Current Information:

Age-45

3, Halkin Place, Belgravia

Brancourt-le-Grand Communal Cemetery, France

October 1918 was a month which saw the Allies pushing the Germans back all along the Western Front and liberating towns, villages and whole areas, which had been under German occupation for four long years.  At 5.10am on 8 October, 1918, the British launched an offensive on a 20 mile front between St Quentin and Cambrai when three British Armies, backed by 82 tanks, advanced 3 miles and captured 10,000 prisoners and 150 guns. After 24 hours of fighting the Hindenburg Line was overrun in its entirety and the enemy were in full retreat.

Throughout the day attempts were made to get the cavalry into the action but as always on the Western Front, where machine-guns dominated, this proved to be difficult if not impossible. At 10am the 15th Hussars and 19th Hussars, both part of the 9th Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division tried to advance up the Le Cateau road between Prémont and Serain but were stopped by machine-gun fire. Two troops of 19th Hussars did mange to get among some German guns east of Brancourt but that afternoon all the cavalry units were withdrawn to their starting positions. Their brief foray had resulted in some casualties one of whom was George Franks of 19th Hussars.