The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles - ElectricCanadian.com

THE LAST HUNDRED DAYS 143yards long. Most of the area had been flooded by theGermans and the natural obstacles to the attack acrossthe Canal on November 1st looked almost insurmountable. With the exception of built-up roads no part ofthe Canal could be approached without getting intowater waist-high. All the bridges had been demolished,the Germans had excellent machine gun emplacementson the east bank of the Canal, and their position seemedinvulnerable. The Third Division attacked on the leftwith one Brigade, the 8th, at Anzin and Bruay, and theFourth Division attacked on their right at Valenciennes.The last day of October was quiet. The Battalionwas shifted about to equalize the frontage and sent outpatrols to draw the enemy. The attack on November1st was entirely different from anything heretofore experienced. It was impossible to rush the enemy whowas comfortably lodged on the other side of the waterbarrier. The Battalion had literally to swim and raftits way across, and the individual exploits read morelike fiction than fact.On the evening of November 1st patrols started to NOV. i,reconnoitre for ways and means of crossing the canal atthe various bridge-heads and dealing with the machinegunnests. A patrol sent out to get in touch with the1st C. M. R. Battalion on the left, ran foul of one of the1st C. M. R. posts in the dark, was mistaken for theenemy, and had five men wounded before the error couldbe corrected. Major C. H. McLean and one other ranksucceeded in some miraculous manner in crossing thecanal on a raft. As soon as they touched the oppositebank they were fired on from a machine-gun a few yardsdistant. Major McLean killed one of the gunners withhis revolver and held the rest of the crew at bay untilhis runner returned to the opposite bank for assistance.C. S. M. Goodchild and a party of fifteen, under a riflegrenade barrage, crossed the canal on a raft and withMajor McLean rushed the post and captured the gunwith its crew of ten. Simultaneously and with equalintrepidity Lieutenant W. Nodwell swam the canal,established a post and enabled a party to throw a bridge