The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles - ElectricCanadian.com

138 4TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLEStrenches which were only 300 yards distant and was alsoin the Marcoing Line on the right. In fact the 58thBattalion was having difficulty in getting into positionand was heavily counter-attacked. The Battalion threwout a protective flank but was not called upon to assist.The Unit remained in these positions until the night ofct 2, October 2nd-3rd when two companies took up a positionOct. s,in the first line of resistance in the Brigade defence line;on the next night the Battalion relieved the 2nd C. M. R.in the front line. Twice during this dormant period theBattalion expected to attack and assist in the seizure ofbridge-heads on the Escaut Canal but the general situation was not ripe. From the 4th until the 9th therewas another lull, waiting for the storm to break again onCambrai. Meantime, to the north, ground was changinghands every hour. The Battalion had the good fortuneto have a more quiet sector on the outskirts of Cambraiand under the lee of its protection. At no time was thereany attempt made to assault the city itself, the planbeing to go around it and cut it off. Consequently theBrigade front was comparatively quiet and the menwere occupied in preparing defensive positions in casethe enemy made a sally from the city.During this period support and reserve companies wereliving in what had formerly been an enemy ammunitiondump. Some men had ferreted into shell shelters andothers had cover adjacent to a cordite dump.Duringthe evening of October 5th there was intermittent shellingbut about 2.00 a.m. on the 6th the enemy threw salvoafter salvo into the support area and set on fire a largedump in front of "B" Company s Headquarters. Thenthe cordite dump in front of "A Company Headquarters caught fire. Everyone fled without waitingfor personal treasures; it was the part of wisdom for ina few minutes there was an enormous explosion. Thedump "went up," blowing a crater seventy feet wide andthirty feet deep where the hurriedly vacated billets hadbeen. It was estimated that the enemy threw over 500shells into these two companies; despite this and theexplosion there was not a single casualty.