After the second battle of Ypres, the Canadians after resting and
re-organization, were moved to a section of the line near LaBassee. Here
they fought the battle of Festubert--a series of infantry attacks and
artillery bombardments, which gained little ground.
Shortly afterwards they fought the battle of Givenchy, equally futile,
as far as material results were concerned. Both of these battles had the
double object of feeling out the strength of the German line and of
obtaining the Aubers Ridge, should the attacks prove successful. In both
battles the Canadians showed great aptitude for attack, and tenacity in
their hold of captured trenches. They also learned the difficult lesson
that if an objective is passed by the infantry the latter enter the zone
of their own artillery fire and suffer accordingly.
In September, 1915, the Second Canadian Division arrived in Flanders and
took its place at the side of the First Canadian Division, then
occupying the Ploegsteert section in front of the Messines-Wytschaete
Ridge. The rest of the winter was spent more or less quietly by both
divisions in the usual trench warfare, and battling with mud, water and
weather.
It was here that the Canadians evolved the "trench raid," a method of
cutting off a section of enemy trench, killing or taking prisoners all
the enemy inhabitants, destroying it and returning with little or no
loss to the attacking party.
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