History of 102nd Battalion in WW1

The Story of the 102nd Canadian Infantry Battalion by Sgt Leonard McLeod Gould HQ 102nd Canadians WW1

Three important tasks were set the Battalion on this tour [during the Battle of Messines]; one was to capture and mop up the series of trenches known as "The Triangle"; the second to capture a strong-point consisting of a concrete machine-gun emplacement set in the railway embankment and formidably protected; the third to capture, consolidate and hold a line east of the Generating Station, establishing thereby a new front line. All these tasks were eventually accomplished, but not without bitter and fierce fighting.

On June 5th, "D" Coy., under Major H. B. Scharschmidt, under cover of a rifle grenade and machine-gun barrage, managed to occupy the Generating Station and advance in the direction of the Brewery and the suburb of Leaurette, but this success was offset by the failure of two attempts to capture the strong point referred to; the Battalion also sustained a serious loss in the gassing of Major Scharschmidt who was so severely affected as to be permanently invalided out of France.

A third attempt to capture the strong-point on the 7th [June] failed of its purpose.

On the following day, 8th June 1917, two important operations were carried out. No. 6 Platoon of "B" Coy., under Lieut. G. Lowrie, was detailed to attack "The Triangle" and to hand same over to the 5th Leicesters on our left. The attack took place at 8.30 p.m., and at the first assault Lieut. Lowrie was killed, his place being taken by Lieut. J. G. Knight: under a hail of machine-gun bullets and high-explosive shells the men cut through the wire and bombed their way to the enemy positions; the resistance encountered was very stubborn, but "The Triangle" was eventually captured, together with 15 unwounded prisoners, and handed over to the Leicesters, and No. 6 Platoon returned to its starting point. Throughout this operation visibility had been hampered by smoke both from the barrage and from a burning coal dump in Fosse 3, but the affair had been brilliantly conceived and as brilliantly carried out, earning the following commendation from the Brigadier addressed to the C.O.: "Please convey to Lieut. Knight my sincere appreciation of the work he did on the night of the 8th inst. The operation in "The Triangle" was as brilliant as anything I have seen in France."

The second operation did not commence until 11:45 p.m. This was an attack on the whole Battalion frontage, with the intention of capturing and consolidating enemy positions, establishing a new front line and mopping up all enemy dug-outs between the Generating Station and Souchez River. "A" Coy. and one platoon of "C" Coy., under Maj. R. J. Burde, M.C., were detailed for this task. "C" Coy.'s platoon managed to get round the wire, but "A" Coy. found the wire impassable and, in spite of a second heroic attempt under Sgt. Z. Kirby, who rallied the men in a desperate endeavour to penetrate to the enemy's position, the troops had to be recalled to their jumping-off place and to consolidate there. Two hours later the disheartening news was received that the Leicesters had been forced out of "The Triangle," which was once more in German hands. The main objects of the two operations had not been successful, but the enemy dug-outs had been thoroughly bombed and enormous casualties had been inflicted.

The balance of the day, June 9th, was quiet; hardly a shot was fired, but plans were being formulated for another attack on the 10th.