WORSE THAN SOMME’S MOST TERRIBLE DAY

Canadian Wounded Now in England Tell of the Start of the New Offensive — in the First Hour They Took More Than One Thousand Prisoners

LONDON, April 10 — The Canadians today are perched well over the top of the Vimy Ridge. Thousands of prisoners have been taken and according to the first summing up of our casualties it has been the cheapest victory the troops from the Dominion have won.

The first of the wounded have begun to arrive in England. Yesterday at an English port I spoke with some of our men, but most of them had been hit in the early part of Sunday morning. Since then the more serious fighting has developed but as yet our corps have hung on and even gained slightly towards the railway which runs on the far slope of the ridge, part of the line from Arras to Lens.

THE NEW FRONT

Roughly at the time of cabling, our new front, which is rapidly being consolidated, is now from Givenchy-En-Mohelle to Petit Vimy, a little village on the crest of the ridge.

Roughly at the time of cabling, our new front, which is rapidly being consolidated, is now from Givenchy-EnMohelle to Petit Vimy, a little village on the crest of the ridge which commands the larger town of the same name well in front of the Lafolle farm —situated on what is the highest ground without exception around Lens — about three-quarters of a mile from Thilus, which has been one of the Germans’ strongest points in the defence of the ridge and still on the crest of the ridge, paralleling the new railway down almost to Athies.

According to imperial officers whom I have met in France this should be an important beginning of the outflanking movement which will compel the falling back to Douai line. The Hun, it is expected, will reluctantly give up Lens and its valuable coal mines.

Canada’s division started the attack just as a rainy, stormy dawn was breaking. It followed what one of my informants, who has been through three great bombardments, describes as “the Somme’s most terrible day multiplied by five.” The Huns’ first line with which the Canadians were well acquainted after many raids, were gained with slight casualties.

Bavarian garrisons were dazed into surrender and in the first hour over a thousand prisoners were hustled back and five machine guns captured. The second and third lines, which had been crumpled almost beyond recognition by a sudden increase in what had been a steady heavy bombardment, were defended with greater tenacity but the driving rain which for once came from behind and was in the Canadians’ favor, helped considerably. Our heavier guns then started another concentrated bombardment. It must have caught the Huns’ complicated system of light railways, for according to one wounded man from Vancouver his battalion captured a small train of supplies with a little deserted engine in which steam was still up.