its position which
was of great importance to the British front. For, had that part
of the front been lost, the Germans in an hour could have worked
their way back of the Twenty-eighth Division and the entire eastern
sector.

In the meantime the French on the western section of the front
made a counterattack from the canal with partial success; but were
unable to drive the German troops from the sector entirely. The
Teutons took Steenstraate; but their victory there was marred by
the fact that the Belgian artillery smashed the bridge behind them.
By this time the British reenforcements began to arrive in fairly
large numbers. The Thirteenth Brigade of the Fifth Division was
placed to the west of Geddes's Detachment, between the Pilkem road
and the canal. Territorials who had arrived from England only three
days before, the Durham and York Brigades of the Northumbrian Division,
supported the Thirteenth Brigade. The Tenth Brigade of the Fourth
Division were rushed to support the Third Brigade of Canadians
who were south of St. Julien. Other British troops were sent to
relieve the tense situation at Grafenstafel.

An attempt to retake St. Julien was made early on Sunday morning,
April 25, 1915, by General Hull's Tenth Brigade and two battalions
of the Durham and York Brigade. The British worked their way to
the few Canadians who had continued on the former front when the
main British force had been driven back. There they were checked
by the German machine gun fire. The British lost many men here and
the efforts to save the day resulted in such a mixture of fighting
units that there were fifteen battalions under General Hull, as
well as the Canadian artillery.

At Grafenstafel the Eighth Battalion of the Durham Brigade were
bombarded with asphyxiating shells before the German infantry attack.
The fighting on this section of the front was fierce throughout
the afternoon, but finally the British were forced to retire. At
Broodseinde, the extreme eastern point of the allied front, the Germans
made a desperate attempt to take the salient, using asphyxiating
and other bombs again and again on the men of the Twenty-eighth
Division of the British. King George's men, however, repelled the
attacks with severe loss to the Teutons, taking many prisoners.

The French on the left, beyond the Yperlee Canal, prevented the
advance of the German troops; and, farther to the left, the Belgians
checked three attacks in which asphyxiatin