Current Information:

Born-Forest Gate

Forenville Military 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.

The 4th Royal Fusiliers and 1st Northumberland Fusiliers battalions of 9 Brigade, 3rd Division attacked just to the south of Cambrai, pushing east towards the villages of Séranvillers and Wambaix. They reached their objectives in under two hours at which stage the 2nd Suffolk battalion of 76 Brigade passed through  to continue the attack. 4th Royal Fusiliers assisted by moving on to the slope north of Séranvillers but there they were met by heavy machine-gun fire and after suffering many casualties, fell back to a line west of the village. One of their casualties was George Shillan.