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