Current Information:

Age-19

159, Forest Road, Walthamstow

Sebourg Communal Cemetery, France

On 4th November, 1918, a week before the Armistice was signed, the British Fourth, Third and First Armies launched an offensive,The Battle of the Sambre, along a forty mile frontage from Condé-sur-l’Escaut, south to where the French Army took over the line near the village of Oisy. The attack was over difficult country, the main obstacle being the Sambre canal up to seventy feet wide in places and six feet deep. But by now the majority of the German defenders were disillusioned, fed up and just wanting to go home. That is not to say that they did not put up a fight, the British casualty figures bear witness to this, but once again large amounts of territory were captured on a daily basis until the war ended.

56th Division attacked in the southern sector of First Army with their objective being the village of Sebourg on the River Aunelle and the high land beyond it. The 16th London and 5th London battalions led the advance by 169 Brigade. The day before, 16th London had moved forward to Saultain and during the night occupied a ridge four hundred yards to the east where they met heavy shell fire. Zero was at 5.30 am on 4th November and as they advanced they came under long range machine-gun fire and some shelling but at this stage their losses were light and they were soon across the river and in possession of Sebourg. But things got more difficult when they moved forward to the ridge seven hundred yards to the east of Sebourg and the Aunelle valley. They met intense machine-gun fire and heavy artillery fire from the front and the flanks and were unable to reach the ridge, Faced by two counter-attacks they fell back to the valley and the attack was not resumed until the following morning. 16th London suffered over seventy casualties during the day, one of whom was Cecil French, who was killed in action.