In the Ypres Salient

An eyewitness narrative recounts the intense fortnight of fighting in the Ypres Salient in early June 1916, focusing on Canadian units' defence and counter-attacks. It provides tactical background on how the salient formed during the 1914 campaigns and the earlier bloody engagements that transformed villages and fields into trench lines. The account details heavy bombardment, the use of poison gas that produced breaches, and the grinding nature of trench warfare. Particular attention is paid to operations from June 2 to 16, including losses, local counter-attacks that reclaimed ridges and woods, and the conduct of troops under desperate conditions. Reflections on sacrifice and the ruined town as a place of remembrance close the narrative.