WITH THE CANADIANS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16498, 26 March 1917, Page 6

WITH THE CANADIANS

RAIDING AND MAP-MAKING.

LORD NOKTHCLIFFE'S VISIT.

A visit was recently paid to the Canadian front in. France by Lord Northcliffe. He writes' that in appearance Canadian soldiers more closely resemble British soldiers than any of the others from overseas. Many are of great stature, especially the Scotsmen from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Cape Breton,, some of the descendants of the disbanded Highland regiments of long ago. Most of the other English speakers arc of the strong and stock Canadian and American type. The French Canadians are smaller, but they are wiry. -'"-.-

The Canadian soldiers have had good and bad luck. All their ill-luck, however, has been more thai) balanced by, tho all important fact that they have secured for their leader one of the ablest, as well as one of the best liked generals in tho whole war Sir Julian Byng, a worthy representative of a.great'fighting family. The Canadians call themselves the Ring Boys, after the musical comedy. ' 'i v> . Natural Map-makers. Each of the British armies in France has its own characteristics. ; One of the keynotes of ■•the Canadian character is quick adaptability. v Sir Julian Byng and his Canadian generals have utilised this adaptability to the 'utmost. 'They have utilised the specialities of the daily work of the Canadians with signal effect. He and his officers get together," to use an expression ten ■ heard in' Canada, con-; tinually in conferences : and lectures. • By ■ this means they.'have" found out exactly what particular aptitudes thei? Canadians ■ can bring to bear in, beating the Boche. One speciality is map-making and surveying. For obvious' reasons the .Canadians are probably the greatest map-makers .in the world, "just as they are the'greatest railroad builders.; They w are map-makers by necessity, for they have : a: rich : and largely undeveloped territory .: 40. times the size of the Old Country;' which Via being mapped and '■'■ surveyed continuously. That skill has now being developed in the Canadian army in France. When I visited Sir Julian two features of his small personal workroom attracted vmy attention—the theatre posters of the Bing Boys and the red-hot maps showing German positions of yesterday afternoon, which had been already • photographed )by aviators, developed, ' mapped, printed, and circulated up and down, the line. Accurate photography and mapping of- the enemy lines is a life .saver of the first importance. Pouncing on* the Germans. .- ; The Canadians are great as raiders. Each raid, as I have ; before pointed out, is a' battle' in. miniature; and sometimes quite a large battle. One of the very first of these modern raids, if not tho first, was • 'successfully accomplished by the Canadians at Messines. . ,;■ In general, ,; it may 'be said that these raids; which- began as small ■ movements for the identification of opposing forces, are; now a successful means of breaking the worn ', German morale. Snow and frost have ."been "no deterrent to.the- Canadians, .to whom 20 and even 40 below zero are- not unknown. v What surprises the war investigator is not only the quickness .with which the Dominion" men have taken ..to. warfare," but tho completeness with .which their Governments have- equipped their armies. , The Canadians brought, everything with them from highly-skilled -surgeons and nurses; to maple sugar. f I spent a couple of, ; days with the Canadian soldiers and found that they had no cause of complaint of any sort, except that;', unlike 'the British, they cannot go home on leave, and.are therefore doubly exiled, and that they, were equipped at iithe' outset with -the Ross rifle, which they ! told" me was an ■■ excellent • weapon for | match: shooting, but a real friend to the I Boche, as a ■ Nova ;: Scotian; explained, when it came to. warfare. Fortunately it does not take a. Canadian .long to make up his mind. The Ross.rifle was automatically abandoned by the soldiers, nd they are now armed \ with our serviceable weapon, which is as able as any; to withstand tho mud and violence of war. , The Old ; French Element. ' ; Just a word :. as ; to the constitution of the Canadian army. Tho earliest contingents wore naturally composed of a considerable proportion; of :emigrants from the Old Country. Latterlv native-born Canadians have predominated. In fact, on my second day i with:, the Canadian .troops I encountered nothing ■ but ; Canadians; both French and English speaking. The French Canadians: havo so far not enlisted .in; numbers . commensurate v with the .- population of the great French. provinces. But those who are :ih; France are: enthusiastic soldiers.;'; Their , enthusiasm ; : is: largely : for the cause of their. French kinsmen, 'it is probable that if the - French side ■ could be explained; in Quebec by some of the brave French," priests" from the trenches ; French Canada's : share ;;' would be * more ; ; worthy; To meet > them i marching< along a cobblestoned- road of Flanders, dressed • exactly like our : English v: soldiers, but 'speaking French, ;is one. of i the thousand confusing incidents of the.front.