Current Information:

Age-34

48, Windsor Road, Kew

Awoingt British Cemetery, France

Throughout the autumn of 1918 the Germans were being steadily pushed back all along the line, from Flanders to the Somme. As a result of the Battle of Cambrai, fought during the first week of October, 1918, they were evicted from the Hindenburg Line and fell back to the River Selle where they hurriedly prepared a new defensive line. The British Army followed  behind them and by the 17th October they were in a position to attack. They did so at 5.20 that morning along a ten mile front running south of the town of Le Cateau. Three days later there was a similar attack north of Le Cateau. Once more the German Army retreated and by the end of the Battle of the Selle on 25th October, they were back to a line between Valenciennes and the Sambre and Oise Canal.

On 23rd October a combined offensive was launched by the British Fourth, Third and First Armies towards the Sambre Canal, Le Quesnoy and Valenciennes. As part of this offensive 98 and 19 Brigades of 33rd Division attacked in a north-east direction from Montay towards Englefontaine on the edge of the Forêt de Mormal. 1st Middlesex led the attack of 98 Brigade and by 3.30am, all resistance had been dealt with and the first objective had been reached when the battalion captured the village of Forest-en-Cambrésis, taking 200 prisoners. At this point the 4th Liverpool (Kings) battalion passed through to continue the attack. They reached their objective, the western bank of the River Harpies, and later in the day 1st Middlesex moved up behind them in support.

The following day, 24th October, 98 and 19 Brigades renewed their attack with the task of protecting the right flank of V Corps as well as keeping abreast of the attack on their left. Once again, 1st Middlesex were in the thick of the action but were stopped at the road running from Hecq to Poix du Nord by enfilade fire from the right and a destroyed bridge. Neither they nor 19 Brigade were able capture Englefontaine. During the attack by 98 Brigade, 1st Middlesex faced intense machine-gun fire and suffered very heavy casualties as a consequence, so much so that when they were relieved by 100 Brigade later in the day and moved back to a sunken road, the whole battalion was reduced to just one company, instead of four. Edward Kettle died from wounds on 24th October and he may have been wounded on an earlier date.