Thursday October 10th, 1918
Better again. Some of our lads came down. A few of the Officers have been knocked out. 2nd Lieutenant Hibbs who has my water bottle killed.
Cambrai – Day 3
The following is the entry made for today in Appendix No 4, Description of Operations 8-11th October 1918:
‘The advance on the Corps front was continued and the Battalion moved off at 02:45 hrs along the main road towards Le Cateau, Maurois and Reumont were passed without incident. The 199th Infantry Brigade formed up in Artillery Formation, the Battalion being in support to the Brigade.
Enemy artillery was fairly active and fired a number of rounds Blue Cross (Sneezing Gas) causing gas masks to be worn.
The high ground on the south-east side of Le Cateau was reached and consolidated.
At 17:30 hrs an attack on Le Cateau village was commenced by the 18th Kings Liverpool Regt and the 5th Connaught Rangers, the latter unit having C and D Coys of the Bn attached to them as support and for mopping up.
The enemy resisted the attack principally with Machine Guns and the attacking troops were withdrawn during the morning of October 11th before drawn, though platoons of D Coy did not return until 10:00hrs.
The Battalion sent two patrols into Le Cateau and each met large enemy parties in the village, and had to withdraw after ‘peaceful penetration’ from west to east up to La Selle River.
B and D Coys relieved the Connaught Rangers taking over posts at K33 c1.2 and K33 b9.0 during the morning. At 20:00hrs the Bn was relieved by the 2nd Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers and moved with the rest of the Brigade to Rest Billets in Reumont, the chief being completed before midnight….
Owing to excellent staff arrangements, the cookers always arrived and the men got two hot meals a day each day.’
The painting was commissioned by the RAMC and created by John Hodgson Lobley in 1918. It is of some dugouts in the Railway Embankment near Le Cateau.*. Lobley, born in Yorkshire, was an official war artist for the RAMC.¹
Frank’s Water Bottle
Apparently Frank had lent his water bottle to one of the officers and today he learns that he has been killed. Lt Richard John Walmsley Hibbs was killed on the first day of the battle and had transferred into C Coy of the 9th Battalion from the 22nd less than two months ago. Lt Hibbs is buried in the Serain Communal Cemetery Extension along with George Dyson and 13 others from the Manchester Regiment. He was 27 years old and came from Hampstead in London. His gravestone reads “In undying memory of his loving ‘Mushie’ & Sister. Brave and good always.”
9th Battalion War Diary – 10th October 1918
Battalion took part in Operations from 8th to 11th October 1918. Description of these operations given in Appendix No 4.
References & Further Reading
¹ John Hodgson Lobley on Wikipedia
* Art.IWM ART 3674, copyright Imperial War Museums