BRIG.-GEN. E. HILLIAM, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O.
Late in October, 1915, Major E. Hilliam, a 1st Division officer, succeeded Lieut.-Colonel Lecain in command of the Battalion; and, under his soldierly guidance, the 25th began to make the Bosche sit up and notice his surroundings. Under Major (as O.C., Lieut.-Colonel) Hilliam’s guidance the Battalion became expert in the little tricks which worried the enemy and made trench life more interesting. Notable among the many episodes which added spice to the daily routine was a raid on the Hun trenches by Lieutenant (now Lieut.-Colonel) Wise, and the stalking of a German patrol in No Man’s Land by Corporal (now Captain) “Ernie” Canning, which resulted in the capture of one of their number and the gaining of much information. The small garrison of thirty-five 25th Battalion men, under Lieutenants Morgan, Johnstone and McNeil, holding Nos. 1 and 4 craters at St. Eloi in April, 1915, gave the attacking company of Huns a sample of the unbeatable stuff they are made of.
In April the 25th Battalion took over the line at St. Eloi where they remained about six weeks. This was beyond a doubt the most trying experience which the Battalion had to that time or has since been called upon to endure. There were no front line trenches. Five mine craters had to be occupied, since the front line trenches were all destroyed, and the men had to occupy most exposed positions. Every hole and every remnant remaining of a trench were used as the only possible cover, and mud, muck and water prevailed. Under continually heavy and harrowing fire and attacks the Battalion endured, though at the price of the loss of hundreds of its personnel. The German artillery fire in the Ypres Salient was the heaviest of the War. With enemy artillery on three sides, the situation may better be imagined than described. One crater that was occupied by the Battalion was attacked no less than five times between dusk and dawn in one night alone, but the crater was held. When the garrison was relieved there were not enough men left to bring out the wounded and a relief party had to be sent in for that purpose. On this front all intercommunication was impossible and isolated parties held the lines. The Battalion was highly commended by the higher command for their excellent work on this front.
The Battalion spent 339 days on the Belgian Front, of which 164 days were spent in actual front line trenches. Many good officers and men were killed or wounded. Among the former was Lieutenant Douglas, who was killed while fighting with the 6th (Western) Brigade in the craters of St. Eloi. Lieutenant Douglas was Battalion Machine Gun Officer and had been loaned with the machine gun section to the 6th Brigade during the furious onslaughts which the Hun was making on the craters. The men with Lieutenant Douglas were all killed excepting five who were captured.
Besides the Kemmel and St. Eloi Sectors, the 25th Battalion were engaged at Vierstraat, Ploegsteerte, Hill 60, Hooge and Messines. And it was here, also, that the Battalion obtained “Robert the Bruce,” mascot and veteran of three years’ service in the land of his birth. It would be hard for one to see the immense, sleek goat now on the farm of Major Matheson at Baddeck and endeavor to imagine the same animal, two weeks old, hardly bigger than a cat, feeding from a bottle in the hands of Pipe-Major Carson in the kitchen of the band’s billet in Locre. But they are one and the same animal. The members of the band bought him from the “Madame” of the house for two francs (40c.), and trained him to “swank” in front of the pipe band, eat cigarettes, drink beer, and demand his blanket at “lights out.” He added many other traits and tricks to his repertoire before the Battalion was disbanded, and many a would-be possessor of our mascot has felt the force of his “butt” sufficiently to make them all leave “Robert the Bruce” strictly to his own Battalion.
The 25th Battalion played a leading part in the assault at Courcellette on September 15, 1916. The whole Corps welcomed the relief from the ground-hog tactics of the fray in Belgium and looked forward with keen anticipation to their participation in open warfare tactics on the Somme in Picardy.
The troops marched a good portion of the long distance from Hazebrouck to Albert. The 25th Battalion spent a few days on the way in rehearsing practices in formations for advancing and assaulting and arrived in the brickfields of Albert where the whole Division and units of the 1st and 3rd Divisions were massed under tarpaulins and corrugated iron, a few days in advance of September 15, 1916.
The plan of attack on the immediate front of Courcellette was for the 4th (Ontario) Brigade to open the attack on the morning of the fifteenth (15th) and clear the ground in front of Courcellette and on the sixteenth (16th) the 5th Brigade would carry on the attack into the town. The 4th Brigade had their objectives cleared and consolidated so early in the day that the Divisional Commander decided to put the 5th Brigade over the top at 6 o’clock in the afternoon. Brig.-General MacDonnell (5th Brigade) divided the town evenly, pointed out the objectives to Lieut.-Colonel Tremblay (22nd Battalion) and Lieut.-Colonel Hilliam, explained that the other two Battalions would be in support and reserve and sent the Quebecers and Nova Scotians to it. Both Battalions were led in person by their commanding officers, who set a fine example of leadership and courage to officers and men. The 25th and 22nd Battalions established their line well to the east of the ruined town and maintained their positions in the face of fierce counter-attacks until relieved a few days later.
This operation, brilliant as it was in execution, cost the Battalion some of its most capable officers and men. Lieut.-Colonel Hilliam was wounded in the hand, but refused to leave the line until his Battalion was relieved. He was in evidence everywhere throughout the attack with his long stick cheering his men and by his energy and daring urging them to their best endeavors. In his report to the G.O.C., 5th Brigade, he praised the work of officers and men very highly, and closed with the words, “General, I have the honor of commanding the finest body of men I have ever seen.”