In Flanders Fields – My Grandfather’s War Part 6 – November 8 to 11 1918 – The Armistice and Liberation of Mons

By Joe Corrigan

In this 6th and final entry in the series entitled “My Grandfather’s War” we look back on the final days of the Canadian Corps’ involvement in the fighting leading up to the liberation of the Belgian city of Mons. The Corps had been in almost continuous action over the “100 Days Campaign” facing stiff resistance from the retreating German army. As the 8th of November 1918 dawned, events were occurring at a rapid pace with the end of the war in sight.

The Liberation of Mons, Belgium – November 8 - 11, 1918
On the heels of their passage of the Grand Honnelle, November 5 – 7, 1918, the Canadians continued their drive eastward towards Mons. On November 8th the 3rd Canadian Division cleared the villages of Thivencelle and St. Aybert of German troops. In the evening these troops crossed the Canal de Conde in the dark and gained a foothold on the northern bank. In the south of the Canadian Corps front the 2nd Division took the village of Dour. November 9th saw the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry regiment reach the suburb of Jemappes after an advance of more than 8 kilometers. By nightfall that day, the 2nd Division had reached a line near the village of Bougnies which was only 6.5 kms south of Mons. At the same time, the 3rd Division had reached the Frameries – Mons road. In Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II, the head of state and the armed forces, abdicated and went into exile in the Netherlands. A new government was installed and it immediately sought to negotiate an armistice with the allies. By 11:00 pm on the night of November 10th, the 2nd Division had occupied the village of Hyon to the south west of Mons. Units of the Canadian Corps then began to enter the city of Mons clearing eastward while other troops crossed the Canal de la Derivation and moved north west of the city.    

The Final Advance: Cambrai to Mons 12 October - 11 November 1918

The Armistice – November 11, 1918
At 6:30 am on November 11th, the Canadian Corps headquarters was notified that the armistice would take effect at 11:00 am that day. None-the-less, the pursuit continued reaching a line eight kilometers north-east of Mons by the time hostilities ceased.
The You Tube Channel “Simple History” has a detailed account of the events leading up to and after the armistice which is available at the following link:
The WW1 Armistice: https://youtu.be/vr4JU7C8yDE

For more background on this period in time check out The Great War YouTube episode links below:
November 11, 1918: https://youtu.be/xa1ALtQqrVs

The Death of George Price – 10:58 am November 11, 1918
Pvt. George Lawrence Price was born in Nova Scotia on December 15, 1892. By the time he was conscripted into the army on October 15, 1917 he was living in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan. He was serving with “A” company of the 28th Battalion (Northwest) of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces on November 11, 1918. Starting at 4:00 am, Price’s battalion advanced from Frameries (south of Mons) to the village of Havre securing bridges over the Canal du Centre. The 28th Battalion made a rapid advance encountering only light resistance until they reached a position along the canal facing the community of Ville-sur-Haine. At this point, Price and a buddy, Art Goodmurphy, noticed some suspicious activity on the other bank of the canal. It appeared to them that the Germans were preparing firing positions in houses on the far side of the canal. Price and Goodmurphy, on their own initiative, organized a 5-man patrol to cross the bridge and investigate. They discovered that the Germans were setting up machine guns along a brick wall overlooking the canal. The Germans opened fire on the patrol but the Canadians were able to duck behind a house and avoid being hit. Aware that they were being outflanked, the Germans started to retreat. A Belgian family in one of the houses warned the Canadians to be careful as they followed the retreating Germans. It was at this point that Price was shot by a sniper as he stepped out of the house. He was dragged into a building and treated by a Belgian nurse who happened to be on the scene but died a minute later at 10:58 am. Price was the last Canadian and British Empire soldier to die in combat during the Great War and one of almost 3,000 soldiers killed on the last day of the war.

Nahlah Ayed of the CBC travelled to Mons Belgium to see the monument that was unveiled on the 100th anniversary of the armistice to honour George Price and the millions of others killed in the Great War. Here’s a link to her news item containing more details on the life, death and memorials to George Price: https://youtu.be/usvyq46ZVHM

Troops resting

Allied troops and airplane

Anti-aircraft crew

Female ambulance driver

Nurses voting for the first time

Photos courtesy of the Vimy Foundation's Armistice 18 100th anniversary commemoration display at Victoria Hall in Cobourg

Epilogue

Pvt. Charles O'Connor

The “In Flanders Fields” blog started in April of 2015 and, as a 100th anniversary retrospective, traced the history of Canada’s involvement in the Great War from the time of the 2nd Battle of Ypres, the Canadian Expeditionary Force’s baptism of fire, to November 11th, 1918. Over that time I’ve learned a lot about the contribution that our nation made during the course of that conflict. Over the years this series has profiled the growth and development of the Canadian Corps and highlighted its leadership and some of the more notable battles it was involved in including Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Amiens and the 100 Days. It has profiled notable individuals including Princess Patricia, John McCrae, Arthur Currie, Francis Pegahmagabow and Talbot Papineau. As an avid student of history, it has helped me explore areas of interest to a level I wouldn’t have reached without the discipline of producing timely articles on major Canadian wartime events. As the timeline progressed to the time of the centennial of my grandfather’s participation in the Great War, this series of blogs also became a journey of personal discovery into his life and circumstances. My grandfather’s post-war experiences saw him hospitalized and uncommunicative in the 1930’s. Although he lived into the 1970’s, neither his three children nor his seventeen grandchildren alive at the time of his death have strong memories of him. It is the price he and we paid for his 14 months as a member of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces.
Having obtained copies of his service records from the National Archives, I was able to research his activities and location from May 1st to November 11th, 1918, As a result, I was able to connect with my grandfather, Charles O’Connor, in a way I could never do before. Tracing his progress from basic training at Camp Borden, his voyage to England, his time at Camp Witley in Surrey England and then to the front lines in northern France and Belgium, gave me insights into what he was experiencing and what was happening in the world at that time. Interestingly, his service documents show he was paid a total of $280.00 for his fourteen months (May 1918 to July 1919) in the army.  

On Remembrance Day 2018, for the first time in my life, I could look back with certainty knowing that he was in Belgium near Mons as the fighting came to an end. It was a personal revelation and one I have been able to share with my five siblings and sixteen cousins who were all alive at the time of my grandfather’s passing but who never had a chance to know him either. For that opportunity I am most grateful.   


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.