The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles - ElectricCanadian.com

:THE LAST HUNDRED DAYS 119from the enemy and by that time scores of Germanprisoners were passing to the rear. Information startedto dribble through and it was soon learned that theattack was an absolute surprise and a tremendous success.The 1st C. M R. had taken Hangard and the 2ndC. M. R. was advancing on Demuin. At 9.00 a.m. amessage was received from Brigade stating that allobjectives had been taken and that the 2nd C. M. R.had crossed a bridge over the Luce and entered Demuinwith very few casualites. By 11.00 a.m. the fog hadlifted and prisoners were pouring back. Everything wasquiet, hardly a gun was firing ;a howitzer which had beenbellowing all morning in the ravine beside the battalionwas being pulled out and moved forward. The captiveballoons had been brought up and one was floatingdirectly over the Battalion. Everything that could notreach the enemy was moving forward; the highways andbyways were again crammed. The Battalion joined thepursuing multitude at 3.00 p.m. and marched to a new rendezvous of the Brigade south-east of Hangard in the neighborhood of Demuin where they bivouacked for the night.At 2.00 o clock on the morning of the 9th a messagewas received that the 8th Brigade would form the advanceguard of a tactical march of the 3rd Division down theRoye Road to establish definite touch with the enemy.The Battalion fell in at 8.00 a.m. preparatory to themarch, but the order was cancelled, and the Unit wasinstructed to assemble with the Brigade in a wood southeast of Demuin. Marching north-east along the Moreuil-Demuin Road through Demuin and out along theMezieres Road, they received new orders; on the capture of le Quesnel, the Brigade would advance, the4th C. M. R. would pass through the 75th Battalion andtake the village of Folies, and the 5th C. M. R., Bouchoir.Colonel Patterson explained the situation to his Companycommanders and ordered "A"Company (Major W. V.Sifton) and "CCompany (Lieutenant L. G. Bumstead)to attack on the right and left :respectively with BCompany (Lieutenant A. D. McDonald) in close supportand "D"Company (Major E. A. Steer) in reserve.Au &- g >