[undercoverbrother]

Thanks for this CC

http://www.highrivertimes.com/2012/0...-of-vimy-ridge

First Hand Account of the battle.

Do you remember that red-headed sinner that blew around your way one time about three years ago? Well, he is here now and does not easily forget to appreciate a friend. I will begin by saying that I read The High River Times over here. A bed-mate in the same hut by the name of Hamilton gets it.

Read this as an account of the battle of 9th April, when many of Canada's bravest and best gave their young and valuable lives against the most brutal race of mankind ever known. Our company went into the front line on the afternoon of the 7th for work and business. The great bombardment continued, sometimes steadily, then in great bursts of fir; shells of all calibers were sailing overhead towards the Hung line trenches, and great upheavals of ground were rising everywhere. His reply was weak, except at night, when he kept up a steady fire of gas shells and heavy stuff along our particular front on three great craters where we were stationed. Occasional flares went up, they were waiting and waiting. We were anxious to go over. The rain and mud and cold were awful.

On Sunday the 8th, we were withdrawn to the supports. His front line was swept from end to end, and we actually stood on top watching the whole show. Dugout timbers and Fritzies were going two hundred feet into the air. At nightfall, fifty of us went over and bombed them into their dug-outs, grabbed a few prisoners and bombed the dug-outs and judging from the squeals and confusion downstairs, we made them suffer severely. We had to hurry back as his guns were giving us a bit of hell. We had a few casualties, but got back over no man's land, which was a mass of mud and water and wire and stakes. There was the most beautiful display of fireworks for an hour. We killed many with bayonet and bomb. We worked hard all night and lost many men. Our trenches were a sea of mud and slime and bodies of our comrades killed by the terrible weight of naval shells which they showered on us from their eight-inch guns. We captured these same guns the next day and turned them on the enemy.

Next morning by 4 o'clock, all the bombs and grenades were ready and the Canadian army was in position for the attack. About 5 o'clock, like one gun, all our artillery opened up on the front of 18 miles and the hellish din and roar and line of fire opened in front of us was intermingled with flares.

It soon began to lift, and away we went into the enemy front line. Many fell, but we kept on. They bolted and we after them like wild cats. They their rifles away as they ran and pulled off their equipment to run the faster but it was no use, they were ours and they all died. We took the three lines in succession and reached our objective after an hour and a half strenuous fighting. We lost about forty per cent of our effectives and prisoners came in by the hundreds from shell holes. We bombed all the dug-outs on the way over and we took no prisoners till we reached the third line. It was now daylight and the next brigade were swinging past us. The enemy's shell fire was weak and wild, through his machine gun fire was quite lively and the continual stream of lead was annoying. Our wonderful artillery was churning a passage ahead. We were happy and feeling good, though smothered in mud and slime and blood.

I was slightly hit twice going over. I got bandaged and a snort of good rum, a life saver. The captain wanted me to take a message back to headquarters. I started out and went back over the ground we had gained, about a mile. I got into an old trench we had fought hard for, and there were many mother's sons lying with their eyes glazed in death. I actually cried bitter tears when I picked up a Fritz haversack and found in it a little parcel containing butter and sugar from his Frau in Germany. I took his big German pipe and his cap and slipped them in my pocket. One big Prussian laid there wounded in the arm. He pointed to his head. He wanted me to shoot him. I said no and explained to him that the British never killed the wounded. Putting a discarded sack under his head I went on and came to many more, some wanted water, which I dare not give them. Some of our own boys rose up on their broken bodies and waved to me for stretcher bearers. I was running into the Hun barrage, which was maintained all day on our old front line. All shell holes were full of water and the water was red with German blood. You can imagine the rest. I cannot tell you in English the horrors of that modern battlefield. I got through the barage [sic] all right but could not find company headquarters, our trenches being battered out of recognition. I reached the brigade headquarters and was shown down to Gen. Lomas, a fine man, and deservedly popular. He first asked me how the battle was going, when I gave him my company commander's report and he praised the boys for what at the time looked like one of the greatest victories of the war. He next asked me if I was hungry. I told him I was cold and hungry and had had little to eat or drink in two days, having been constantly in the front line. He asked me if I was in the raid and I told that I was, and he sent an orderly with me to the kitchen where I could get soup and bread, but I could not hold it down on account of getting so much gas. The gas is beyond explanation. I got a mouthful before I got my mask on and the air was permeated with it as the shells burst all round. I was gasping for breath.

I got to the dressing station and saw many of our boys passing through, being carried in by Fritzies. I left there and got about halfway back when with a terrific crash, a shell burst right over my head and I felt myself going. Next, I must have been at the dressing station. I could see dimly but could not speak. I was aware of the orderly telling the doctor I was dead. The doctor raised my eyelids and I could hear him say 'That fellow is all right, he is badly shell shocked and wounded and gassed, leave the blankets off his face and the snow will bring him too

Currie was one of the few in that war that understood the value of his men.