The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles - ElectricCanadian.com

THE LAST HUNDRED DAYS 137tightening, and the whole of the 28th was a day of themost severe fighting. The Canadians were trying towork around the north of Cambrai and seize the bridgeheads across the canal while the Third Army did thesame to the south. For the Germans to retain the bridgeheads and hold Cambrai, a key position, meant the stemming of the British tidal advance. For us it meantbreaking into the open, green country; rolling back theenemy where he had no longer wire and prepared trenches ;and forcing him to retire all along the line. The Britishwere fighting desperately for a decision. The ThirdDivision was thrown in and ordered to swing north-eastwith the First and Fourth Divisions across the Douairoad and railway down to the canal and seize the crossings.It was done but not on the 28th, 29th or 30th, or withthe rush that the orders implied. The fighting wasdesperate, the losses were terrible. Every yard was wonafter a battle and it took a week of this fighting beforethe high ground over the canal was reached and theGermans, not being able to "stand the gaff,"broke underthe strain.At 3.00 a.m. on the 29th, the Battalion was ordered Sept. 29,forward toward Cambrai. En route a written operationorder was received that the Battalion was to support the1st and 2nd C. M. R. Battalions which were attackingbetween St. Olie and Neuville St. Remy with theirnortherly boundary the Douai-Cambrai road and thesoutherly the Arras-Cambrai road. The 5th C. M. R.Battalion was in reserve. The Battalion moved bycongested roads into the trenches of the Marcoing system and kept in touch with the attacking troops. TheGermans laid down a barrage which killed one officer andtwo men and wounded eight others. UnfortunatelyLieutenant E. Rule, who joined as a private after Sanctuary Wood and was granted a commission in the Field,was killed.The Battalion was in the Marcoing Line at 7.00 a.m.on the 29th. There was a heavy ground mist and hadit not been for this protection, the casualties would havebeen greater as the enemy was occupying in strength