Saturday November 2nd, 1918
Moved off again to Maurois up the line. Arrived Maurois at dinner time. Billeted in shop.
Operation Order No 14
The Operation Order, issued yesterday, dictated the route that the Battalion will march today. It leaves Elincourt and marches north-east through the villages of Clary and Bertry to Maurois. The men will be in Battle Order with haversacks. This seems to amend previous instructions on Battle Order described in the BWD last month. Jerkins are to be carried in packs. Blankets and greatcoats, rolled in bundles of ten, are to be carried on GS wagons and lorries.
The march is over 10 km and will take the column over 3 hours to reach its destination. The good news for Frank is that they arrive in time for lunch.
The Battalion is put into billets in Maurois. Frank will sleep in a shop tonight.
Progress on the Western Front
The Allies continue to make progress along the entirety of the front. Progress to November 1st, 1918 is shown in the above sketch map and described as follows:
‘The Allied push in Belgium is towards and below Ghent, and yesterday reached the Scheldt on both sides of Audernarde. The British entered the outskirts of Valenciennes and gained heights to the south-east of the city. The French and American attack between the Aisne and the Meuse aims at clearing the way for an advance against the Mezieres railway. The French are attacking north-eastward from Attigny and Vouziers, and west of the Meuse the Americans made a big push northward to beyond Beyonville.’*
Valenciennes
This commune, on the River Scheldt in northern France, has been occupied by the Germans since 1914. Indeed General Jack recalled the place in his diary on November 11th, 1918:
‘How far away is that 22nd August 1914, when I heard with a shudder, as a platoon commander at Valenciennes, that real live German troops, armed to the teeth were close at hand…‘²
It will be retaken, as predicted – but only after very bitter fighting. The forerunners of the British attack around Valenciennes were the Canadians. This was not unusual.
‘The Australians..and the Canadians were renowned as among the best shock troops in the BEF during the battles of the Hundred Days. Both were organized into their own corps and used to spearhead many of the BEF’s set-piece attacks’ ³
Indeed, Sergeant Hugh Cairns, a Canadian soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross, will be honoured in 1936 when an avenue in Valenciennes is named after him.†
9th Battalion War Diary – 2nd November 1918 – Maurois
Battalion moved to billets in Maurois.
References & Further Reading
¹ The Guardian newspaper, November 2nd, 1918, page 7
² ‘General Jack’s Diary, War on the Western Front 1914-1918’ edited by John Terraine, Cassell, 2003, 1964. Page 297
³ The Western Front 1917-1918: The History of World War I: From Vimy Ridge to Amiens and the Armistice’ By Andrew Wiest, Amber Books Ltd., Kindle Locn 3274
† Valenciennes on Wikipedia
* Sketch map of the Western Front, The Guardian, November 2nd 1918, page 8. Copyright 2018 newspapers.com.
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