The Nova Scotia Rifles 25th Battalion

On the morning April 9, 25th Battalion from Nova Scotia formed the part of the Canadian second wave with the mission of attacking the German “TURKO GRABEN” reserve trench code-named the RED LINE. This chain of powerful German defensives lay along the eastern crest of Vimy Ridge near the Arras-Lens road.

The close-up view of the Canadian Official History map shows how closely the 25th and 26th battalions work in the attack on April 9, 1917. The 25th Battalion passed through the 26th Battalion east of Neuville St. Vaast.

The 25th Battalion from Nova Scotia passed through the New Brunswick 26th Battalion at 6:45 am on the morning of the attack.

The war diary records what happened next:

“Considerable Machine Gun fire was encountered all the way but the enemy artillery fire was directed on the trenches we had vacated and did not interfere with the advance. After hard fighting with enemy machine gun posts and bombing posts, 2 hours and 10 minutes after zero [hour] the battalion successfully entered, cleared, and consolidated the captured position. Two 77 mm field guns, 8 M.G.s [machine guns] and 6 trench mortars were taken also a large number of prisoners.”

Their achievement came with a price. Casualties amounted to 52 killed, 112 wounded, and 90 missing.