Current Information:

Age-18

21, Pulborough Road, Southfields

Busigny 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.  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.

The southernmost sector of this offensive on 8th October, was made by units of the Fourth Army and as part of this 16 Brigade of 6th Division attacked towards the Mericourt ridge with the village of Mericourt atop of it. The 1st Shropshire battalion led the way, followed by 1st East Kent (Buffs). Their advance took them up the left spur of a valley but the French troops making their way up the right spur, were delayed which meant that 16 Brigade faced the danger of a counter attack  from that side of the valley and from Mannequin Wood within the valley itself where there were numerous enemy machine-gun posts. To add to their problems, the three Whippet tanks, whose task it was to clear the valley, had barely got started when two of them were knocked out by shell fire  1st Shropshire reached their objective at which stage 1st Buffs passed through to take Beauregard Farm but artillery and machine-gun fire from their right stopped them in their tracks. They did their best to form a defensive flank but on the bare, open slopes of the valley their slightest movement could be seen and attracted fire. However by mid afternoon, the French had made progress on their right and the 1st West Yorkshire battalion of 18 Brigade had pushed up the valley and made contact with them. This allowed 1st Buffs to re-organise and push forward patrols and by the early evening they had established themselves on a line east of Beauregard Farm. Shortly after  the village of Mericourt was captured and the Mericourt ridge was in British hands. 1st Buffs sustained a number of casualties in this operation, one of whom was Gordon Smith who was killed in action.