as not a single one to
be seen. They had all gone forward toward the front where they could
be of the greatest use.

When the French people of the little villages through which we passed
saw the name "Canadian" on our car they nudged each other and repeated
the word "Canadien." It was the name in everybody's mouth those days,
for it was now general knowledge that the Canadian division had thrown
itself into the gap and stemmed the German rush to Calais. The whole
world was ringing with the story of how the colonial troops had barred
the road to the channel to a force many times its size in men and
guns, and armed with poison gas, the most terrible device of warfare
that had yet been invented.

And well may it be said that the 22nd of April, 1915, was, to the
allies, one of the two most vital days since the beginning of the war.
The Germans had planned to break through and seize the French coast
along the narrowest portion of the channel. Once established there
they would have attempted to cover the channel with their long range
naval guns, while they would have established for their submarines
harbours which could be protected by the same guns. Under such
circumstances, cross channel traffic and the maintenance of our lines
of communication would have proved to be a very difficult matter
indeed, for the subs would then, at any time, have easy access to our
channel path.

The importance of the Canadian fight during that first twenty-four
hours was out of all ratio to the size of our forces. The whole
success of the battle hinged on the attack by two battalions on the
morning of the 23rd of April. These two battalions were sent up into
the centre of the gap left in the line by the retreat of the French
colonials. Supported by four field guns, they advanced steadily under
a terrific fire from the enemy. As General Mercer said to me
afterwards, it was, according to the book, probably as crazy a bit of
military tactics as could possibly have been tried, but the very
daring of the attempt proved its success. The Germans, believing that
such a counter attack must be backed up by much stronger forces,
hesitated to come on and the day was saved, for while they hesitated
and made sure of their ground, troops were hurried up from other parts
of the line and the Huns had missed their chance. That first night if
the Germans had simply walked ahead they would have found nothing to
stop them, but they were too much dazed with thei