“After several nights spent in
reconnaissance it was
finally established that a
mine-head and work of an
important nature was being carried
on by the enemy”
-Report
on Raid Carried out by the 46th Battalion
29
January, 1917
The enemy was up
to something. From as early on as the
fifth of January, nightly patrols were returning with reports of heavy work and
daylight observation had spotted the Germans emptying sandbags over their
parapet; notably several containing chalky soil.
10th
Canadian Infantry Brigade HQ was rightly concerned about these goings-on. If the Germans were pushing a mine, the
results could be disastrous. The Brigade’s positions were the extreme left edge
of the entire Canadian Corps. A large
enough mine vaporising front line trenches would allow a follow-up infantry
assault to hook into and “roll up” an exposed flank from the top end of the
Corps all the way down. It would be, if
nothing could be done, a catastrophe of the highest order. Whatever was
happening needed to be found out and dealt with.
Weather
interfered. Several days mid-month of
accumulating snow fall made patrolling at night substantially more risky. The sound of boots crunching in fresh powder
were to blame for at least one patrol getting “bumped.” War Diaries and Intelligence Reports throughout the middle days of January repeat
the same lament- that owing to the snow, patrols were unable to advance very
far into No-man’s Land.
All the while,
what reports 10 Brigade was getting from its battalions in the line were of
timber being thumped, heavy items being dragged on tramways and sharp beats of
metal on metal; steel being hammered or otherwise manipulated.
At last, on 24
January, a patrol from the 50th (Calgary) Battalion pinpointed the
location of the mine-head. “Work has
apparently been going on for some time as well-worn trail visible.”[1] With a solid map reference to hand, a direct
strike could be made. Planning became
the responsibility of the 46th (South Saskatchewan) Battalion, who
took over front line positions from the 50th the same day.[2]
It just may have
been fortuitous. The Officer Commanding
was the extensively experienced Lt Colonel HJ Dawson; who before the war had
been an Associate Professor at the Royal Military College in Kingston,
Ontario. To lead this operation, he had
at his disposal Lieutenant Reginald Percy Cattell, arguably one of the most
veteran junior officers of the 4th Canadian Division.. It was he who had led one of the Division’s
first patrols in enemy territory when it had become active the previous summer. Between that point and this, Lt. Cattell had
continually made proof of his ability, particularly in the scraps at Regina
Trench.
This raid would
be a small affair, very much unlike the multiple-company Calonne Raid of two
weeks prior. A definite target-the
suspected mine shaft- required only enough men to penetrate and hold the German
line for a quarter hour in order to “blow up (the) Shaft and to obtain
identification.”[3] Lt. Cattell had just five days to work his 34
man raid into shape, and to incorporate the two Sappers from 10 Field Company,
Canadian Engineers who would be coming along to assess the enemy mine and set
the demolition charge. Artillery was
laid on to supress the German front line at Zero Hour, shifting after three
minutes to a “box barrage”, heavily shelling the periphery of the raid’s area
to cut it off from the rest of the local trench network.
Lt. Cattell took
the lead, precisely at two minutes past eight on the evening of the 29th,
advancing into No-man’s Land while the artillery was still blasting the German
lines. Hoping to close the distance as
much as possible before the guns lifted, the raid would spring into the trench
before the enemy could recover. “Slight
wire obstacles were encountered,” in front of the entry point, “but were
surmounted with little trouble. The
German front line was reached at 8.06 p.m.”[4]
Organised
beforehand into three sections, one the trench was reached, they split off. No. II Party went left, to proceed forty yards
and establish a block, No. III Party cut to the right with the same intention,
with No. I following behind. “At the
junction where the German front line follows the edge of Craters, and another
leads to the rear, the parties separated.”[5]
No. III Party
advanced “a considerable distance…no enemy being encountered and further
advance rendered impossible by the barrage.”[6] They found the trench in poor condition, not
being well built and in place just a screen of sandbags four feet high with no
parados behind, often without the protective pattern of traverse. These “trenches”
would not be easy ground for the enemy to hold, the sub-standard construction
pointing towards an illusion of a front-line rather than a stalwart defensive
position.
The other
blocking party, No. II, found the same shocking lapse in German
workmanship. “The party felt they could
have penetrated the line for a considerable distance without difficulty.”[7]
They hadn’t gone too far, less than ten yards from where they had entered
before they came across the first German dugout. “Standing on the stairs with his rifle
pointed in our direction a German was encountered. Before he had time to fire, a Mills bomb was
thrown at him, and he fell back into his dugout. Several more bombs were thrown into the same
and the party moved on.”[8] Two more dugouts were similarly dealt with as
No. II Party moved further down the trench.
With their
flanks held by Parties No. II and III, Lt. Cattell’s main body could get to
work. “The party taking the mine shaft
met opposition about 10 yards past (the) junction.” Three Germans had come across the party. Shocked at being overwhelmingly outnumbered
they “threw bombs at our men, then ran for all they were worth” in the opposite
direction. “Proceeding on, the men ran
across the suspected mine shaft. This
had about 40 steps leading directly down.”
A candle was alight about halfway down, and the raiders could see
movement and hear voices from below. A Mills bomb was quickly tossed in, its
explosion extinguishing the candle and eliciting cries and groans.[9]
Just as quickly,
the two attached Sappers went to work, laying out twenty-five pounds of
guncotton- a potent explosive made up of cotton fibres which had been exposed
to sulphuric and nitric acid. Also known
as nitrocellulose, it was used as a blasting agent and a propellant for
artillery and other munitions.
Twenty-five pounds of the stuff was more than sufficient to collapse
this shaft.
With the fuse
set, Lt. Cattell gave two long blasts on his whistle, the signal to retire, and
all three parties scarpered for friendly lines.
The sortie was a
mixed success. No identifications were
obtained despite there being German bodies in the open; but the main goal of
destroying the shaft had been accomplished with the addition of three enemy
dugouts destroyed, causing a presumed large number of enemy casualties for the
cost of five men wounded, all but one being slight.
Scout Sergeant Samuel Deane had taken a slug
through his abdomen, creating a wound described as the size of a shilling
(nearly 1” in diameter). Despite this,
Sgt. Deane stayed upright and on mission.
“His example of bravery inspired his party to carry out their task,”[10] Col. Dawson would later write, citing the sergeant for a Military
Medal. Deane was awarded his medal while
recovering in England. Nine months would
pass before he would be fit to return to the Battalion in France.
Lt Col. Dawson would
also single out Lt. Cattell for his “Example of fearlessness and fine
leadership” for which the Lieutenant would receive the Military Cross.
The rush of raids, the tension of late night patrols, a great Canadian battle and men on the razor's edge between life and death are all part of my acclaimed premier novel
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[1] 10th Canadian Infantry Brigade, Intelligence
Report, 24 January 1917
[2] 46th Canadian Infantry Battalion War Diary,
24 January 1917
[6] Reid, R. Capt. (Brigade Major) “Report on Raid Carried
Out by the 46th Battalion” 10th CIB War Diary,
Appendices, 29 January 1917
[9] Quotes from: Cattell, RP, Lt. “Intelligence re Raiding
Party” 46 Bn. War Diary Appendix XII, 29 January 1917
[10] Dawson, HJ, Lt Col. “Memorandum to O.C. 10th
Canadian Infantry Brigade” 46 B. War Diary Appendix XIII, 30 January 1917
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