The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-01

The brunt of the battle, tht the 3rd brigade.
 "On April 22nd. .''s the account com tinues. the Canadian division held a line of roughly 5000 yards. The gas fumes, aided by favorable wind, fIoated baekwaFds, disabling over an extended area those who fell under their effects.
 ''The immediate consequence of the extremely grave.
 1t became innperatively necessary greatly to extend the Canadian lines to the left. rear. The new line, of wh1cn our recent point of contact with the French formed the apex, ran It became necessary for Brig. General Turner, commanding the 3rd brigade, to throw lack this left flank south yaVd to protect his rear. In the course of the confusion which follow ed upon tEe readjustment of position the enemy, which had advanced rapidly, after his initial successes, took four British AT guns in a small wood to the west of the village of St Julian. two miles in the rear of the original French trenches.
 fsThe enanly's attack developed with particular intensity upon the Apex of the newly formed line running in the direction Of St Julien.
 Tn the course of the night of the 22nd and under the heaviest machine gun fire, this wood where the four gurs had earlier been captured by the enemy, was assaulted by the Cana dian-ScottIsh 16th battalion of the Third Brigade and the Tenth Battalion of the Second Brigade, which after a most fierce struggle, took the position at the point of the bayonets At mid night the second battalion and the FrV. r-Nz- (ea . battalion) both of the first brigade brought up much needed reinforce ments- M
 'tAIl through the following day and night the Canadians shared the for tunes and the m1sfortunes of the 3rd brigade An officer who took part in the attack describes how the men with him fell under the fire of the machine guns which, he said, played upon them like a watering pot
 fsBut the line never wavered. When one man fell another took his place and with final shout the survivors of the two battaIfens flung themselves into the wood The German garrison was completely demoralized and the inapetuoIIs advance of the Canadians did not cease until they reached the far side of the wood and entrenched themselves in position so dearly gain ed.k They had, however the disap-
 
 lbeen blown up by the enemy and later in the same night, a most formidable concentration of artillery fire sweep ing the wood as a tropical storm sweeps the leaves from forest, made it impossible for them to hold the position for which they had sacrificed so much.
 The fighting continued without in- termission all through the night. At a. nn.. on Friday, the 2srd, the situa- tion was becoming more and more fn- volved, and a German attempt to out flank it developed rapidly.
 Ut was, therefore; decided to try to give relief by a counter-attack up- on the first line of German trenches, now far advanced from those origin all occupied by the French. This was carried out by the Ontario First and Fourth Battalions of the First Brigade, under Brig. General Morcer, acting in combination with a British brigade.
 'It did not seem that any human being could live in the shower of shot and shell which began to play on the advancing troops. They suffered ter cry other man seemed to fall, but the attack was pressed ever closer and closer. The Fourth Canadian batta1- lion at one moment came under 8 par ticularly whitening fire. For a mo- ment, not more it wavered. It's gall | onel Birchal carrying after an old fashion a light cane, cool1y rallied his men and at the very moment when his example had infected them, fell dead at the head of his battalion.
 With a hoarse cry of anger they sprang forward (for indeed they loved ] him) as if to avenge his death The astonishing attack which followed pushed home in the face of direct frontal fire made in broad daylight was carried to the first line of German | trenches After a hand-to-hand strug- gle, the last German who resisted was l bayoneted and the trench was won"i The narrative says that two privates 1 of the 18th Highlanders perished of 1 the poisonous fumes set free by the l Germans. Tn conclusion the official story says:
 On Friday afternoon the left Can adfan line was strengthened by impor- | tant endorsements of British troops amounting to seven battaIions From this time forward the Canadians also continued to receive further assistance on the left from 8 series of French counter-attack pushed in a northeast erly direction from the canal bank l A second instalment of Sir Max | Aitken's narrative brings the account up to Friday, April 23. It says:
 The fire of the artillery of the J enemy continued with intensity. II l became evident that the Canadian sa- ! lient could be longer be maintained against the overwhelming superiority | of numbers by which it was assai1ed. l Slowly, stubbornly and contesting