In Flanders Fields – My Grandfather’s War Part 4 – October 21, to November 7, 1918 – The Pursuit to Mons

By Joe Corrigan

Pvt. Charles O'Connor

My grandfather, Charles O’Connor, reported to the 15th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force as a replacement on October 21, 1918. He would have travelled through the battle scared landscape of northern France on his way to join his battalion at the front to the east of the French city of Cambrai. The experience would certainly have been a sobering one coming from the relative safety of England.

I remember hearing a radio commercial back in the 1980’s that stated “If you know where you’re going you know what to wear”. It strikes me that, by 1918, combat soldiers had a pretty clear understanding of where they were going and what to wear. Charles would have arrived fully equipped for infantry combat with a Brodie helmet, Lee Enfield rifle, gas mask and all the other items that four years of war had dictated Canadian and other British Empire soldiers needed to fight and survive in one of the cruelest environments imaginable. Historian Dan Snow ably illustrates the extent of this equipment in his short 2014 video entitled “WW1 Uncut – A Soldier’s Kit” which can be viewed at the following YouTube link: https://youtu.be/DjqdgGb739w

What happened between the taking of Cambrai by the Canadian Corps on October 9th and the armistice on November 11th, 1918 was something I could find very little information on in the past. In marking the centennial of the war, more details of these final days have become available. During Charles O’Connor’s time in France and Belgium, the Canadian Corps was involved to a greater or lesser extend in five battles with retreating German forces. These battles were:

·         Battle of the Selle (River) – October 17-25, 1918

·         Battle of Valenciennes and the Capture of Moot Houy – November 1-2, 1918

·         Battle of the Sambre – November 4, 1918

·         Passage of the Grande Honnelle – November 5-7, 1918

·         Capture of Mons – November 10-11, 1918

General Currie and the Canadian Corps would drive the German army back a total of seventy kilometres during the final thirty-two days of the war. The goal of liberating Mons had historic significance. Mons was the location where the British Expeditionary Force had first joined battle with the Germans on August 23, 1914. The small professional British Army, labelled “a contemptable little army” by Kaiser Wilhelm, had been forced to retreat following that confrontation. Mons was the place where the first British soldier had fallen in the Great War and it would also be the place where the last Canadian soldier (and possibly the last soldier on the Western Front) would fall as well.

The Battle of the Selle:

Following the battle of Cambrai, British forces advanced 3.2 kilometers liberating the towns of Naves and Thun-Saint-Martin after which German resistance began to stiffen. On October 11th, 1918, the 4th British Army moved into the vicinity of Le Cateau, a town that is situated on the Selle River. The Germans took up a defensive position on the east side of the river. The advancing British troops were faced with the challenge, not only of crossing the river, but assaulting the railway embankment and the ridge immediately adjacent to the east bank. It was determined that a night assault would be the best way to begin the attack. The river was fairly swallow at this time and planks would be used to support the infantry attack to be followed up with pontoon bridges to allow the horse drawn artillery to support the advance. After a six day halt to make preparations, an artillery barrage opened up and the troops advanced at 5:20 a.m. on October 17th. Infantry and tanks supported by a creeping barrage advanced along a 16 kilometer front south of Le Cateau. Despite stiff resistance and uncut barbed wire, the attack advanced and, by nightfall, Le Cateau was in allied hands. Over the next two days the 4th Army drove the Germans back another 8 kilometers advancing towards the Canal de la Sambre.

The Canadian Corps was attached at this point to the British 3rd Army occupying the front line to the north of the 4th Army attacks. These formations launched a surprise night attack on October 20th in conjunction with the British 1st Army situated further to the north. The 3rd Army was able to secure the high ground east of the Selle. Following a two-day pause in the fighting to bring up supporting heavy artillery, the 1st, 3rd, and 4th British Armies renewed a combined offensive on the 23rd and 24th of October. They forced the Germans to withdraw at a controlled pace. The Germans attempted a counter attack at the Canal de la Derivation on the 24th but were repulsed and subsequently driven back by the Belgian Army. After which the battle came to a close.      

On October 21st, 1918, Charles O’Connor and the 15th Battalion, which was part of the 1st Brigade in the 1st Canadian Division, was located in the Foret De Vicoigne just west of the road between St. Armand and Anzin in France pictured above.

The next stage of the advance would be the Battle of Valenciennes and the Capture of Moot Houy which took place from on November 1-2, 1918 and will be covered in our next installment. For more background on this period in time check out The Great War YouTube episode links below:

October 18, 1918:  https://youtu.be/P67nRzCJcTc

October 25, 1918:  https://youtu.be/tTV3OmcBtgw



Joe Corrigan was the Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village from February of 2003 until his retirement in May of 2018. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works.