Monday 30th September
As often happens in this war, following the spectacular success yesterday, today has been a much quieter day, with smaller operations being carried on all the way from Ypres southwards. At the Saint-Quentin Canal, after the stunning success by 46th (North Midland) Division yesterday, the enemy has everywhere retired to the east bank which they are continuing to defend stoutly. To the south the French have attempted a crossing of the canal themselves, without success.
Otherwise the actions of today can be exemplified by the three battalions of the Bedfordshire Regiment remaining on the Western Front. The 1st Battalion, which has been in action at Beaucamps moved forward during the day as the enemy retired. 2nd Battalion were ordered to proceed from Ronssoy to Vendhuile to act as moppers-up for an attack but the attack was unsuccessful so they themselves had to attack and clear the village.
4th Battalion was in action on the outskirts of Cambrai. They are in the two squares marked 26 and 27 on the map below. They have been ordered to take the strongpoint named the Faubourg de Paris.
Sources: X550/2/5; X550/3/wd; X550/5/3
Sunday 29th September 1918
We have heard that 46th (North Midland) Division has, today, achieved something truly remarkable. This body of troops, which spent part of its time in Luton before going over to France, has not had a good reputation since its failure to make progress on the first day of the Battle of the Somme resulted in the sacking of its commanding officer, major-General Montagu-Stuart Wortley. Today that bad reputation has been wiped away. The division was given the task of crossing the Saint-Quentin Canal in small boats. The canal is thirty-five feet wide and defended by belts of barbed wire both on the banks and in the water. Nevertheless, the men of 137th Brigade not only crossed but stormed the enemy trenches, scattering them. The bridge at Riqueval has been seized intact and the village of Belleglise captured. 32nd Division then advanced through the victorious Midlanders and drove the enemy still further back. The much vaunted Hindenburg Line, our enemy's greatest hope for continuing the war, has been breached.
On their left the Americans of 27th and 30th Divisions - men from New York and from North and South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. 27th Division has struggled but 30th Division has done better and the Australians, advancing through the Americans have carried on an advance which has taken Bellicourt.
Further north Third Army has continued its attacks with the redoubtable Kiwis being particularly successful. Advances have been made all along the line and The Canadians, we hear, are only a mile from the town of Cambrai.
In the far north operations have continued around Ypres. Messines, Terhand and Dadizeele have all fallen. Everywhere our foe seems to be in retreat.
In all of this advance on a very broad front the Bedfordshire Regiment has played its part. The 1st Battalion has made progress at minimal cost and 2nd Battalion has returned to the fray at Ronssoy, once more, fighting in Ronssoy Wood.
Sources: X550/2/5; X550/3/wd
Friday 27th September 1918
Two of the three battalions of the Bedfordshire Regiment on the Western Front have been in action today as today has been another all-out effort by First and Third Armies. The Canadians, on the left flank have attacked Bourlon on the old Cambrai battlefield from last November and December and word has just reached us that Bourlon has, indeed, fallen. 11th Division and 56th Division have also captured a number of villages. At its greatest extent the advance has been five miles today.
South of this the battlefield is riven with countless old trenches and gives much better defensive possibilities. Thus 52nd Division has struggled and halted its advance west of Anneux. 63rd (Royal Naval) Division includes the 4th Bedfords. It passed through 52nd Division and attacked Anneux and Graincourt. The Bedfords, like the other attacking troops today had to cross the Canal du Nord (a dry ditch, in effect as the canal was still being built when the war started). They succeeded in this and captured their objective and are now in the position shown above, just west of Graincourt (see the map above) where they are acting as support. The rest of the division finally managed to take the two villages, the second objective, early this evening. 57th Division should now be passing through to attack the third objective, though darkness is falling.
To the south Guards Division, 3rd Division and 62nd Division have all taken ruined villages and have mostly taken their second objectives. 5th Division made an attack south-east of Cambrai towards Villers-Plouich. the 1st Bedfords' objective is shown on the map below and they took it by lunchtime. This afternoon, however, a strong attack caused the battalion to withdraw to the sunken road and evacuate Beaucamps - 2 officers and 19 other ranks have been killed, 6 officers and 96 other ranks wounded, including Captain Riddell, the adjutant. Twenty men are missing tonight.
The only sad note has been the attack by the American 106th Regiment. The Australian general Monash, in command of IX Corps decided to push these troops into a position overlooking the Saint-Quentin Canal but, unfortunately he underestimated the strength of the defences and the Americans could make to headway. So once again, the offensive has not been entirely successful but he who expects all objectives to be gained in this war lives in a fool's paradise and very significant gains have been made, gains which, only three months ago would have been hailed as miraculous.
Yesterday, well to the south the French and the Americans opened an attack either side of the Argonne Forest. The Americans did well, advancing between two and four miles, though the French did not manage so great an advance progress has been satisfactory and we hear that Montfaucon, at 1,200 feet above sea-level, has fallen to the Americans today. This is very different country to Picardie and Flanders, being hilly and bedecked with thick forest, so any advance is made with great effort.
Almost everywhere on the Western Front the allies are moving forward.
Sources: X550/2/5; X550/5/3
