Canadian Military History Volume 5 Issue 2 Article 4 1996 The Blind Leading the Blind: The Battle of the St. Eloi Craters Tim Cook Canadian War Museum,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Recommended Citation Cook, Tim "The Blind Leading the Blind: The Battle of the St. Eloi Craters." Canadian Military History 5, 2 (1996) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Cook: The Battle of the St. Eloi Craters Tim Cook Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 1996 1 Canadian Military History, Vol. 5 [1996], Iss. 2, Art. 4 he battle at St. Eloi between 27 March and German assault against the British held position T19 April 1916 was a minor side-show called "The Bluff in February, Plumer ordered V compared to the armageddon raging between the Corps to attack and cut off the enemy-held salient Germans and French at Verdun. Yet, it was an at St. Eloi, where 33 mines had been blown to important event for the 2nd Canadian Division produce a shell-pocked wasteland of mud.3 as it was their first set-piece battle on the Western Front. It was also an unmitigated disaster. In August 1915, B'ritish sappers had skilfully sunk three deep shafts beneatb the German lines. The Battle of the St. Eloi Craters is one of The British set three mines beneath the "Mound" those battles which has been forgotten, perhaps and the German front line in preparation for an conveniently, by Canadian military historians.