World War, 1914-1918 -- Canada; World War, 1914-1918 -- Nova Scotia
On July 15th we went into action at St. Laurent Blangy, and on the 24th
were back again at Achicourt—Old Windmill position. August the 1st saw
the Unit at Berlincourt, and on the 3rd they entrained at Frevent for
Amiens. We detrained the following day at Prouzel and left for Bois de
Boves. On August 5th we took up a position at Bois de Gentelles, and on
the 8th took part in the “kick off” for the Amiens show with a night
position in front of Cayeux. From the 9th until the 16th is simply a
sequence of names that spells the hardest action; Caix Valley,
Warvillers, Le Quesnoy, Warvillers. On August 21st the Battery was en
route back to Saleux, via Cayeux, Domart and Boves Wood, where they
entrained for Aubigny and Dainville Wood.
The “kick off” for the Drocourt-Queant line came on September 2nd. On
the 3rd our position was taken up just east of Villers Cagnicourt, and
on the 6th the 6th Battery was at Bainville on rest, where they remained
for about three weeks. On the 26th the Battery went into action at
Buissy, and on the 27th took part in the attack on Canal du Nord and
Cambrai. The Old 17th had the honor to be the first Battery to cross the
Canal at Inchy, and immediately after took up position just east of the
Canal beyond Inchy.
October was merely a repetition of names. The Battery took part in the
general rout of the enemy, until November 7th found them at Crespin, in
action for the last time. On November the 10th the last round was fired
from the Battery in this position by Gunner Malcolm MacDonald of “B”
subsection, the very same subsection that fired the first round on March
1, 1915.
At 11 a.m. of November 11th hostilities ceased and the fighting was
finished. The “Old 17th,” however, marched into Germany as part of the
Army of Occupation and completed the work that the original had set out
to do. Very few, however, of the original members were left by that
time. Yet those of us, who were unable to share in the glorious hour of
Victory, were recompensed by knowing that our successors nobly carried
on in our places equally as well as, if not better than, we ourselves
could have done. The Battery embarked at Southampton on _S.S. Olympic_,
and arrived at Halifax on April 21, 1919. It was demobilized the same
day and consequently its home city, Sydney, was deprived of the pleasure
of welcoming it as a Unit.
CASUALTIES.
Officers: Killed 5
Died 2
——
7
Other ranks: Killed 19
Died of wounds 13
Died 2
—— 34
——
41
HONORS AND AWARDS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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