At 7.30 a.m. on October 17th the battalion began to move off by platoons at 100-yard intervals. The 22nd Londons had nothing of particular interest to tell us on our arrival, except that all was quiet. The 47th Division were expecting to go to Italy, and the thought of that fair country loomed large on their horizon.
At 10.45 a.m. the Commanding Officer, with the Brigade Major, visited the front line, where they found that the companies had successfully grasped the situation, and were in touch on their flanks. Scouts had been sent forward to ascertain how things were going in front. Nothing could be seen of the Germans, so the line proceeded cautiously forward in the direction of Lille. On went the scouts, and on went the battalion. It was a queer, uncanny sensation, and not a few expected a sudden crash of shells or the rattle of machine guns. Soon, however, the pace became so fast that, from extended order, the leading companies formed into lines of sections in column, while the support and reserve companies assumed ordinary column of fours. Battalion Headquarters kept incessantly moving, and had hardly time to report their new location before they were on the move again. All this while the Commanding Officer was marching ahead, steering the battalion with whistle and arm signals after the most approved form of open order drill, as laid down in "Infantry Training." La Petite Coutre was passed, and on the flanks could be seen Fort Englos and Premesques, once the strongholds of German heavy artillery in the old Houplines days. Le Marais, just short of Lille, was reached without incident, though the huge craters in the roads showed that the enemy were determined to make our advance as difficult as possible. Mines were still going up, and the efforts of some sappers to remove a "booby trap" from a house resulted in an explosion which only missed Battalion Headquarters by a few minutes.
Shortly before midday the battalion found itself marching along the tram lines in the suburbs of Lille. As the men tramped down the empty road to Pont de Canteleu, two children appeared, timid and round-eyed. "Where is everybody?" asked the Commanding Officer, in his best French. Apparently, our noble opponents had spread it abroad that we should kill everyone we saw, and all had been warned to remain in their cellars. The children retired, and shortly after one or two women and one or two old men appeared. Finding us friendly, their relations were summoned in shrill tones, and before long the street was thronged with people. Never was such a scene! Everyone cheered and sang, laughed and wept. Flags of the Allies, sold to the French by the Germans ere their departure, soon adorned every window. "Vivent les Anglais!" went up from hundreds of throats. Everyone embraced everyone else; officers and men alike were kissed and kissed again by the enthusiastic people; while horses and equipment were soon half smothered in flags and flowers. Progress became very difficult, so dense was the crowd and so anxious to express their joy and gratitude. Of all the sights of the war there were few, if any, half so moving as the picture of this almost miraculous awakening of these unhappy folk from their long and cruel nightmare. How they laughed and cried! With what intense feeling they sang "The Marseillaise"! Not a man was there who did not feel that here at last was a reward worth all the misery and dangers of our campaigning.
At last we reached the Pont de Canteleu, the entrance to the famous City of Lille. The bridge, like all other bridges, was, of course, in ruins; but there was sufficient of it left standing for civilians to cross one at a time. Guards were posted at all these bridges, and no one crossed into the town, the Corps Commander's orders being very strict on this point. About 5 p.m. the 172nd Brigade, which had been detailed to take charge of Lille, began to arrive, and the men were passed over one at a time. As soon as this long performance was completed our piquets were withdrawn. Billets were now selected for the battalion in the vicinity of the bridgehead, and very good they were. Battalion Headquarters secured a magnificent chateau, where everything looked so suspiciously arranged for our comfort that, in spite of the inspection carried out by the special R.Es., we were quite prepared to discover some large-sized "booby trap." An old French gentleman dug up from the garden two bottles of excellent claret and one of old brandy, which he gave to us, and it need hardly be said that the present was most acceptable.
At 6.30 p.m. the transport and rear headquarters arrived, and Lieutenant Drewsen was dispatched to reconnoitre the bridges to the north. He returned with a full description of the destructive thoroughness of the enemy. About three bridges out of some fourteen could be crossed by one man at a time with difficulty; the rest were beyond hope.
At 7.15 a.m. the next morning orders were issued for the Brigade to support the right and left flanks of the 74th and 59th Divisions, who had moved round Lille from the north and south respectively, and whose inner flanks were not yet in touch. It appeared that the enemy, who had evacuated Lille in the early hours of the previous morning, was retiring on the Scheldt, and fighting a rearguard action as he went.
The 8th K.L.R., who had followed behind the 2/7th K.L.R. and ourselves in our joint march on Lille, were now to lead the Brigade; and about 8 a.m. they crossed the remains of the Pont de Canteleu and set off round the southern outskirts of Lille. Fearing that it might be difficult to recross the moat on the other side of Lille, we moved down towards Haubourdin, where there was rumoured to be a pontoon bridge. The transport was to follow. The route, which lay through endless wrecked factories, derelict railway lines, and narrow back streets, was somewhat confusing, but in the end the bridge was found and the battalion passed over.
After crossing at Haubourdin we moved round towards Ronchin, viâ the Faubourg des Postes, receiving everywhere a most enthusiastic greeting from the populace. From the neighbourhood of Ronchin we proceeded to Hallemes, where we settled down on a German aerodrome for a good halt for dinner. The day was fine and warm, but the quantity of pavé made marching hard work.
After a dinner halt we pushed on again towards Flers, there being a distressing lack of either orders or information. On another aerodrome just south of the village we found the Acting Commanding Officer of the Irish, also suffering from the same lack of instructions as ourselves. The Germans took this opportunity to send over some stray "whizz-bangs," but they did no damage, though as a precaution we spread out the battalion into artillery formation. A council of war was held, and the Irish decided to move on to Annappes, and we to billet in Flers, which after a march of thirteen miles we were quite ready to do. We noticed that the enemy shelled the former place quite stiffly as the Irish moved in, but the firing soon subsided. Runners were now sent to collect the transport, which in due course arrived, as also the Brigadier.