The Division at rest in the Monchy Breton area—Move to Cambrai—Advance to the line Mons—Maubeuge.

(Vide Sketch D.)

Little remains to be said. After the fighting between Fresnoy and Lens the Division moved to the neighbourhood of Monchy Breton. The Divisional Artillery was sent on the 9th of October to the Chérisy-Fontaine area. All units were occupied in training until the end of the month.

During this period the Allied line was carried forward on the whole front. While the French and American armies advanced in the south, the British army by the end of October reached a line well east of Le Cateau, and just west of Valenciennes and Tournai. At this point in the operations the 20th Division was moved at short notice on the 30th of October to Cambrai, to join the XVIIth Corps of the Third Army (General Sir Julian Byng).

The Divisional Artillery came under the 19th Division of the XVIIth Corps on the 1st of November, when both brigades moved forward from Cambrai to the east-north-east. The road was so blocked with traffic that frequent halts were necessary, sometimes for as long as an hour, while the enemy shelled the neighbourhood with gas, but the batteries came into action in the course of the day behind the villages of the Maresches and Preseau, 16 or 17 miles from Cambrai. The 91st Field Artillery Brigade, under Lieut.-Colonel Allcard, lost 2 men killed and 5 wounded, and 28 horses; most of these casualties occurred when the teams were withdrawing to the wagon lines at Vendegies, as the enemy was making good shooting on the road. During the night Maresches and the valley behind it were heavily shelled.

The Divisional Artillery was required to support an attack by the 19th Division on the 4th, and spent the 3rd getting up the necessary ammunition, with the help of the Divisional Ammunitional Column. The enemy retired on this front during the 3rd, as a result of the capture of Valenciennes, and the infantry reached Jenlain, three miles north-east of Maresches and two and a half miles east of Preseau, by 4 P.M. that day. Further progress was made by the infantry during the night of the 3rd/4th, so that when the barrage opened at 6 A.M. on the 4th the guns had to fire at very long range, and B/92 Battery was unable to fire at all. Half an hour after zero the batteries began to move forward to positions west of Jenlain. At this time Major Gwyn, commanding D/91 Battery, and two men were wounded while carrying out a reconnaissance. The infantry of the 19th Division had gained the high ground east of Jenlain by 10 A.M. At 4.30 P.M. both artillery brigades supported another attack in which the 19th Division surprised and defeated the enemy, who again retired during the night. The infantry passed Bry on the 5th and occupied La Flamengrie, a mile and a half further east, and the 92nd Field Artillery Brigade moved to Wargnies le Grand. It poured all that day, and the supply of ammunition became a very difficult matter. These operations formed part of a decisive attack which was launched by the Fourth, Third, and First Armies on a front of thirty miles from the Sambre to Valenciennes, and which definitely broke the enemy’s resistance.

By the morning of the 6th both brigades had gone forward and come into action south-east of Roisin. This advance presented some difficulty, as the ground was too waterlogged to allow guns or wagons to take cross-country cuts. The roads were being heavily shelled, and all bridges and culverts over the numerous streams which crossed the route had been destroyed.

On approaching the allotted position the 92nd Brigade found the eastern exits of Roisin under a heavy barrage. The bridge south-east of the town had been blown up and the Rivière de Roisin, with its marshy banks sodden from the heavy rain, barred the way. A double avenue of trees running parallel with the stream, although it formed no obstacle to the howitzers, masked the fire of the 18-pdrs. and made it essential to get them across. The brigade and battery staffs, under a harassing fire, built a bridge with German ammunition baskets, materials from some gun-pits near by, straw mattresses and earth, completing their work in time to allow the leading battery to cross after only a few minutes’ delay.

D/92 Battery, coming into action west of the stream, was unfortunately spotted by a low-flying aeroplane, and soon afterwards came under accurate fire from the German guns. The first shot knocked out a howitzer, and the searching and sweeping of the area caused a good many casualties. In spite of these difficulties all batteries were in action at the time ordered.

From these positions south-east of Roisin both brigades during the 6th engaged enemy machine guns which were holding up the advance.

This was another day of pouring rain, and the ammunition supply was critical. The enemy, who was apparently using up his ammunition, shelled the whole area. D/91 Battery lost twelve horses during a very heavy bombardment of the 91st Brigade horse lines at Bry.

After a further retirement by the enemy during the night, the infantry advanced at 6 A.M. on the 7th behind an artillery barrage, drove in the German rearguard, occupied the high ground east of the Hagneau river, and finally pushed on to the north of Bavai. Both artillery brigades of the 20th Division moved at mid-day to the neighbourhood of Breaugies, about a mile north-east of St Waast. The 91st Brigade had difficulty at St Waast, as the bridge broke down, leaving C/91 and D/91 Batteries stranded there for three hours. Divisional Artillery Headquarters moved to Bettrechies, but having been shelled out, went a mile back to La Flamengrie. During the night the enemy shelling was again heavy; Lieut. Vincent, C/91 Battery, and a driver were killed, and several dumps of ammunition were blown up.

As the 19th Division had advanced more rapidly than the 11th Division on its left, the left flank of the 19th had become uncovered. Owing, however, to the situation on other parts of the front, the 19th Division was ordered to push on at all costs regardless of the exposed left flank.

On the 8th the 91st Field Artillery Brigade moved to positions of readiness north-east of Bavai, an advance of about twenty-eight miles from Cambrai; the 92nd went to Houdain, north of Bavai, to guard the left flank. Divisional Artillery Headquarters moved up to Breaugies, and later to a point about a mile east of Bavai. On the 9th both brigades advanced a further five miles to the north and north-east of Feignies.

The 20th Division meanwhile had been moving up behind the leading troops. Starting from Cambrai on the 3rd of November, the Division spent three days in the Avesnes area and two days round Vendegies. On the 8th, Divisional Headquarters was at Wargnies le Grand, with the brigades at Jenlain, Bry and Wargnies le Petit; on the 9th, Divisional Headquarters moved to Bavai.

Owing to the amount of traffic on the road, battalions frequently advanced across country. Heavy rain fell during the week, making the march a very trying one. The billets occupied by the troops, having been lately in the possession of the Germans, were filthy, and a great deal of time had to be spent in cleaning them up.

Those civilians who had been left in the villages welcomed the troops with enthusiasm. Much destruction had been done by the Germans in some of these places. The 11th K.R.R.C. found Vendegies unoccupied on the 7th, and badly damaged. When the 7th D.C.L.I. arrived at Wargnies on the 8th there were many obvious cases of wanton destruction, particularly in the church. The inhabitants here complained of harsh treatment, and in some cases of cruelty, at the hands of the Germans. From the 7th the Division became responsible for rationing the civilians in the reoccupied villages in its area. The rationing of each village was to have been taken over by the French Government after four days, but as the French were unable to do this, the Division, with the help of supplies left by a Neutral Relief Committee, carried on until other arrangements could be made. A difficulty arose owing to large numbers of civilian refugees from the area further east continually passing through the Divisional area. It was found possible, however, to maintain a soup kitchen and provide a meal for these people before sending them by lorries to concentration camps in rear.

By the 10th of November the enemy was in full retreat. That day at 11 A.M., VIth Corps took over the Third Army front, and formed an advanced guard to keep touch with the enemy. The 60th Brigade passed to the command of the 24th Division at 3 P.M., relieving the 72nd and 73rd Brigades, which were then holding the front line. The main line of resistance was the high ground immediately east of the Mons—Maubeuge road.

The 12th K.R.R.C. and the 12th R.B. took over the front line; the 6th K.S.L.I. and the 60th L.T.M.B. were in reserve. Brigade Headquarters was at La Grisoelle. The 20th Battalion M.G.C. covered the line with “C” and “D” Companies, disposed by sections along the front so that they might co-operate effectively with the infantry and cover important points. As the 12th K.R.R.C. were moving up, hostile guns heavily shelled the Mons—Maubeuge road. Regimental Sergeant-Major Rawson, who had come out with the battalion and had served with it the whole time it had been in France, was mortally wounded. He died that evening.

The command of the 20th Divisional Artillery had passed to the C.R.A. 24th Division on the 9th; on the 10th Brig.-General Christie, the C.R.A. 20th Division, took over command of the 61st, 19th and 24th Divisional Artilleries and two brigades R.G.A.

There was little activity on this front on the 11th, and the situation remained substantially the same. The 91st Field Artillery Brigade remained north-east of Feignies; the 92nd advanced to Goegnies-Chaussée, north-east of the Bois de Lanière. When hostilities ceased at 11 A.M. the most forward troops of the Division were holding a line about thirty-five miles east of Cambrai.

The Division took no part in the advance to the Rhine. Major-General Carey took over command of the XVIIth Corps sector during the 11th. The 61st Brigade moved to Feignies that day and the 59th Brigade to the Malplaquet area on the 12th. Three days later the 60th Brigade moved back to La Flamengrie, south-east of Roisin.

On the 23rd of November the Division began to withdraw through Cambrai to the district round Marieux, where all units had arrived by the 2nd of December.

With the beginning of demobilisation in January 1919 the 20th Division ceased to exist as a fighting force. It had fulfilled its rôle; its record is one of which it may well be proud.