinema in the evening, and on
+Easter Day two Celebrations of Holy Communion at which I had only
+twenty-eight communicants. Our men had gone in to the line to the  (p. 246)
+southeast of Arras, round Telegraph Hill, where an attack by the
+Germans was expected, as their advance to the south had been checked.
+I made my way to Arras, and spent the night in one of the mysterious
+caves which lie under that city. It was called St. Sauveur Cave, and
+was entered from a street behind the station. The 1st Brigade was
+quartered there. In the morning I walked down the long dark passage
+till I came to an opening which led me to some high ground where there
+had evidently been a good deal of fighting. From there I made my way
+over to the front line, where the 1st Battalion was entrenched. I
+passed numbers of wooden huts broken by shells. Many men must have
+been quartered there at one time. It was sad to go into them and see
+the waste and desolation, and the lost war material scattered in all
+directions. On my way I came to a deep trench which some Imperial
+machine-gunners were holding. They had had an anxious time, and were
+glad to have a visitor. Several of them regretted that they had not
+been able to attend any Easter service. I told them we would have one
+there and then, as I was carrying the Blessed Sacrament with me. So we
+cleaned a corner of the trench, and there I had a short service and
+gave the men communion.
+
+Our trenches were not satisfactory, as we did not know accurately
+where those of the Germans were. That night, instead of going back to
+the 1st Brigade I made my way to the huge Rouville Caves under Arras,
+where the whole of the 3rd Brigade were quartered. It was a most
+curious abode. No one knows when the caves were dug. They were
+probably extended from time to time as the chalk was quarried for the
+purpose of building the town. Long passages stretched in different
+directions, and from them opened out huge vaulted chambers where the
+battalions were billeted. I spent the night with the 14th Battalion,
+and the next day held services in turn for each of the four units of
+the Brigade. The 16th Battalion occupied a huge cavern with others
+branching off from it. I could hardly imagine more picturesque
+surroundings for a military service. The candle flames twinkled like
+stars in all directions in the murky atmosphere, and the singing of
+the men resounded through the cave. Overhead was the town which the
+enemy was shelling. In one of the caves we found the foundation of
+what had been an old prison, with a date upon it of the 18th century.
+It was very pleasant wandering down the passages, with a candle    (p. 247)
+stuck on the top of my steel helmet, and meeting everywhere old
+friends who were glad of the temporary rest. Life there, however, was
+very strange. One could not tell whether outside it was day or night.
+I made my way back that afternoon by a passage which led out to one of
+the Arras sewers, by the side of which there was a stone pavement
+enabling one with a good flashlight to walk safely. The exit from the
+sewer, which now consisted of a shallow stream of perfectly clear
+water, led me up to a house in one of the streets, and thence by a car
+I made my way to Warlus, and home to Fosseaux.
+
+A few days afterwards our headquarters were moved up to Etrun, and
+there we found ourselves crowded into the quaint little town. The
+Chateau was our headquarters, and a tar-paper house which the
+Engineers built for me under a spreading hawthorn tree became my home.
+Etrun was a most interesting place historically. It had been the site
+of a Roman camp where Valentinian had his headquarters in the 4th
+century. The large mound, or vallum, which the Romans had thrown up to
+protect themselves from the attacks of the German tribes, is now a
+thickly wooded hill, pierced by the road which connects the village
+with the Arras highway. The grounds of the Chateau were most
+delightful, and before the French Revolution the house had been a
+convent. In the garden was the recumbent stone effigy, overgrown with
+moss, of one of the sisters. The most beautiful thing about the place
+is the clear stream, wide and deep, which comes from underground and
+flows over sparkling white pebbles through the green meadows to the
+river Scarpe. This stream was evidently the source of attraction to
+the Romans, who always made their camps where there was a plentiful
+supply of running water. The garden on one side was built up in stone
+terraces along which were gravel walks, where, no doubt, the nuns of
+old enjoyed their holy meditations. In the stream, as it wandered
+through the meadows, there was a plentiful supply of water-cress,
+which looked exquisitely green against the pebbles at the bottom. How
+one did long for the war to end, so that we might be able to lie down
+in the grass, free from anxiety, and enjoy the drenching sunlight and
+the spring song of the birds.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.                                                     (p. 248)
+
+IN FRONT OF ARRAS.
+
+_April, 1918._
+
+
+Etrun was a convenient place for a headquarters. My hut was
+comfortable, and the tree that grew beside it stretched its
+thickly-leaved boughs over it, as though wishing to protect it from
+the sight of enemy planes. Visitors were always welcome. In the garden
+were many other huts, and a path led to the churchyard in which stood
+the old church. It was strongly built, but very crudely furnished, and
+spoke of many generations of humble worshippers to whom it was the
+gate of heaven. On one side of the garden was a stream, which turned a
+quaint mill-wheel, and an island in the stream, connected with the
+banks by a bridge, made a pleasant resort. A little nest of beauty,
+such as Etrun was, in the midst of the war, most restful to the soul,
+especially after a visit to the line. Of course, we had to be careful
+about screening all lights, for a shell landed one night in a hut
+opposite mine. Luckily the shell was a "dud". Had it not been, my
+sergeant, groom, and batman would have been no more, for it burrowed
+its way into the ground under the floor of their abode, as they were
+having supper.
+
+On one occasion about one in the morning, we were awakened from sleep
+by three terrific explosions. They sounded close, so I thought that
+some of our men might have been hit. I got up and went off to see
+where the shells had landed. The quaint old hamlet lay silent in the
+moonlight, and not a soul was stirring. I went down one of the narrow
+streets, and met a tall figure in black coming towards me. It was the
+Cure, who was bent on a similar mission, fearing that some of his
+people had been wounded. We went round the place together until we met
+a man coming up the road, who told us that a bomb had struck the
+railway bridge and exploded two mines which we had in readiness in
+case the Germans were to make an advance. The bridge had been
+completely shattered, but luckily our sentries there had escaped. The
+Cure and I then parted and went back to our beds.
+
+It was a great treat for our men who were billeted in villages in  (p. 249)
+the Scarpe Valley to have plenty of water, and in the various
+mill-ponds they found swimming-places. Our front line at this time
+extended for quite a long distance north and south of the Scarpe. In
+fact the river acted for a short distance as No Man's Land. On the
+north of the Scarpe were the ruins of the village of Fampoux, and on
+the south those of Feuchy. How well our men will remember the towns of
+Maroeil, Anzin, St. Nicholas and St. Aubin. I used to go off across
+the meadow lands, now bright and fresh with spring verdure, till I got
+to the St. Eloi road, and then by jumping lorries would make my way to
+St. Nicholas and on to Cam Valley. On the east side of the valley were
+quaint dugouts which were occupied by the battalion in reserve. A path
+up the valley led to the communication trench, and finally down
+Pudding Lane to Pudding Trench. The ground was elevated, so that from
+one of the trenches which led down towards Fampoux I was able to see
+with my glasses the country behind the German lines. I saw quite
+distinctly one day the spires of Douai, and in another direction on a
+hillside I could make out a railway train which must have been
+carrying German troops. I had many interesting walks through the
+trenches, and slept there several times. On one occasion I took
+Alberta with me, but she would persist in going off into No Man's Land
+hunting for rats. The arrival of a minnenwerfer, however, gave her a
+great fright and made her jump back into the trench with alacrity,
+much to the amusement of the men, who said that she knew the use of
+trenches.
+
+One day I went down the trench which led into Fampoux. Whizzbangs were
+falling every now and then, so the men were keeping low. At one place
+there was a good view of the German lines. An officer and a sergeant
+stood there looking through their glasses and pointed out to me a spot
+in the hillside opposite where we could see a number of the enemy.
+They came out of one trench, crossed the road, and went down into
+another. The officer told me that he had counted over a hundred that
+day. I asked him why he did not telephone to Battalion Headquarters to
+inform the artillery. He told me he had no telephone. Then I said,
+"Why don't you send a runner?" He explained that Fampoux was occupied
+as an outpost, and that no runners were allowed to be sent from there
+during the daytime; orders to this effect being very strict. "I am not
+a runner," I said, "and I am not in your Battalion. If you will give
+me the map-location of the place where you think the Germans are   (p. 250)
+congregating, I will take it back with me to the liaison officer at
+Battalion Headquarters." He was very pleased with my offer, because at
+this time we were daily expecting a big attack upon our lines. To get
+back we had to crawl down a steep place in the trench, which was in
+view of the Germans, until at last we reached the cellar of a ruined
+house which the O.C. of the company used as a billet. He got out his
+maps and gave me the exact location of the road and trenches where the
+Germans had been seen to pass, and where apparently they were massing.
+I got him to write down the map-location carefully on a piece of
+paper, and then, armed with this and feeling very important, I started
+back, this time avoiding the trench and going up the Fampoux road on
+the side of which there was some torn and broken camouflage. I came
+across a steel helmet by the wayside with part of a man's head in it,
+and the road had been pretty well battered by shells, but I felt
+exceedingly proud at being able to do something which might possibly
+avert an attack upon our men. I went on till at last I saw in the
+hillside the beginning of a trench, and made my way up this to Pudding
+lane and found Battalion Headquarters. The Artillery officer had been
+having a quiet time and was delighted at the prospect of ordering a
+"shoot." At once he telephoned back to the brigade, and not long
+after, when the quiet sun was setting in the West, a most terrific
+bombardment of artillery, both field and heavy, smashed the German
+trenches on the hill opposite. The headquarters men and I looked over
+the valley and saw the line of bursting shells. Much to their
+amusement, I told them that this was my music, that I had ordered the
+shoot. I felt like the fly on the axle of a cart, who said to his
+companion fly, "Look at the dust we are making."
+
+On another occasion, I was filled with almost equal pride, when,
+meeting on the roadside a company of men who were going into the
+trenches for the first time and were waiting for a guide, I offered my
+services and actually led the company of young heroes into the
+trenches myself. The humour of the situation was so palpable that the
+men felt as if they were going to a picnic.
+
+The trenches on the Feuchy side of the Scarpe were well made, and led
+up to the higher ground to the east of Arras, where they joined the
+lines of a Scots Division. At one point we saw in No Man's Land a
+lonely tent, which I was told had been occupied by a British chaplain
+before we had been driven back. I paid a most enjoyable visit to   (p. 251)
+the engineers in Arras and stayed at Battalion Headquarters. They were
+in a large and comfortable house in the Place St. Croix. In the dining
+room we had a grate fire, a rug on the floor, and several easy chairs.
+A most sumptuous dinner was served, and one could scarcely believe
+that we were in a war.
+
+The men of the battalion were billeted in the deep cellars under a row
+of houses at the end of the Grande Place. Some of these houses dated
+back to the time of the Spanish occupation, so the cellars must have
+been very ancient. They were vaulted in stone and were connected
+together by passages, so they were not only quite safe from shells but
+were exceedingly interesting and picturesque. We had several services
+for the men and one for a field ambulance which made its home in the
+Deaf and Dumb Asylum. In a large room in the Asylum there was a good
+piano, so it enabled us to use the place at one time as a church and
+at another as a ballroom. There was a strange charm about dear old
+Arras which is quite indescribable. In spite of the ruined buildings
+and the damaged grass-grown streets, there was the haunting beauty of
+a quiet medievalism about the city. The narrow streets, the pleasant
+gardens hidden behind the houses, spoke of an age that had passed.
+Arras has been the centre of interest in many wars, and Julius Caesar
+made his headquarters there in B.C. 65. The river Scarpe has carried
+to the sea many memories of hostile hosts that have fought along its
+banks. To walk back from the dressing station in the small hours of
+the morning, when the moon was shining on the silent and half-ruined
+streets and squares, was a weird experience. Surely, if ghosts ever
+haunt the scenes of their earthly life, I must have had many unseen
+companions with me on such occasions. There were still two or three
+shops in the place where souvenirs and other small articles were sold
+to the men, and there were hoards of champagne and other wines in some
+of the cellars, but only a few of the inhabitants remained and they
+lived hidden lives in the underground retreats.
+
+Our Division, however, was soon moved from Etrun to Chateau d'Acq,
+where I arrived at four one morning after a visit to the trenches. I
+found my billet in an Armstrong hut. The people who had occupied the
+Chateau since we were there must have experienced an air raid, because
+extraordinary precautions had been taken to guard against bombs. I lit
+my lamp and found that the bed was surrounded on all sides by a    (p. 252)
+wall composed of two thicknesses of sandbags. When I got down Into it
+I felt as if I were in a grave. In the morning I got my batman to
+remove the fortification, as I thought there was no occasion to
+anticipate the sensations of being buried. However, at night I often
+heard German aeroplanes overhead, and it was a relief when their
+intermittent buzzing died off into the distance.
+
+We were now a long way from the front line, but by jumping lorries I
+was still able to go forward and visit the slums. On returning from
+such a visit one afternoon I suffered a great loss. The order had gone
+out some time before that all stray dogs were to be shot, and many
+poor little four-footed souls were sent into whatever happy land is
+reserved for the race which has been the earliest and best friend of
+man. I had kept a sharp lookout on Alberta, but I never dreamt that
+anyone would shoot her. However, that evening while I was getting
+ready to go off to Ecoivres, and Alberta was playing in front of my
+hut, the sergeant of the police, carried her off, unknown to me, and
+ordered a man to shoot her. When I came out from my hut, and whistled
+for my faithful friend, I was told that she had been condemned to
+death. I could hardly believe it; but to my dismay I found that it was
+only too true, and the poor little dog, who was known all over the
+Division and had paid many visits to the trenches, was not only shot
+but buried. Filled with righteous anger, I had the body disinterred
+and a proper grave dug for it in front of a high tree which stands on
+a hill at the back of the grounds. There, surrounded by stones, is the
+turf-covered mound, and on the tree is nailed a white board with this
+epitaph neatly painted in black:--
+
+      HERE LIES ALBERTA
+         of Albert
+    Shot April 24th, 1918.
+
+  The dog that by a cruel end
+    Now sleeps beneath this tree,
+  Was just the little dog and friend
+    God wanted her to be.
+
+Alberta, much respected in life, was honoured in death, for nearly all
+the men at Headquarters were present when she was buried, and one of
+them told me that at a word from me they would lay out the police. (p. 253)
+I should have liked to have given the word, but I told them that we
+had a war on with the Germans, and that we had better not start
+another till it was finished. On the following day the board with the
+epitaph was placed in position in the presence of a Brigadier-General
+and our kind-hearted and sympathetic C.R.E. I was so filled with
+indignation at the loss of my companion, who, wherever I tied up
+Dandy, would always mount guard over him and allow no one to approach
+him, that I determined to seek a billet away from Headquarters, and
+near the front. However, this intention was frustrated a day or two
+later by an order which came through for our Division to go into rest
+at a place called Le Cauroy, not far from the town of Frevent, and
+about 15 kilometres to the southwest of Chateau d'Acq.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.                                                    (p. 254)
+
+SPORTS AND PASTIMES.
+
+_May and June, 1918._
+
+
+It was late in the evening when I reached the Chateau at Le Cauroy,
+and I found that I was to be billeted in the house of the Cure, on one
+side of the fine avenue of lime trees. Ross was waiting for me and
+took the horse, and I went inside to my room. A curious sensation came
+over me of having seen the place before. It seemed as if I had been
+there in one of my dreams, but the mystery was cleared up on the
+following day by my finding out from the Vicaire that this was the
+place where I had spent such a gloomy Sunday on the 22nd of October,
+1916, during our return from the Somme. The count who owned the
+Chateau was naval attache to the French Embassy in London, but his
+wife and children, with the servants, occupied apartments on the right
+wing of the building. The presence of a lady gave a special charm to
+the place, and tennis on a good court under the trees in the park was
+most enjoyable. On several occasions some of our Canadian Sisters from
+the C.C.S. at Frevent honoured us with their presence at dinner, which
+was followed by a dance. Under the trees in the avenue, a most
+picturesque open theatre was erected by the engineers, and here our
+concert party gave us nightly performances of their new play, which
+was called "The Marriage Market." Hundreds of men from the battalions
+around would sit on the soft grass under the overhanging trees through
+which we could see the stars, and on the brightly lighted stage, with
+the orchestra in front, we had an exhibition of real talent. The
+weather was delightful and the men enjoyed a holiday in the country.
+At a little distance behind the Chateau there was a clear stream
+blocked by an ancient mill-dam. Here we could get a swim and bask in
+the sun in the long cool grass. Altogether we were very happy at Le
+Cauroy.
+
+A great change had come over the war at this time, for Foch had
+assumed the supreme command. While we had had excellent leaders all
+through the campaign, one always felt that there was a need for some
+electrifying personality at the head of things. In a mysterious    (p. 255)
+way the knowledge that Foch had taken the conduct of the war in hand
+gave us just that touch of magnetism which we needed. As matters
+stood, the German attacks had been successful up to a certain point,
+but we were still waiting for their main offensive. When or where this
+was to begin we did not know, but we were convinced that it would be,
+for us, a life or death struggle. The fact that Foch was in command
+and that he was keeping his head gave us confidence. He seemed like a
+surgeon who shows his greatness by the very coolness with which he
+performs some critical operation. The men were always asking if we
+were losing the war, and I always told them that it was like this--the
+Germans were advancing and losing and we were retreating and winning.
+We practised daily the art of open warfare for which the country round
+us offered splendid opportunities. We knew that we had been taken out
+of the line in order to prepare to become "shock troops", and the
+knowledge of this gave our life a great inspiration.
+
+It was the right policy, in view of what was before us, to give the
+men all the amusement possible, so football and baseball were indulged
+in freely by officers and men. We were too well trained now to worry
+much about the future. In fact, although I had often preached on the
+text, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," I never fully
+acted upon the principle until I had been in the war for three years.
+It is certainly the true secret of happiness and I hope that the
+softer life of peace time will not rob one of it. When Mrs. Carlyle
+was asked what caused her most suffering in life, she replied, "The
+things which never happened," It would have surprised the people at
+home if they could have seen the cheeriness and lightheartedness of
+men who were being trained day by day to deliver the hammer strokes
+which were to smash the huge war machine of Imperial Germany.
+
+The 2nd Brigade one day gave us a most successful circus in a large
+field near our Headquarters. The arrangements and weather were
+perfect, and the spectators were delighted with a performance that
+surpassed Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Afternoon tea and dancing
+followed at a chateau, and aeroplanes gave us a fine exhibition of the
+skill of the new branch of the service by flying low and dropping
+messages and red smoke bombs. I met one of the young airmen, and in a
+fit of enthusiasm asked him if he would take me up with him some day.
+He was quite keen about it, and asked me to let him know when to   (p. 256)
+send for me. Our plans, however, were upset a day or two afterwards by
+the Headquarters of the Division moving off to the beautiful Chateau
+at Villers Chatel. They left in the morning, and as usual I followed
+leisurely on Dandy. I went through some pretty villages. No soldiers
+were to be seen, and the quiet ordinary life of the people was
+undisturbed by the war. The world was bathed in sunshine and the
+fields were brilliant with new crops. Every little hamlet was
+embowered in trees, and the small white houses with their red tiled
+roofs spoke of peace. In the solemn light of evening I came to the
+entrance gate of my new home.
+
+The Chateau of Villers Chatel was a fine modern building with an old
+round tower at one end. This tower is all that remains of the original
+structure, but it was kept in good condition and the interior was most
+artistically arranged. My room was in the garret and was approached by
+a spiral staircase, very narrow and steep. The Chateau was enlivened
+by the presence of two Countesses; both very pleasant ladies who had
+their own apartments and who kindly entertained us at night in their
+cheery drawing-room. On the wide lawn in front of the Chateau a huge
+chestnut tree stood, rich in leaves, with low boughs branching in all
+directions and covering a wide radius, and with their tips almost
+touching the grass. The tree furnished a green shelter for a large
+number of persons. The sun could not penetrate the foliage, and the
+giant trunk was covered with rugged bark beautifully coloured. Here,
+on Sunday mornings, I placed my flag-covered altar, and Church Parade
+was held under the tree. The men, over a hundred in number, stood in a
+semi-circle in front of me, and the bright sunlight beyond the rim of
+overhanging boughs lit up the green grass around. It was one of the
+most beautiful places imaginable for a church service, and the
+branches made a vaulted roof overhead. On one side of the garden was a
+large and elaborate cement grotto, and a statue of the Blessed Virgin
+stood in a niche at the back. Seats for worshippers were placed in
+front. The Countesses were moved by piety to keep a number of candles
+blazing in the grotto all night, invoking thereby the protection of
+Our Lady. Our staff, who walked not by faith but by sight, were much
+worried by the strong light which could easily be seen from a German
+aeroplane. However, no one could muster up courage enough to interfere
+with the devotion of our hostesses, and as a matter of fact we never
+had any bombing raids at Villers Chatel. It was a question among   (p. 257)
+the officers as to whether our immunity should be attributed to the
+power of prayer or to extraordinary good-luck.
+
+At the end of the lawn facing the Chateau was a forest of magnificent
+trees. It was in the fields at the back of this wood that we had held
+the memorial service for the 2nd Brigade, which I have already
+described. One of the forest paths was in the form of a pergola. The
+trees had been trimmed so that the boughs overhead were interlaced and
+it went for about half a mile into the forest, like the vaulted aisle
+of a church. The sunlight through the green leaves overhead cast on
+the pathway a mysterious light suggestive of fairyland.
+
+Our battalions were once more in their old billets in the
+neighbourhood, and as we were still at rest I had many opportunities
+of visiting them. How well I remember going about and delivering my
+lecture on our leave trip to Rome. As I look back upon my
+war-memories, I think that those talks were the most delightful
+experiences I have ever had. I really had nothing to say, but I knew
+that anything which could occupy and amuse the minds of those brave
+lads, who were daily preparing to hurl themselves against the enemy,
+was worth while. I would go to the C.O. of a battalion and say,
+"Colonel, I would like to come and give your men a talk on our leave
+trip to Rome." He would always take the matter very seriously,
+thinking I had some learned discourse on architecture, or some other
+absolutely futile subject to give the men. But being too polite to
+tell me to go to Jericho, or somewhere else, he would say, "Yes, I am
+sure it would be very interesting. How long will the lecture last?" On
+my replying, "About two hours and a half," his countenance would fall.
+He was struggling between his fear of offending me and his fear of
+doing something which would bore the men. Sometimes colonels would
+say, "That's a long lecture." But I urged them to take my word for it
+and to let the thing go ahead, and if I saw I was boring the men I
+would stop. So the lecture would be announced. I suppose I must have
+given it to something like twenty thousand men. I would arrive at the
+battalion headquarters in the afternoon, have dinner with the C.O. and
+Adjutant in their billet, and then walk over to some pleasant field on
+which a thousand men were drawn up in line, presenting a most proper
+military appearance. The sun would be setting behind the trees which
+skirted the parade ground, and, after telling the Colonel and      (p. 258)
+other officers to keep in the background, I would go over in front
+of the battalion and tell them that the Colonel had handed the parade
+over to me, and that they were to break ranks and sit on the ground as
+close as possible. At once military stiffness was dispelled, and amid
+much laughter the men would crowd around and squat on the ground
+tightly packed together. Imagine what a picture that was. Splendid
+stalwart young men they were, hundreds and hundreds of them, with
+healthy merry faces, and behind them in the distance the green trees
+and the sunset. Of course smoking was allowed, and I generally had
+some boxes of cigarettes to pass round. Then I would tell them of our
+trip to Rome and of my following out the injunction of making the most
+of a fortnight's leave by turning it into three weeks; of my puzzling
+the R.T.O. in Paris by asking for transportation to Rome via
+Marseilles, as we had abandoned the idea of travelling via Calcutta on
+account of the submarine menace; of my being unable to enter the
+Casino at Monte Carlo because officers were not admitted in uniform,
+and the only mufti I had brought with me was my pyjamas which I had
+left at the hotel; of the two casualties in the Paris barrage; of the
+time I gave C.B. to "Yorky" when I saw he had partaken too freely of
+coffee, and of the delightful memories of Italy which we had brought
+back with us. The talk was not all humorous. I managed to get in many
+little sermons between the lines, or as I put it, "the lecture was
+impregnated with the poison of morality." Men assimilated that poison
+more readily when handed out to them in such doses. Then the sun would
+set and the evening shadows lengthen, and finally the stars would come
+out over the scene and the mass of men before me would merge into one
+great blur, which sent up, nevertheless, roars of merry laughter. What
+appealed to them most was the way a padre and forty-four wild
+Canadians, in the biggest war the world has ever known, were able to
+break through the Hindenburg line of army red tape.
+
+Our machine gun battalion was quartered south of the St. Pol road at a
+place called Averdoignt. It was a lovely little village, very quiet
+and well away from the line, with pretty orchards and a stream at the
+back. When it was only possible to have a voluntary service in the
+evening, I would get a group of men as a body-guard and start off down
+the village to the quaint old church, halting at every farmyard on the
+way and calling out to those billeted there, "Come on, you heathen,
+come to the voluntary church parade." In the most good-natured     (p. 259)
+way, dragging their reluctant pals with them, men would come out and
+swell our ranks until, by the time we reached the church, there was a
+good congregation. There against the wall of the building I would
+plant a table borrowed from the Cure's house, make it into an altar,
+distribute hymn books, and start the service, while the evening lights
+in the sky tinged the scene with a soft beauty.
+
+When we were in the line the machine-gunners were always split up into
+small sections over the front, their guns of course being very
+carefully concealed. In consequence, just when I thought I had reached
+an area which was quite uninhabited, I would stumble on some queer
+little hole, and, on calling down it to see if there were any men
+there, the answer would be, "The machine-gun battalion," and I would
+find myself among friends. At Averdoignt they had one of the best rest
+billets they ever had, and they enjoyed it thoroughly.
+
+Owing to the great distance which I had to cover in doing my parish
+visiting among the battalions, the difficulty of transportation, which
+had been serious from the beginning, became even more pressing, and
+some good friend suggested to me on the quiet that I should try to get
+a Clino, (that is a machine-gun side-car) from the Motor Machine-Gun
+Brigade. With great trepidation, I made an excursion one day to their
+headquarters at Verdrel. The O.C. was most kind and sympathetic. I
+shall never cease to invoke blessings upon his head. He took me over
+to the machine-shop and there presented to me, for my use until it
+should be recalled, a new Clino which had just come up from the base.
+The officer in charge uttered a protest by saying that they only had
+six Clinos for the Brigade, but the major remarked dryly, "And after
+Canon Scott has got his we shall only have five." Surely once again
+the Lord had provided for me. I was driven back to the Chateau in the
+new machine, but then had to find a driver. One was provided by the
+signallers. He was a graduate in science of McGill, so I used to lay
+stress upon my personal greatness from the fact that I had a university
+graduate for my chauffeur. Many and varied were the drives which Lyons
+and I had together, and many and varied were our adventures. Had the
+Clino not been both exceedingly strong and very new it would have come
+to grief long before it did. To go rattling down the St. Pol road at
+forty-five kilometres an hour was a frequent occurrence. All I had to
+sit upon was a seat without arms, while my foot rested on a bar in (p. 260)
+front. People asked me how it was I did not tumble off. I told them
+that I tied myself to the back of the seat with my spinal cord. I got
+the sappers to make me a large box which fitted on the back of the
+vehicle and had a padlock. In it I used to carry my bag of a thousand
+hymn books and other necessaries for church parades, and on the top of
+the box, as a protection to my car, I had the words "Canon Scott"
+painted in large white letters. The dust as we threaded our way
+through the streams of lorries almost choked us, but we could cover
+the ground in a short space of time which was a great thing. Lyons
+never managed the lights very successfully, and one rainy night after
+midnight, when I was returning from saying good-bye to the artillery
+who were moving South, in a lonely part of the road he ran the machine
+into some bushes on a bank by the wayside, and we found ourselves
+sitting in the mud without our hats. We did not know where we were and
+the rain was heavy, but we managed to disentangle the car and finally
+got home, resolving that further night excursions were out of the
+question. About a fortnight afterwards I received an order to return
+the Clino, but before I did so I journeyed to Corps Headquarters and
+made a passionate appeal to General Currie for its retention. As a
+result I received a private intimation to keep the car and say nothing
+about it. Of course I was the envy of everyone, and when they asked me
+how I got the Clino I said I did not exactly know. Whether it was sent
+to me from heaven with the assistance of General Currie, or whether it
+was sent to me from General Currie with the assistance of heaven, was
+a theological question which I had no time to go into during the war.
+When our Division was marching into Germany, after I was knocked out
+of the campaign, the dear old signallers used to patch up the Clino,
+even making new parts for it, in order that Canon Scott's car might
+get into Germany. Alas! the poor thing, like the one-horse shay, went
+to pieces finally one day and had to be left at Mons. During those
+last busy months, I do not know how I could have got on without it.
+
+As I was a bit under the weather at this time my friend, General
+Thacker, invited me to go and stay with him at his headquarters in the
+Chateau at Berles, where I was given a charming room looking out on
+the garden. I found myself in the midst of the artillery brigades who
+were now at rest, and very pleasant it was to see them away from the
+unwholesome gun-pits where they were usually to be found. I could  (p. 261)
+lie on the grass in the garden, read one of Trollope's novels and
+listen to the birds overhead. A walk through the wood led to a huge
+field of scarlet poppies, which, when the sun shone upon it, made a
+blaze of colour which I have never seen equalled. As one approached
+it, one could see the red glow light up the stems of the trees as
+though they were aflame.
+
+We had many boxing and baseball contests, which roused great excitement,
+but the crowning glory of the time was the Divisional sports which
+were held in a large field at a place called Tincques on the St. Pol
+road. A grandstand and many marquees had been erected, and the various
+events gave great delight to the thousands of spectators. In the
+evening our concert party gave a performance on the stage in the open
+air, which was witnessed by a large and enthusiastic audience. After
+it was all over, I unexpectedly met my airman friend, Johnny Johnson,
+who told me that he had been waiting a long time to take me up in his
+machine. I explained to him that, owing to our headquarters having
+moved away to Le Cauroy, I thought it was too far off to get in touch
+with him. In my secret heart, I had looked upon my removal as a
+special intervention of Providence on my behalf, but Johnny was not
+disposed, however, to allow any difficulty to stand in the way, so it
+was arranged that he should send for me at Berles the following day
+and take me to the headquarters of the 13th Squadron at
+Izel-les-Hameaux. There was nothing for it but to jump with alacrity
+at such a noble offer, so on the following morning I started off in
+the Squadron's car for their headquarters.
+
+My pilot had gone off to bring up the new machine which was to take me
+on my first aerial voyage. The Squadron had most comfortable billets
+in huts, and were a most charming lot of young men. A Canadian amongst
+them, taking pity upon a fellow-countryman, gave me a kind introduction
+to his fellow officers. Johnny Johnson returned in the afternoon, and
+during tea I heard him explaining to the other men that he had had his
+choice of two machines, an old machine with a new engine and the other
+a new machine with an old engine. Although I was engaged in conversation
+at the other end of the table, I listened with great interest to this
+discussion, and felt much relieved when I heard that Johnny's choice
+of an old machine with a new engine was approved of by his hearers. He
+told me that the air was very bumpy and that he would not take me up
+until the sun was lower in the sky. Having arrived at that happy   (p. 262)
+state of inward peace which a man experiences when he goes off to the
+dentist to have a tooth pulled, I did not mind when I was to be taken
+up. At six o'clock, however, Johnny said we must get ready, so I was
+provided with a fur-lined leather coat, leather helmet, goggles and a
+large pair of fur gauntlets. We went over to the aerodrome where our
+fiery steed was champing its bit as though longing to spring into the
+"vast inane." Two or three attendants were getting it ready. It was an
+R.E.8 plane and a machine gun was fixed on one side. Johnny climbed
+into his position and I took a seat behind him. An attendant came up
+and asked my name and address. It sounded as if I were making my last
+will and testament. I had a letter with me addressed to my son which I
+was to drop over his battery lines in Lievin, and also a red smoke
+bomb but declined an invitation to take any more formidable weapon.
+Then I told my pilot not to be anxious about me whatever happened. I
+always expected to be killed at the front so never worried how or when
+the event was to occur. The engine was then started. For a time the
+machine meandered about the field without showing any disposition to
+mount into the air and I was beginning to think, like the Irishman who
+was taken for a ride one day in a sedan chair that had no bottom in
+it, that, "If it were not for the honour and glory of the thing I
+might as lief walk," when, all of a sudden, we began to plunge, left
+the ground, and, mid a fearful buzzing, mounted higher and higher. We
+rose over the huts and above the village trees and then by a corkscrew
+motion which necessitated the machine going almost on its edge, we
+made our way heavenwards. I did not feel the least bit seasick but it
+was a curious sensation to look down and see absolutely nothing
+between me and the church of Izel-les-Hameaux crowned by its sharp
+pointed spire with no cork on it. I looked at my young friend in front
+of me, who was busy with the handles and cranks of his machine. He was
+only a boy of nineteen and my fate was literally in his hands, but his
+head was well set on his shoulders and he seemed completely
+self-possessed and confident. After we had mounted to six thousand
+feet, we struck out in the direction of the front.
+
+It was a lovely afternoon and a most wonderful panorama spread below
+us. The great plain beneath us was marked off like a chessboard in
+squares of various shades of yellow and green, dotted here and there
+with little villages surrounded by the billowy crests of trees. We saw
+straight white roads going off in all directions, and beyond,      (p. 263)
+towards the east, low murky clouds behind the German lines. We flew on
+and on till we reached the war zone and here the fields were marked by
+horse-tracks and the villages had been hit with shells. Before us in
+the distance I saw the line of our observation balloons and thought,
+if anything happened to the machine, I would get out into one of them,
+but when we passed over them they looked like specks on the ground
+below. I could see the blue ribbon of the Scarpe winding off into the
+great mists to the east, and then beneath us lay the old city of
+Arras. I could see the ruined Cathedral, the mass of crooked streets
+and the tiny, dusty roads. Further on was the railway triangle, where
+one night later on I got a good dose of gas, and then I saw the
+trenches at Fampoux and Feuchy. Still onward we sailed, till at last
+Johnny Johnson shouted back, at the same time pointing downwards, "The
+German trenches." I saw the enemy lines beneath us, and then Johnny
+shouted, "Now I am going to dip." It was not the thing I specially
+wanted to do at that particular moment, but I supposed it was all
+right. The plane took a dive, and then Johnny leaned over and fired
+off some rounds of the machine gun into the German lines. We turned to
+come back and rose in the air, when, in the roar of the wind I heard a
+bang behind me, and looking round saw, hanging in the air, a ball of
+thick black smoke. Then there was another beneath us and some more at
+one side. In all, the Germans followed us with six shells. Johnny
+turned round and shouted, asking me how I felt. "Splendid", I said,
+for I really did enjoy the novelty of the experience. Many times have
+I looked up into the clouds and seen a machine followed by "Archies"
+and wondered what it felt like to be up there, and now I knew. One
+phrase however, which I had often read in the newspapers kept ringing
+in my ears--"Struck the petrol tank and the machine came down in
+flames." And the last verse of "Nearer my God to Thee," also ran
+through my head, "Or if on joyful wing upwards I fly." We turned now
+to the right and flew over Vimy Ridge, and then made two or three
+turns round Lievin where, above his battery, I dropped the letter for
+my son. It was delivered to him two weeks afterwards in a hospital in
+London. We flew out over Lens and crossed the German lines again,
+skirting the district which the Germans had flooded and then turned
+our faces homewards. Above the Chateau at Villers Chatel, I dropped
+the red smoke bomb. We circled round in the air at a great height
+while I wrote on a piece of paper, "Canon Scott drops his blessing
+from the clouds on 1st Canadian Divisional Headquarters," and put  (p. 264)
+it in the little pocket of leaded streamers. Alas, it was lost in a
+wheat field and so did not do them any more good than the other blessings
+I have dropped upon them. We then turned to Berles where I could see
+beneath me the old house and the tiny beings in white playing tennis
+on the court. We reached the aerodrome at Izel-les-Hameaux and landed
+safely after being in the air for fifty-five minutes. It was a most
+delightful experience for a non-combatant. The next day the engine of
+the machine gave out and Johnny Johnson was compelled to make a forced
+landing. Luckily it was behind our lines. I went several times again
+to try to have another flight, but from the excuses made I inferred
+that joy-rides of this description had been banned. The following year
+in London I heard by accident that poor Johnny Johnson had been killed
+a few weeks after our trip. He was a splendid young fellow and
+absolutely without fear. May his brave soul rest in peace.
+
+Nearly two months had passed since we had been in the line, and the
+Germans had made no attack. We wondered what had happened to them. I
+thought that perhaps influenza had laid them low. At any rate we were
+not anxious to end the happy time we were having. The climax of our
+glory was reached on the 1st of July when we celebrated the birthday
+of the Dominion by Corps sports on the field at Tincques. It was a
+most wonderful occasion.
+
+Dominion Day fell on a Monday, and on the previous afternoon, knowing
+that large bodies of men, including the contestants, were congregated
+at Tincques, I determined to go over and pay them a visit. I found the
+village full of troops and all very keen about the next day's show. In
+a little lane, were some 1st Division men, and they were enjoying the
+excitement of a game which was very popular at the front, called
+"Crown and Anchor." It is played with special dice on a board or
+square of green canvas. On the canvas were painted an anchor and crown
+and I think a heart and spade. The game was banned by the army on
+account of its unfairness. The banker had, I think, sixty-four chances
+to one in his favour. The consequence of this was that very soon he
+became possessed of all the money which green youths, unsuspecting
+their disadvantage, chose to lay on the board. This game, in the hands
+of a sharper, was often the means of robbing a battalion of very large
+sums of money; sometimes forty thousand francs were made by the banker.
+The police had orders to arrest anyone playing it and I used to    (p. 265)
+do my best to stamp it out. Though I do not play for money myself,
+I never could see any great harm in those poor boys out there getting
+a little relaxation from their terrible nervous strain by a game of
+bridge or poker for a few francs. But a game which was founded wholly
+on dishonesty was something which I felt was unworthy of our men.
+Whenever I saw them crowding round a little spot on the grass I knew
+there was a game of crown and anchor going on, and I would shout,
+"Look out, boys, I am going to put the horse on the old mud hook"--a
+phrase I had heard the men use--and then canter Dandy into their midst
+scattering them in all directions. Over and over again I have gone
+into a ring of men and given the banker five minutes to decide whether
+he would hand over his board and dice to me or have his name reported
+to the police. He never failed to do the former, although sometimes he
+looked rather surly at losing a very fruitful source of revenue. I
+have brought home with me enough crown and anchor dice to make the
+mouth of an old soldier water. On this occasion I became possessed of
+the crown and anchor board and the dice in the usual way. But, as the
+men said they wanted to have some amusement, I went to an officer's
+billet and got a pack of cards for them, and they settled down to a
+game of poker.
+
+Some pious souls proposed that I should have a service that evening in
+the field where the sports were to be held. I thought that it would be
+a good idea, but was not sure how large a congregation I should have.
+I got together a little body-guard in the village and we went off
+collecting stragglers by the way. When we came to the corner of the
+field where I proposed to hold my service, we found to my dismay that
+it was full of masses of men crowding around what I knew were crown
+and anchor boards on the ground. I did not mind doing police work in
+my own Division, where I was known by the men, but I did not feel
+called upon to act as A.P.M. for the Corps, so I had to start another
+line of campaign. I marched on at the head of my congregation straight
+into the midst of the gamblers. The men on the outskirts saw me coming
+and I could see them warning the players. Those sitting on the ground
+stood up and wondered what was going to happen. Looking very serious,
+I went right through the crowd, without saying anything, to a distance
+on the other side, and then the curiosity of the men was aroused and
+they all followed. When I stood still I found myself surrounded by
+hundreds of men who were waiting to see what I was going to do.    (p. 266)
+Without a smile, I pulled out the crown and anchor board from my pocket
+and, to the astonishment of all, laid it on the ground and called out,
+in the gamblers' language, "Who is for the old sergeant-major?" Never
+before have I seen such an expression of surprise on people's faces.
+Among the crowd were some Imperial soldiers and they could not make
+out what sort of padre I was. For a moment, in spite of the grinning
+countenances of the 1st Division men, there was a pause of silent
+horror. Then they all burst into a roar of laughter, and I told them I
+had come out there that evening, as it was Sunday, to hold a service
+and did not know what text to take for a sermon. Now they had given me
+one. I held up the crown and anchor board and said I was going to
+preach about that, and I delivered a discourse on honesty. When it was
+over, they asked me to give my lecture on our leave trip to Rome. I
+thought it might be a good diversion for the time. My side-car was
+brought up, and sitting on it, in the midst of the men, who crowded
+about me on the ground, I gave them a long talk which lasted until it
+was too dark for any more crown and anchor.
+
+The next day brought us glorious weather, and from early in the
+morning battalions were pouring into Tincques. The grounds were
+splendidly laid out and bordered with many stands and marquees. There
+must have been nearly forty-thousand spectators present. The Duke of
+Connaught, Sir Robert Borden, and all sorts of great people attended,
+and the playing of "O Canada" by the massed bands was something which,
+as a British General told me, made a big lump come in one's throat. It
+was the last Dominion Day we were to spend in France. We were on the
+eve of tremendous events, and it was a splendid manifestation of
+Canada's glory at the front. There was such a gathering of old friends
+who had not met for years, that one really could not attend to the
+various events and sports that were taking place. We met for a moment,
+and the old days would be talked over, and then we parted, some, alas,
+never to meet again in this world. That vast crowd which fringed the
+huge expanse of ground was quite the most thrilling spectacle that
+Canadians had ever seen. Tincques must be a quiet place now, and
+perhaps only a few marks in the great field still remain to show where
+the sports were held. But there were gathered there that day the vast
+host of noble gentlemen who saved the honour and freedom of our young
+country.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.                                                      (p. 267)
+
+THE BEGINNING OF THE END.
+
+_July to August 7th, 1918._
+
+
+The possession of a side-car gave me the opportunity of getting much
+further afield in my visits. Our 1st Divisional wing, where the new
+drafts were received and trained for the front line, was at this time
+back in a place called Loison, in the quiet and beautiful country
+between St. Pol and General Headquarters. I had done a great deal of
+parish visiting among our battalions in rest and given the story of my
+leave trip to Rome many times, so I thought I would make an excursion
+to the Base. We had a delightful trip down the St. Pol road through
+little villages and towns which looked as they did in pre-war days.
+The country where the Divisional wing was stationed was very charming.
+It was well watered by many pretty rivers, and hills covered with
+trees gave diversity to the landscape. I told the men they were living
+in a land flowing with milk and honey. I stayed at the headquarters of
+the wing in a delightful old house on a hill surrounded with fine
+trees. Each Brigade had its own reserve, so there were many men in the
+village, and an old mill pond enabled me to have two or three good
+swims. In a Y.M.C.A. tent, courses of lectures in connection with the
+Khaki University were being given on various subjects. One evening,
+naturally I gave them a talk on our leave trip to Rome. On another, in
+a corner of the field, I gave them an informal lecture on English
+literature. Having got so far from home, I determined to go a little
+further, and so we made a trip to Boulogne, where my son who had been
+gassed was still in a C.C.S., and that afternoon on our return we went
+to Montreuil to see what G.H.Q. looked like. I was told that Montreuil
+was a very picturesque old walled city, but that we should not be
+allowed to enter. However, I had been able to do so many forbidden
+things in the war that I thought it would be worth trying, so the old
+Clino sped over the hard macadamized roads from Boulogne till we came
+to the valley on the opposite side of which the town is situated. We
+saw many cars coming and going, and many troops by the way, and
+finally we sped up the hill which leads to the entrance gate. A sentry
+was standing there, who saluted most properly, and we passed into  (p. 268)
+the sacred city without molestation. It was a delightful old French
+town, full of historical interest. The narrow streets and quaint old
+buildings carried one back in thought to the days of chivalry and
+battles waged by knights in shining armour. We saw some of the
+churches, and then went to the officers' club for tea. The waitresses
+at the club were English girls who had taken the place of the men
+needed at the front. I got them to provide for my friend Lyons in
+their sitting-room, and I went in to have tea with the officers. A
+great many were there sitting at small tables. It was interesting to
+see the badges of so many different regiments. Most of the officers
+had a good supply of ribbons, and a few of them had lost an eye or a
+limb, or bore other marks of wounds. I think that almost all of them
+were staff officers and that some of them were generals. It struck me
+that the atmosphere to a stranger was rather chilly. The demeanour of
+the people was much less free than that which we had been accustomed
+to at the front. Of course Montreuil held the brains of the army, and
+it was quite right that the directing intelligences there should feel
+the loftiness of their position. I made up two lines as I was having
+tea, which I thought hit off the mental attitude of some of the
+officers present, when they saw a stranger and looked him up and down
+through their monocles,
+
+  "I'm on the staff of the G.H.Q.,
+  And I'd like to know who the devil are you?"
+
+There had been such a democratic upsetting of traditions and customs
+in the Service, owing to the obliteration of the original British
+Army, that it was quite refreshing to find that a remnant of Israel
+had been saved.
+
+I paid two visits to the Divisional wing within a few days of each
+other, and on one occasion, on a baking July day, addressed a
+battalion of draftees who were about to be sent up to the front. They
+were a fine looking lot of men and knew their drill. Poor boys, they
+little knew what was in store for them in those last hundred days of
+the war.
+
+Rumours were current now that the time for our great attack had come,
+so there were no more joy-rides for me to the pleasant fields and
+society of Loison. On my return on July 14th I found our Headquarters
+once again at Etrun, and our Division were holding their old       (p. 269)
+trenches to the north and south of the Scarpe. Once more I had the
+pleasure of sleeping in Pudding trench and doing what I called
+"consolidating the line." I did a good deal of parish visiting in the
+trenches at this time. I felt that big changes might occur at any
+moment, and I wanted to be with the men in any ordeal through which
+they might have to pass. Very strange scenes come before me as I look
+back upon those days before our great attack. One night I stayed with
+the gallant Colonel of the Canadian Scottish at Tilloy. His
+headquarters were in No Man's Land, and the front trench ran in a
+semi-circle to the rear. The Colonel, having found a good German
+dugout in the cellars of the ruined chateau, preferred to make his
+headquarters there. We did not know where the enemy's front line was,
+and our men were doing outpost duty in shell-holes further forward.
+They had to be visited every two hours when it was dark, to see that
+all was well. That night I asked the Colonel if I might go out with
+the patrol. He demurred at first, and then gave his consent only on
+condition that I should take off my white collar, and promise not to
+make any jokes with the men on duty for fear they should laugh and
+give away our position. I made my promise and started with the patrol
+officer and his runner. It was a curious sensation wandering off in
+the darkness as silently as possible, tripping now and then on bits of
+wire and almost slipping into the trenches. We came to the different
+shell-holes and whispered conversations were held. The sentries seemed
+surprised when I spoke to them, as they could not recognize me in the
+darkness. I whispered that I had promised the Colonel not to tell any
+funny stories for fear they should laugh, so I merely gave them the
+benediction, in return for which spiritual function I got a very warm
+handshake. To do outpost duty in a place like that must have been more
+interesting than pleasant, for at all times the sentries had to keep
+straining their eyes in the darkness to see if a patrol of the enemy
+was coming to surprise them. On our return we saw some shells falling
+to the right in the shadowy desolation of what was called Bully-beef
+Wood.
+
+On another occasion, I was coming out near Feuchy along the railway
+triangle when the Germans dropped some gas shells in the cutting. Two
+of the men and I were talking together, and we had just time to dive
+into Battalion Headquarters and pull down the gas blankets. We put on
+our helmets, but not before we had got a dose of the poison. As I sat
+there with my throat burning, I was filled with alarm lest I       (p. 270)
+should lose my voice and be unable in the future to recite my poems.
+It was hard enough, as it was, to keep my friends long enough to hear
+my verses, but I thought that if I had to spell them out in deaf-and-dumb
+language no one would ever have patience to wait till the end.
+However, after a few days my throat got better, and my friends were
+once again forced to lend me their ears.
+
+The railway triangle was a well-known place, and any men who may have
+lived in some of the dugouts along the banks are not likely to forget
+it. In the valley there was a large artificial lake in which I had
+some of the most pleasant swims I have ever enjoyed, although the
+waters were sometimes stirred up by the advent of a shell.
+
+It was part of our strategy to let our men get the impression that we
+were going to stay in the trenches before Arras for a long time. We
+had several raiding parties with a view to finding out the position
+and strength of the enemy, and our C.C.S.'s were well equipped and
+looked as if they were going to remain there forever. Our Corps
+Headquarters, too, were not far from Etrun, and the concentration of
+Canadians in the neighbourhood gave us the impression that we had
+found a more than temporary resting place. An American Chaplain was
+sent up to stay with me for a visit in order to see what conditions
+were like at the front. He was a Lutheran, although not of German
+extraction. I took him up to Arras one night, where we had dinner with
+the engineers, and afterwards saw the 10th Battalion start off for the
+trenches. He was much impressed with the spirit and appearance of the
+men. It was late when we got back to my quarters, and to my surprise
+on the next morning an order came through that the American Chaplain
+had to return immediately. Neither he nor I could understand it. I
+began to think he must have got into some scrape, as no explanation
+was given. The real reason came out afterwards.
+
+On August 1st our Division suddenly packed up and started once more
+for Le Cauroy. We knew now that big things were in store for us and
+that the Canadian Corps were going to attack. We heard rumours of the
+preparations the French and Americans had made in the South, and we
+felt that at last the Allies were going to get the initiative into
+their hands. Whither we were going, however, we did not know, but we
+all devoutly hoped that it would not be the Salient. The secret of our
+destination was kept most profoundly. We were told that everything (p. 271)
+depended upon our holding our tongues and exciting as little curiosity
+as possible among the inhabitants. Once again, as before Vimy, but to
+even a greater extent, we felt the electric thrill which kindles the
+imagination of an army going into battle. The rapid move which the
+Canadian Corps now made was the most sporting thing we ever did, and
+it appealed strongly to the hearts of young men who were keen on games
+and had been inured to a hardy life in Canada. Swiftly and secretly
+the battalions entrained at various points and left for parts unknown.
+I went in my side-car to the machine-gun headquarters at Liencourt,
+and on the next day to the Cure's house at Le Cauroy. I found out from
+Headquarters that our Division was going south within a day or so, but
+that I was not to tell the men. The brigades were billeted in the
+neighbouring villages, but were soon to move. I was only one day at Le
+Cauroy, and on the 3rd of August, after a rainy morning, started off
+in my side-car for Hornoy, a little village not far from Amiens. We
+left Le Cauroy in the afternoon, and soon the sun came out making the
+freshly washed country more beautiful than ever. It was very interesting
+finding our way by the map, and as we neared our destination I met
+many friends in the other divisions who were stationed in the villages
+through which we passed. By the time we reached Hornoy, the sun had
+set. My billet was to be with the Cure. I went over to the neat white
+Presbytere which was approached by a large gate leading into the
+garden. The old man came to meet me at the door of his house, and put
+me through a lot of questions in what I thought was a needlessly gruff
+manner. I found out afterwards that he was very kind, and that his
+gruffness was only assumed. He gave me a room upstairs comfortably
+furnished, and invited me to come into his office whenever I pleased.
+The church, which could be entered from the garden, was in good order,
+and parts of it were very old. The day after we arrived at Hornoy was
+Sunday, August 4th. It was the fourth anniversary of our declaration
+of war, and I had hoped to hold a big service for the men. Unfortunately,
+we were all scattered and, as our hymn books did not turn up, having
+been confiscated as a reprisal by some of the crown and anchor men, my
+plans were frustrated. In the afternoon I went by side-car to Amiens
+and found the city looking very different from its appearance on my
+last visit. The streets were absolutely deserted. Many of the houses
+had been damaged by shells. The Cathedral roof itself had been     (p. 272)
+pierced in some places and the noble interior looked very dreary, the
+floor of the nave being covered with bits of broken stone and glass.
+It was sad to think that it might share the fate of Rheims. Some
+Canadians were wandering about the streets rather disconsolately. The
+empty city gave one a terrible sense of loneliness. On the following
+evening about midnight the 16th Battalion and the 3rd Battalion of
+Engineers passed through Hornoy in trains, going forward.
+
+Our own orders to move came two days later, on August 7th, and I left
+for St. Feuchien. I went off in my side-car to the quaint old village.
+It is situated on the top of a low hill, and consists of a few streets
+and some large buildings standing in their own grounds. One of these
+was the country home of the Archbishop of Amiens, and this was to be
+our billet. I entered the grounds by a broken-down gate and drew up in
+front of a large brick building, one wing of which was a chapel and
+kept locked up. In front of the building was a well full of empty tins
+and other refuse. The interior of the place had once been quite fine,
+but was now absolutely filthy, having been used as billets. The
+billiard tables, however, could still be used. The room assigned to me
+was on the ground floor at the back. The dirt on the floor was thick,
+and a sofa and two red plush chairs were covered with dust. A bed in
+the corner did not look inviting, and through the broken windows
+innumerable swarms of blue-bottle flies came from the rubbish heaps in
+the yard. The weather was very hot and there was apparently no water
+for washing. I made an inspection of the building upstairs, but all
+the rooms had been assigned to different officers. The Archbishop's
+room was very large with a huge bed in it, but wore an air of soiled
+magnificence.
+
+Everybody was in a great rush and, although I did not know when our
+attack was to take place, I felt that it might happen at any moment;
+and so, not worrying about my billet, I started off in my side-car to
+see General Thacker at Chateau Longeau. I found, as I passed through
+Boves and other villages, that the whole Canadian Corps was
+concentrated in the neighbourhood. The dusty roads were crowded with
+lorries, tanks, whippets and limbers, besides numbers of men. When I
+got to Chateau Longeau I found, to my surprise, that the General had
+gone to Battle Headquarters in Gentelles Wood, and an officer whom I
+met on the road told me that zero hour was on the following morning. I
+determined therefore not to return to the archiepiscopal palace    (p. 273)
+at St. Feuchien, but to go off to the attack. I returned to Boves,
+where, having washed and shaved, I had dinner in a damaged house with
+some officers of a light trench mortar battery, and after dinner
+started on my way to Gentelles Wood. It was a time of intense
+excitement. Less than a week ago we had been in the line at Arras, and
+now we were about to make our great attack at Amiens. The warm summer
+evening was well-advanced when I reached our Battle Headquarters
+behind the wood. All the staff officers were so busy that to ask one a
+question was like putting a spark to a powder magazine, so I kept out
+of their way and journeyed up the road to the barrier beyond which no
+vehicle was allowed to pass. I said good-bye to Lyons and then started
+off to find the trenches from which the 16th Battalion was going to
+lead the charge.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXX.                                                       (p. 274)
+
+THE BATTLE OF AMIENS.
+
+_August 8th to 16th, 1918._
+
+
+It was strange and exhilarating to go off on an expedition of that
+kind in the cool air and fading light of the evening. Something told
+us that at last the hour of victory was drawing near. The moving of
+the Corps had been so splendidly conducted and the preparation had
+been so secret that success seemed assured. This was an achievement
+which was completely different from all our past experience. The only
+question was, had we taken the Germans by surprise, or were they
+waiting with massed forces to resist our attack? As I left the outskirts
+of the wood behind me, and made my way over the green plain, now
+fading into the twilight, I passed a battalion of the 3rd Division
+manning a line of trenches. I had a talk with some of the men and told
+them that I had heard from a tank officer that nearly one thousand
+tanks were to be engaged in the attack on the following morning. Far
+over to the left, on a rise in the ground I saw the remains of a
+village, and was told that a mud road across the fields would lead me
+in the direction of the 1st Division front. I met as usual many men
+whom I knew, and finally some officers of the 15th Battalion in a
+dugout. The light began to fade and I had difficulty in seeing far
+ahead of me, but the track at last brought me to a sunken road which
+turned to the right. Here on the hillside more men were waiting in
+dugouts, and I was directed to a quarry, on the top of which I was to
+take a path that would lead me to a group of trees, where I should
+find the Headquarters of the 16th Battalion. When I got to the quarry
+I found many roads there, and whether it was that the information I
+had received was incorrect, or that I was more than usually stupid, I
+do not know. I wandered up and down for a long time, tripping over
+bits of wire and slipping into holes, before I was able to get to the
+top of the hill and look over in the direction of the German lines. At
+last I found a track which had evidently been used by men going up to
+the front. I went along it for a considerable distance and found
+myself on what appeared to be a plateau, but as far as I could see, no
+object stood out against the starry sky-line. Shells were falling in
+the fields to the left, and at different points on the eastern     (p. 275)
+horizon the bright light of a German flare would tell us the position
+of the enemy's lines. I went on for some distance, straining my eyes
+in the darkness to see if I could discover any trees. I thought I had
+lost my way again. Suddenly the dim figure of a man approached, and
+when he came up to me, I found he belonged to one of the Imperial
+Battalions from whom we were taking over the line. He asked me the way
+to the quarry, and I was able to tell him. Then he gave me the
+direction I had to take to reach my destination. I resumed my walk
+along the narrow path and at last, to my great delight, I saw a black
+object in the distance. When I came up to it I found it was the group
+of trees for which I had been looking. The trees were growing out of a
+curious round hole in the ground. Here, a signaller of the 16th
+Battalion happened to turn up and acted as my guide. He led me down a
+path to the bottom of the hole where were several dugouts. In one of
+these I found more men of the Battalion. They were intensely keen over
+the prospect of a great victory on the morrow. I was told that the
+battalion and the companies which were going over in the first wave
+were in advanced trenches to the left. So, after bidding the men
+good-bye and good luck, I started off. At last I reached the trench,
+and getting down into it found the Headquarters of the Battalion had
+arrived there not long before. On asking where the Colonel was, I was
+taken to a place where a piece of canvas hung down the side of the
+trench. When this was lifted, I looked down into a little hole in the
+ground and there saw the C.O., the Adjutant and another officer
+studying a map by the light of a candle. The place was so tiny that I
+had to crawl in backwards, and finding that there was no room for a
+visitor, I soon took my departure. The Colonel ordered me to stay in
+the trench, but I had made up my mind to go forward and see the
+companies which were going over in the first wave. They lay along the
+side of a road some distance down the slope in front of us. In making
+my way there I passed a trench where the 5th Battalion was waiting to
+follow up the advance. A German machine-gun was playing freely upon
+the spot, but no one got hit. When I came to the advanced companies of
+the 16th Battalion, I passed along their line and gave them my
+blessing. It was splendid to meet and shake hands with those gallant
+lads, so soon to make the attack. They were in high spirits in spite
+of the seriousness of their enterprise.
+
+The barrage was to start at 4.20, so I left them about 4.10 to go  (p. 276)
+back to Battalion Headquarters in the trench, as I intended to follow
+up the advance with the stretcher-bearers. On my way back I met the
+Colonel, his orderly, and his piper, who a few minutes later was
+killed in the attack. I shook hands with them, and the Colonel said,
+"Now, Canon, if anything happens to me don't make any fuss over me;
+just say a few words over me in a shell-hole." I said, "You will come
+out all right, Colonel, there will be no shell-hole for you." Then, as
+my senior officer, he ordered me back to the trench. I told him I
+would go over the top with him if he wanted me to do so, but he would
+not hear of it. When I got to the trenches only a few minutes remained
+till the barrage was to start. I climbed up on the parapet and waited,
+looking off into the darkness. It was a wonderful moment. When the
+German flare-lights went up we could see that there was a wood on the
+other side of the valley in front of us, and its outline began to grow
+more distinct against the grey of the morning sky. I could see to
+right and left a great stretch of country sloping gradually into the
+darkness. Shells still fell behind our lines at intervals. Our own
+guns were perfectly silent. What did the enemy's quietness portend?
+Were the Germans aware of our contemplated assault? Were they lying in
+full strength like a crouching lion ready to burst upon us in fury at
+the first warning of our approach? Had all our precautions been in
+vain? Or were we on the eve of a victory which was going to shatter
+the iron dominion of the feudal monster? This was one of those
+magnificent moments in the war which filled the soul with a strange
+and wild delight. For months we had been preparing for this event, and
+now it was upon us. The sky was growing lighter, and the constellation
+of the Pleiades was beginning to fade in the sky above the outline of
+the distant trees. I looked at my watch. Nearer and nearer the hands
+crept to zero hour, but they move slowly at such times. Then at 4.20
+the long barrage burst in all its fury. The hissing rain of shells
+through the air on a twenty mile front made a continuous accompaniment
+to the savage roar of the thousands of guns along the line. Those guns
+sent their wild music round the globe, and sounded that note of
+victory which only ceased when the bells of the churches in all the
+civilized world rang out their joyful peals at the signing of the
+Armistice.
+
+Up went the German rockets and coloured lights calling for help,   (p. 277)
+and ever and anon a red glow in the sky told us that we had blown up
+an ammunition dump. The noise was earth-shaking, and was even more
+exhilarating than that of the barrage at Vimy. I was so carried away
+by my feelings that I could not help shouting out, "Glory be to God
+for this barrage!" The German reply came, but, to our delight, it was
+feeble, and we knew we had taken them by surprise and the day was
+ours.
+
+A strange sound behind us made us look around, and we saw the advancing
+tanks creeping down the slope like huge grey beetles. Our men were
+just in time to divert the course of one which threatened to cut our
+telephone wires. Then the 5th Battalion got out of their trenches, and
+the stretcher-bearers and I went off with them down the slope. The
+wood through which the German lines ran was called Hangard Wood and
+lay on the opposite side of the valley. Here and there lying in the
+ripe grain which covered the fields were bodies of the wounded and
+dead of the 13th and 16th Battalions. The stretcher-bearers set to
+work to carry off those who had been hit. A sergeant followed me and
+we skirted the wood looking for wounded, while he was able to become
+possessor of a machine-gun and several German revolvers. The wheat had
+been trampled down by the men in their charge, but was still high
+enough in places to conceal a prostrate form. By this time the attack
+had passed through the wood and the enemy were running before it. The
+German artillery now concentrated their fire on the valley, which
+soon, in the still morning air, became thick with smoke. It was
+impossible to see more than a few yards in front of one. We heard the
+crash of shells around us, but could not see where they burst. The sun
+had not risen and we soon lost our way in the mist. We could not tell
+from the direction of the sound which was the German barrage and which
+was ours.
+
+I was going on ahead when I came to a large shell-hole that had been
+made in some previous battle. At the bottom of it lay three apparently
+dead Huns. I was looking down at them wondering how they had been
+killed, as they were not messed about. I thought that they must have
+died of shell-shock, until one of them moved his hand. At once I
+shouted, "Kamarad", and to my intense amusement the three men lying on
+their backs put up their hands and said, "Kamarad! mercy! mercy!" It
+was most humorous to think that three human beings should appeal to me
+to spare their lives. I told them in my best French to get up and
+follow me, and I called out to the sergeant, "Sergeant, I have got (p. 278)
+three prisoners." My desire to take a prisoner had been a standing
+joke among our men. Whenever they were going into action I used to
+offer them $25.00 to bring out a little German whom I might capture
+all by myself. I used to tell them not to bring out a big one, as it
+might look boastful for a chaplain. Here were three ready to hand for
+which I had to pay nothing. We moved on through the smoke, a most
+comical procession. The sergeant went ahead and I brought up the rear.
+Between us went the three terror-stricken prisoners, crouching every
+now and then when shells fell near us. At last we stumbled on a
+company of the 2nd Battalion coming forward, and I called out to them,
+"Boys, I got seventy-five dollars worth of Huns in one shell-hole."
+Our gallant Canadians at once took the three unfortunate men, who
+looked as if they expected to have their throats cut, and having
+relieved them of the contents of their pockets and removed their
+buttons and shoulder-straps, gave me one of the latter as a souvenir.
+
+When the prisoners were disposed of and sent back with others under
+escort, I started forward again and seeing a tank coming down the hill
+got on it and so went back into the battle. We passed quite easily
+over some wide trenches, then when the machine came to a stop I got
+off and made my way to the end of the valley and climbed to the higher
+ground beyond. There I found myself in a wide expanse of country
+covered by yellow grain and rolling off in hills to the distance. Here
+and there I met wounded men walking back, and many German prisoners.
+In the fields in different directions I could see rifles stuck,
+bayonet downwards, in the ground, which showed that there lay wounded
+men. I found that these were chiefly Germans, and all of them had
+received hideous wounds and were clamouring for water. Poor men, I was
+sorry for them, for I knew it would be long before they could be
+carried out or receive medical attention, owing to the rapidity of our
+advance. I made my way to each in turn and gave him a drink from some
+of the water bottles which I carried round my belt. I think all the
+Germans I saw that morning were dying, having been wounded in the
+stomach. After attending, as far as it was possible, to their bodily
+needs, I endeavoured to minister to their spiritual. As they happened
+to be Roman Catholics, I took off the crucifix which I wore round my
+neck and gave it to them. They would put up their trembling hands and
+clasp it lovingly, and kiss it, while I began the Lord's Prayer    (p. 279)
+in German. This happened many times that day. One man who had a
+hideous wound in the abdomen was most grateful, and when he handed me
+back the crucifix he took my hand and kissed it. It was strange to
+think that an hour before, had we met, we should have been deadly
+enemies. At a crossroad further on the Germans must have concentrated
+their fire when our men advanced, for many dead and wounded were lying
+about.
+
+The sun was now high in the heavens and it became very hot, but the
+autumn fields looked beautiful, and, as there were no hedges or
+fences, the low rolling hills gave one the sense of great expanse, and
+were an ideal ground for a battle on a large scale. While I was
+looking after the wounded I heard the cheering of the 16th Battalion
+who had reached their objective and were settling down to rest and to
+have some food. I made my way to them and found the Colonel in high
+glee over what his men had done. It had been a splendid routing of the
+enemy. The Battalions of the 1st and 2nd Brigades followed up the
+attack and were now moving forward, so I followed after them. It was a
+delightful feeling to be walking through the golden harvest fields
+with the blue sky overhead, and to know that we were advancing into
+the enemy's land. It seemed as if by our own labours we had suddenly
+become possessed of a vast property and that everything we found was
+lawfully ours. It is no doubt that feeling which fills men with the
+desire to loot in a conquered country.
+
+I had a magnificent view from the hill of the British Cavalry going into
+action. Thousands of little horses in the distance on the vast plain
+were galloping in a long line across the yellow fields, which reminded
+one of the great battles of old, when mounted men, and not machine-guns
+and gas-shells, were the determining factor. The store of water that I
+had brought with me was now exhausted, but I was able to get a fresh
+supply from the water-bottle of a dead man. The road that leads from
+Gentelles to Caix winds through the valley to the right of the line of
+our attack and follows a little stream. It is very narrow, and on that
+day was so crowded with cavalry, ambulances and artillery moving
+forward that every now and then it would become blocked. In a mill,
+which the Germans had used partly as artillery headquarters and partly
+as a depot for military stores, our men found a quantity of blankets,
+coats and other useful articles. Our doctors established an aid-post
+in the out-buildings, and made use of the materials which the enemy
+had left behind in his flight. A section of our machine-gunners    (p. 280)
+was resting there, and it was a great refreshment to stop for a while
+and have a good clean-up and a shave with a borrowed razor. We were so
+parched with thirst that we drank out of the stream, in spite of the
+fact that many shells had fallen into it. Our final objective was
+still some miles away, so I started up the road, following after the
+1st Brigade.
+
+The Germans, finding the game was up, had left many guns behind them
+and blown up a large quantity of ammunition. One great heap of it lay
+beside the river. Very pretty hamlets lay along the valley; we passed
+one called Ignacourt, where there was a damaged church. We afterwards
+established an ambulance there. I was very tired with my long walk,
+not having had any sleep the night before, so was glad to get a lift
+on an ambulance and go forward in the afternoon to the village of
+Caix, which was the final objective of the 2nd Brigade. One of our
+ambulances had taken over a building in the Square, but was shelled
+out of it that night. The 10th Battalion had gone forward and taken
+possession of trenches beyond the village. I went out to them and
+there found the men in high spirits over the way the battle had gone.
+The old red patch Division had advanced 14,000 yards, and so had
+beaten the record of any division, British or enemy, during the War.
+It was now late in the afternoon and no further attack that day was
+contemplated. Before us on a slight rise in the ground lay the village
+of Rosieres, through which the road ran parallel to the trenches which
+we held. Between us and the village was a slight dip in the ground,
+and with glasses we could see lorries full of fresh German troops,
+amid clouds of dust, making their way to a point in the village. There
+they would stop and the men would get out and hurry down the fields
+into the trenches. It looked as if they were going to make a
+counter-attack. The situation was very disquieting. I was told by one
+of the sergeants in our front line that we were in need of fresh
+ammunition, and he asked me if I would let the Colonel know. I passed
+through the trenches on my return and told the men how glorious it was
+to think that we had pushed the Germans back and were now so many
+miles from where we had started. I went back to Battalion Headquarters
+and found that they were in a cottage on the eastern extremity of the
+village. Across the road was a cavalry observation-post, where some
+officers were watching Rosieres and the arrival of German troops.  (p. 281)
+Luckily for us the Germans had no guns to turn upon us, although the
+village of Caix was shelled constantly all night. Later on, some
+batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery and our field guns, which had
+come up, sealed the fate of the Germans and prevented a counter-attack.
+A glorious sunset over the newly conquered territory made a fitting
+close to a day of great deeds and high significance. When darkness
+fell and the stars looked out of the quiet sky, I said good-night to
+my cavalry friends, whose billets were down in a hollow to the right,
+and started off to find some place to sleep.
+
+The cellars of the cottage occupied by the Colonel were crowded, so I
+went to the village and seeing some men entering a gateway followed
+them. It was the courtyard of a large building, presumably a brewery.
+The runners of the battalion had found a deep cellar where they had
+taken up their abode. I asked if I might sleep with them for the
+night. The cellar was not particularly inviting, but it was well below
+the ground and vaulted in brick. The floor was simply earth and very
+damp. Two candles were burning in a box where a corporal was making
+out the ration-list for the men. I got two empty sandbags to put on
+the floor to keep me from getting rheumatism, and lying on them and
+using my steel helmet as a pillow I prepared to sleep. The runners,
+except those on duty, did the same. Our feet met in the centre of the
+room and our bodies branched off like the spokes of a wheel. When
+anyone turned and put his feet on one side we all had to turn and put
+our feet in the same direction. We heard a good many shells bursting
+in the Square that night, but we were safe and comparatively comfortable.
+Before I got to sleep, I watched with great admiration the two young
+non-coms who were sitting at the table arranging and discussing in a
+low tone the duties of the various men for the following day. The two
+lads could not have been more than twenty years of age, but their
+sense of responsibility and justice was well-developed. I thought what
+a fine thing it was that men were being trained like that to become
+useful citizens of Canada. We were up early in the morning and I made
+my way to Battalion Headquarters, where I heard that there was to be
+another attack in the forenoon.
+
+We were now to change places with the 2nd Division. They were to shift
+from our right flank to our left and take over the attack on       (p. 282)
+Rosieres while we advanced towards Warvillers. From the cavalry
+observation-post, I could see with a glass the 5th Battalion going up
+to the front in single file along a hedge. I had breakfast with the
+7th Battalion officers in their dugout by the roadside near the
+cavalry billets, and then started off to join the 8th Battalion which
+was going to attack that morning. Machine-guns from Rosieres were
+playing on the road near the end of the wood. I determined therefore
+not to go round the wood but through it and so reached the other side
+in safety. I was sitting on a fallen tree eating some lunch and
+wondering whether I should be able to get up in time for the attack,
+when, to my great joy, over the hill to my right, I saw some troops
+approaching in extended order. Hardly had they appeared on the crest
+when the Germans at Rosieres opened fire upon them and shells fell on
+the hill. The men kept very steady and nobody, as far as I could see,
+was hit. When they got down to the wood I went forward and spoke to
+them and found they were the 22nd Battalion, and I met several
+Quebecers whom I knew.
+
+I saw the Battalion go off in the direction of Rosieres and I renewed
+my journey to our own line. I passed the 24th Battalion who were going
+up on the left of the 22nd, and they told me that the 2nd Brigade were
+on their right. There were many trenches along the way which the
+Germans had abandoned on the previous day. I passed a poor horse which
+was badly wounded and still alive. It was attached to a broken German
+cart. I got one of our men to shoot the animal, and went on till I
+came to a railway in the hollow and followed it. There were many
+wooden buildings here and there which had been built by the Germans.
+These structures had been badly knocked about by shrapnel, and the
+litter of articles within showed how rapid the German flight had been.
+At a little distance on the east side of the track, there was a green
+wood, which was called, as I afterwards found out, Beaufort or Hatchet
+Wood. Every now and then as I walked, little puffs of dust would rise
+from the road in front of me, showing that machine-gun bullets were
+falling about. A cavalry patrol of three men, returning down the track
+from the direction of the wood, came towards me, and, taking me for a
+combatant officer, the corporal saluted and said, "That wood is very
+heavily held by machine-guns, Sir, we have just made a reconnaissance."
+"That's all right," I said, "I do not intend to take it just yet." I
+was going up the track, wondering where I had got to, when I saw   (p. 283)
+a young officer of the 8th Battalion, followed by his men, coming
+towards me. I went to him and told him that I had heard the wood was
+very heavily held by machine-guns. He said he knew it and was going to
+attack from the side, so I went with them and, as they lay on the
+ground and got their Lewis guns in position, I pronounced the
+benediction over them and then continued my journey up the railroad.
+On the west side of the track at the top of the bank was a hedge. Here
+I found the 14th Battalion waiting to follow up the 8th. A young
+officer of the latter battalion was lying on the ground dying. He
+dictated a farewell letter to his wife, which I afterwards gave to the
+Adjutant. On the slope of ground down which the 8th had charged
+towards the railway I saw many bodies of dead and wounded men, so I
+went up to them to see what I could do. Several were dying, and I
+found one poor fellow who had never been baptised; so I took some
+water from my bottle and baptised him as he lay there. They would be
+carried off when the stretcher-bearers could begin their work.
+
+While I was attending to the wounded, I looked towards the wood at the
+other side of the track. I was on a higher level, and so had a view of
+the open country beyond, and there, to my astonishment, I saw the
+Germans leaving their ambush and running away. I hurried down the hill
+to the hedge and shouted out to the 14th Battalion that the Germans
+were running away, and an officer came up to make sure. Then orders
+were given to the men to charge and they crossed the track and took
+possession of the wood. As soon as I had seen the wounded carried off
+I followed after the troops, and there once more had the joy of
+advancing over newly-won territory.
+
+At a farmhouse a number of our men were gathered for a temporary rest,
+and there I learned that the colonel of the 8th Battalion and a large
+number of officers and men had been killed that morning. The battalion
+had to charge down the hill in the face of heavy machine-gun fire.
+Some tanks were standing by the farm and one of the officers offered
+to take me with him in the machine, but as it was to go into the 2nd
+Divisional area I had to decline the invitation and follow up our men
+on foot. I passed a number of German wounded. One of them, a young
+lad, was terribly alarmed when he saw me approaching, thinking I was
+going to murder him. He held up his hands and shouted, "Kamarad!" I
+think the Germans had heard wild stories of the ferocity of        (p. 284)
+Canadians. The boy then began to implore me to send him to an ambulance.
+He was wounded in the leg, and had bound up his wounds very neatly and
+skilfully. I tried to make him understand that the stretcher-bearers
+would come up in time, and I stuck his rifle in the ground with his
+helmet on the top of it, as a signal to the bearer party.
+
+Before me at the end of the road, I saw amid trees the village of
+Warvillers. Many men were going towards it from all directions; and I
+saw our artillery brigades taking up battery positions to the left. I
+met two men of the 5th Battalion and we started off to the village
+together. The place was now in our hands, as the Germans had evacuated
+it some hours before. The houses were quite intact and offered
+prospects of pleasant billets. My companions and I, finding it was
+quite late in the afternoon, determined to go and have our meal in a
+garden near the Chateau. We sat down on the grass and opened our
+bully-beef tins, and seeing onions growing in the garden thought it
+would be a good thing to have that savoury vegetable as a relish. It
+added to the enjoyment of our simple meal to think that we were eating
+something which the Germans had intended for themselves. We managed to
+get some fresh water too from a well nearby, which looked quite clean.
+On the other side of a wall we could see the roof of the Chateau. One
+of the men thought he would like to go and explore and find out who
+was there. He came back a few minutes afterwards and said it was full
+of Germans. So, taking their rifles, the two men went off to attack
+it, thinking they had found a stronghold of the enemy. I was just
+having a smoke after my meal when the lads came back and said that the
+Germans whom they had seen were our prisoners and that the Chateau had
+been taken over by us as a dressing station. We made our way to it and
+found that it was a very beautiful place situated in lovely grounds. A
+card on a door upstairs bore the inscription, "His Excellency General,"
+and then followed a German name. The place had been the headquarters
+of some enemy corps or division on the previous day. At the back of
+the Chateau was a very strong concrete dugout divided off into rooms,
+which were soon filled by our officers and men. All that night the
+wounded were being brought to the Chateau, and German prisoners also
+found their way there. Nobody was paying much attention to the latter,
+and, thinking it was unwise to let them wander about, and perhaps go
+back to their lines with information about our location, with      (p. 285)
+the permission of the C.O. of the ambulance, who was up to his eyes in
+work, I had them all put into one large room over which I placed a
+guard. They were sent back to the corps cage in the morning. The
+Germans evidently expected that we would use the Chateau because they
+dropped some heavy shells in the garden during the night, and we had
+to get the wounded down in to the cellars in quick time.
+
+I had about three hours sleep that night, and in the morning I
+determined to follow up our men of the 1st Brigade who had now
+established themselves at a village ahead of us called Rouvroy. As I
+was starting off, a signaller came up to me and told me he had
+captured a stray horse with a saddle on it and that he would lend it
+to me to take me to my destination. I mounted the animal and went down
+the avenue in great pride and comfort, but after I got into the road a
+man came up and stopped me and told me, to my horror, that I was
+riding his horse which he had lost the night before. It requires great
+strength of mind and self-mastery to give up a mount to a pedestrian
+when you are once in the saddle. But the war had not entirely
+extinguished the light of conscience in my soul, so, tired as I was, I
+dismounted and gave up the steed. But as I saw the man ride back to
+the Chateau I began to wonder within myself whether he was the real
+owner or not. One thief does not like to be out-witted by another.
+However, there was nothing to do now but to go straight ahead. The
+road before me led directly to Rouvroy. Some German planes were
+hovering overhead, and in the fields to my left our artillery were
+going into action. As shells were dropping on the road I took a short
+cut over the fields. Here I found some of our machine-gunners, and the
+body of a poor fellow who had just been killed. I got to the village
+of Rouvroy about noon and made my way to a dugout under the main
+road, where the colonel and some of the officers of the 3rd Battalion
+were having lunch. They gave me a cup of tea, but I told them I had
+taken my food on the journey, so did not want anything to eat. They
+looked much relieved at this, because rations were short. Their
+chaplain was there and gave me a warm reception. I was feeling rather
+used up, so lay down on a wire mattress and had an hour's sleep. When
+lunch was over the chaplain and I went to see the sights of the town.
+The ruined church was being used for a dressing station and it seemed
+to me it was rather a dangerous place, as the Germans would be     (p. 286)
+likely to shell it. We found an old bookshop which was filled with
+German literature and writing paper, some of which proved very useful.
+
+We had a good rest in a dugout, but I felt so seedy that I told him,
+if he heard that I had gone out of the line, not to think it was
+because I was suffering from "cold feet". We went back to the village,
+and there we found shells dropping in the main street not far from the
+church. In fact, one came so close that we had to dive into a cellar
+and wait till the "straffing" was over. Then I bid my companion
+good-bye and started off over the fields back to Warvillers. By this
+time I felt so unwell that it was hard to resist the temptation to
+crawl into some little hole in which I might die quietly. However,
+with my usual luck, I found a motor car waiting near the road for an
+air-officer who had gone off on a tour of inspection and was expected
+to return soon. The driver said I could get in and rest. When the
+officer came back he kindly consented to give me a ride to my
+Divisional Headquarters. We did not know where they were and I landed
+in the wrong place, but finally with the assistance of another car I
+made my way to Beaufort. There I found our Division had established
+themselves in huts and dugouts at the back of an ancient chateau. With
+great difficulty I made my way over to General Thacker's mess and
+asked for some dinner.
+
+During the meal, the General sent off his A.D.C. on a message, and he
+soon returned with no less a person than the A.D.M.S., who, to my
+dismay, proceeded to feel my pulse and put a clinical thermometer in
+my mouth. My temperature being 103-1/2, he ordered me at once to go
+off to a rest camp, under threat of all sorts of penalties if I did
+not. I lay on the floor of his office till three in the morning, when
+an ambulance arrived and took me off to some place in a field, where
+they were collecting casualties. From thence I was despatched to the
+large asylum at Amiens which was operated by an Imperial C.C.S. The
+major who examined me ordered me to go to the Base by the next train,
+as they had no time to attend to cases of influenza. For a while I was
+left on the stretcher in a ward among wounded heroes. I felt myself
+out of place, but could do nothing to mend matters. Two sisters came
+over to me, and apparently took great interest in me till one of them
+looked at the tag which was pinned on my shoulder. With a look of
+disgust she turned and said to her companion, "He isn't wounded at
+all, he has only got the 'flu'". At once they lost all interest    (p. 287)
+in me, and went off leaving me to my fate. Stung by this humiliation,
+I called two orderlies and asked them to carry me out into the garden
+and hide me under the bushes. This they did, and there I found many
+friends who had been wounded lying about the place. My batman had come
+with me and had brought my kit, so a box of good cigars which I handed
+round was most acceptable to the poor chaps who were waiting to be
+sent off. By a stroke of good luck, an accident on the railway
+prevented my being evacuated that evening. I knew that if they once
+got me down to the Base my war days would be over.
+
+On the following morning, feeling better, I got up, shaved, put on my
+best tunic, and, with a cigar in my mouth, wandered into the reception
+room, where I found the major who had ordered me off on the previous
+day. Puffing the smoke in front of my face to conceal my paleness, I
+asked him when he was going to send me down to the Base. He looked a
+little surprised at finding me recovered, and then said, "Well, Padre,
+I think I will let you go back to your lines after all." It was a
+great relief to me. The chaplain of the hospital very kindly took me
+in charge and allowed me to spend the night in his room. The next day
+I got a ride in a Canadian ambulance and made my way back to Beaufort.
+There, to my horror, I found that the Division, thinking they had got
+rid of me for good, had appointed another padre in my place. Through
+the glass door of my room, I could see him giving instructions to the
+chaplain of the artillery. I felt like Enoch Arden, but I had not
+Enoch's unselfishness so, throwing the door wide open, I strode into
+the room, and to the ill-concealed consternation of both my friends
+who had looked upon me in a military sense as dead, informed them that
+I had come back to take over my duties. Of course, everyone said they
+were glad to see me, except General Thacker, who remarked dryly that
+my return had upset all the cherished plans of well-ordered minds. The
+A.D.M.S. had told them that he had thought I was in for an attack of
+pneumonia. It was really a very amusing situation, but I was
+determined to avoid the Base, especially now that we felt the great
+and glorious end of our long campaign was coming nearer every day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXI.                                                      (p. 288)
+
+WE RETURN TO ARRAS.
+
+_August, 1918._
+
+
+On Friday the 16th of August our Division left Beaufort and moved back
+to billets at Le Quesnel. Here there was a good sized chateau which
+was at once used for office purposes. The General and his staff made
+their billets in a deep cave which was entered from the road. It was
+of considerable extent, lit by electric light, and rooms opened out on
+both sides of the central passage. I had one assigned to me, but as I
+did not feel well enough to stand the dampness I gave it to the clerks
+of the A.D.M.S., and made my home with the veterinary officer in the
+cellar of the school-house which stood beside the church. The latter,
+which had been used by the Germans as a C.C.S., was a modern building
+and of good proportions. The spire had been used as an observation-post.
+One or two shells had hit the building and the interior, though still
+intact, was in great disorder. The altar ornaments, vestments, and
+prayer books were thrown about in confusion. The school-house where I
+was lodged must have been also the Cure's residence. A good-sized room
+downstairs served as a chapel for my Sunday services. The cellar,
+where the A.D.V.S. and I slept was quite comfortable, though by no
+means shell-proof. As the only alternative abode was the cave, he and
+I, deciding we would rather die of a shell than of rheumatism, chose
+the cellar. The Corps ambulances were all together in a valley not far
+away, and in trenches to the east, near the cemetery where the 8th
+Battalion officers and men had been buried, there were some reserves
+of the 3rd Brigade.
+
+Things were quiet now in the front line, so I determined to make a
+trip to Albert to see my son's grave. It was a long and dusty journey
+and the roads were rough. We passed back through the district over
+which we had advanced, and saw everywhere gruesome traces of the
+fighting. When we came to Albert, however, we found it was still in
+the possession of the enemy. The Americans were holding the line, and
+an American sentry stopped us at a barrier in the road and said that
+no motorcycles were allowed to go any further in that direction.   (p. 289)
+It was strange to hear the American accent again, and I told the lad
+that we were Canadians. "Well", he said, with a drawl, "that's good
+enough for me." We shook hands and had a short talk about the peaceful
+continent that lay across the ocean. There was nothing for us to do
+then but to return.
+
+On the following Sunday, the Germans having evacuated Albert a day and
+a half before, I once more paid a visit to the old town. I left my
+side-car on the outskirts of the place and was taken by Mr. Bean, the
+Australian War Correspondent, into his car. He was going up to take
+some photographs. The day was intensely hot, and the dust of the now
+ruined town was literally ankle-deep and so finely powdered that it
+splattered when one walked as though it had been water. I saw the
+ruins of the school-house which our ambulances had used, and noticed
+that the image of the Virgin had been knocked down from the tower of
+the Cathedral. I passed the house where our Headquarters had been. The
+building was still standing but the front wall had gone, leaving the
+interior exposed. I made my way up the Bapaume road to Tara Hill, and
+there to my great delight I found the little cemetery still intact.
+Shells had fallen in it and some of the crosses had been broken, but
+the place had been wonderfully preserved. A battery on one side of it
+had just ceased firing and was to advance on the following day. While
+I was putting up some of the crosses that had fallen, Mr. Bean came up
+in his car and kindly took a photograph of my son's grave. He also
+took a photograph of the large Australian cross which stands at one
+corner of the cemetery. Tara Hill had been for six months between the
+German front and reserve lines, and I never expected that any trace of
+the cemetery would have been found. I shall probably never see the
+place again, but it stands out in my memory now as clear and distinct
+as though once more I stood above the dusty road and saw before me the
+rows of little crosses, and behind them the waste land battered by war
+and burnt beneath the hot August sun. Over that very ground my son and
+I had ridden together, and within a stone's throw from it two years
+before we had said good-bye to one another for the last time.
+
+Our Division had now come out of the line and were hurrying north. On
+August 26th Lyons and I started off in the car, and after a tedious
+and dusty journey, enlivened by several break-downs, arrived       (p. 290)
+in Arras very late at night and found a billet with the Engineers in
+the Place de la Croix. Once more our men were scattered about the old
+city and its environs as if we had never left it. Our Battle Headquarters
+were in the forward area and rear Headquarters in a large house in Rue
+du Pasteur. It was a picturesque abode. The building itself was modern,
+but it was erected on what had been an old Augustinian Monastery of
+the 11th century. Underneath the house there was a large vaulted hall
+with pillars in it which reminded one of the cloisters of Westminster
+Abbey. It was below the level of the ground and was lit by narrow
+windows opening on the street. It was a most interesting place and had
+been decorated with heraldic designs painted on canvas shields by a
+British Division that had once made its headquarters there. We used
+the hall as our mess and from it passages led to several vault-like
+chambers and to cellars at the back, one of which was my bedroom. A
+flight of steps led down to stone chambers below these and then down a
+long sloping passage to a broken wall which barred the entrance into
+the mysterious caves beneath the city. The exhalations which came up
+to my bedroom from these subterranean passages were not as fresh or
+wholesome as one could have wished, but, as it was a choice between
+foul air and running the chance of being shelled, I naturally chose
+the former.
+
+We moved into this billet in the evening, and early the following
+morning I was lying awake, thinking of all the strange places I had
+lived in during the war, when close by I heard a fearful crash. I
+waited for a moment, and then, hearing the sound of voices calling for
+help, I rushed up in my pyjamas and found that a huge shell had struck
+a house three doors away, crushing it in and killing and wounding some
+of our Headquarters staff. Though Arras was then continually being
+shelled, some of the inhabitants remained. Opposite our house was a
+convent, and in cellars below the ground several nuns lived all
+through the war. They absolutely refused to leave their home in spite
+of the fact that the upper part of the building had been ruined by
+shells. Our nearness to the railway station, which was a favourite
+target for the German guns, made our home always a precarious one.
+
+One day the Paymaster was going into our Headquarters, when a shell
+burst in the Square and some fragments landed in our street taking off
+the fingers of his right hand. I was away at the time, but when I
+returned in the evening the signallers showed me a lonely          (p. 291)
+forefinger resting on a window sill. They had reverently preserved it,
+as it was the finger which used to count out five-franc notes to them
+when they were going on leave.
+
+Our Corps dressing-station was in the big Asylum in Arras. The nuns
+still occupied part of the building. The Mother Superior was a fine
+old lady, intensely loyal to France and very kind to all of us. When
+the Germans occupied Arras in the beginning of the war, the Crown
+Prince paid an official visit to the Asylum, and, when leaving,
+congratulated the Mother Superior on her management of the institution.
+She took his praises with becoming dignity, but when he held out his
+hand to her she excused herself from taking it and put hers behind her
+back.
+
+The dressing-station was excellently run and the system carried out
+was perfect. The wounded were brought in, attended to, and sent off to
+the C.C.S. with the least possible delay. The dead were buried in the
+large military cemetery near the Dainville road where rest the bodies
+of many noble comrades, both British and Canadian. A ward was set
+apart for wounded Germans and it was looked after by their own doctors
+and orderlies.
+
+Meanwhile our Division was preparing for the great attack upon the
+Drocourt-Queant line. The 2nd Division were in the trenches and had
+taken Monchy. We were to relieve them and push on to the Canal du Nord
+and, if possible, beyond it. Movements were now very rapid. All the
+staff were kept intensely busy. The old days of St. Jans Cappel and
+Ploegsteert, with their quiet country life, seemed very far away. This
+was real war, and we were advancing daily. We heard too of the victories
+of the French and Americans to the South. It was glorious to think
+that after the bitter experience of the previous March the tables had
+been turned, and we had got the initiative once more. Our Battle
+Headquarters, where the General and his staff were, lay beyond
+Neuville Vitasse. They were in a deep, wide trench, on each side of
+which were dugouts and little huts well sandbagged. Over the top was
+spread a quantity of camouflage netting, so that the place was
+invisible to German aeroplanes. The country round about was cut up by
+trenches, and in many of these our battalions were stationed. All the
+villages in the neighbourhood were hopeless ruins. I tried to get a
+billet in the forward area, as Arras was so far back, but every
+available place was crowded and it was so difficult to get up rations
+that nobody was anxious to have me.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXII.                                                     (p. 292)
+
+THE SMASHING OF THE DROCOURT-QUEANT LINE.
+
+_September 2nd, 1918._
+
+
+On Saturday, August 31st, I paid a visit to our Battle Headquarters,
+and the General asked me to have a Celebration of the Holy Communion
+there the next morning at eight. I knew that the attack was almost
+due, so I prepared for it and took my iron rations with me. We had the
+Communion Service in a tent at the General's Headquarters. There were
+only three present, but the General was one of them. I had breakfast
+in a quaint little hut in the side of the trench, and then started off
+to the forward area. The great stretch of country was burnt dry by the
+summer heat and the roads were broken up and dusty. I was taken by car
+to the Headquarters of the 2nd Brigade which were in a trench, and
+from thence I started on foot to Cherisy. Here the 8th Battalion were
+quartered, the 5th being in the line. Zero hour, I was told, was early
+the next morning. The 2nd and 3rd Brigades were to make the attack.
+The 5th Battalion was to have advanced that day and taken possession
+of a certain trench which was to be the jumping off line on the
+following morning. I heard that they had had a hard time. They had
+driven out the Germans, but had been seriously counter-attacked and
+had lost a large number of men. I determined therefore to go out and
+take them some cigarettes and biscuits which the Y.M.C.A. generously
+provided. I started off in the afternoon to go to the front line,
+wherever it might be. I went down the road from Cherisy past the
+chalk-pit, where we had a little cemetery, and then turning into the
+fields on the left walked in the direction in which I was told the 5th
+Battalion lay. It was a long, hot journey, and as I had not quite
+recovered from my attack of influenza I found it very fatiguing. On
+all sides I saw gruesome traces of the recent fighting. I came across
+the body of a young artillery officer of the 2nd Division, but, as all
+his papers had been taken away, I could not discover his name. My way
+passed through the remains of what had been an enemy camp. There were
+a number of well-built huts there, containing much German war-material,
+but they had been damaged by our shells. The Germans had           (p. 293)
+evidently been obliged to get out of the place as quickly as possible.
+I was just leaving the camp when I met several of our men bringing up
+a number of prisoners. While we were talking, some shells fell, and we
+all had to dive into two trenches. The Huns took one; we Canadians
+took the other. We had no desire, in case a shell landed in our midst
+to have our bits mingled with those of the Germans. When the
+"straffing" was over, the others went back, and I continued my way to
+the front. It must have been about six or seven o'clock when I arrived
+at the 5th Battalion Headquarters, which were in a deep German dugout.
+The Colonel was absent at a conference, so the Adjutant was in
+command. I told him that I had come provided with cigarettes and other
+comforts for the men, and asked him to give me a runner to take me to
+the front line. He absolutely refused to do anything of the kind, as
+he told me he did not know where it was himself. The situation was
+most obscure. Our men had attacked and had been driven back and then
+they had attacked again, but he thought they were now in shell holes
+and would be hard to find. In fact, he was most anxious about the
+condition of affairs and was hoping the Colonel would soon return. I
+asked him if he would like me to spend the night there. He said he
+would, so I determined to settle down and wait for an opportunity of
+getting up to the men.
+
+I went over to a trench a little way off, passing two dead Germans as
+I did so, and saw the little white flag with the red cross on it which
+showed that a dugout there was used as the regimental aid post. I went
+down into the place, which had two openings, and found the M.O. and
+his staff and a number of machine-gunners. Being Sunday, I told them
+that I would have service for them. We all sat on the floor of the
+long dugout. Two or three candles gave us all the light we had, and
+the cigarettes which I had brought with me were soon turned into
+smoke. In the meantime a young stretcher-bearer, unknown to me, made a
+cup of tea and brought that and some buttered toast for my supper.
+When I had finished and we were just going to begin the service, a
+voice suddenly shouted down the steps in excited tones. "We've all got
+to retreat; the Germans are coming." At once a corporal shouted up to
+him, "Shut up, none of that talk out here." Of course, I had not said
+a word to any of the men about the condition of our front line, but
+remembering what the Adjutant had told me about it, I thought now that
+there might be some reason for the alarm. As I have said on a former
+occasion, I had a great objection to being bombed in a dugout, so  (p. 294)
+I said to the men, "Well, boys, perhaps we had better take it seriously
+and go up and see what the matter is." We climbed up to the trench,
+and there on looking over the parapet we saw an exciting scene. It was
+not yet dark, and in the twilight we could see objects at a certain
+distance, but it was just light enough and dark enough to confuse
+one's vision. Along the line to the right of our front trenches,
+rockets and S.O.S. signals were going up, showing that the Germans
+were attacking. Our reserve battalions were far back at Cherisy, and
+our artillery had not yet come up. At any rate, somewhere in the
+glimmering darkness in front of us the Germans were advancing. They
+actually did get between us and our front line. The machine-gunners at
+once went to their posts, and the M.O. wanted orders as to what he and
+his staff were to do. I went back down the trenches past the dead
+Germans to Battalion Headquarters, and asked the Adjutant what orders
+he had for the M.O. He said we were all to congregate at Headquarters;
+so I went back and gave the message. I remember looking over the waste
+of ground and wondering if I could see the Germans. For a time it was
+really very exciting, especially for me, because I did not know
+exactly what I should do if the Germans came. I could not fight, nor
+could I run away, and to fold one's arms and be taken captive seemed
+too idiotic. All the time I kept saying to myself, "I am an old fool
+to be out here." Still, we got as much fun out of the situation as we
+could, and, to our intense relief, the arrival of some of our shells
+and the sudden appearance of a Highland Battalion of the 4th Division
+on our left, frightened the Germans and they retired, leaving us to
+settle down once more in our trench home.
+
+On the return of the Colonel, we learned that, on account of the heavy
+losses which the 5th Battalion had suffered that day, the 7th Battalion
+would attack on the following morning. Later on in the evening, I saw
+some machine-gunners coming up, who told us that they had left some
+wounded and a dead man in a trench near the road. I determined to go
+back and see them. The trench was very crowded, and as it was dark it
+was hard to find one's way. I nearly stepped on a man who appeared to
+be sleeping, leaning against the parapet. I said to one of the men,
+"Is this a sleeping hero?" "No, Sir," he replied, "It's a Hun stiff."
+When I got down to the road, I met two men and we hunted for the place
+where the wounded had been left, but found they had been carried   (p. 295)
+off to Cherisy. So I started back again for Battalion Headquarters,
+and as numbers of men were going forward I had no difficulty in
+finding it.
+
+The dugout was now absolutely crowded. Every available space,
+including the steps down from the opening, was filled with men. I
+managed to secure a little shelf in the small hours of the morning,
+and had two or three hours sleep. The atmosphere was so thick that I
+think we were all overcome by it and sank into profound slumber. At
+last, one of the men suddenly woke up and said to me, "It's ten
+minutes to five, Sir." The barrage was going to start at five. As far
+as I could see, everyone in the dugout but ourselves, was sound
+asleep. I climbed up the steps, waking the men on them and telling
+them that the barrage would start in ten minutes. The sentries in the
+trench said that the 7th Battalion had gone forward during the night
+with a number of 4th Division men. The morning air was sweet and fresh
+after that of the dugout, but was rather chilly. A beautiful dawn was
+beginning, and only a few of the larger stars were visible. The
+constellation of Orion could be seen distinctly against the grey-blue
+of the sky. At five o'clock the barrage started, and there was the
+usual glorious roar of the opening attack. Very quickly the Germans
+replied, and shells fell so unpleasantly near, that once again we
+crowded into the dugout. After a hasty breakfast of bacon and tea the
+battalions moved off, and I made my way to the front. I saw an officer
+of the 7th Battalion being carried to the M.O.'s dugout. He was not
+badly hit, and told me he was just back from leave and had been
+married only a fortnight ago. I shook hands with him and congratulated
+him on being able to get back to Blighty and have a wife to look after
+him. He was being carried by some Germans and had two of our bearers
+with him. I went down into a communication trench and the next instant
+a shell burst. I did not know then that anybody had been hit by it,
+but I learned afterwards that the officer, the stretcher-bearers and
+the Germans had all been killed.
+
+I made my way to a mud road, where to my infinite delight I saw large
+numbers of German prisoners being marched back. By the corner of a
+wood the 8th Battalion were waiting their turn to advance. To the left
+was the hill called The Crow's Nest, which our 3rd Brigade had taken
+that day. I crossed the Hendecourt-Dury road, which had trees on   (p. 296)
+both sides of it, and then meeting the 2nd Battalion went forward with
+them. There were some deep trenches and dugouts on the way, which our
+units at once appropriated and which became the headquarters of two of
+our Brigades. Our artillery had also come up and their chaplain was with
+them. The C.O. of the 7th Battalion was having breakfast in the corner of
+a field, and feeling very happy over the result of the morning's work.
+Far off we could see the wood of Cagnicourt, and beyond that in the
+distance we could see other woods. I went off in the direction of
+Cagnicourt and came to some German huts, where there was a collection
+of military supplies. Among them was a large anti-tank rifle. As it
+had begun to rain, I was very glad to find some German water proof
+sheets which I put over my shoulders as I was eating my bully-beef.
+Cagnicourt lay in a valley to the right and, when I got there, I found
+a battery of artillery had just arrived and were taking up their
+positions by a road which led on to Villers-Cagnicourt. We were all in
+high spirits over our fresh achievement. In some dugouts on the way, I
+found the headquarters of the 13th and 14th Battalions, and learned of
+the very gallant deed of the Rev. E. E. Graham, the Methodist chaplain
+attached to the 13th Battalion. He had carried out, under the barrage,
+five wounded men of the 2nd Division, who had been left in No Man's
+Land. He was recommended for the Victoria Cross, but unfortunately,
+for some reason or other, only got the D.S.O. In a trench near
+Villers-Cagnicourt I found the 4th Battalion, who told me that they
+thought our advance was checked. I sat talking to them for some time,
+but was so tired that I absolutely could not keep awake. The men were
+much amused to see me falling asleep in the midst of a conversation. I
+managed, however, to pull myself together, and went over to the main
+Cherisy road, on the side of which one of our ambulances had taken up
+its position and was being attended by one of our military chaplains.
+I was feeling so seedy by this time that I got a seat by the side of
+the driver on a horse ambulance, and made my way back to Cherisy. The
+road was narrow and crowded with traffic, and had been broken in
+places by shells. Quite a number of bodies were lying by the wayside.
+I arrived back at my billet in Arras in the evening feeling very
+tired. At the Corps dressing station that night I saw large numbers of
+our men brought in, among them the C.O. of the 2nd Battalion, who had
+especially distinguished himself that day, but was very badly
+wounded.
+
+In spite of the fact that we had not been able to go as far as we  (p. 297)
+had intended, another glorious victory was to our credit, and we had
+broken the far-famed Drocourt-Queant line with its wire entanglements
+which the Germans had thought to be impregnable. Two days afterwards,
+on September 4th, our Division was taken out of the line and sent back
+for rest and reorganization.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIII.                                                    (p. 298)
+
+PREPARING FOR THE FINAL BLOW.
+
+_September, 1918._
+
+
+Our Divisional Headquarters were now established in the delightful old
+chateau at Warlus. In Nissen huts near-by, were the machine-gun
+battalion and the signallers, and, as I had one end of a Nissen hut
+all to myself, I was very comfortable. The three infantry brigades
+were quartered in the villages round about. The engineers and
+artillery were still at the front. As usual our men soon cleaned
+themselves up and settled down to ordinary life, as if they had never
+been through a battle in their lives. The weather was very pleasant,
+and we were all glad at the prospect of a little quiet after the
+strenuous month through which we had passed. Our concert party at once
+opened up one of the large huts as a theatre, and night after night
+their performances were witnessed by crowded and enthusiastic
+audiences. Just across a field towards Bernaville the 15th Battalion
+was quartered in a long line of huts and in the village itself were
+the 14th and 16th Battalions. I was therefore quite near the men of my
+old 3rd Brigade. The 16th Battalion concert party gave a fine
+performance there one evening, which was attended by some Canadian
+Sisters who came up from one of our C.C.S's. The play was called, "A
+Little Bit of Shamrock," and was composed by members of the concert
+party. It was exceedingly pretty and very clever, and evoked thunders
+of applause. The Colonel was called upon for a speech, and, although
+his words were few, the rousing cheers he got from his men told him
+what they thought of their commanding officer, who soon afterwards was
+to be awarded the Victoria Cross. As one sat there in the midst of the
+men and thought of what they had gone through, and how the flames in
+the fiery furnace of war had left their cheery souls unscathed, one's
+heart was filled with an admiration for them which will never die.
+
+On looking over my diary during those delightful days while we were
+waiting to make the great attack, I see records of many journeys to
+our various battalions and artillery brigades. Wanquetin, Wailly,
+Dainville, Bernaville, Hautes Avesnes--what memories these names   (p. 299)
+recall! I would rattle over the dusty roads in my side-car and pull up
+at Battalion Headquarters and get an invitation to dinner. On such
+occasions I used to visit the cooks first and ask them if they had
+enough food on hand for me in case the officers invited me to dine
+with them, and in case they didn't, if they (the cooks) would feed me
+later on in the kitchen. When the invitation had been given, I used to
+go back to the cooks and say, "It's all right, boys, you won't be
+bothered with my society, the officers have asked me to dinner." In
+the evening, before I rode off, I used to go round to the men's
+billets, or to the Y.M.C.A. tent, if there was one, and have a talk
+with the men on the war outlook or any other topic that was perplexing
+them at the time. Often I was followed to my car by some man who had
+deeper matters to discuss, or perhaps some worry about things at home,
+and who wanted to unburden himself to a chaplain. On the way back,
+when darkness had fallen and my feeble headlight warned us against
+speeding, I would meet or overtake men and have a talk, or tell them
+to mount up on the box at the back of the car and I would give them a
+ride. The rows of tall trees along the road would stand out black
+against the starlit sky, and in the evening air the sweet smells of
+nature would fill us with delight. We felt too, that nearer and nearer
+the hour of the great victory was approaching. Who amongst us would be
+spared to see it? How would it be brought about? What great and fierce
+battle would lay the Germans low? The supreme idea in the mind was
+consecration to a sublime sacrifice, which dwarfed into insignificance
+all previous events in life. We had our fun, we had our jokes, we met
+our friends, we saw battalions go on a route march, we watched men
+play their games in the fields; but to me it seemed that a new and
+mysterious light that was born of heaven hid behind the sunshine, and
+cast a glory upon men and even nature. To dine at the rude board table
+with the young officers of one of the companies of a battalion,
+perhaps in a bare hut, on the floor of which lay the lads' beds, was
+something sacred and sacramental. Their apologies for the plainness of
+the repast were to me extremely pathetic. Was there a table in the
+whole world at which it was a greater honour to sit? Where could one
+find a nobler, knightlier body of young men?
+
+In the garden round the Chateau at Warlus were many winding paths,
+where old trees gave a delightful shade. Here at odd moments one   (p. 300)
+could get away for a time into the leafy solitude and think quietly
+and wonder. Although we were in rest there was of course no remission
+of warlike activity and preparation. We knew that the next thing that
+lay before us was the crossing of the Canal du Nord and the push to
+Cambrai. That was a deed which would not only tax our strength and
+courage, but depended for its success upon the care and diligence of
+our preparation.
+
+On the two Sundays that we were at Warlus I had splendid church
+parades with the Machine-Gun Battalion. Part of their billets were in
+huts beside the road to Dainville. In one of them one night I found
+some Imperial officers who were in charge of the wireless telegraph
+station. They told me some interesting facts about their work. The
+night was divided into different periods when the communiques of the
+various countries would be sent out. These, of course, were for all
+the world to read. The most wonderful thing they told me, however, was
+that they could pick up the code messages sent from the German
+Admiralty Headquarters at Kiel to their submarines under the sea. Of
+course not knowing the code, our officers could not translate these
+despatches.
+
+I received a great blow at this time, for my friend Lyons, who acted
+as the chauffeur of my side-car, was sent off to the 3rd Division to
+replace one of the despatch riders whom they had lost in the attack.
+Our own signallers could not give me another man. As I could not run
+the car myself, a sudden move might compel me to leave it behind.
+Someone, too, might appropriate it, for the honesty of the army was,
+as I knew from experience, a grace on which one could not place much
+reliance. The only person to whom I could apply was my good and kind
+friend, the builder of my churches and huts, Colonel Macphail, our
+C.R.E. He was always my refuge in distress. He looked upon the
+building of churches at the front as an act of such piety that it
+would guarantee to him at any time the certain admission into heaven.
+He attributed his piety to the claim which his clan made to be the
+descendants of St. Paul. Apparently in Gaelic, Macphail means "the son
+of Paul." The Colonel was always fond of insisting upon his high
+lineage. He came to see me once when I was ill at Bruay, and after
+stating the historical claims of his ancestors, asked me if I had not
+observed some traits in his character which were like those of St.
+Paul. I told him that the only resemblance to the Apostle which I had
+discovered in him was that his bodily presence was weak and his    (p. 301)
+speech contemptible. In spite of those unkind thrusts, however, the
+colonel manifested the Apostle's quality of forgiveness, and was
+always ready to try and make me comfortable. I wrote to him now and
+asked if he could send me a driver for my car. He did not fail me. A
+few days afterwards, a young sapper appeared, saluted most properly,
+and told me that he had been ordered by the C.R.E. to report to me for
+duty as chauffeur. I was so delighted that I at once despatched the
+following letter to my friend:--
+
+  "Dear Colonel Macphail,
+  If I had but a tail
+    I would wag it this morning with joy,
+  At your having provided
+  My car that's one-sided
+    With a good and intelligent boy.
+
+  May your blessings from heaven
+    Abound in this war,
+  And be seven times seven
+    More than ever before."
+
+The possession of a new driver for my car enabled me to pay a last
+visit to Le Cauroy, where I had left some of my possessions on our
+trip to Amiens. I found the Cure in high good humor over the way the
+war was going. The outlook was very different now from what it had
+been when I was there before. I also visited Arras and the forward
+area, where I dined one night in a tent with Major Price, who was then
+in command of my original battalion, the 14th. The men were billeted
+in trenches and as usual were making the best of things. It was
+strange to look back to the early days of the war and talk about old
+times. As I returned in the twilight and gazed far away over the waste
+land towards the bank of low clouds in the eastern sky, my heart grew
+sick at the thought of all which those fine young men might have to
+endure before the crowning victory came. The thought of the near
+presence of the Angel of Death was always coming up in the mind,
+changing and transfiguring into something nobler and better our
+earthly converse.
+
+In the war, the Bible statement, "We have here no continuing city,"
+was certainly true. Our happy life in Warlus and its neighbourhood
+came to an end. On Friday, September 20th, the Division moved to   (p. 302)
+Achicourt near Arras. I took the opportunity to visit some friends in
+the 3rd Division who were taking our places. Among them was "Charlie"
+Stewart, of the P.P.C.L.I. I had taught him as a boy at school when I
+was curate of St. John's, Montreal. We talked over old times, and the
+great changes that had taken place in Canada and the world since we
+were young. He was killed not long afterwards before Cambrai. I went
+on through Dainville, where I met the 42nd Battalion, and reached
+Achicourt in the evening. My billet was in a very dirty room over a
+little shop. One corner of the house had been hit by a shell, and a
+great store of possessions belonging to the people was piled up on one
+side of my room. We knew we were not going to be there long, so we did
+not worry about making ourselves comfortable. I had a view out of my
+window of green fields and a peaceful country, but the town itself had
+been badly knocked about.
+
+On Sunday morning, I got the use of a small Protestant church which
+stood by a stream in the middle of the town. It was a quaint place,
+and, instead of an altar, against the east wall there was a high
+pulpit entered by steps on both sides. When I stood up in it I felt
+like a jack-in-the-box. I had a queer feeling that I was getting to
+the end of things, and a note in my prayer-book, with the place and
+date, gives evidence of this. We had not many communicants, but that
+was the last Celebration of Holy Communion that I held in France. On
+the following Sunday I was to leave the war for good. I remember
+walking away from the church that day with my sergeant and talking
+over the different places where we had held services. Now we were on
+the eve of great events, and the old war days had gone forever. After
+the service, I started off in my side-car on a missionary journey to
+the battalions that had now gone forward. I went off up the road to
+the ruined town of Beaurains. Here I found the Headquarters of the
+16th Battalion in the cellar of a broken house. The officers' mess was
+a little shack by the roadside, and among those present was the
+second-in-command, Major Bell-Irving, who had crossed with me on the
+"Andania." Alas, this was the last time I was to see him. He was
+killed in the battle of Cambrai.
+
+After lunch I continued up the long pave road which leads to Croisilles.
+On the way I saw the 8th Battalion in an open field. Near them were a
+number of Imperial officers and men of the British Division which  (p. 303)
+was on our right. We made our way through Bullecourt to Hendecourt,
+near which in trenches were the battalions of the 1st Brigade, and
+there too Colonel Macphail had his headquarters. There was a great
+concentration of men in this area, and the roads were crowded with
+lorries and limbers as well as troops. I stayed that night with the
+engineers, as the weather looked threatening. The sky grew black and
+rain began to fall. When one stood in the open and looked all round at
+the inky darkness everywhere, with the rain pelting down, and knew
+that our men had to carry on as usual, one realized the bitterness of
+the cup which they had to drink to the very dregs. Rain and darkness
+all round them, hardly a moment's respite from some irksome task, the
+ache in the heart for home and the loved ones there, the iron
+discipline of the war-machine of which they formed a part, the chance
+of wounds and that mysterious crisis called death--these were the
+elements which made up the blurred vision in their souls.
+
+The next morning the weather had cleared, and I went on towards Cagnicourt.
+On the journey I was delayed by a lorry which had gone into the ditch
+and completely blocked the road. Here in a field the 1st Field Ambulance
+had established themselves. Later on I managed to get to Cagnicourt
+and found my son's battery in the cellars of the Chateau. They were
+getting their guns forward by night in preparation for the attack.
+They gave me a very pressing invitation to sleep there and I accepted
+it. We had a pleasant evening, listening to some remarkably good
+violin records on the gramophone. Good music at such times had a
+special charm about it. It reminded one of the old days of concerts
+and entertainments, but, at the same time, as in the background of a
+dream, one seemed to hear beneath the melodies the tramp of mighty
+battalions marching forward into battle, and the struggles of strong
+men in the fierce contests of war.
+
+On the following day I went on to the quarry which was to be our
+Battle Headquarters near Inchy Station, from which the 2nd Division
+were moving. I had a view of the smiling country over which we were to
+charge. Between us and that promised land lay the Canal, the crossing
+of which was necessarily a matter of great anxiety. It was late at
+night before I got back to my home at Achicourt, where I had my last
+war dinner with my friend General Thacker, who, with his staff, was up
+to his eyes in work. The next day was taken up with arranging for  (p. 304)
+the disposition of our chaplains during the engagement, and about six
+o'clock I told Ross to saddle Dandy, and on the dear old horse, who
+was fresh and lively as ever, I galloped off into the fields. The sun
+had set and the fresh air of the evening was like a draught of
+champagne. Dandy seemed to enjoy the ride as much as I did, and
+cleared some trenches in good style. For nearly three years and a half
+we had been companions. He had always been full of life and very
+willing, the envy of those who knew a good horse when they saw him.
+When I returned in the twilight and gave him back to Ross, I said,
+"You know, Ross, I am going into this battle and may lose my leg in
+it, and so I wanted to have my last ride on dear old Dandy." It was my
+last ride on him, and he was never ridden by anyone again. After I was
+wounded, he was kept at Headquarters until, in order to avoid his
+being sold with other horses to the Belgians, our kind A.D.V.S.
+ordered him to be shot. He was one of the best friends I had in the
+war, and I am glad he entered the horses' heaven as a soldier, without
+the humiliation of a purgatory in some civilian drudgery.
+
+That night some bombs were dropped near the station at Arras on units
+of the 3rd Division, which passed through Achicourt in the afternoon,
+causing many casualties, and we felt that the Germans knew another
+attack was at hand. It was the last night I had a billet in France. On
+the next morning we moved forward to some trenches on the way to
+Inchy, and I parted from Headquarters there. This was really the most
+primitive home that the Division had ever had. We had in fact no home
+at all. We found our stuff dumped out in a field, and had to hunt for
+our possessions in the general pile. A few tents were pitched and the
+clerks got to work. In a wide trench little shacks were being run up,
+and I was to be quartered in the same hut as the field cashier, which
+was thus to be a kind of union temple for the service of God and the
+service of Mammon. I looked down into the clay pit and saw the men
+working at my home, but I knew that I should probably not occupy it. I
+determined to go forward to our Battle Headquarters, prepared for a
+missionary journey, and find out when the attack was going to be made.
+I put into my pack some bully-beef, hardtack, tinned milk and other
+forms of nourishment, as well as a razor, a towel and various toilet
+necessaries. On the other side of the road, the signallers had their
+horse-lines, and our transports were near-by. I got my side-car    (p. 305)
+and, bidding good-bye to my friends, left for Inchy. We passed down
+the road to Queant, where we saw the wounded in the field ambulance,
+and from there started off through Pronville to Inchy Station. The
+roads as usual were crowded, and the dust from passing lorries was
+very unpleasant. We were going through the valley by Inchy Copse when
+we suddenly heard a loud crash behind us which made my driver stop. I
+asked him what he was about, and said, "That was one of our guns,
+there is nothing to be alarmed at." "Guns!" he said, "I know the sound
+of a shell when I hear it. You may like shells but I don't. I'm going
+back." I said, "You go ahead, if I had a revolver with me, I would
+shoot you for desertion from the front line. That was only one of our
+guns." He looked round and said, "You call that a gun? Look there." I
+turned and sure enough, about a hundred feet away in the middle of the
+road was the smoke of an exploded shell. "Well," I said, "you had
+better go on or there will be another one pretty soon, and it may get
+us." With extraordinary speed we hurried to our destination, where I
+left the car, taking my pack with me. I told the driver, much to his
+relief, that he could go home, and that when I wanted the car again I
+would send for it.
+
+The quarry was, as I have said, our Battle Headquarters, and here in
+the deep dugouts which I had visited previously I found our staff hard
+at work. They told me that this was "Y" day, and that zero hour when
+the barrage would start was at 5.20 the next morning. At that hour we
+were to cross the Canal and then press on into the country beyond. We
+had a two battalion front. The 4th and 14th Battalions were to make
+the attack, and be followed up by the other battalions in the 1st and
+3rd Brigades. When these had reached their objective the 2nd Brigade
+was to "leap frog" them and push on to Haynecourt and beyond. I was
+glad that I had come provided for the expedition, and bidding good-bye
+to General Thacker, whose parting injunction was not to do anything
+foolish, I got out of the quarry and made my way down the hill towards
+Inchy. A railway bridge which crossed the road near me was a constant
+mark for German shells, and it was well to avoid it. An officer met me
+and asked where I was going. I said, "I don't know, but I think the
+Spirit is leading me to the old 14th Battalion in Buissy Switch Trench."
+He told me the direction to take, which was to cross the road and
+follow the line of railway. The tins of milk and bully-beef cut    (p. 306)
+into my back so I stopped by a culvert and taking off my pack and
+tunic, sat on the ground and cooled off. There was no sign of Buissy
+Switch anywhere, but I got up and went on. The evening was closing in
+by this time, and, as I am never good at seeing in the dark, it began
+to be difficult to keep from tripping over things. At last the road
+brought me to a trench in which I found the 14th Battalion. They were
+getting ready to move off at midnight and wait in the wood by the edge
+of the Canal until the barrage opened. It made one proud to be with
+those young men that evening and think what they were called upon to
+do. What difficulties they would encounter in the Canal they did not
+know. They said they might have to swim. We hoped, however, that there
+was not much water, as the canal was still unfinished.
+
+I said good-bye to them and wished them all good-luck. Crossing the
+road I entered another trench, where I found the 13th Battalion, and
+beyond them came to the 1st Battalion. By this time, it was dark and
+rainy, and the ground was very slippery. I had to feel my way along
+the trench. A company of the 4th Battalion who were to be in the first
+wave of the attack, passed on their way forward to take up their
+position for the following morning. Probably never in the war had we
+experienced a moment of deeper anxiety. The men would have to climb
+down one side of the canal, rush across it, and climb up the other. It
+seemed inevitable that the slaughter would be frightful. At home in
+the cities of Canada things were going on as usual. Profiteers were
+heaping up their piles of gold. Politicians were carrying on the
+government, or working in opposition, in the interests of their
+parties, while here, in mud and rain, weary and drenched to the skin,
+young Canadians were waiting to go through the valley of the shadow of
+death in order that Canada might live.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXIV.                                                     (p. 307)
+
+THE CROSSING OF THE CANAL DU NORD.
+
+_September 27th, 1918._
+
+
+When I got to the sunken road above Inchy I found that No. 1 Company
+of the Machine-Gun Battalion had a little sandbag house there, and
+were waiting for the attack. I went in and the young officers and men
+made me at home at once. I divested myself of my pack, coat and steel
+helmet, and determined to settle down for the night. Suddenly a shell
+burst in the road, and I went out to see if anyone was hit. Two or
+three men were wounded but not severely. We got them in and the young
+O.C. of the company bound up their wounds and sent them off. There was
+a row of these sandbag-huts against the bank, and at one end of them
+was the entrance to a dugout in which the 1st Battalion and the
+General of the 1st Brigade had made their headquarters. I went down
+the steep steps into a long dark passage, lit here and there by the
+light which came from the rooms on either side. The whole place was
+crowded with men and the atmosphere was more than usually thick. I
+made my way down to the end where there was a pump which had been put
+there by the Germans. Here the men were filling their water-bottles,
+and I got a fresh supply for mine. Not far from the pump a few steps
+led down into a room where I found the C.O. and a number of the
+officers of the 1st Battalion. It was about two a.m., and they were
+having a breakfast of tea and bacon and invited me to join them. After
+the meal was finished, the Colonel, who was lying on a rough bed, said
+to me, "Sit down, Canon, and give us some of your nature poems to take
+our minds off this beastly business." It was very seldom that I was
+invited to recite my own poems, so such an opportunity could not be
+lost. I sat down on the steps and repeated a poem which I wrote among
+the Laurentian mountains, in the happy days before we ever thought of
+war. It is called, "The Unnamed Lake."
+
+  "It sleeps among the thousand hills
+    Where no man ever trod,
+  And only nature's music fills
+    The silences of God.
+
+  Great mountains tower above its shore,                           (p. 308)
+    Green rushes fringe its brim,
+  And o'er its breast for evermore
+    The wanton breezes skim.
+
+  Dark clouds that intercept the sun
+    Go there in Spring to weep,
+  And there, when Autumn days are done,
+    White mists lie down to sleep.
+
+  Sunrise and sunset crown with gold
+    The peaks of ageless stone,
+  Where winds have thundered from of old
+    And storms have set their throne.
+
+  No echoes of the world afar
+    Disturb it night or day,
+  But sun and shadow, moon and star
+    Pass and repass for aye.
+
+  'Twas in the grey of early dawn,
+    When first the lake we spied,
+  And fragments of a cloud were drawn
+    Half down the mountain side.
+
+  Along the shore a heron flew,
+    And from a speck on high,
+  That hovered in the deepening blue,
+    We heard the fish-hawk's cry.
+
+  Among the cloud-capt solitudes,
+    No sound the silence broke,
+  Save when, in whispers down the woods,
+    The guardian mountains spoke.
+
+  Through tangled brush and dewy brake,
+    Returning whence we came,
+  We passed in silence, and the lake
+    We left without a name."
+
+There is not much in the poem, but, like a gramophone record, it
+carried our minds away into another world. For myself, who remembered
+the scenery that surrounded me when I wrote it and who now, in that
+filthy hole, looked at the faces of young men who in two or three
+hours were to brave death in one of the biggest tasks that had been
+laid upon us, the words stirred up all sorts of conflicting emotions.
+The recitation seemed to be so well received that I ventured on
+another--in fact several more--and then I noticed a curious thing. It
+was the preternatural silence of my audience. Generally speaking, when
+I recited my poems, one of the officers would suddenly remember he had
+to dictate a letter, or a despatch rider would come in with orders.
+Now, no one stirred. I paused in the middle of a poem and looked round
+to see what was the matter, and there to my astonishment, I found  (p. 309)
+that everyone, except the young Intelligence Officer, was sound asleep.
+It was the best thing that could have happened and I secretly consoled
+myself with the reflection that the one who was unable to sleep was
+the officer who specialized in intelligence. We both laughed quietly,
+and then I whispered to him, "We had better go and find some place
+where we, too, can get a little rest." He climbed over the prostrate
+forms and followed me down the passage to a little excavation where
+the Germans had started to make a new passage. We lay down side by
+side on the wooden floor, and I was just beginning to succumb to the
+soothing influences of my own poetry, when I thought I felt little
+things crawling over my face. It was too much for me. I got up and
+said, "I think I am getting crummy, so I'm going off." I looked in on
+the General and the Brigade Major, and then climbed up the steps and
+went to the machine-gun hut.
+
+The night was now well advanced so it was time to shave and get ready
+for zero hour. A little after five we had some breakfast, and about a
+quarter past I went up to the top of the bank above the road and
+waited for the barrage. At 5.20 the savage roar burst forth. It was a
+stupendous attack. Field guns, heavy guns, and siege batteries sent
+forth their fury, and machine-guns poured millions of rounds into the
+country beyond the Canal. So many things were flying about and landing
+near us, that we went back under cover till the first burst of the
+storm should subside. At that moment I knew our men were crossing the
+huge ditch, and I prayed that God would give them victory. When the
+barrage had lifted I started down towards the Canal, passing through a
+field on my way where I found, lying about, dead and wounded men. Four
+or five were in a straight line, one behind another, where a German
+machine-gun must have caught them as they advanced. A young officer of
+the 2nd Battalion was dying from wounds. Two or three decorations on
+his breast told his past record in the war. While I was attending to
+the sufferers, a sergeant came up to me from the direction of the
+Canal and asked the way to the dressing station. He had a frightful
+wound in his face. A bit of a shell had dug into his cheek, carrying
+off his nose. He did not know at the time how badly he had been hit. I
+asked him if he wanted me to walk back with him, but he said he was
+all right as the dressing station was not far off. I often wondered
+what became of him, and I never heard till the following year when a
+man came up to me in the military hospital at St. Anne's, with a   (p. 310)
+new nose growing comfortably on his face and his cheek marked with a
+scar that was not unsightly. "The last time I met you, Sir," he said,
+"was near the Canal du Nord when you showed me the way to the dressing
+station." I was indeed glad to find him alive and well, and to see
+what surgical science had done to restore his beauty.
+
+I went on to the Canal, and found that at that point it was quite dry.
+I climbed down to the bottom of it in which men were walking and the
+sappers were at work. Some ladders enabled me to get up on the other
+side and I had the joy of feeling that the Canadians had crossed the
+great Canal du Nord. Our battalions were now moving up and I joined
+them, avoiding a part of a field which the men told me was under the
+fire of a machine-gun from the mill in Marquion. The country was open
+and green. The day was fine, and once more we experienced the
+satisfaction of taking possession of the enemy's territory. Before us
+the ground rose in a gradual slope, and we did not know what might
+meet us when we arrived at the top, but it was delightful to go with
+the men feeling that every step was a gain. When we got to the top of
+the rise, we had a splendid view of the country beyond. Before us, in
+the distance running from right to left, lay the straight Arras-Cambrai
+road with its rows of tall trees. Where we stood, there were a number
+of deserted German trenches. Here the M.O. of the 3rd Battalion opened
+up an aid post, and the chaplain went about looking for the wounded.
+Our men went on down into the valley and got into some forward
+trenches. I stayed on the hill looking at the wonderful scene through
+my German glasses. On the left in a quarry beside the village of
+Marquion, I saw two Germans manning a machine-gun. Our 3rd Brigade had
+taken the place, and some Highlanders were walking on the edge of the
+quarry just above the Huns, of whose presence they were unaware. I saw
+the enemy suddenly hide themselves, having noticed the approach of the
+Highlanders, but when the latter had passed the two Boches reappeared
+and went on firing as before. It was not long before the German
+artillery turned their guns on our hill and I told some men of the 2nd
+Brigade, who were now coming forward, to take cover in the trench or
+go in extended order. I had hardly uttered the words when a shell
+burst, killing one man and wounding in the thigh the one to whom I was
+talking. I went over to him and found that no artery had been cut, and
+the chaplain of the 3rd Battalion got him carried off. Down in the (p. 311)
+valley our advance had evidently been checked for a time. While I was
+trying to see what the trouble was, a young officer, called Cope, of
+the 8th Battalion came up to me. He was a splendid young fellow, and
+looked so fresh and clean. He had lost a brother in the Battalion in
+the early part of the war. I said, "How old are you, Cope?" He replied,
+"I am twenty." I said, "What a glorious thing it is to be out here at
+twenty." "Yes," he said, looking towards the valley, "it is a glorious
+thing to be out here at twenty, but I should like to know what is
+holding them up." He had hardly spoken when there was a sharp crack of
+a machine-gun bullet and he dropped at my side. The bullet had pierced
+his steel helmet and entered his brain. He never recovered
+consciousness, and died on the way to the aid post.
+
+The 2nd Brigade was now moving forward, so I went down the hill past a
+dugout which had been used as a German dressing station. There I
+secured a bottle of morphine tablets, and spoke to our wounded waiting
+to be carried off. Just before I reached the Arras-Cambrai road, I
+came to the trench where the C.O. of the 3rd Battalion had established
+himself. The chaplain and I were talking when an officer of the 2nd
+Battalion came back with a bad wound in the throat. He could not
+speak, but made signs that he wanted to write a message. We got him
+some paper and he wrote, "The situation on our right is very bad." The
+4th Division were on our right, and they had been tied up in Bourlon
+Wood. So now our advancing 2nd Brigade had their right flank in the
+air. As a matter of fact their left flank was also exposed, because
+the British Division there had also been checked in their advance. I
+crossed the road into the field, where I found the 5th and 10th
+Battalions resting for a moment before going on to their objective. In
+front of us, looking very peaceful among its trees, was the village of
+Haynecourt which the 5th Battalion had to take. The 10th Battalion was
+to pass it on the left and go still further forward. We all started
+off, and as we were nearing the village I looked over to the fields on
+the right, and there, to my dismay, I saw in the distance numbers of
+little figures in grey which I knew must be Germans. I pointed them
+out to a sergeant, but he said he thought they were French troops who
+were in the line with us. The 5th Battalion went through Haynecourt
+and found the village absolutely deserted and the houses stripped of
+everything that might be of any value. Their C.O. made his headquarters
+in a trench to the north of the village, and the 10th disappeared  (p. 312)
+going forward to the Douai-Cambrai road.
+
+It was now quite late in the afternoon. The sun was setting, and I feared
+that if I did not go back in time I might find myself stuck out there for
+the night without any food or cover. I thought it was wise therefore
+to go to Deligny's Mill, where I understood the machine-gunners were
+established. In the road at the entrance of Haynecourt, I found a
+young German wounded in the foot and very sorry for himself. I think
+he was asking me to carry him, but I saw he could walk and so showed
+him the direction in which to make his way back to our aid posts. I
+was just going back over the fields when I met a company of our light
+trench mortar batteries. The men halted for a rest and sat down by the
+road, and an officer came and said to me, "Come and cheer up the men,
+Canon, they have dragged two guns eight kilometres in the dust and
+heat and they are all fed up." I went over to them, and, luckily
+having a tin of fifty cigarettes in my pocket, managed to make them go
+round. I asked the O.C. if he would like me to spend the night with
+them. He said he would, so I determined not to go back. Some of the
+men asked me if I knew where they could get water. I told them they
+might get some in the village, so off we started. It makes a curious
+feeling go through one to enter a place which has just been evacuated
+by the enemy. In the evening light, the little brick village looked
+quite ghostly with its silent streets and empty houses. We turned into
+a large farmyard, at the end of which we saw a well with a pump. One
+of the men went down into the cellar of the house hunting for
+souvenirs, and soon returned with a German who had been hiding there.
+We were just about to fill our water-bottles, when I suggested that
+perhaps the well had been poisoned. I asked the German, "Gutt wasser?"
+"Ja, ja," Then I said, "Gutt drinken?" "Nein, nein," he replied,
+shaking his head. "Well, Sir," the men said, "we are going to drink it
+anyway." "But if the well is poisoned," I replied, "it won't do you
+much good." "How can you find out?" they said. A brilliant idea
+flashed upon me. "I tell you what, boys," I said, "we will make the
+German drink it himself and see the effect." The men roared with
+laughter, and we filled a bottle with the suspected liquid and made
+the unfortunate prisoner drink every drop of it. When he had finished,
+we waited for a few minutes (like the people who watched St. Paul on
+the Island of Melita after he had shaken off the viper into the    (p. 313)
+fire) to see if he would swell up or die, but as nothing of that kind
+happened we all began to fill our water-bottles. Just as the last man
+was about to fill his, a big shell landed in the garden next to us,
+and he, catching up his empty bottle, ran off saying, "I'm not thirsty
+any longer, I don't want any water."
+
+After their rest and refreshment, the company went over to a sunken
+road on the east side of the village. It was now getting very chilly
+and the daylight was dying rapidly. From the ground above the road one
+could see in the distance the spires of Cambrai, and in some fields to
+the southeast of us, with my glasses I could distinctly see numbers of
+little grey figures going into trenches, apparently with the idea of
+getting round to the south of our village on our exposed flank. I met
+a young officer of the machine-gun battalion, and lending him my
+glasses pointed out where the Germans were massing. He got the men of
+his section and took up a forward position along a ditch which ran at
+right angles to the sunken road. Here too were some of the companies
+of the 5th Battalion. They had hardly got into position when the
+Germans shelled the road we had been on, most unmercifully. I took
+refuge with a number of the men of the 5th Battalion in a garden,
+beside a brick building which had been used by the German troops as a
+wash-house and which was particularly malodorous. Two or three shells
+dropped in the orchard, breaking the trees, and we had to keep down on
+the ground while the shelling lasted. I could not help thinking of the
+warning the 2nd Battalion officer had given us about the situation on
+our right. It did seem pretty bad, because, until the arrival of the
+7th and 8th Battalions, our right flank was exposed, and the enemy
+might have gone round to the southeast of the village and attacked us
+in the rear. When things settled down, I went back up the sunken road,
+and, as I did so, thought I saw some men going into a gateway in the
+main street of the village. I made my way to the open trenches where
+the Colonel of the 5th Battalion had his headquarters, and I determined
+to spend the night there, so they kindly provided me with a German
+overcoat. I was just settling down to sleep when a runner came up and
+reported that some men were wounded and were asking the way to the
+dressing station. Someone said they thought the M.O. had made his
+headquarters in the village. Then I remembered having seen some men
+enter a gateway in the street as I passed, so two of us started off
+to find out if this was the regimental aid post. The night was     (p. 314)
+absolutely black, and my companion and I had to feel our way along
+the street not knowing who or what we might bump into, and expecting
+every moment that the Germans would begin to shell the place as soon
+as they thought we had had time to find billets there. At last to our
+great relief, we came to a large gateway in a brick wall and found
+some of our men, who told us that the M.O. had made his dressing
+station in the cellar of a building to the right. We went down into it
+and came upon a place well lighted with candles, where the devoted
+M.O. and his staff were looking after a number of men on stretchers.
+
+The Germans were determined that we should not have a quiet night and
+very soon, as we had expected, they began to shell the village. The
+dressing station was in a building which they themselves had used for
+the same purpose, so they knew its location, and shells began to fall
+in the yard. We got all the men we could down to the cellar; but still
+there were some stretcher cases which had to be left in the rooms
+upstairs. It was hard to convince them that there was no danger.
+However the "straffing" stopped in time, and I went down to the end of
+the cellar and slept in a big cane-seated chair which the Germans had
+left behind them. In the morning I went back again to our men in the
+line. The 10th Battalion had established themselves partly in a ditch
+along the Cambrai road not far from Epinoy, and partly in outposts
+behind the German wire. The country was undulating, and in places
+afforded an extensive view of the forward area. German machine-gun
+emplacements were in all directions, and our men suffered very
+severely. I was in an outpost with one of the companies when I saw in
+the distance one of our men crawling on his hands and knees up to a
+German machine-gun emplacement. The helmets of the enemy could be
+distinctly seen above the parapet. It was very exciting watching the
+plucky fellow approach the place of danger with the intention of
+bombing it. Unfortunately just as he had reached the side of the
+trench the Germans must have become aware of his presence, for they
+opened fire, and he had to crawl back again as fast as he could.
+
+Though many wounded were brought in, we knew that some were still
+lying out on the other side of the wire in full view of the enemy. As
+soon as it was dark enough, a bearer party, which I accompanied,
+started off to try and collect these men. With my cane I managed to
+lead the party through a gap in the wire. I came to a poor fellow  (p. 315)
+who had been lying there since the previous night with a smashed arm
+and leg. He was in great pain, but the men got him in safely, and the
+next time I saw him was in a Toronto hospital where he was walking
+about with a wooden leg, and his arm in a sling. I went down to an
+outpost where I saw some men. We could only talk in whispers, as we
+knew the Germans were close at hand. They told me they were one of the
+companies of the 10th Battalion. I asked, "Where are your officers?"
+They said, "They are all gone." "Who is in command?" They replied, "A
+Lance-Corporal." I rejoined the bearers and we had great difficulty in
+getting back, as we could not find the gap in the wire, which seemed
+to go in all directions.
+
+The 10th Battalion was relieved that night by the 8th, the C.O. of
+which made his headquarters with the C.O. of the 5th Battalion in a
+large dugout by the sunken road. There, late at night, I shared a
+bunk with a young machine-gun officer and had a few hours of somewhat
+disturbed sleep. The next morning, Sunday, September the 29th, the
+fourth anniversary of our sailing from Quebec, our men were having a
+hard time. The German defence at Cambrai was most determined, and they
+had a large quantity of artillery in the neighbourhood. I went back to
+the road and into the trench beyond the wire and found a lot of men
+there. The parapet was so low that the men had dug what they called,
+"Funk holes" in the clay, where they put as much of their bodies as
+they could. Sitting in a bend of the trench where I got a good view of
+the men, I had a service for them, and, as it was that festival, I
+read out the epistle for St. Michael and All Angel's Day, and spoke of
+the guardianship of men which God had committed to the Heavenly Hosts.
+Going down the trench later on, I came to a place from which I could
+see, with my glasses, a German machine-gun emplacement and its crew. I
+went back and asked for a sniper. A man who said he was one came up to
+me and I showed him the enemy and then directed his fire. I could see
+from little puffs of dust where his bullets were landing. He was a
+good shot and I think must have done some damage, for all of a sudden
+the machine-gun opened fire on us and we had to dive into the trench
+pretty quickly. I told him that I thought we had better give up the
+game as they had the advantage over us. To snipe at the enemy seemed
+to be a curious way to spend a Sunday afternoon, but it was a temptation
+too hard to resist. I crawled back through the trench to the road, and
+there finding a man who had just lost his hand, directed him to    (p. 316)
+the aid post near Battalion Headquarters. I accompanied him part of
+the way and had reached the edge of the sunken road, when a major of
+the Engineers came up to me and said, "I have got a better pair of
+German glasses than you have." It was an interesting challenge, so we
+stood there on a little rise looking at the spires of Cambrai and
+comparing the strength of the lenses. Very distinctly we saw the town,
+looking peaceful and attractive. Suddenly there was a tremendous crash
+in front of us, a lot of earth was blown into our faces, and we both
+fell down. My eyes were full of dirt but I managed to get up again. I
+had been wounded in both legs, and from one I saw blood streaming down
+through my puttees. My right foot had been hit and the artery in the
+calf of my leg was cut. I fell down again with a feeling of exasperation
+that I had been knocked out of the war. The poor major was lying on
+the ground with one leg smashed. The same shell had wounded in the
+chest the young machine-gun officer who had shared his bunk with me
+the night before. I believe an Imperial officer also was hit in the
+abdomen and that he died. The chaplain of the 10th Battalion who
+happened to be standing in the sunken road, got some men together
+quickly and came to our help. I found myself being carried off in a
+German sheet by four prisoners. They had forgotten to give me my
+glasses, and were very much amused when I called for them, but I got
+them and have them now. The major not only lost his leg but lost his
+glasses as well. The enemy had evidently been watching us from some
+observation post in Cambrai, for they followed us up with another
+shell on the other side of the road, which caused the bearers to drop
+me quickly. The chaplain walked beside me till we came to the aid post
+where there were some stretchers. I was placed on one and carried into
+the dressing station at Haynecourt. They had been having a hard time
+that day, for the village was heavily shelled. One of their men had
+been killed and several wounded. I felt a great pain in my heart which
+made it hard to breathe, so when I was brought into the dressing
+station I said, "Boys, I am going to call for my first and last tot of
+rum." I was immensely teased about this later on by my friends, who
+knew I was a teetotaller. They said I had drunk up all the men's rum
+issue. A General wrote to me later on to say he had been terribly
+shocked to hear I was wounded, but that it was nothing in comparison
+with the shock he felt when he heard that I had taken to drinking rum.
+Everyone in the dressing station was as usual most kind. The       (p. 317)
+bitter thought to me was that I was going to be separated from the old
+1st Division. The nightmare that had haunted me for so long had at
+last come true, and I was going to leave the men before the war was
+over. For four years they had been my beloved companions and my
+constant care. I had been led by the example of their noble courage
+and their unhesitating performance of the most arduous duties, in the
+face of danger and death, to a grander conception of manhood, and a
+longing to follow them, if God would give me grace to do so, in their
+path of utter self-sacrifice. I had been with them continuously in
+their joys and sorrows, and it did not seem to be possible that I
+could now go and desert them in that bitter fight. When the doctors
+had finished binding up my wounds, I was carried off immediately to an
+ambulance in the road, and placed in it with four others, one of whom
+was dying. It was a long journey of four hours and a half to No. 1
+C.C.S. at Agnez-les-Duisans, and we had to stop at Queant on the way.
+Our journey lay through the area over which we had just made the great
+advance. Strange thoughts and memories ran through my mind. Faces of
+men that had gone and incidents that I had forgotten came back to me
+with great vividness. Should I ever again see the splendid battalions
+and the glad and eager lives pressing on continuously to Victory?
+Partly from shell holes, and partly from the wear of heavy traffic,
+the road was very bumpy. The man above me was in terrible agony, and
+every fresh jolt made him groan. The light of the autumn afternoon was
+wearing away rapidly. Through the open door at the end of the
+ambulance, as we sped onward, I could see the brown colourless stretch
+of country fade in the twilight, and then vanish into complete
+darkness, and I knew that the great adventure of my life among the
+most glorious men that the world has ever produced was over.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXXV.                                                      (p. 318)
+
+VICTORY.
+
+_November 11th, 1918._
+
+
+They took me to the X-ray room and then to the operating-tent that
+night, and sent me off on the following afternoon to the Base with a
+parting injunction that I should be well advised to have my foot taken
+off; which, thank God, was not found necessary. From the C.C.S. at
+Camiers, two days later I was sent to London to the Endsleigh Palace
+Hospital near Euston Station, where I arrived with another wounded
+officer at 2.30 a.m. I was put in a little room on the seventh storey,
+and there through long nights I thought of our men still at the front
+and wondered how the war was going. The horror of great darkness fell
+upon me. The hideous sights and sounds of war, the heart-rending
+sorrows, the burden of agony, the pale dead faces and blood-stained
+bodies lying on muddy wastes, all these came before me as I lay awake
+counting the slow hours and listening to the hoarse tooting of lorries
+rattling through the dark streets below. That concourse of ghosts from
+the sub-conscious mind was too hideous to contemplate and yet one
+could not escape them. The days went by and intimations at last
+reached us that the German power was crumbling. Swiftly and surely the
+Divine Judge was wreaking vengeance upon the nation that, by its
+over-weaning ambition, had drenched the world in blood.
+
+On November 11th at eleven in the morning the bells of London rang out
+their joyous peals, for the armistice had been signed and the war was
+over. There was wild rejoicing in the city and the crowds went crazy
+with delight. But it seemed to me that behind the ringing of those
+peals of joy there was the tolling of spectral bells for those who
+would return no more. The monstrous futility of war as a test of
+national greatness, the wound in the world's heart, the empty homes,
+those were the thoughts which in me overmastered all feelings of
+rejoicing.
+
+On Sunday morning, the 4th of May, 1919, on the Empress of Britain,
+after an absence of four years and seven months, I returned to Quebec.
+On board were the 16th Battalion with whom I had sailed away in 1914,
+the 8th Battalion, the Machine Gun Battalion, the 3rd Field        (p. 319)
+Ambulance and some of the Engineers. Like those awaking from a dream,
+we saw once more the old rock city standing out in the great river.
+There was the landing and the greeting of loving friends on the wharf
+within a stone's throw from the place whence we had sailed away. While
+I was shaking hands with my friends, an officer told me I had to
+inspect the Guard of Honour which the kind O.C. of the vessel had
+furnished. I did not know how to do this properly but I walked through
+the rows of stalwart, bronzed men and looked into their faces which
+were fixed and immovable. Each man was an original, and every unit in
+the old 1st Division was represented. For four years and seven months,
+they had been away from home, fighting for liberty and civilization.
+Many of them wore decorations; many had been wounded. No General
+returning victor from a war could have had a finer Guard of Honour.
+
+The troops had to wait on board the ship till the train was ready. All
+along the decks of the great vessel, crowded against the railings in
+long lines of khaki, were two thousand seven hundred men. Their bright
+faces were ruddy in the keen morning air. On their young shoulders the
+burden of Empire had rested. By their willing sacrifice Canada had
+been saved. It made a great lump come in my throat to look at them and
+think of what they had gone through.
+
+I went back to the gangway for a last farewell. In one way I knew it
+must be a last farewell, for though some of us will meet again as
+individuals it will be under altered conditions. Never again but in
+dreams will one see the great battalions marching on the
+battle-ploughed roads of France and Flanders. Never again will one see
+them pouring single file into the muddy front trenches. All that is
+over. Along the coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific, among our cities,
+by the shores of lakes and rivers and in the vast expanse of prairies
+and mountain passes the warrior hosts have melted away. But there on
+the vessel that day the fighting men had come home in all their
+strength and comradeship. I stood on the gangway full of conflicting
+emotions.
+
+The men called out "Speech," "Speech," as they used often to do, half
+in jest and half in earnest, when we met in concert tents and
+estaminets in France.
+
+I told them what they had done for Canada and what Canada owed them
+and how proud I was to have been with them. I asked them to continue
+to play the game out here as they had played it in France. Then,   (p. 320)
+telling them to remove their caps, as this was our last church parade,
+I pronounced the Benediction, said, "Good-bye, boys", and turned
+homewards.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX                                                              (p. 321)
+
+
+A
+
+Abbeville, 160, 161.
+
+Abeele, 132, 134.
+
+Achicourt, 302, 303, 304.
+
+Aeroplane, first ride in, 261, 264.
+
+Agnez-les-Duisans, 317.
+
+Albert, 136, 140, 146, 147, 148, 154, 158, 179, 288, 289.
+
+"Alberta," 149, 174, 178, 205, 231, 243, 244, 245, 249, 252.
+
+Alberta Dragoons, 93, 115.
+
+Alderson, Gen. 89, 98, 108, 109, 111.
+
+Ambulance drivers, 130.
+
+Americans, 240, 242, 288.
+
+American declaration of war, 165.
+
+Amesbury, 32.
+
+Amiens, 135, 186, 271, 273.
+
+"Andania," 24, 25, 27, 302.
+
+Anzin, 165, 166, 249.
+
+Anzin-St. Eloi. rd., 164.
+
+Archbishop of York, 190.
+
+Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders, 82.
+
+Arleux, 170, 177, 253.
+
+Armagh Wood, 131, 133.
+
+Armentieres, 38, 41, 98, 181.
+
+Armistice, 318.
+
+Army, 1st, 205.
+  "   5th, 242.
+  "   Hqrs., 211.
+  "     "  2nd, 134.
+  "   Service Corps, 50, 99.
+  "   Mind, the, 222.
+
+Arras, 150, 235, 246, 247, 251, 270, 290, 296, 301, 304.
+
+Arras-Bethune rd., 164, 171, 173, 174, 176.
+
+Arras-Cambrai, 310, 311.
+
+Arriane Dump, 164, 175, 176, 178.
+
+Artillery, Canadian, 285.
+  "        Monument, 239.
+
+Attention to detail, effect of, 209.
+
+Aubigny, 154.
+
+August 4th, 271.
+
+Australians, 122.
+
+Australian Tunnellers, 201.
+
+Averdoignt, 258, 259.
+
+Avonmouth, 35.
+
+
+B
+
+Bac St. Maur, 42.
+
+Bailleul, 38, 76, 98, 109, 112, 113, 114.
+
+Bailleul-sur-Berthouit, 170.
+
+Bailly-sur-Lys, 43, 46.
+
+Bapaume, 136, 137.
+
+Baptism at the Front, a, 122.
+
+Barlin, 161, 162, 206, 207, 230.
+
+Barrage, 168, 172, 198, 276, 309.
+
+Base, 267.
+
+Battalion, British, 165.
+  "        Guards, 79.
+  "        Headqrs., 249, 250, 251, 252, 269, 276, 280, 281, 294, 295.
+  "        Machine Gun, 258, 298, 300, 307, 313, 318.
+  "        of Engineers, 3rd, 272.
+  "        Pioneer, 199.
+  "        1st, 109, 181, 246, 306, 307.
+  "        2nd, 181, 207, 278, 296, 309, 311.
+  "        3rd., 125, 149, 181, 285, 311.
+  "        4th., 181, 296, 305, 306.
+  "        5th., 181, 242, 275, 277, 282, 284, 292, 294, 311, 313.
+  "        5th., Headqrs., 293.
+  "        7th., 181, 203, 235, 236, 282, 294, 295, 296, 313.
+  "        8th., 159, 181, 235, 236, 282, 283, 288, 292, 295, 302, 311,
+                 313, 314, 318.
+  "        10th., 61, 181, 270, 280, 311, 312, 314, 315, 316.
+  "        13th., 52, 80, 118, 120, 181, 277, 296, 306.
+  "        14th., 23, 24, 27, 54, 58, 61, 111, 118, 125, 159, 160, 181,
+                  246, 282, 295, 298, 301, 305, 306.
+  "        15th., 37, 38, 39, 42, 55, 118, 181, 274, 298.
+  "        16th., 37, 42, 57, 60, 72, 82, 106, 118, 119, 120, 125, 152,
+                  164, 181, 246, 272, 273, 274, 275, 277, 279, 298, 302,
+                  318.
+  "        22nd., 282.
+  "        24th., 282.
+  "        42nd., 302.
+  "        87th., 147, 148, 157, 178.
+
+Battery, my son's, 303.
+  "      Siege, 193.
+  "        "    7th., 166, 198, 199.
+  "        "    11th., 154, 155.
+
+Battle Headqrs., 136, 176, 272, 273, 290, 291, 292, 303, 304, 305.
+
+Bean, C. W. E. Mr., 289.
+
+Beaufort, 282, 286, 288.
+
+Beaurains, 303.
+
+Bedford House, 126, 132.
+
+Bed of Chairs, 79.
+
+Bell-Irving, Major, 302.
+
+Berles, 260, 261, 264.
+
+Bernaville, 147, 298.
+
+Bethune, 88, 89, 90, 159, 190, 230, 234.
+
+Bishop du Pencier, 234.
+  "    of London, 48.
+
+Bishop's College men, 114.
+
+Blind Organist, 89.
+
+Borden, Sir Robert, 22, 72, 102, 266.
+
+Boulogne, 240, 267.
+
+Bourlon Wood, 311.
+
+Boves, 272, 273.
+
+Bracquemont, 151, 191, 192, 197, 235, 240.
+
+Bray Hill, 167.
+
+Brielen, 75.
+
+Brigade, 206.
+  "      Artillery, 171, 245, 260.
+  "         "       1st., Hqrs., 199.
+  "         "       2nd.,   " 199.
+  "         "       3rd.,   " 177.
+  "         "       3rd., 36, 53, 75, 76, 77, 87, 97, 103, 168, 181.
+  "      Cavalry, 82, 98, 103.
+  "      Headqrs., 93, 156, 201.
+  "      Infantry, 65, 98.
+  "         "      3rd., Headqrs., 107, 118.
+  "      Machine Gun, 207.
+  "      Motor Machine Gun, 130.
+  "      Schools, 208.
+  "      1st, 128, 179, 234, 246, 279, 280, 285, 303, 305, 307.
+  "      2nd., 80, 181, 205, 234, 242, 255, 257, 279, 280, 282, 292,
+               305, 310, 311.
+  "      2nd., Hqrs., 235.
+  "      3rd., 31, 43, 75, 76, 77, 93, 97, 98, 242, 246, 292, 295, 298,
+               305, 310.
+
+British Artillery, 106.
+  "     Cavalry, 46.
+  "     Tribute, 169.
+
+Bruay, 159, 161, 178, 179, 180, 181, 203, 204, 205, 206, 232, 234, 235,
+       300.
+
+Brutenell, Col., 130.
+
+Buissy Switch Trench, 305.
+
+Bulford Camp, 95, 96.
+
+Bullecourt, 303.
+
+Bully-Beef Wood, 269.
+
+Bully-Grenay, 192, 193, 194, 208.
+
+Byng, Gen., 132.
+
+
+C
+
+"C" Mess, 99, 149, 217, 231, 243, 245.
+
+C.C.S., 267, 270, 286, 291, 317, 318.
+  "     British, 128, 129.
+
+Caestre, 38, 49.
+
+Cagnicourt, 296, 303.
+
+Caix, 279, 280, 281.
+
+Calais, 227.
+
+Camblain l'Abbe, 149, 151, 152, 158, 159, 238.
+
+Cambligneul, 203.
+
+Cambrai, 302, 315.
+
+Camiers, 318.
+
+Cam Valley, 249.
+
+Canadian Cavalry, Hqrs., 160.
+  "      Corps, 72, 108, 132, 149, 150, 178, 189, 190, 220, 240, 265,
+                270, 271, 272, 274.
+  "      Corps Headqrs., 109, 132, 150, 238, 260, 270.
+  "      Cyclist Corps, 142.
+  "      Light Horse, 93.
+  "      Prisoners of War Fund, 109.
+  "      Sisters, 254.
+  "      War Records Office, 184.
+
+Canal du Nord, 291, 305.
+
+Canaples, 135, 137, 147, 161.
+
+Canteen, 138.
+
+Cassel, 49, 50, 52, 134.
+
+Caves, 246.
+
+Cemetery, 152, 158, 176, 180, 291.
+  Canadian, 56, 136, 138.
+  at Ecoivres, 174.
+  Military, 214.
+  near Thelus, 156.
+
+Centre Way, 155.
+
+Chalk Pit, 199.
+
+Chamounix, 186.
+
+Chaplain, American, 270.
+  "       British, 111.
+  "       General, 34.
+  "       Junior, 194.
+  "       Praise of, 116.
+  "       Rest Home, 190.
+  "       Roman Catholic, 184.
+  "       Senior, 98, 173, 181, 190, 203, 207, 231.
+  "       Senior of Australian Div., 138.
+  "       Senior Roman Catholic, 34, 76.
+  "       1st. Army, 205.
+  "       Service Headqrs., 135.
+
+Chateau d'Acq., 183, 184, 185, 189, 251.
+  "     de la Haie, 178, 181, 230, 242, 243.
+  "     Longeau, 272.
+  "     of Le Cauroy, 147.
+  "     of Ranchicourt, 150.
+
+Cheerfulness of Men, 255.
+
+Cheery word, effect of, 67.
+
+Cherisy, 292, 294, 295, 296.
+
+Chinese Labour Companies, 192.
+
+Christmas, 32, 118, 159, 233.
+
+Church Parade, 18, 21, 22, 38, 320.
+  "    Service, 315.
+  "    under Chestnut Tree, 256.
+
+Cite St. Pierre, 238.
+
+"City of Chester," 36.
+
+Clayton, 230.
+
+Clino, 259, 260, 267.
+
+Comradeship, effect of, 78.
+
+Concert Party, 180, 192, 203, 231, 242, 243, 254, 261, 298.
+  "       "    1st Divisional, 159.
+
+Concerts, 153.
+
+Confirmation Service, 109.
+
+Congreve, General, 40.
+
+Connaught, Duke & Duchess, 22, 266.
+
+Consecration, the Supreme Idea, 299.
+
+Contalmaison, 137.
+
+Cope, 311.
+
+Convalescent Camp, 133.
+
+Coupigny, 181.
+
+Courcelette, 115, 138, 140, 142, 144, 145, 155, 157, 179.
+
+Court-o-Pyp, 96, 97.
+
+Croisilles, 302.
+
+"Crown & Anchor," 264.
+
+Crow's Nest, The, 295.
+
+Crucifix Corner, 235.
+  Dump, 193.
+
+Crucifixes, 105.
+
+Crucifixion of Canadian Soldier, 76.
+
+Currie, Gen., 80, 109, 112, 222, 239, 242, 260.
+
+
+D
+
+Dainville, 291, 298, 300, 302.
+
+"Daily Mail," 187, 191.
+
+"Dandy," 90, 91, 95, 103, 107, 108, 110, 113, 122, 128, 134, 165, 180,
+         253, 256, 265, 304.
+
+Day of Young Men, the, 182.
+
+Death Valley, 138, 156, 157, 179.
+
+Deligny's Mill, 312.
+
+Desertion, procedure for death penalty, 211.
+  "        death penalty inflicted, 214.
+
+Dish washing in the trenches, 236.
+
+Divion, 234.
+
+Division, 106, 122, 132, 162, 177, 192, 199, 203, 207, 209, 216, 220,
+          226, 227, 228, 242, 251, 253, 260, 265, 268, 280, 287, 288,
+          289, 291.
+  "       1st., 33, 46, 93, 108, 130, 149, 172, 178, 194, 264, 266, 274,
+          317, 319.
+  "       2nd., 108, 138, 175, 281, 291, 296, 303.
+  "       3rd., 129, 274, 300, 302, 304.
+  "       4th., 146, 154, 158, 231, 232, 242, 294, 295, 311.
+  "       Guards, 123, 132.
+  "       Scots, 250.
+
+Divisional Area, 2nd., 282.
+  "        1st. Wing, 267, 268.
+  "        Headqrs., 123, 134, 135, 147, 159, 173, 183, 191, 213, 230,
+                     256, 271.
+  "           "      1st. Can., 264, 286.
+  "        Rest Camp, 132.
+  "        Sports, 261.
+  "        Train, 133, 208, 209.
+
+Dominion Day, 189.
+  "       "   Sports, 266.
+
+Douai, 249.
+
+Douai-Cambrai, 312.
+
+Double-Crassier, 194.
+
+Douve, 118.
+
+Dregs of the Cup, 303.
+
+Dressing Station, 140, 142, 144, 177, 200, 201, 227, 235, 284, 285, 291,
+                  296, 309, 314, 316.
+
+Drocourt-Queant Line, 291, 297.
+
+Duffy, 62, 73.
+
+Durham Light Infantry, 39.
+
+Duty as a guide, 250.
+  "  "  " runner, 250.
+
+
+E
+
+Easter Day, 48, 123, 245.
+  "     "   1916, 128.
+
+Ecoivres, 162, 166, 167, 172, 232, 252.
+
+Edinburgh, 240.
+
+"Empress of Britain," 318.
+
+Endsleigh Palace Hospital, 318.
+
+Engineer Companies, 245.
+
+English Channel, 28.
+
+Epinoy, 314.
+
+Estaires, 46, 48, 49.
+
+Etrun, 247, 248, 251, 268, 270.
+
+Estree-Cauchie, 204.
+
+Evians-les-Bains, 187.
+
+
+F
+
+Fampoux, 249, 250, 263.
+
+Farbus, 177.
+
+Festubert, 80, 82, 89.
+
+Feuchy, 249, 250, 263, 269.
+
+Field Ambulance, 1st., 303.
+  "      "       2nd., 68, 69, 70, 74.
+  "      "       3rd., 37, 133, 319.
+  "   Co. Engineers, 3rd., 135.
+
+Fight in a Church Service, 102.
+
+Fletre, 38, 122.
+
+Fleurbaix, 43.
+
+Florence, 223, 226.
+
+"Florizel," 26.
+
+Foch, Marshal, 254, 255.
+
+"Follies, The," 123.
+
+Fort Glatz, 193, 199, 235.
+
+Fosseaux, 245, 247.
+
+"Four Winds, The," 152, 154.
+
+France, Patriotism of, 188.
+
+Fresnicourt, 185, 190.
+
+Fresnoy, 177, 178, 233.
+
+Frevent, 253, 254.
+
+Frohen Le Grand, 147.
+
+
+G
+
+Gas Attack, 240, 241.
+
+Gas Poisoning, 201.
+
+Gas Shells, 269.
+
+Gaspe Basin, 26.
+
+Gasquet, Cardinal, 222.
+
+General Hospital, No. 2, 35, 36, 37, 80, 97.
+
+Gentelles Wood, 272, 273, 279.
+
+German Aeroplane, 111.
+  "    Dugouts, 136.
+  "    Prisoners, 65, 80, 82, 142, 144, 200, 278, 283, 284, 295, 312, 316.
+  "    Spy, 83, 89, 96, 108.
+  "    Thoroughness, 66.
+
+Ghurkas, 79.
+
+Glasgow Highlanders, 81.
+
+Good Friday, 48, 165, 245.
+
+Gouldberg Copse, 227.
+
+Gouy-Servins, 231.
+
+Graham, Rev. E. E., 296.
+
+Graves, Unrecorded, 158.
+
+Great Memories of the War, 117.
+
+Grenade School, 132, 133.
+
+Grenay, 235.
+
+Groves, Vaughan, 234, 235.
+
+Gwynne, Bishop, 99, 100, 135.
+
+
+H
+
+Haig, Gen., 78, 79.
+
+Hallicourt, 180.
+
+Hangard Wood, 277.
+
+Harter, Major, M.C., 40.
+
+Hatchet Wood, 282.
+
+Hautes Avesnes, 298.
+
+Haynecourt, 305, 311, 312, 316.
+
+Headquarters, 112, 122, 178, 206, 211, 267, 268.
+
+Hell Fire Corner, 69.
+
+Hendecourt, 303.
+
+Hendecourt Dury, 295.
+
+Hill 60-54, 55, 124.
+
+Hill 63-91, 101, 106, 113, 117, 118.
+
+Hill 70-197, 198, 202, 203, 205, 207, 208, 233, 235, 240.
+
+"Hole in the Wall, The," 195.
+
+Holy Communion, 21, 27, 32, 40, 49, 66, 71, 77, 95, 96, 101, 119, 120,
+                132, 143, 146, 147, 150, 160, 163, 164, 166, 176, 190,
+                211, 232, 243, 245, 246, 292, 302.
+
+Honor to a Belgian Maid, 111.
+
+Hooge, 124.
+
+Hooggraaf, 123, 128, 134.
+
+Horne, Gen., 172, 176, 181, 205.
+
+Hornoy, 271, 272.
+
+Houdain, 180, 181.
+
+Houplines, 39.
+
+Hughes, Gen., 15, 17, 21, 22, 53, 102, 103.
+
+Hugo Trench, 235.
+
+
+I
+
+Ignacourt, 280.
+
+Inchy Station, 303, 304, 305.
+
+Indian Troops, 74.
+  "    Village, 80.
+
+Ironside, Col., 148.
+
+Italian, 1st. Div., 218.
+  "      3rd Army, 221.
+
+Izel-les-Hameaux, 261, 262, 264.
+
+
+J
+
+Joffre, Gen., 72.
+
+Johnson, Johnny, 261, 264.
+
+Jutland, 129, 130.
+
+
+K
+
+Khaki University, 267.
+
+King, The, 32, 72, 134.
+
+"King Edward's Horse," 112.
+
+Kitchener, Earl, 102, 103, 129.
+
+Kort Dreuve, 101.
+
+
+L
+
+La Boisselle, 137.
+
+Labyrinth, 173.
+
+Lacouture, 79.
+
+La Creche, 94.
+
+Lake of Geneva, 187.
+
+Lamb, Col., 219, 221, 223.
+
+Lark Hill, 31.
+
+La Targette Rd., 183.
+
+Laventie, 45.
+
+Le Brebis, 192, 235.
+
+Le Cauroy, 253, 254, 261, 270, 271, 301.
+
+Lectures on Leave Trip to Rome, 257, 258.
+
+Leicesters, 45.
+
+Lens, 197, 202, 235, 241, 263.
+
+Lens-Arras, 176, 185, 207.
+
+Lens-Bethune Rd., 200.
+
+Les Tilleuls, 239.
+
+Le Touret, 80, 82.
+
+Liencourt, 271.
+
+Lieven, 208, 240, 262, 263.
+
+Loison, 267, 268.
+
+London, 91, 93, 240, 318.
+
+Loos, 109, 110, 192, 193, 197, 201, 207, 235, 240.
+
+Loos Crassier, 200.
+
+Lord's Prayer, 71, 142.
+
+Lyons, 259, 260, 273, 289, 300.
+
+
+M
+
+MacDonald, Murdoch, 44, 52, 53, 54, 67, 68, 75, 81, 87, 94, 95.
+
+Macdonell, Gen., 82, 189.
+
+Macphail, Col., 300, 303.
+
+Maison Blanche, 164, 169.
+
+Mametz, 146.
+
+Maple Copse, 133.
+
+Maroc, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 235.
+
+Maroeil, 249.
+
+Marquion, 310.
+
+Marseilles, 216.
+
+Mazingarbe, 192, 235.
+
+Memorial Service for Hill 70 Attack, 206.
+
+Memories of the War, 132.
+
+Mercer, Gen., 128, 129.
+
+Merville, 46.
+
+Messines, 101.
+
+Military Prison, 123.
+
+Ministering to German Prisoners, 278.
+
+Miraumont, 139, 157.
+
+Moment Before Attack, 276.
+
+Mons, 260.
+
+Mont des Cats, 112, 128, 129.
+
+Montreuil, 267.
+
+Mont St. Eloi, 149, 150.
+
+Morgue, 124.
+
+Mount Kemmel, 112.
+
+Murray, Major, 112.
+
+
+N
+
+Nazebrouck, 37.
+
+Neuve Chapelle, 45.
+
+Neuve Eglise Rd., 95, 96.
+
+Neuville St. Vaast, 169.
+
+Neuville Vitasse, 291.
+
+New Year, 160, 233.
+
+Nieppe, 98, 99, 108, 109, 112.
+
+"Nine Elms," 174.
+
+Noeux les Mines, 191.
+
+"No Man's Land," 120, 126, 149, 207, 249, 269.
+
+
+O
+
+Observation Balloons, 181, 182.
+  "         Post, 280.
+
+Ohlain, 152, 205.
+
+Ouderdom, 74.
+
+
+P
+
+Paris, 186, 187, 227.
+
+Parish Visiting, 20, 192, 235, 267, 269.
+
+Passchendale 220, 227, 228, 229, 230, 233.
+
+Patricia, Princess, 22.
+
+Petit Moncque Farm, 103, 107, 118.
+
+"Philo," 91, 94, 95, 104, 134, 149.
+
+"Pineapples," 236, 237, 238.
+
+Pisa, 217, 226.
+
+Place St. Croix, 251.
+
+Ploegsteert, 38, 91, 94, 100, 102, 103, 110, 113, 118.
+
+Plymouth, 28.
+
+Poems: "The Unnamed Lake," 307.
+       "Requiescant," 75.
+
+Pope, The, 220.
+
+Poperinghe, 123, 128, 132, 207, 227, 230.
+
+Poppies, 261.
+
+Pozieres, 137, 138, 142, 144, 155.
+
+Price, Major, 301.
+
+Pronville, 305.
+
+Pudding Lane, 249.
+  "     Trench, 249, 269.
+
+Puzzling Question, A, 163.
+
+Pys., 139, 157.
+
+
+Q
+
+Quatre Vents, 203.
+
+Queant, 305, 317.
+
+Quebec, 318.
+
+Queen's Own Westminsters, 41.
+
+Quesnel, 288.
+
+
+R
+
+Railway Dugouts, 124, 126, 130, 131, 132.
+  "     Triangle, 270.
+
+Ranchicourt, 152, 193.
+
+Ravine, 133.
+
+Recitation of Poem Under Difficulties, 195.
+
+Record Attack, A, 172.
+
+Record-beating Advance, 280.
+
+Refugees, 69.
+
+Regina Trench, 138, 148, 156, 157, 158, 180.
+
+Religion of Men at Front, 116, 134.
+
+Rest Camp, 185, 190.
+
+Riviera, 217.
+
+Robecq, 78, 230.
+
+Roberts, Lord, 32.
+
+Robertson, Sir Wm., 220.
+
+Roclincourt, 176.
+
+Roellencourt, 147, 148, 149.
+
+Romarin, 94, 111.
+
+Rome, 216, 217.
+
+Rome, March Through the Streets, 218.
+
+Rosieres, 280, 282.
+
+Ross, Pte., 95, 104, 112, 114, 154, 254, 304.
+
+Rouville, 246.
+
+Rouvroy, 285.
+
+Royal Canadian Regiment, 189.
+
+Royal Horse Artillery, 281.
+
+Royal Rifles, 8th, 15, 16.
+
+Rubempre, 135, 136, 137.
+
+Ruitz, 180, 181.
+
+
+S
+
+Sad stories, 139, 141.
+
+Sains-en-Gohelle, 235.
+
+Salient, 122, 128, 130, 132, 230, 270.
+
+Salisbury Plain, 30, 34.
+
+Sanctuary Wood, 125, 133.
+
+Sappers, 78.
+
+Sausage Valley, 137.
+
+Scarpe, 165, 247, 250, 251, 269.
+
+Scarpe Valley, 249.
+
+Second Army School, 190.
+
+Seely, Gen., 98, 111.
+
+Shells, 17 inch, 57.
+
+Shell Trap Farm, 65.
+
+"Shock Troops," 255.
+
+"Silent Toast, The," 174.
+
+"Sky Pilot," 181.
+
+Smith-Dorrien, Gen., 38, 52, 53.
+
+Somme, 134, 137, 179.
+
+Sons, My, 46, 146, 147, 148, 165, 176, 178, 190, 230, 262, 267, 289.
+
+Son's Grave, 157, 158, 180, 288.
+
+Souchez, 231.
+
+Spy Fever, 196.
+
+Squadron, 13th, 261.
+
+St. Aubin, 249.
+
+St. Eloi Rd., 167, 249.
+
+St. Feuchien, 272, 273.
+
+St. George's Church, 123, 175, 176, 189.
+ "    "        "     No. 2, 184.
+ "    "        "     No. 3, 232.
+ "    "      Rectory, 184, 233.
+
+St. Jans Cappel, 112, 113, 114, 122.
+
+St. Jean, 61, 67.
+
+St. Julien, 54, 61.
+
+St. Lawrence, 26.
+
+St. Nazaire, 36.
+
+St. Nicholas, 249.
+
+St. Omer, 99, 100, 134, 135, 190.
+
+St. Pol Rd., 147, 160, 161, 258, 259, 261, 267.
+
+St. Sauveur Cave, 246.
+
+St. Sylvestre, 50.
+
+St. Venant, 230.
+
+Steenje, 77, 78, 93.
+
+Steenvoorde, 54, 134.
+
+Stewart, Charles, 302.
+
+Stonehenge, 32.
+
+Strand, 151.
+
+Strathcona Horse, 107.
+
+Strazeele, 37.
+
+Stretcher Bearers, 145.
+
+Sunday Program, 132.
+
+Swan Chateau, 127.
+
+
+T
+
+Talbot House, 123, 230.
+
+Talbot, Neville, 123.
+
+"Tanks," 140, 274, 277, 282.
+
+Tara Hill, 136, 137, 147, 154, 158, 180, 289.
+
+Telegraph Hill, 246.
+
+Tent Hospitals, Canadian, 208.
+
+Terdeghem, 52, 53.
+
+Thacker, Gen., 134, 192, 260, 272, 287, 303, 305.
+
+Thelus, 170.
+
+"The Times," 180.
+
+Tilloy, 269.
+
+Tilques, 135.
+
+Tincques, 264, 266.
+
+Training for Final Attack, 255.
+
+Tully, 160.
+
+Turcos, 63, 72.
+
+Turin, 226.
+
+
+U
+
+"Unbroken Line, The," 7.
+
+
+V
+
+Valcartier, 16, 17, 19, 24.
+  "         Departure, 23.
+
+Vandervyver, M., 54, 60, 67, 68.
+
+Venezelos, M., 221.
+
+Verbranden Molen, 126.
+
+Verdrel, 259.
+
+Victory Year, 234.
+
+Villers au Bois, 183, 189.
+
+Villers-Cagnicourt, 296.
+
+Villers-Chatel, 205, 256, 257, 263.
+
+Vimy Ridge, 150, 151, 162, 164, 167, 169, 178, 181, 233, 239, 263.
+
+Vlamertinghe, 59, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73, 130, 132, 227.
+
+
+W
+
+Wailly, 298.
+
+Wanquetin, 298.
+
+Warlus, 245, 247, 299, 300, 301.
+
+Warvilliers, 282, 284, 286.
+
+Westhof Farm, 98.
+
+Wieltje, 54, 55, 61, 62.
+
+Willerval, 170, 177.
+
+Wingles, 193.
+
+Wippenhock, 130.
+
+Wisques, 190.
+
+Wounded, 316.
+
+Wreath on Victor Emmanuel Statue, 221.
+
+Wulverghem, 106, 115.
+
+
+Y
+
+Y.M.C.A., 30, 138, 155, 166, 203, 204, 208, 267, 292, 298.
+
+Ypres, 49, 50, 54, 55, 124, 128, 130, 132, 227, 230.
+
+Yser Canal, 54, 55.
+
+
+Z
+
+Zillebeke Bund, 125.
+
+Zulus, 192, 193.
+
+
+                         _Warwick Bros. & Rutter, Limited_
+                             _Printers and Bookbinders_
+                                    _Toronto_
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Great War As I Saw It, by
+Frederick George Scott
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