The Alaska daily empire., 1917-08-27
Vimy Ridge Scenes When the Thermometer Stood at Zero with Wind
 Rowling.
MEN WORK IN THE SNOW
Canadian Surgeons Work on Front; Service of Days Fighting Is
 Given in Detail.
Established
 1891

Captain Andrew McPhail Profes ,, sor of History of Medicine at McGill University Montreal, now with the Canadian Army Medical Corps, writes the following account of "A Days Work" He talks. of the medical la bors at the taking of Vimy Ridge.
 The account is contributed to The Empire by Dr. William Pallister of the Juneau Geenral Hospital, friend and classmate of Professor McPhail.
 q am describing this particular days work merely because by a piece of good fortune it fell to our divis ion to act as the point of the spear Two Scottish divisions held one flank, and many man went forward The Thirteenth Brigade, of an Eng The Thirteenth Brigade, of an Eng fish division, went over the ridge with us, those wondrous English soldiers who work in a rage and then fall into silence It is of one of these that the accurately true story is told that he saved a comrade from drowning and received a medal as reward It was bestowed upon him with some pomp, and in his chag rin he said: eff I had known that they were going to make such fuss about it I would have let the beggar go under"
 Down Arras way the Australians were working, these handsome sol diers who will not hold back. When they get free road to Berlin. there will be such doings as the Seer nev CT saw from Patmos.
 Creating Vivid Picture
 ''It would be impossible to attempt a description in detail of that days work, but by the mention of few of the infinity of small things your mind may create a picture. Imagine long cliff, extending for twenty miles from the northwest to the southwest, with the Souchez river breaking through it. Let me lead you up the landward slope over ridg es and valleys until you come to the summit, then across a high plateau and from the edge of this you would look down and upon the old sea which is now the French Flanders plain, with it's red villages and green fields. This is Vimy Ridge, whic arises from SOuchez and slopes down to Arras.
 You should know that it was on this spot and upon the Lorette Ridge. which is the twin ridge tc the North. across the Souchez river that the French made their supreme offensive in 1915. Upon these heights lie 6O,O0O of their noble dead in fields of crosses which extend as wide as a forest.
 At the time we were somewhat it,cn tx for we ourselves. were involved in the disastrous offensive at Loos.
 More than eighteen months had passed, until on that April morning the business of the Canadian corps was to pivot upon it's left flank and drive the enemy into the old sea bottom-which was done accord ing to schedule in 46S minutes | say minutes, because the plans were drawn as rigidly as that, and they were drawn in as fine detail as an architect would employ for the build ing of house. For three months we worked upon those plans with as much care as one would bestow upon a performance on a stage. The humblest actor had his role, and he was ready against the hour when the curtain should rise.
 "It was a bitter winter here The soil was frozen to a depth of four teen inches. Rain fell. There was little drainage. The earth slid in on top of the water and was trod- den into a mass like dough To walk the trenches under such circumstance es is the last test of human endur- ance. One wears rubber boots hip high. and from the tops a strap is fastened over the shoulders to pre- vent the boots being pulled off in the mud. On one occasion my or derly lost boots and socks, and came in with bare feet If a man falls he may be lifted over the parapet and left there till night, or he may lie where he fell and be trampled under feet It requires very little resolution to lie down and die-life is so hard and death so easeful.
 Progress of Wounded Man
 Let us attempt to follow the pro- gress of a wounded man. When he falls he is attended by the regiment al medical orderlies. and is sent back a few hundred yards by regi-