The successful capture of Vimy Ridge ended another chapter in the annals of the Canadian Corps which was soon to be regarded as second to none on the Western front. It also witnessed the birth of a new battalion, whose fame up to the present, had not extended beyond the borders of the County of Ontario, but whose ideals, if lived up to, would make it second to none in the gallant Corps to which it now belonged.
The recent successes had not been achieved without heavy casualties, and when these casualties were made good by reinforcements it was quite evident that the other Battalions in our Division were not greatly superior to our own in the way of old and experienced soldiers. Their Headquarters were, of course, composed of men who had seen considerable fighting, but otherwise from now on we were all more or less on an equal footing.
The months of May and June slipped away, with nothing more important being allotted to us than taking over a line of trenches and holding them; in fact, the usual trench routine with working parties mixed in. As a special treat one night we were allowed to dig a jumping-off trench for another Battalion, who were conducting a raid in our Sector; but anything in the nature of real[28] fighting was considered beyond us for the present, although there was a certain amount going on practically all the time, the Bosch being pushed gently but firmly away from the Ridge as far as Avion and Méricourt—a distance of four miles.
In these minor operations, as they were called, the 116th was either detailed as the supporting Battalion or else the reserve Battalion for the Brigade, and as the Bosch showed very little inclination to remain in his then exposed positions, the result was that by the middle of July the “Umpty Umps” (as we had been nicknamed, not wholly in fun, by the older units) had not been actually engaged in any action of a direct nature whatsoever. In spite of this, our casualties had been quite heavy, indicating that the main line of resistance is not always the healthiest place to occupy during an engagement; in fact, with the exception of Major Currie, “C” Company, not one of our original Company Commanders remained. During one of these tours in the line one of our companies came across a memorial to the 60th Battalion erected by some of their men close to the Village of Vimy. The memorial was in the shape of a cross with the inscription “In memory of the 60th Battalion. 1915—Raised by Patriotism. 1917—Killed by Politics.” A reflection perhaps not entirely without foundation.
On the 5th of July the 9th Brigade was withdrawn to Divisional reserve at Chateau de la Haie—meaning that for a week at least we would have no working parties,[29] also that we would all get an opportunity of having a real live shower bath and a change of underclothes, which in most cases was an urgent necessity.
It was during this period that the Brigade Commander announced his intention of formally inspecting us, and at the completion of his inspection, having congratulated us on our good appearance and also our general behaviour since joining his Brigade, he pointed out that although we had shown extraordinary ability at baseball and other sports, having lately won the Brigade Championship, much to the discomfiture of the older Battalions, we had not so far proved our ability in the noblest sport of all, namely, that of “strafing the Hun.” Proceeding, he indicated that we would be given every opportunity to do this during the next tour of the Brigade in the line. This announcement was greeted by “prolonged cheering,” for there was nothing to our minds so alluring as the anticipation of getting to grips with an enemy who had inflicted casualties amongst us, and upon whom we had had no opportunity for retaliation.
Great was the excitement after the departure of the Brigadier, and many the conjectures as to the nature of the “opportunity” we had so long been waiting for; even the visit of King George V., for whom we lined the road that afternoon, did little or nothing in removing the one thought that was uppermost in the mind of each one of us.
Having no scheme of our own, it was evidently the[30] duty of Divisional or Brigade H.Q. to devise some scheme for us, and this they were not long in doing, for on the 12th of July—four days after the visit of the Brigadier—we received orders that instead of proceeding up the line with the rest of the Brigade we would occupy Comak Camp in the neighborhood of Berthonval Farm and there carry out practices over taped trenches for a raid, the details of which would be disclosed to us later.