in width--had been "No Man's Land." Attempts made by day and night to
bury some of these bodies had to be given up, as the enemy swept the
parapets of both trenches, on the least sign of movement, with
"whizz-bangs." The Western Ontario Battalion suffered horribly, a
constant stream of stretchers coming through our lines, starting with
daybreak. These small shells were fired from light field-guns that had
been brought up to the trenches, and were in consequence so close that
the shell arrived and burst almost simultaneously with the report of the
gun. Shells fired at the ordinary ranges announce their coming by a
prolonged whirr, allowing a certain amount of time to get under cover
before the burst comes.

We held this line till the night of the 24th, when we went forward to
relieve the 3rd Brigade and consolidate the ground won by them. Each man
carried two days' rations, a shovel, an extra bandolier of cartridges,
and twelve sandbags, in addition to his ordinary fighting equipment.

Most of the companies had some kind of trench to start work on, but at
our end there was nothing but a line marked out by the engineers.
Listening posts and covering parties were sent out, and by morning we
were occupying a ditch about three feet deep with a fairly good parapet
in front. No fires were permitted, as we were hidden by grass from the
enemy and the trench was not yet in shape to stand any bombardment.

The next night we were fortunate in obtaining more sandbags and some
timber from a German trench we had passed on the way up. Some mail and
parcels of food came up, and we managed to clear out our wounded. Most
welcome was ammunition for the flare pistols the officers carried. We
had come into the trench with six rounds for each pistol and had been
carefully saving them in case the enemy attacked.

Our parapet was now high enough to be easily visible to the enemy, and
we received considerable attention from his snipers and artillery the
following day. No serious damage was done, however, and we were relieved
the following night by a Territorial battalion of Highlanders.

On the 26th General French, having attained for the moment the immediate
object in view, ordered a curtailment of the bombardment and a
consolidation of all positions won, and the Battle of Festubert came to
an end.

By the 31st of the month the whole Canadian Division had been withdrawn
and lay in reserve billets around the outskirts of Bethune.