t. Julien I sent some runners ahead of me to
notify Captains Alexander and Cory to break off and retire to general
headquarters line of trenches as soon as the British troops took over
from them. The messengers came back and reported that the village was
in the possession of the enemy and that they had been fired upon. Only
an hour before I had received a message from Captain Alexander telling
me that they were having a pretty tough time, that they were glad to
know that I was still safe and that help would be very welcome.

We made several attempts to get into St. Julien but found the Germans
held it in considerable force. It was some days later that we learned
that Alexander and Cory and a devoted few had held on to the trenches
at the northeast angle of the village, although surrounded all that
night and part of the next day, Sunday.

On Sunday morning the British troops about daylight launched an attack
to recover St. Julien. Four battalions, the Royal Irish Fusiliers, the
Dublin Fusiliers, the Seaforth Highlanders and the Warwicks, with the
Northumberland brigade in support, tried to retake the village. They
found the remnant of the garrison very much alive in the northwest
corner although surrounded by the Germans. They, however, failed to
carry the village and save the Canadian garrison.

The 48th had suffered terrible losses along with the other battalions
of the 3rd Brigade. The question may be asked why did we hang on. Why
did not the Canadians retire when they found the Germans were in such
force and determined to take their trenches? Instead they stuck to
their redoubts and did not budge. They fought back to back when
surrounded and refused to give up, driving the enemy back scores of
times, until only about 100 of the 800 in our forward trenches were
able to raise a rifle. They had lived up to the best traditions of a
Highland Regiment. Had we retired, or had the corps at the angle which
connected us retired, Canada would have been disgraced forever.

General Alderson, a couple of weeks later, after he had reviewed the
whole situation answered all critics by issuing a general order to all
the Canadians from which I quote.

"I think it is possible that you do not, all of you, quite realize
that if we had retired on the evening of the 22nd April, when our
Allies fell back before the gas and left our left flank quite open,
the whole of the 27th and 28th Divisions would probably have been cut
off, certainl