The breaking of the Hindenburgh Line

(IV) The Battle Of The St. Quentin Canal:

29th September-2nd October 1918.

At 5.50a.m. on the 29th September the Fourth Army, supported by an intense artillery barrage, attacked on a front of twelve miles between Holnon and Vendhuille. On the right of the Fourth Army the First French Army continued the attack on the St. Quentin Sector: on the left two corps of the Third Army (Vth and IVth) had attacked at an earlier hour between Vendhuille and Marcoing and had heavy fighting at Villers-Guislain,Gonnelieu and the Welsh Ridge. In the Vth Corps of the Third Army was the 33rd Division, containing the 1st Battalion (98th Brigade) and 18th (Pioneer) Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment.

On the night of the 28th/29th the 1st Middlesex relieved the 5th Scottish Rifles in readiness for operations on the 29th. The objectives allotted to the Battalion ran from Derby Post to the eastern end of Villers Hill: zero hour was 3.30 a.m. The dispositions by companies were: "A" on the right, "D" in the centre, and "C" on the left: "B" Company was detailed to "mop up" the enemy's position.

29th September 1918

The attack was launched at 3.30 a.m. under an intense artillery barrage. At first all three of the attacking battalions of the 98th Brigade (1st Middlesex, 4th King's and 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) reported progress. But later a check occurred. Villers-Guislain had been stormed and partially cleared of the enemy, but the latter began to filter back again into the village. The centre company of the Middlesex met with strong opposition at Gloster Road and "B" Company, after capturing 200 Germans, found itself surrounded and cut off. The C.O. of the Battalion reported the situation at 1 p.m. which showed but little progress and concluded with the statement that "remaining dispositions of "C" and "B" not known, "C" believed to have gone forward to X.10.C.8.0. (Villers Ridge), "B" Company (three platoons) believed gone forward east along High Street, position obscure."

How the missing companies extricated themselves is unknown but they must have done so for the casualty list shows only 20 other ranks "missing."

During the night of the 30th patrols observed that "the Bosche had gone back," and the line was therefore pushed forward to the Green Line, which ran on the Middlesex front from northwest to south-east just west of Honnecourt Wood, and from these positions patrols were sent out to the St. Quentin Canal to hold the crossings.

In the operations on the 29th of September the 1st Middlesex 1ost 4 officers (Lieuts. J. N. Beeman, D. W. Hay, J. C. B. Brown and E. S. Mathews) and 71 other ranks killed, 2 officers and 143 other ranks wounded, 1 officer and 16 other ranks "gassed" and 10 other ranks missing.

1st October 1918

On the 1st of October the Middlesex were holding the crossings of the St. Quentin Canal at Honnecourt. The village was clear of the enemy, but the troops holding the forward line were subjected to heavy sniping from some ruined houses on the canal. The canal could not be crossed as the footbridge had been destroyed and all approaches to it were swept by hostile machine-gun fire.

The Middlesex were relieved on the night of the 2nd of October and marched back to the neighbouthood of Vaucelette Farm in reserve. (On the 4th of October Lieut.-Colonel J. H. Hall left the 1st Middlesex on appointment as Brigadier-General commanding the 197th Infantry Brigade. Major D. C. Owen assumed command of the Battalion.)

All along the front of the attack by the Third and Fourth Armies splendid progress had again been made, the enemy abandoning many villages which he found it impossible to hold in the face of our advance.

In the Battle of Beaurevoir, 3rd-5th October, the Middlesex were not engaged, and it was not until the Battle of Cambrai, 1918, began on the 8th of October that the Regiment again took part in the operations.

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