Early in September the enemy began to show greater activity. Our patrols were constantly out, and frequently came into contact with those of the enemy, but for nearly a month longer the Germans held on to most of their positions opposite the Division, although they withdrew in the Lens sector on the 1st, when the 24th Division occupied the Green Crassier.
As patrols had reported that the enemy was evacuating his forward positions, the 2nd Scottish Rifles sent out a daylight patrol of two men, under Lieut. A. S. Martin, on the 1st of September. Having reached the railway embankment, Lieut. Martin crept round by a ruined bridge and found a German N.C.O. sitting in a dug-out. He brought up his two men, and as the German tried to fight, he shot him. Identification was obtained, and the patrol returned without drawing fire. Lieut. Martin was awarded the M.C.
On the 2nd of September the Drocourt—Quéant line south-east of Arras was broken, and the enemy was thrown into precipitate retreat on the whole front south of it. By the 8th he had fallen back to the defences of the Hindenburg Line.
Battalions of the 20th Division attempted to establish posts on the railway embankment on the 1st and 2nd of September, but on the 1st the enemy was too alert, and on the 2nd, although the posts were temporarily established, hostile shelling and a trench mortar bombardment made their positions untenable.
During the first week of September the enemy shelled the Divisional area very heavily with gas. On the night of the 4th/5th 4000 shells are estimated to have fallen on the front of the 12th K.R.R.C., at that time the right battalion of the 60th Brigade. Our artillery fired in retaliation the following day, but the enemy put down a very heavy gas bombardment in the Avion sector that night, and on the 7th shelled the area around La Coulotte, again with gas.
On our side constant activity was maintained; gas was successfully discharged several times during the month, and fighting patrols continued to raid the German lines.
A very useful raid was carried out near Méricourt on the 20th by two platoons of the 12th K.R.R.C. under 2nd Lieut. C. E. Austin and 2nd Lieut. F. R. Cleeves. One section of the Light Trench Mortar Battery carried Stokes bombs to destroy the dug-outs, and two sappers carried a torpedo to blow a gap in the enemy’s wire.
At zero, 2.30 A.M., “F” Special Company R.E. discharged smoke with unqualified success, and the machine-gun barrage opened. The torpedo was fired, and both platoons got through the wire without difficulty. On the right no Germans were met, but on the left they offered a good deal of opposition, and here Cpl. Arscott, Lance-Cpl. Taylor, and Rfm. Young did very good work. Several Germans are believed to have been killed, one was taken prisoner, and at 4 A.M. the whole party returned to the line without loss. The Divisional Commander sent his congratulations to the battalion for securing an identification which was very badly needed.
On the 19th of September Lieut.-Colonel F. W. Gosset, C.M.G., D.S.O., arrived to take over temporarily the duties of G.S.O.I. from Lieut.-Colonel Clarke. Later in the month he was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel A. W. Stericker, D.S.O.
By the end of September the development of the general situation began directly to affect the position on the Divisional front. The operations of the British Army formed part of a comprehensive scheme by which four converging offensives were launched by the Allies on the whole front from the Meuse to Flanders. On the 26th of September French and American forces attacked on both sides of the Argonne; on the 27th troops of the First and Third British Armies captured the outlying German defences west of Cambrai, as a prelude to a British attack on the whole Hindenburg Line; on the 28th the Second Army and the Belgians attacked in Flanders, where the success gained forced the enemy to retire on the 2nd of October on the whole front from Armentières south to Lens. The British assault on the Hindenburg Line, begun on the 29th, resulted in the capture of the whole of this formidable position from St Quentin, which was taken by French troops operating on our right, to Cambrai. By the 5th of October the enemy’s defence in the last and strongest of his prepared positions had been shattered, and the way was opened to the vital railway centre at Maubeuge.[21]