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Age-30

42, Union Street, Barnet

The Battle of Cambrai

This was a major British offensive on the Western Front that was launched on 20th November, 1917 and lasted through to the beginning of December. As the name suggests it was an attack towards the city of Cambrai and the important German railhead there, which it was hoped would be captured. The battle was notable for two things: the massed use of tanks for the first time and the success of the first day’s fighting when the formidable Hindenburg Line was breached and gains of five miles were made in places. In celebration the church bells throughout Britain were rung. However this success was short lived. The tanks were not reliable and the German defence stiffened as the fighting progressed and when they counter attacked in force on 30th November, the British came under so much pressure that they were forced to withdraw from many of the positions they had captured earlier on. Both sides suffered around 45,000 casualties during the course of the fighting.

When the Germans attacked on 30th November, 1917, 20th Division were holding the line from Masnières down to Lateau Wood with 59 Brigade on the right and 61 Brigade on the left. 61 Brigade had the 12th Liverpool (Kings) and 7th Somerset Light Infantry battalions in the front line and both were soon overwhelmed first by the heavy artillery barrage and then by the infantry attack which was accompanied by low flying aircraft machine-gunning the trenches. They found themselves attacked from the front and from the flanks as the enemy broke through either side of them. Both battalions suffered heavy losses and those that could fell back to the reserve line where, bolstered by the reserve battalion, the 7th Yorkshire Light Infantry, and the divisional pioneers, the 11th Durham Light Infantry, the enemy advance was halted. One of the many casualties was Ernest Waters of 12th Liverpool.