istinguish themselves at Hill 70 later in the war. This part of the attack was over before it even got underway, with incorrect trench maps, inadequate artillery support and assembly and communications trenches that had been hit by shells and offered little to no cover for the men. As the troops began their advance, they were cut down by German machine guns, and the attack was finally halted.
Site of the attack by the Canadian 16th Battalion on the Canadian Orchard
The attack was resumed by the same companies from the 10th Bn and a grenade company on the evening of the 21st, and was preceded by over three hours of artillery fire by smaller field guns that were firing mostly shrapnel due to ongoing shell shortages. A pincer attack by the Canadians proved deadly once again, as the left arm of the formation was cut down by German guns that had been unharmed by the shrapnel barrage. The right arm of the formation had better luck at first, and even occupied a portion of German trench at one point. But at daybreak, German heavy guns opened up on the trenches, collapsing them and killing all of the men inside. By the morning of May 22nd, the 10th Bn had lost 18 officers and 250 men.
One final push was made on the night of May 23rd and into the 24th by the Canadian Division and the British 47th Division, followed by a daytime attack on the 25th carried out by the British 142nd Brigade bolstered by men from the Canadian Lord Strathcona’s Horse. The men of the Horse Brigade were bombers who were carrying 200 gas bombs, which represented the first official use of gas by the British or Canadians. Once again, this last attempt to achieve targets was thwarted by heavy German machine gun fire and unreliable maps. Added to this was the fact that new trenches had been dug all over the area, making it almost impossible to discern when the target trenches had been reached or not.
Finally, on May 25th, Sir John French called off the Battle of Festubert. The superior fire power and preparedness of the Germans simply could not be overcome. And less than a kilometer of ground had been gained at a terrible cost.
The Canadian Orchard Today
The push by the Canadians and British achieved one of the main objectives of the battle, from a strategic perspective at least. The Germans moved up reserves to face the British line rather than the French line, thus taking pressure off the French 10th Army who were at Vimy Ridge. The new front established by the Allies also included the town of Festubert, which they continued to hold until the spring of 1918.
The British forces suffered over 16,000 casualties over the course of the battle, including over 2,000 Canadian and 2,500 Indian troops. German casualties numbered about 5,000.
WW1 Battles - The Heroes of St. Julien and Festubert
© 2015 Kaili Bisson