Back near St. Eloi on Dominion Day, July 1, all guns of the Canadian Corps fired three salvoes at noon.

4th Brigade War Diary:

“Dominion Day -Weather fine, winds light. Situation quiet. Casualties – two killed, five wounded.”

21st War Diary:

“Micmac Camp, July 1 – Battalion carried out a thorough programme of training with physical drill, bayonet exercises, musketry and platoon and company drill. Special attention being paid to bayonet fighting. Afternoon was devoted to games.”

The next day was the same except for supplying a carrying party of sixty to move things to the front lines in the evening. The day after that they moved to Chippewa Camp and training continued. However part of the battalion:  “Visited Reninghelst YMCA during the evening and were entertained by members of the PPLCI concert party.”

102nd Battalion History:

“Micmac was a hutted camp lying between Dickebusch and Ouderdom and boasted no special features except the presence of a small café where eggs and coffee were procurable. There is little pleasant to say about the inhabitants. Espionage was rampant and more than one suffered the extreme penalty when caught red-handed as a spy or sniper.”

On July 7 their new Corps commander, General Byng, inspected them at their camp during training, although some members were sick from an inoculation they had received the day before.

The next day, the Brigade held its Horse Show and despite putting in many entries the 21st:

“Were only successful in winning one first prize and two seconds. July 10 – This morning the Battalion carried out a scheme of infantry cooperating with aircraft in an attack (See below).
In the afternoon the old respirators were replaced with the much stronger PH Gas helmet and a soccer game against a Belgian army unit ended in a 1-1 draw. Enemy aircraft active.”

On July 13th, the Battalion Sports Day, Major Cunningham, who wrote the war Diary, sounds more like a cheerleader than an infantry officer:

“Battalion paraded to the adjoining football ground of the Belgian Battery where the heats for the sports were run off. Some fine contests were witnessed and there were plenty of entries. Sports finals were held in the afternoon and they had another match between the battalion football team and the Belgian Battery. A great game was witnessed and the Belgians were successful in winning by the one goal scored. Great excitement prevailed among the battalion at night owing to the C. O. (Lieut.-Col. Hughes) and others making great speeches. The C.O. intimated to the battalion that he was leaving in the morning for England to take command of a brigade in the 4th Division and there was a great rush to shake hands with him and he was carried shoulder high around the camp. Major Elmer Jones, our new commander was also given a great reception.”

4th Brigade Order:

“July 14 – The Brigade Machine Gun Company and the 4th Canadian TMB will carry out reliefs during daylight if possible.”

In the Trench Mortar Diary for July there is hardly any detailed information. There is no firing recorded for the first five days of the month, although one Other Rank was killed and one wounded on July 3. The next ten days were spent in the rest billets at Dickebusch (not with the 21st) and the diary ended with the note :

“ July 15 – Fine and cool – northerly winds. Mr. Clemens, Mr. Jago, Sgt.-Maj. Nesbitt and eight crews go into the lines between the Canal and Hill 60.”

It seems from reading the diary that, when the unit was deployed, they had half of their crews in the front and half in the reserve area and rotated them every five or six days. When they returned to the trenches on July 15 the action had heated up and they reported firing anywhere from twenty to sixty rounds almost every day during the latter two weeks of the month. Seven new members were added to the unit on July 18. Casualties in the TMB for the month were two Other Ranks killed, four wounded and three sent to hospital. Clearly the lack of a “major offensive” did not stop the carnage.

21st War Diary:

“July15 – Battalion took over trenches 15 to 21 in the front line from the 25th Battalion. The relief was completed at 2:35 AM and the situation was very quiet.

July 16 – Day fairly quiet. Dull and raining at intervals. Enemy machine guns swept road to Voormezeele, but no casualties resulted. One Other Rank (T. Dee) killed by sniper.

July 17 – Enemy shelled rear of convent wall from 3 to 4 PM. Retaliation from our heavy artillery resulted. Situation otherwise normal. Aerial activity nil.

July 18 – Day very quiet. Patrol under command of Captain Shepherd went out at night and blew up a listening post in German lines with 25-pound gun cotton. No casualties (although then-Major Shepherd would die in action two months later).”

Others killed or died of wounds during this tour in the line were F. Brown, O. H. Kirk, J. Nevans, G. C. Rainey, A. F. Tomlinson and Lieutenant L. M. Thomson.

The rest of the warm month consisted of Physical Training, Bayonet Practice, Platoon Drill, Route Marching and work parties. There was one break in the routine when there was a concert by members of the battalion one evening.