The Fight Goes On

Saturday 28th September 1918

Today the attack by First and Third Armies continued. 57th and 63rd Divisions penetrated the German defences on the line from Marcoing to Cantaing and took the third objective from yesterday. 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment was still in support after its success yesterday and moved forward to a position near Cantaing in the area marked by a cross on the map above. Yesterday's casualties were one officer and twelve other ranks killed, seven officers and 61 other ranks wounded. Pushing on, the divisions crossed the Schelde Canal and captured Marcoing. Further north the Canadian 3rd Division took Fontaine-Notre-Dame and the left wing of First Army is now level with the left wing of Fourth Army. Today the 1st Bedfords found to their delight that the enemy had evacuated the village of Beaucamps and, in common with other units, moved forward through the ruins.

Further north still a major offensive began today in the shellscape around Ypres. The Belgians and our Second Army, as ever the main axis was the road from Ypres to Menin. Amazingly it has taken just one day for the Belgians to seize Passcehndaele and its ridge, which took our armies four months of the summer and autumn last year. British divisions have managed equally impressive advances - up to five miles. Messines and Wytschaete have been abandoned by the enemy, we understand. All this simply underlines how the allied armies continue to learn new tactics whilst the enemy falters.