‘Although twice wounded, he refused to leave till the fight was won.’ No defences made by man, certainly none made by German, could withstand courage of this kind. In a Special Order of the Day, issued on October 1st, by Major-General Sir R. Whigham, Commanding the 62nd Division, he addressed his gallant Troops as follows: ‘The capture of Havrincourt on 12th September was essential to the success of the operations south of Cambrai, in which the 62nd Division has been engaged during the last four days. ‘As a sequel to that brilliant achievement, the Division has now captured Marcoing, Masnières, and the high ground north of Crèvecoeur, thus establishing a bridgehead over the Canal de St. Quentin, which is vital to the further successful prosecution of the campaign. ‘The Field Marshal Commanding-in-Chief visited Divisional Headquarters to-day, and desired me to convey to all ranks of the Division his congratulations and high appreciation of their splendid courage and endurance. ‘For myself, I give you all my warmest thanks for the unfailing cheerfulness with which you have carried out the most arduous tasks, often in conditions of great hardship and discomfort. ‘It will ever be to me a pride to have commanded so magnificent a Division.’ Yet one more word about Marcoing. On an earlier page we remarked that we should have occasion to come back to the 8th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment, the _Bataillon d’élite_ of a French Army Order. This occasion occurred on September 27th, when two companies of that Battalion earned from the VIth Corps Commander (Lieut.-General Sir A. Haldane) the following striking encomium, dispatched through the 62nd Divisional Commander: ‘Please convey to the survivors of the two companies 8th West Yorkshire Regiment my high appreciation and admiration of their initiative, dash and gallantry in pushing up to the outskirts of Marcoing yesterday [September 27th], in spite of all obstacles. It is by resolution and bravery such as they displayed that great victories have been won in the past history of the British Army. ‘I heartily congratulate the whole Battalion, yourself, and your splendid Division on the inspiring incident in front of Marcoing.’ Major-General Whigham, in publishing this letter, for the information of all ranks of the Division, showed how well the action of the two Companies illustrated the principle of pressing an advantage, whenever gained.