village.
But their sniping was braved for a few days more, and then one night
they staggered weakly back through nightmare villages to Germaine for
rest.

After resting at Germaine the Battalion set off on the 19th for Canizy
which was reached by evening. They found this village emptied of the
native populace and saw that the Germans had been carrying out their
usual work of destruction in the same wanton and deliberate scale as
in nearly every village in the regained area. A more cheerful memory
of this devastated village is that while here the Battalion got its
new bugle band. While stationed there the Battalion marched over to
Ham where a football match was to be played. Their march into the
town caused great interest, and they passed through a long line of
French soldiers and civilians who lined the roads. On their approach
along the main street, the square seemed totally blocked with a mass
of French soldiers, and a company of infantry stood at the "present"
as a Guard of Honour as they marched past the Town Hall, while the
French band rendered our National Anthem. After the Battalion team had
won their match by 6 goals to 1 against the 121st Infantry Regiment
and a scratch team had played a drawn game against the 408th Regiment,
the French band played the men out of the village. But the French were
not allowed to have all their own way of it with the music, for the
Battalion Pipe Band played to them and was received with much favour.

The regiment was in highest spirits, battle scarred and with a
glorious record of great achievements established. The Battalion
remained at rest in the village of Canizy until May 15th--that is,
they trained hard and played hard, went marches and were inspected,
performed innumerable fatigues and parades and carried out generally
that never ending programme of activities which always makes a soldier
smile at the mention of the word "rest!" The men played some of their
keenest and most memorable games of soccer here, and one of the
principle pastimes engaged in by the officers was hunting, until this
was forbidden by G.H.Q. The country, being entirely uncultivated made
ideal going. Major Campbell, in charge of Physical Training, G.H.Q.,
was with the 17th for some time, and put extra life into sport and
training.

On the 15th the Battalion moved off to Curchy, via Voyennes and Nesle,
and on the succeeding day to Rosieres and so on to Hangard on the
18th, where the "resting" was ca