In sum we had captured 60 prisoners, including two officers, and killed at least twice that number, our own casualties being five officers--Lts. V. C. Lick, C. S. Lennox, F. S. Neil, T. W. Hutchison, G. R. Weber--and twenty-five other ranks killed, three officers and forty-two other ranks wounded.
It might be of interest to compare the two communiqués published shortly afterwards:
GERMAN--Strong enemy thrusts in the neighborhood of Avion easily repulsed with heavy casualties.
BRITISH--Early this morning our troops carried out a minor enterprise S.E. of Avion. The first objective was easily captured, but heavy fighting ensued at the railway embankment. After a severe struggle the whole of the German garrison was either killed or captured and all their dug-outs were destroyed--about fifty--sixty Germans are reported to have been taken. Our total casualties are believed to be about the same as the number of German prisoners. The enemy's losses were heavy.
[Illustration: SKETCH OF FOSSE 4 AND ITS ENVIRONS ]
Every little while, but generally at intervals of about four months, it fell to the lot of each division to be withdrawn entirely from the line for the purpose of rest and reorganization.
After a long tour of trench duty, during which life at its best is merely an existence, it can be readily appreciated that these periods of rest were greatly looked forward to by all ranks.
Each Corps had a specified rest area, generally from 12 to 14 miles behind the line, and when a division came out, a village in that area was allotted to each battalion or sometimes one village to two battalions. There were, of course, the good villages and the bad villages, and for about a week before going out there was always a good deal of speculation as to which village the battalion would go to. At the beginning of August, the 3rd Canadian Division was withdrawn from the line, and it fell to our lot to get the Village of Auchel, conceded by many to be the Queen of billets in the Corps area; but unfortunately for us we did not arrive there until about the 15th of the month, being held up at Camblain L'Abbée (Corps Headquarters) on account of manoeuvres. Open fighting had suddenly become all the rage, probably in anticipation of the drive the following August, and our whole division took part in extensive practices. At about this time No. 1 Platoon under Lt. Ott, distinguished itself in a Corps rifle competition, held at Ferfay, winning first place in the Division and only losing first place in the Corps through a technicality.