17th October
At 01.00hrs the Battalion left the Bohain area and marched up to an assembly area just outside Becquigny, where it formed up in artillery formation immediately South of the railway. The Battalion being in Brigade Reserve with the Northamptonshire Regiment right front and the 2nd Battalion Kings Royal Rifle Corp’s left front. The plan of operations being for the brigade to leapfrog through the 16th Brigade after they had made the first bound eastwards from Vaux Andigny and captured an objective marked as the red dotted line i.e. a line running approximately N by E and S by W remove the Cross Roads 400 yards NW of the NW edge of La Vallee Multare. The barrage was to halt for half an hour in front of this line to give the 2nd Brigade time to pass through and continue the advance to the red line which ran just east of the Ribeauville-Belle Vue-Lat Mulatre Road and after a three hour halt there to exploit forward to the high ground overlooking the Canal de Sambre.
At zero 05.20 hours, 17.10.1918 the advance started and the Battalion following closely on the heels of the Northamptonshire Regiment moved in column of route with platoon intervals along the southern edge Bois de Busigny, struck the railway W of Vaux Andigny. The fog was extremely thick and the Boche was putting down a gas barrage on Vaux Andigny so the wearing of gas masks in addition to finding the way in the fog made progress slow.
After passing the eastern outskirts of Vaux Andigny the Battalion deployed into Artillery formation off two lines of Companies each and two lines of Platoons and advanced with the Right on the railway. When the head of the battalion was approaching Molain the fog began to lift and unmopped up enemy machine guns opened fire from Molain and the high ground south of the railway.
The two front companies were then ordered to open out into Section 4 motion and the whole Battalion this first in greater depth. The machine gun in Molain was dealt with by B Coy and the advance continued over the high ground towards La Vallee Mulatre until the two front companies were in close touch with the Kings Royal Rifle Corp’s and the Northamptonshire Regiment. Are report was then received that the that the K.R.R.C were held up by machine gun nest about the NW corner houses of La Vallee Mulatre. 2 Vickers machine guns were sent up to engage them and D Coy sent 1 platoon to capture them which was done by an encircling movement.
There was now a gap between the K.R.R.C and the Northamptonshire Regiment which D Coy moved forward to fill. By about 14.00 hours it was discovered that neither of the front battalions were able to make further progress owing to the strengths of the enemy's positions about Belle Vue-Demi Lieu and wood SE of La Vallee Mulatre. Shortly after 16.00hrs the Brigade Major Arrived with orders to continue the advance at 17.15 hrs behind a barrage. The Royal Sussex to pass through the K.R.R.C and the Northamptons to continue the advance on the right. There was just sufficient time to assemble Coy Commanders and to give verbal orders for the attack which were B and C Coys to attack – B on left – C on right with Belle Vue as the dividing line and D Coy was ordered to form a connecting link with the Northamptons or defensive flank if the Northampton 's we're not up in time. A Coy were in reserve and ordered to move to Demi Lieu.
Considerable machine gunfire was met from Demi Lieu which was overcome by C Coy and 1 Platoon of D Coy. (10 machine guns and 1 Field Gun being captured there). B Coy had advanced beyond the railway and encountered heavy machine gun fire from a hedge between Demi Lieu and Belle Vue. Some of these were rounded up in the meantime C Coy continued to advance but lost direction and crossed in rear of B Coy to the orchard 500 yards NW of Belle Vue. Report was then received that the Northamptons had been unable to make progress and had withdrawn through the outskirts of La Vallee Mulatre which meant that the battalion was about 1000 yards forward of any troops on either flank and the front Coys being fired at by machine guns in rear of their flanks, so the front Coys were ordered to establish a line along the railway with D Coy throwing back along the right from Demi Lieu to connect with the Northamptons at La Vallee Mulatre and A Coy to move to a position as Reserve Coy.
The number of prisoners captured was 215. Material captured:- one field gun and several M.G’s. The casualties were Lieut J.A Dodds wounded and 57 other ranks killed, wounded or missing.
The trench strength of the battalion was ten officers and 374 other ranks and was organised in two coys of 3 platoons each and 2 Coys of two platoons each.
18th October
On the morning of the 18th the 3rd Brigade passed through our line and took the high ground about Ribeauville and the 1st Brigade took Wassigny. Before this advance many of the enemy machine guns had been located and were engaged by the Lewis Gun sections of the battalion whilst South Wales Borderers advanced to go through our lines. The finding of several of these enemy machine guns knocked out and men of the teams line killed near the guns testifies to the good shooting made by some of the Lewis Gun sections.
19th October
After the 3rd Brigade had passed through the 2nd Brigade remained in position as support and on the afternoon of the 19th the battalion was ordered to relieve the 120th American Regiment in the Mazinghein Sector. They (120th American Regiment) had 3 Battalions in the line each of which was relieved by one of our Companies and the Battalion was disposed on a 1000 yard frontage with A Coy right front, C Coy left front, B Coy support, D Coy reserve.
20th/21st October
On the night of the 20th/21st the Battalion was relieved by the 2nd K.R.R.C and withdrawn to Brigade Reserve around Mazinghein to prepare for an attack to capture La Haie Tonnoile Farm and the high ground east of it overlooking Catillon.
22nd/23rd October
On the night of the 22nd/23rd the Battalion move to forming oppositions in an area north of the northeastern edge of Mazinghein and was disposed in two lines of Coys each on a 500 yard frontage and the total depth of 450 yards for the Battalion. The Northamptons we're on the right and the Durham Light Infantry (6th Division) on the left with the 2nd K.R.R.C support. D Coy were right front company, A Coy left front, C Coy left support and B Coy in reserve moving 300 yards behind the right front Coy. One platoon of B Coy was ordered to advance with D Coy for the special purpose of mopping up Le Haie Tonnoile and the surrounding enclosed country.
One section, D Coy, 1st Machine Gun Coy was attached to the Battalion and ordered to advance in rear of the 2 leading Coys. Two Stokes Mortars were attached to D Coy.
One section Tanks was supposed to cooperate with the battalion but in spite of a very definite assurance given by their commander that the tanks want to be up with the leading wave before they reached the line of Le Haie Tonnoile nothing was seen of any tanks until some hours after the objective had been reached and the position consolidated.
23rd October
Zero was at 01.20hrs, 23rd October and the battalion was formed up by 23.20 hours, 22nd, second to give time for the K.R.R.C to withdraw their outposts and form up in the rear of the Battalion. Starting about one hour before zero the enemy gas shelled the left half of the forming up area with Mustard gas but not with a heavy concentration. The moon was bright but there was a heavy ground mist which made it impossible to see more than 50 yards so platoons were ordered to reduce their intervals between sections and to leave gaps between platoons. Direction had been previously taken by compass bearing and every section was pointed out direction by stars.
The leading companies were ordered to advance straight through to the final objective on the support and reserve Coys we're given orders not to advance beyond the enclosed belt of country of the La Haie Tonnoile line until they were satisfied that it had been solely mopped up.
Two minutes before zero a machine gun barrage opened and at zero when the artillery barrage opened the enemy put down a heavy counter preparation about the frontline area, this was composed of H.E and H.E combined with Phosgene gas.
Direction was well maintained as far as the enclosed country but the fences and fog made control by leaders almost impossible for the company following the barrage so they were somewhat disorganised on reaching the objective. The enemy’s infantry and offered no resistance but ran as fast as they could before the barrage could catch them. So rapid was the retreat of the enemy that they left their rifles equipment and rations behind.
A line was formed on the objective in touch with the units on the flanks and consolidated before dawn. The prisoners captured belonged to the 60th, 479th, 120th and 265th Regiments. Material captured about 8 machine guns.
The casualties were:- Capt E dolleymore, Lieut C.L. Michell MC and 2nd Lt H.H. Homewound (wounded) and 53 other ranks killed wounded and missing. The trench strength for this attack was 17 Officers and 353 other ranks. On the night of the 23rd October the battalion was relieved by the1st Black Watch and moved to Support Brigade billets at La Vallee Mulatre. The battalion remained in the La Vallee Mulatre area until 27th October.
