The Canadian Cavalry in the Last 100 Days (Part 3)

One of the Canadians caught up in the 2nd Battle of Le Cateau was S. H. Williams, author of “Stand to Your Horses”. He was temporarily attached to the 6^th Brigade, and watched while two British regiments went at full gallop across an open stretch of land some 2,000 yards long, where there was no cover for man or horse. They were being shelled by the Germans, and in the midst of it a flight of “aeroplanes, which I took to be ours until their actions proved them to be enemy,” attacked from the air. Williams’ assessment of the situation was that it made for an “exciting few moments”. In his view, though, in that particular incident the guns and aircraft didn’t do more damage than hitting a few men and horses, due to the speed of their gallop. Probably not enough to ruffle the feathers of Williams, a tough officer who had been through four years of war by this time.

The Canadian Cavalry in the Last 100 Days (Part 2)

The Second Battle of Le Cateau

In October 1918 Le Cateau was an important transportation hub some eight or ten miles behind the German front lines. Early in the Great War General Horace Smith-Dorrien fought a brutal delaying action against the onrushing Germans in the same location. But now, the Allies were driving the Germans back.The immediate aim of the Allies was to take the town and cut the enemy’s lines of communication. They attacked with artillery and infantry over a wide front. The infantry had pushed as hard as they could but were stopped due to the enemy’s resistance and the fatigue of their men. 
The cavalry was ordered to carry out an attack. Centred on a Roman road, with the (British) 6^th Cavalry Brigade to the right of it, and the Canadian Cavalry Brigade to the left, the mounted troops charged up through the stalled infantry.

The ferocity of the battle can be imagined from the comment by a British cavalry officer, Lieutenant Bickersteth: “the bursting H.E. (high explosive), the rattle of machine-gun fire, both from the ground and from the air, the explosion of the bombs dropped by the aeroplanes—all contributed to make the noise absolutely deafening.”

The Canadian Cavalry Brigade’s Last Mounted Battle

The Canadian Cavalry Brigade was in the thick of the Last Hundred Days, the final days of World War I. The Germans had expended their energies trying to strike a final victory, and had not managed it. 

Soldier, LSH, by Ron Volstad

On October 9^th, 1918, there was barely a month of war left, but at the 2^nd Battle of Le Cateau, there was fighting enough for both sides. The battle involved British, French, and to a lesser extent American forces on one side, the Germans on the other.

Le Cateau was to be the last time the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), and Fort Garry Horse would take part in mounted attacks. As was the case for many cavalry actions, they were spectacularly successful—but incurred terrible losses.

Watch for more on the 2^nd Battle of Le Cateau.

A History of the British Cavalry; Volume 8, The Western Front

A History of the British Cavalry 1816-1919 Volume 8: The Western Front, 1915-1919 by The Marquess of Anglesey, FSA.

Lord Anglesey, a very prominent historian, has had many interests besides the cavalry. When he set out to write Volume 8 of his History, he was of the common opinion that cavalry had seen its best days and long outlived its usefulness by the onset of trench warfare.

In the course of his research he came to change his opinion. In this regard his conclusions are similar to those of David Kenyon (Horsemen in No Man’s Land; see my blog post of 12 January 2013).

In the preface Anglesey writes as follows: “More important than any of this (referring to relatively light cavalry casualty figures early in the Great War) was the truly vital part played by the mounted troops of the BEF at the worst moments of crisis. Acting as a ‘fire brigade’ they time and again stopped up gaps as only the sole speedily movable element of the force could do. It is not too much to claim that on a number of occasions catastrophes of major dimensions were averted by such action.”

It is also sadly true, as posited by David Kenyon, that by the end of the war the numbers of cavalry killed and wounded were right up there with the infantry.

"Horsemen in No Man's Land": A Review

David Kenyon at work
photo from
http://www.battlefieldpartnerships.co.uk/page13.html

My post of 3 January 2013 features a cover shot of "Horsemen in No Man's Land", subtitled "British Cavalry and Trench Warfare 1914-1918". It appropriately features photos of Indian Army and British troopers.
The author, Dr. David Kenyon, is a British military historian and archaeologist who was featured in "Man & Horse", one of Yap Productions' videos featured numerous times on history television. As I recall Kenyon's part of the program, he was explaining that a man on horseback is in fact difficult to hit with a machine gun; no doubt even more difficult if the man and horse are galloping at the gunner with hard steel extended. Personally, I would not like to be in the boots of either of the participants.
"Horsemen in No Man's Land", ISBN 978-1-84884-364-6, was published in 2011 in the UK by Pen & Sword Military. In it, the author posits that contrary to popular belief the cavalry was no less effective than any other arm of the military, on those occasions when it was properly led and battlefield communication problems did not arise.
A second conclusion is that casualty rates in the cavalry were pretty much the same as in other branches, although higher among the officer corps. He also reminds us that much of the time the cavalry were in the trenches along with their infantry brothers, and not going for leisurely gallops across the rolling hills of Picardy.
Interesting quotes are used. One example, from a cavalryman, argues that if infantry officers used the horses available to them, they would have lived longer! Presumably because they'd be moving faster, even though presenting a bigger target. I am not sure many infantry subalterns would have accepted the advice.
Dr. Kenyon has presented a factual, well documented reassessment of the use of cavalry in the Great War. Highly recommended.

"Horsemen in No Man's Land"

Here is the cover image of "Horsemen in No Man's Land", by David Kenyon.



Subtitled "British Cavalry & Trench Warfare 1914-1918", Kenyon's book is a must-read for people even casually interested in the British cavalry--which, in the Great War, included the Canadian Cavalry Brigade.
Indeed, the Canadians in the Canadian Cavalry Brigade were a small but crucial element in the Allies' eventual triumph in 1918.

Battle of Moreuil Wood Revisited

I was very interested to be contacted by lawyer Dallas Ewen of Winnipeg last spring. Dallas is keen on modelling soldiers, and in particular had in mind a display to show the Battle of Moreuil Wood. He had come across my blog, and wondered if I could direct him to the location of the battlefield. Dallas was in France at the time. Not only could I direct him to the site, but I was able to give him contact information for M. Jean-Paul Brunel, unofficial representative of the Canadian Cavalry Brigade in Moreuil. 

 My wife and I had been entertained royally by J-P in 2008, when we visited Moreuil on March 30^th for the 90^th anniversary of the Battle. Here are a couple of photos taken in 2008 that show Jean-Paul at the time.

Dallas Ewen was able to get in touch with Jean-Paul; here is one of his photos, taken in 2012.

 I was very happy to hear that J-P was as enthusiastic about the Canadian Cavalry Brigade as ever. The background scenery may have changed somewhat, but from what Dallas tells me, Jean-Paul is as full of energy as we found him in 2008.

If you click here you will see one of a series of articles I wrote about Jean-Paul Brunel.