oined 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.