over Pozieres Ridge and then our work was
downhill for the time. We arrived at the firing line on the 29th of
August, 1916. The accompanying map will convey a general idea of the
object intended to be attained by the great drive. The German
organization in this district was fed by railroads having terminals at
Bapaume and it was clearly evident that with this city in our possession
the supply organization of the enemy would be largely demoralized. Hence
the plan. Bapaume lay southwest from our trenches a matter of 15 miles;
intervening were the towns of Labazell, Pozieres, Courcelette and
Martinpuieh,--all on the Albert-Bapaume road.

We arrived just in time to save Pozieres. The Australian boys had driven
their way clean through to this place, but had not sufficient
reenforcements to hold it, and were being exterminated when we reached
the point and saved them with our guns and the wonderful work of our
infantry in driving the Boches half-a-mile over the ridge. The
opportunity for Canada to assist her sister dominion was a matter of
profound thankfulness to every man of us; to lend a helping hand under
such circumstances was indeed cheery work.

The Imperial troops and Australians, under great difficulties, had
blasted their way into Labazell, the crater of the mine blown up being
one of the largest I have seen on the Western front. This was the
commencement of the Somme offensive and happened on the 1st of July,
1916. When I reached this crater two battalions of Canadian troops were
stationed in its depths in holes burrowed all around the sides, and it
was used as an assembling point for reenforcements. This will convey an
idea of the extent of the mining operations.

The distance from the mine to our new position was three-quarters of a
mile and the ground was billeted with corpses all the way to our
battery; in the crater itself it was impossible to step without walking
on bits of human bodies, and the dugouts surrounding were filled with
German dead; there were thousands of them. It was so manifestly
impossible to give them any sort of a burial that the order was issued
to fill in the dugouts where they lay and this was done by heaving the
ground in on top of them. Never to my dying day can I forget the sight
of those German dead! Dead everywhere! In whatever direction the eye
turned there were the rigid warriors of the Kaiser cold in death. It was
many nights before I could get a straight sleep without seeing