make such an attempt first on
that part of the line between Richebourg on the left and Festubert on
the right.

The British Seventh Division was sent south to support the attack
which was to have been made on May 12, 1915. On that day it was too
foggy for the aviators to see with any degree of accuracy; so the
movement was delayed. This gave time for the Canadian Division to be
sent south and add their strength to the support. The German trenches,
at this point where the attack was to be made, were occupied by the
Seventh Westphalian Army Corps. This corps had lost many of its men at
Neuve Chapelle; and their places had been taken by youths who had not
reached the development of manhood and whose immaturity and lack of
military training greatly lessened the efficiency of this famous body
of troops.

Finally, on Saturday night, May 15, 1915, all conditions for the
attack seemed favorable to the British. There was no moon and the sky
was dark, though there was not that inky blackness that occasionally
occurs under similar weather conditions. The Indian Corps stole from
their trenches and began to go forward from Richebourg l'Avoue. But
the Germans were alert, and they illumined the movement with
innumerable flares which made the Indians easy targets for the machine
guns and rifles of the Teutons in that part of the line. So quick was
the work to repel the attack that many of the Indians were slain as
they were climbing out of their own trenches. As a surprise attack at
night, the British were not making much of a success of their plan,
but as a method of gaining ground and keeping their enemy busy on that
particular part of the line the men of their Second Division were
effective. They dashed into the first line of German trenches and
cleared them out with the bayonet and hand grenade. The furor of the
attack took them on into the second line. By dawn the soldiers of the
Second Division had driven a wedge into the German line.

This wedge was widened and driven in harder by Sir Douglas Haig's old
command--the First Corps. This corps had suffered heavy losses at the
first battle of Ypres; but the men who filled the gaps in the line
were hardy young men who made excellent soldiers from the start. Added
to their enthusiasm was a desire to show their ability as fighters,
with the result that the British right wing was so effective that it,
in a great measure, made up for the failure of the Indian troops. The
center and t