The main attack [Final Advance] was started on September 27th by the First and Third Armies, the latter including the Sixty-Second Division, whose leading brigades, the 185th and 187th, came through the Third Division on the right of the Sixth Corps and assisted to secure Ribecourt and the Hindenburg Support Line between that village and Flesquieres, though they failed to reach the day’s final objectives, Marcoing and the Scheldt Canal.

The 186th Brigade, which was in support, moved up from a bivouac near Beaumetz to a position SW. of Havrincourt but was not put into the fighting that day. The 2/4th Hampshire, who had been joined by a dozen new officers, had also received substantial drafts which a longer rest would have given them more chance to assimilate, but Sir Douglas Haig had no reserves to spare and, with the whole front in movement or about to move, ‘rests’ had to be cut short and Divisions to be put in again after the briefest of intervals. It was wonderful how the men responded; the successes already gained were a great encouragement, and each new advance produced ample evidence that the enemy was wilting under the heavy punishment he was receiving.

September 28th saw the attack renewed, the Sixty-Second Division having to capture the rest of the previous day’s objectives, including Marcoing. This was to be attacked by the 5th Duke’s with the Hampshire in support,1 but Colonel Brook was warned that the Duke’s might not reach the assembly position by ‘Zero’ (6.30 a.m.) and that the Hampshire might have to attack in their place. The Duke’s did not arrive and therefore the 2/4th had to go forward, with the disadvantage of being a mile behind the barrage.

However, the battalion set off at a brisk pace, A (Captain Cave) and C (2/Lt. Young) leading on a two-platoon front, and by great exertions overtook the barrage just short of the first trench to be taken, Dago Trench, just West of Marcoing. This was quickly rushed, and A had the satisfaction of shooting down teams which had just come up to get three guns away. Besides these guns several machine-guns and trench-mortars were taken with several prisoners.

Pushing on again, A had some sharp fighting at a house near the road to Marcoing, where more prisoners and machine-guns were taken, before reaching the outskirts of Marcoing, where B (Captain Cottam) and D (Captain Gotelee) were to pass through. C meanwhile, after clearing Premy Support fairly easily, had met stubborn opposition further on, but 2/Lt. Young negotiated a barrage very skilfully and C reached and mastered its objective, capturing a field gun and several machine-guns on the way. B and D now passed through and got into Marcoing, to be fiercely opposed there, but made good progress, B’s leading platoons reaching the canal despite much machine-gun fire, which the Lewis guns of No. 5 Platoon did much to subdue, while No. 7 worked round another machine-gun post, dislodged the defenders defenders and took the guns. The passage of the canal proved difficult; machine-guns and rifles behind the embankment beyond had to be silenced, but eventually Captain Cottam led some of B across, and on B’s left, near the Marcoing Lock, D also established a footing beyond the canal, Captain Gotelee, himself the first man across a plank bridge, leading a successful rush which dislodged some enemy and secured a position. This assisted the 5th Duke’s to get over also and go ahead, but they were unable to get much further, their most advanced parties being driven back to the line the Hampshire were consolidating.

Satisfactory progress had been made by the whole Third Army, while the First on its left had extended the previous day’s substantial gains, but next day (September 29th) efforts to exploit this success did not achieve all that was hoped for, the Sixty-Second Division failing to take Rumilly in the Masnieres-Beaurevoir Line.1 Elsewhere, however, the bridge-heads over the canal were extended and large stretches of the Marcoing Line taken, while the Fourth Army achieved its great feat of penetrating the Hindenburg Line on a wide front between Vendhuille and St. Quentin, a success which it was quick to exploit.

All that was required of the 2/4th on September 29th was to advance in the late afternoon in support of the 2/4th Duke’s, who had made a lodgement in the Rumilly trenches but could not extend it and were being counter-attacked. Part of the battalion had to cross the canal in single file under heavy shell-fire, and consequently it lost the barrage, while on its coming up level with the Duke’s such heavy machine-gun fire developed from Mont d’Origny on the left front that no advance beyond Rumilly Trench was possible.

Next morning [30^th] showed that some Germans were hanging on to Rumilly Support North of the 2/4th’s position, so a defensive flank was formed here, while arrangements were being made to deal with this party, on whose position two attacks were subsequently made, the first by some of C Company under 2/Lt. Turner, a second by 20 men under 2/Lt. Shorland and Sergeant Hamilton, the latter a veteran of the South African War. Both were gallantly pressed, but the Germans were strongly posted and could not be dislodged, and the surviving attackers had to regain their previous positions, 2/Lt. Shorland being the last of his party to quit the lodgement that had been made. Apart from this, that afternoon brought the 2/4th a much-felt loss, when Captain Cottam was killed; ‘our best company commander’ he has been called by another officer of the battalion, for which he had done outstanding work. Casualties, mainly from artillery fire, were rather heavy, but our snipers and rifle-grenade men retaliated effectively.