PASSCHENDAELE

The Battle of Passchendaele
The battle honour “Passchendaele” represents one of the most famously grueling and “poisonous” campaigns of the First World War. It was won by the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (the “Iron Second”), whose historic lineage and honours are perpetuated by the Governor General’s Foot Guards.
The Prelude: Following their relief from the Lens sector in mid-October 1917, the Battalion marched north to the Ypres Salient, setting up a damp bivouac on the desolate, shell-shattered plain of Wieltje. On November 4, 1917, the Battalion Headquarters—consisting of a lone bell-tent dripping water like a sieve and warmed only by a smoking coke brazier—received the operation order to attack Passchendaele Ridge.
A Deceptive Frontage: The planned attack frontage of 300 yards was dramatically cut to less than 100 yards because the muddy Furst Farm swamp had flooded No Man’s Land right across the left company’s front. This forced the troops to squeeze through a dangerously narrow neck of dry land under German shellfire to advance.
The Assault (November 6, 1917): Jumping off at 6:00 a.m. in the half-light of dawn, the Battalion swept forward to assault the heavily defended German rifle pits and concrete pill-boxes. They pushed relentlessly up the ridge toward their three objectives, including Vegetable Farm, Mosselmarkt, and Valour Farm.
The Message of Victory: At 9:22 a.m.—just over three hours after the attack began—the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Lorne Tolbert McLaughlin, dictated a historic pigeon-message to be flown back to the Brigade Commander, proudly announcing that the 2nd Battalion had achieved its final objective and consolidated its positions.
Heroism under Fire: The fighting was characterized by extraordinary acts of individual valor. Sergeant Alexander Mason (originally of Ottawa’s 77th Battalion, serving with the 2nd Battalion) won the Military Medal (MM) for single-handedly charging a German machine-gun post, putting the crew out of action, and capturing three prisoners. When his platoon commander and all other NCOs became casualties, Sgt. Mason took command and successfully led the remaining men to capture their final objective.
The Cost: While a brilliant victory, the toll of the swampy advance was heavy. The “Iron Second” suffered 280 casualties, including 41 killed, 211 wounded, and 28 missing.