A SURGEON IN BELGIUM
I THE THREAT OF WAR 1 II THE OUTBREAK OF WAR 5 III MOBILIZATION 13 IV LIFE IN BARRACKS 25 V THE MOVE TO ENGLAND 41 VI TRAINING IN ENGLAND 57 VII THE MOVE TO FRANCE 71 VIII BAPTISM OF FIRE 83 IX OUR ENEMY THE MUD 107 X THE DAWN OF A NEW YEAR 127 XI THE BATTLE OF ST ELOI 147 XII THE COMING OF GENERAL BYNG 167 XIII THE BATTLE OF SANCTUARY WOOD 173 XIV THE SUMMER IN BELGIUM 183 XV THE JOURNEY TO THE SOMME 193 XVI THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME 201 XVII THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME CONT D 217 XVIII AFTER THE BATTLE 229 XIX THE SOUCHEZ SECTOR 237 XX OUT OF THE LINE 247 XXI THE STORMING OF VIMY RIDGE 259 XXII BEYOND THE RIDGE 275 XXIII SUMMER HOLIDAYS 293 XXIV THE LENS SECTOR 307 CONTENTS I THE THREAT OF WAR UPON MY TONGUES CONTINUAL SLANDERS RIDE THE WHICH IN EVERY LANGUAGE I PRONOUNCE STUF NG THE EARS OF MEN WITH FALSE REPORTS I SPEAK OF PEACE WHILE COVERT ENMITY UNDER THE SMILE OF SAFETY WOUNDS THE WORLD UPON A WARM MIDSUMMER SUNDAY AFTERNOON SHORTLY AFTER THE CLOSE OF THE GREAT WAR I HAD OCCASION TO PAY A VISIT BY AUTOMOBILE TO THE SARCEE INDIAN AGENCY LOCATED SOME TWELVE MILES SOUTHWEST OF CALGARY ALBERTA FOR THE RETURN HALF OF MY JOURNEY THE ROAD PRESENTED TWO FAIRLY STIFF HILLS THE RST ON THE NORTH SIDE OF FISH CREEK VALLEY IN WHICH THE AGENCY WAS SITUATED AND THE SECOND ON THE NORTH BANKS OF THE ELBOW RIVER VALLEY AFTER CROSSING THE WEASEL HEAD BRIDGE ON THE AFTERNOON IN QUESTION I WAS MAKING ALL POSSIBLE SPEED ALONG THE TRAIL CROSSING THE HIGH GROUND BETWEEN THE TWO VALLEYS THE WEST ERN SKY WAS OVERCAST WITH INKY BLACK CLOUD I HAD NO CHAINS FOR MY CAR WHEELS WITH ME AND IT WAS ESSENTIAL THAT I REACH THE TOP OF THE WEASEL HEAD HILL BEFORE THE RAIN MADE THE SURFACE OF THE COUNTRY ROAD SLIPPERY AS I APPROACHED THE BRIDGE FROM THE SOUTH OVER THE ELBOW VALLEY ATS I PASSED A LARGE MOTOR CAR THAT HAD JUST CROSSED THE WEASEL HEAD BRIDGE FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION IT HAD DRAWN OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BESIDE A CLUMP OF TREES AND THE PASSENGERS OF WHOM THERE WAS A CON SIDERABLE PARTY WERE GETTING OUT OF THE CAR WITH RUGS AND PICNIC BAS KETS EVIDENTLY WITH THE INTENTION OF HAVING AN ENJOYABLE OPEN AIR MEAL APPARENTLY THEY WERE NOT GIVING THE SLIGHTEST ATTENTION TO THE STORM THAT BY NOW WAS QUITE MANIFESTLY ABOUT TO BREAK I HAVE OFTEN THOUGHT THAT THE ATTITUDE OF THESE PICNICKERS BORE A CLOSE ANALOGY TO THAT OF THE MAJORITY OF OUR CANADIAN PEOPLE IN RESPECT TO OUR FOREIGN RELATIONS DURING THE FEW YEARS UP TO AND IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT WAR TO ANYONE WHO GAVE THE SLIGHTEST ATTENTION OR CONSIDERATION TO THE TREND OF EUROPEAN POLITICS THE SIGNS OF THE GREAT WOE THAT WAS COMING TO 1 THE WORLD WERE UNMISTAKABLE 1 HE SAW GERMANY WITH THE GREATEST AND MOST EF CIENT LAND ARMY IN EXISTENCE STRAINING EVERY MATERIAL AND NAN CIAL RESOURCE TO THE UTMOST IN ORDER THAT A GERMAN NAVY MIGHT BE CRE ATED THAT WOULD RIVAL BRITISH SEA POWER HE SAW THAT AS EARLY AS 1911 THIS NEWLY CREATED NAVY HAD ALREADY BECOME A SERIOUS MENACE TO THE SAFETY OF THE EMPIRE AND THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY FULLY ALIVE TO THE THREAT HAD PRACTICALLY WITHDRAWN ALL CAPITAL WARSHIPS FROM FOREIGN STATIONS TO CONCENTRATE THE FULL GHTING STRENGTH OF THE EET AROUND THE HEART OF THE EMPIRE THE BRITISH ISLES THIS STRATEGY LEFT NAVAL PROTECTION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN LARGELY TO FRANCE OUR HYPOTHETICAL POLITICAL OBSERVER SHOULD ALSO HAVE HAD HIS INTEREST AROUSED BY THE BUILDING OF SEVERAL PARALLEL MILITARY RAILROADS UP TO THE BELGIAN FRONTIER IN PLACES WHERE THERE COULD HAVE BEEN NO POSSIBLE COM MERCIAL REASON FOR THEIR EXISTENCE SEVERAL DIPLOMATIC INCIDENTS MIGHT ALSO HAVE INDUCED SOBER RE ECTION IN ONE SO INCLINED FOR EXAMPLE THE MAN IN SHINING ARMOUR THAT APPEARED IN SUPPORT OF AUSTRIA IN THAT ACT OF THE INTERNATIONAL HIGHWAYMAN THE SEIZING OF BOSNIA AND HER ZEGOVINA IN 1908 2 AGAIN AT THE TIME OF THE AGADIR CRISIS IN 1911 ONE COULD THINK THAT THE ATTITUDE OF GERMANY MIGHT HAVE STARTLED THE MOST UNWARY 3 THERE IS NOW LITTLE DOUBT THAT HAD THE KIEL CANAL BEEN COM PLETED IN 1911 THE WAR WOULD HAVE COME THEN INSTEAD OF 1914 4 ON MANY OCCASIONS PRIOR TO THE WAR I DISCUSSED THE THREAT OF WAR WITH FRIENDS SOME WOULD AGREE WITH ME BUT OTHERS WHILE ADMITTING THE EVIDENCE COULD SEE NO CAUSE FOR ALARM WHEN SUCH A FACT AS THE GREAT GERMAN CAPITAL TAX FOR ARMY PURPOSES WAS CITED THEY WOULD ADMIT THAT IT WAS HARD TO EXPLAIN BUT WOULD REITERATE THEIR BELIEF THAT THE WORLD 1 WHILE HISTORIANS WOULD PAINT A MORE COMPLEX PICTURE OF THE CAUSES OF WORLD WAR I MCGILL PROVIDES A VIVID EXPLANATION WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN TYPICAL OF EDUCATED ENG LISH CANADIANS P B 2 THE MAN IN SHINING ARMOUR WAS GERMANY S CHANCELLOR PRINCE BERNHARD VON BULOW 3 WHEN FRANCE MOVED TO OCCUPY MOROCCO GERMANY DEMANDED THE FRENCH CONGO AS COMPENSATION FRANCE REFUSED AND THE GERMAN WARSHIP PANTHER WAS DISPATCHED TO AGADIR IN JULY 1911 TO PROTECT GERMAN SUBJECTS ON NOVEMBER 4 1911 FRANCE CEDED PART OF ITS COLONIES IN THE CONGO IN EXCHANGE FOR PROTECTORATE STATUS IN MOROCCO ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA FOURTEENTH EDITION S V MOROCCO 1911 4 THE KIEL CANAL BUILT IN 1895 CONNECTED KIEL THE CHIEF GERMAN NAVAL PORT ON THE BALTIC WITH THE NORTH SEA THE EIGHT ENORMOUS SIDINGS PROVIDED WITHIN THE CANAL IN THE JUNE OF 1914 ENLARGEMENT WERE SAID TO BE ABLE TO SHELTER ALL THE SHIPS OF THE GERMAN NAVY KIEL CANAL GOES TO DENMARK IF ALLIES VICTORIOUS EDMONTON JOUR NAL 29 SEPTEMBER 1914 12 A SURGEON IN BELGIUM 2 WAS NOW TOO CIVILIZED FOR ANY NATION MUCH LESS THE HIGHLY CULTURED AND ENLIGHTENED GERMAN NATION TO BE CONSIDERED WICKED OR FOOLISH ENOUGH TO BE ENTERTAINING IDEAS OF WORLD CONQUEST OF THE WAR CULT AND PHILOSOPHY THAT HAD BEEN CAREFULLY NURTURED IN GERMANY BY THE SUPPORT OF AN EXTENSIVE LITERATURE OUR PEOPLE ON ACCOUNT OF THE BARRIER OF LANGUAGE WERE IN ALMOST TOTAL IGNORANCE OUT SIDE OF THIS THOUGH THERE WERE ALL THE INDICATIONS MENTIONED PLAIN AS THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL THE GREAT MAJORITY OF OUR READING AND THINKING PUBLIC WERE PROBABLY VAGUELY DISTURBED BUT THEY STUBBORNLY REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE PLAIN EVI DENCE SUF CIENT FOR BELIEF BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WISH TO BELIEVE ANYTHING SO UNPLEASANT THE CONSEQUENCE WAS THAT WHEN IN JULY 1914 THE EMER GENCY SO CLEARLY PERCEIVED BY THE MORE DISCERNING DID NALLY EMERGE WITH APPALLING SUDDENNESS IT MUST HAVE CAUSED THE SAME BEWILDERED CONSTERNATION AS THAT SUFFERED BY THE PICNICKERS ON THAT SUNDAY AFTER NOON IN THE ELBOW RIVER VALLEY A SURGEON IN BELGIUM 3