The 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles - ElectricCanadian.com

THE LAST HUNDRED DAYS 145it, driving its crew down the railway and into a house.Lieutenant C. L. W. Nicholson was killed and LieutenantN. E. McDonald and five other ranks wounded. Lieutenant Nicholson had risen from the ranks by virtue ofhis ability as a soldier. He was wounded in Januaryand killed within a few days of the anniversary of hisjoining the Battalion. He was the last officer in theBattalion to give his life on the field of battle. His lossparticularly at such a time was keenly felt by hismen and fellow officers."D"Company was unable to make good its objective,being held up by opposition from a slag pile on the 5thC. M. R. front. During the night the slag pile wasbombarded and the next morning the enemy was drivenout. He retaliated with 5 . 9 s and gas shells, killing threemen and wounding fifteen. The rain came down intorrents as on the previous night; the next day the waterhad risen over all the flooded area. The Battalionadvanced to Vicq about three miles east of Bruay and thecanal, reassembling at 3.00 p.m. On November 6th theThird and Fourth Divisions attacked together, but theBattalion was not employed except to form a defensiveflank for the 52nd Battalion which was still west of thecanal at Conde. The attack was successful and at 6.00p.m. orders were received to advance. The 2nd C. M. R.had gone through on the 5th and secured its objectiveand the Battalion was to push on and join them in anattack on the 7th. The Battalion went forward duringthe inky-black night of the 6th-7th about nine kilometres, NOV. e,some along the railway track which had been blown upin a score of places, others along the main road. It wasdue only to their splendid discipline and excellent leadership that they ever found their assembly positions.The attack on the morning of the 7th was timed for NOV. 7,8.00 o clock. The Battalion and the 2nd C. M. R.crossed the only available bridge over the Honnelle Riverand assembled roughly on the Belgian border, the Battalion attacking along the Mons road and the 2nd C. M. R.to the north. Attached to it was one battery of heavyand one forwardmachine-guns, two platoons of cyclists,10