Current Information:

Age-27

4, Mylne Street, Finsbury

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.

In the southern part of the battlefield, 66th Division attacked on the right of Fourth Army just to the south of the village of Villers Outréaux and as the Germans had shelled their assembly positions during the night there were casualties before the battle began. The South African Brigade went forward on the right of the Brigade front and by 7am they had reached their objectives. At this stage 199 Brigade took over the advance with the 5th Connaught Rangers and 9th Manchester battalions pressing on to the village of Serain which was finally captured at 7 o’clock that evening. Among the casualties suffered by the two battalions was Thomas Maher of 5th Connaught Rangers.