1st South African Infantry Brigade in France.

Preface

This document details the three-year period after the 1^st South African Infantry Brigade departed the South Africa shores in 1915; covering the various major changes that took place and above all, the main exploits and battles the Brigade took part in until the armistice was finally signed in1918.  The Infantry Brigade consisted of four volunteer battalions and were constituted as follows: the 1^st SA Infantry was the Cape of Good Hope regiment drawn largely from the “Old Colony”; the 2^nd SA Infantry was the Natal and Orange Free State regiment; the 3^rd SA Infantry was the Transvaal and Rhodesia regiment and the 4^th SA Infantry was the South African Scottish regiment recruited from the Scottish regiments existing in the Union such as the Cape Town Highlanders and the Transvaal Scottish and the many Caledonian societies. In the titanic struggle that was the Western Front, the South African Brigade suffered 15,000 casualties and 5,000 deaths.

It must be remembered that there were numerous minor skirmishes, etc and it is impossible to record all these in the following short but comprehensive summary of the Infantry Brigade.  Even in his book, John Buchan was unable to record every minor encounter with the enemy forces.  One might not be able to always tie up a casualty with an exact date; this was largely due to the nature of the war.  Many casualties occurred when positions, even relatively safe ones, were still within range of the German artillery that frequently bombarded rear positions and lines of communication. Aerial attacks often took place especially during a planned build up to a large-scale attack inflicting many injuries.  This document will in those cases at least be able to assist the researcher as to what area the soldier/unit was billeted in, and what previous battles he had fought in or before his demise/wounding.

All the following information was attained from the official history of “The South African Forces In France” by John Buchan originally published in 1920 by Nelson.  Anyone wanting to know more about the finer details and movements of the South African Infantry Brigade in World War One is recommended to try and obtain a copy of the book or a recent reprint of the work published by the Imperial War Museum Press in London. In this very informative book John Buchan also briefly covered the service records of the South African Heavy Artillery, the South African Signal Company (RE.), the Various Medical Services, the Railway Companies and Miscellaneous Trades Company and finally the Cape Auxiliary Horse Transport Companies. The proud records of these units are not covered in this summary but might well be covered in a future issue.

This is the first of a planned series of summaries covering the day-to-day movements of South African forces in World War One.  The main purpose of this first and the future summaries in this series is to assist the public in easing the research process regarding the World War One personal documents obtained on request from the Army Archives in Pretoria. The next summary will deal with the South African forces in German East Africa, an arena that unfortunately has been considered by many as a sideshow event in the bigger picture of World War One, however, for the 2,000 South Africans who died there and the 12,000 who were repatriated with malaria, black water fever, dysentery and other tropical diseases it was a serious affair.

Any comments are most welcome.

Brian Conyngham

New Germany

KwaZulu Natal

  1st South African Infantry Brigade

 July 1915 Britain accepts General Botha’s proposal to furnish a contingent of South African 

troops for service in Europe.

28^th August 1915-17^th September 1915   The South African Brigade departs for England under the command of Brigadier-General Henry Timson Lukin, C.M.G., D.S.O., the Inspector-General of the Union Forces.

October to December 1915 the South Africans are quartered at Bordon in England.

The SA Brigade was at first attached to the 16^th (Irish) Division but on the 7^th December 1915 it was decided that the South Africans would first travel to Egypt to assist the British and Imperial forces on the Egyptian western frontier. They would form part of the Western Frontier Force under the overall command of the British General Peyton. This campaign was due to the threat posed by the pro German/ Turkish Arab Senussi Tribesmen, who were very active on the eastern Egyptian border with Libya. It was feared that an invasion of Egypt by the Senussi would take place thus threatening the Suez Canal.

30^th December 1915                SA Brigade embarks at Devonport for service in Egypt.

10-13^th January 1916         The South Africans arrive at Alexandria and set up themselves up at Mex Camp, six miles west of the city.

21-22^nd January 1916           The 2^ndRegiment move to Matruh by boat to prepare for their first baptism of fire. This sixteen-hour voyage plus an 18-mile march to Bir Shola found the regiment rather weary.

23^rd January 1916              The 2^nd Regiment along with Australian, New Zealand, Indian and British forces attack the Senussi camp at Halazin and rout them, 2^nd Regiment suffered 11 killed and 106 wounded.

25^th February 1916                The 3^rdRegiment involved in skirmish near Agagia. 1 man killed and 1 man wounded.

26^th February 1916            The 1^st and 3^rd Regiments with British troops and six armoured cars under Major the Duke of Westminster attack the Senussi at Agagia, resulting in the capture of the Senussi General, Gaafer Pasha. This engagement resulted in the capture of the Port of Barrani.  Battle casualties were 14 killed and 103 wounded.

15^th March 1916                 General Lukin dispatched the Duke of Westminster with his armoured cars and total personnel of thirty-two to pursue the retreating Senussi. The Duke caught up with and attacked the enemy’s camp at Bir Asisa and totally routed them bringing the Senussi threat under control. Although the South Africans did not take part in this final action they were now free to start what they had volunteered for, and that was to take on the Germans in the trenches of Flanders.

16^th March 1916                General Peyton holds a parade at Sollum where he thanked all his men for the victory.

28^th March 1916                     The Brigade began its return to Alexandria by sea.

At the end of March 1916 the SA Brigade received new drafts, including 8 officers and 400 other ranks.

13-19^th April 1916               The transports Megantic, Oriana, Scotian and Tintoretto convey the Brigade to France arriving in Marseilles on the night of the 19^th. The 4^th Regiment are quarantined until the first week in May due to a contagious sickness on the Oriana, the rest of the Brigade soon left for the front.

SA Brigade prepares for its part in the Battle of the Somme.

23^rd April 1916                Billeted at Steenwerck the SA Brigade were attached to the 9^th (Scottish) Division, with whom they would serve for two years and share an amazing bond of suffering and glory.

1^st July 1916                         Start of the Battle of the Somme.

2-5^th July 1916                      SA Brigade in the Glatz sector of the front. The 3^rd Regiment in action north west of Maricourt.

8-10^th July 1916                  A, C, and D Companies 2^nd Regiment in heavy action at Bernafay Wood, incurred some 200 casualties.

10^th July 1916                 Two companies of the 4th Regiment relieved the 2nd Regiment troops in Bernafay Wood.

10-11^th July 1916           4^th Regiment in action at Trones Wood and Bernafay Wood. On the 11^th July the 4^th Regiment losses its Officer Commanding, Lieutenant-Colonel F A Jones at Bernafay Wood during some vicious fighting.

13^th July 1916                 SA Brigade concentrated at Talus Boise as the reserve brigade for the 9^th Division. In its short while at the front the SA Brigade had sustained a total of 337 casualties.

14^th July 1916                         1^st Regiment attack Longueval Village, desperate hand to hand fighting.

15-20^th July 1916                  Early on the 15^th July the 1^st Regiment retired from Longueval, and the 2^nd, 3^rd   Regiment and 2 companies of the 4^th Regiments enter Delville Wood. Later in the day a company of the 1^st Regiment is dispatched to reinforce the 2^nd Regiment due to heavy losses. On the 18^th July the fourth day of the battle things were getting desperate and reinforcements from the 1^st Regiment were sent in. Portions of the 1^st and 4^th Regiments were relieved by mid-night of the 12^th July. Throughout the19^th and 20^th July, the remnants of the SA Brigade in Longueval and Delville kept on fighting until relieved at six o’clock on the 20^th July. Only 3 officers and 140 totally exhausted other ranks marched out of action that day! The SA Brigade’s first VC was awarded to Private W F Faulds of the 1^st Regiment on the 16^th July. Casualties from the 14^th to the 20^th July amounted to 2320.

During late July new drafts consisting of 40 officers and 2,826 men arrive from Bordon in England, to replace the SA Brigades heavy losses since the 1^st July 1916.

August 1916 SA Brigade trains new drafts and a visit by the King on the 11^th August.

23^rd August 1916-23^rd September 1916.  The SA Brigade moves into front line trench service around Vimy.

13^th September 1916          During the night B and D companies of the 2^nd Regiment raid enemy trenches.

25^th September 1916          Preparation for assault on the Butte de Warlencourt. Conditions extremely wet.

8-9^th October 1916             SA Brigade relieves the London Territorial Division in Mametz Wood and High Wood.

9^th October 1916                  B and C companies 2^nd Regiment in the front line, A and D companies in the support role, in front of the German positions between the ruins of Eaucourt L’Abbaye and the Butte de Warlencourt.

12-19^th October 1916             At 14:00 with the 2^nd and 4^th Regiments leading and the 3^rd and 1^st in reserve they crossed the parapets at the start of the Battle of Butte de Warlencourt.  After dawn on the 13^th October the 2^nd and 4^th Regiments were pulled back to High Wood. On the 14^th October B Company of the 3^rd Regiment took the “pimple” plus a few surrounding trenches, this “pimple” was a prominent feature on the battlefield. The A Company of the 3rd Regiment relieved them on the night of the 15^th October. On the 16^th October the 3^rd Regiment retired to the support line being replaced by the 1^st Regiment. On the 18^th October A, B and C companies of the 1^st Regiment attacked the German positions. Only around forty men from C Company survived this initial attack. As for the A and B companies only a handful of survivors lived, the rest were totally annihilated! On the 19^th October a company of the 3^rd Regiment went into the attack with limited success. That evening the remnants of the Brigade were relieved by the 6^th K.O.S.B. and by the 20^th October all troops were back at High Wood. The Butte de Warlencourt was never taken and was only occupied at the end of February 1917, when the enemy retreated. In the ten days of fighting the South African casualties were approximately 1,150 including 45 officers, 16 of whom were killed.

26^th October 1916             SA Brigade taken out of the line and joins Sir Edmund Allenby’s Third Army.

November 1916                      During November the SA Brigade was billeted in and around Arras.

December 1916 SA Brigade moved into the front, and held an area 1,800 yards northward from the River Scarpe, they remained in this position for the next three months during heavy snow and bitter frost.

January to April 1917 SA Brigade prepares for upcoming Battle of Arras.

3^rd January 1917                 A raiding party from the 3^rd Regiment carried out a successful attack on the German trenches.

4^th March 1917               SA Brigade relieved. Casualties for the previous three months at the front amounted to 51 killed and 171 killed.

7^th April 1917               A large 1^st Regiment raiding party successfully attacked the German trenches.

6^th April 1917                     Lieutenant-General J. C. Smuts inspected the SA Brigade with the exception of the 1st Regiment that was in the line.

9^th April 1917                       05:30 in the morning was zero hour for the start of the Battle of Arras, and all four South African regiments advanced under the greatest artillery barrage “ever seen on any battlefield”. The 3^rd Regiment met with heavy machine-gun fire and suffered. By 2 o’clock in the afternoon the SA Brigades objectives were accomplished. Casualties for the first day were 145 killed and 549 wounded and missing.

12^th April 1917                At 5 pm the 1^st, 2nd, and 4^th Regiments with the 3^rd Regiment in support attacked the Germans between Fampoux and Roeux. The result was a failure and they suffered 712 casualties.   

15^th April 1917                       The SA Brigade was relieved.

5^th May 1917                  A composite battalion consisting of a company from the 1^st, 2nd, and 3^rd Regiments was formed and took on its fair share at the front line until the 14^th May when it was demobilised.

From the end of April to June 1917 1,448 new recruits and recovered wounded drafts arrive from England to bolster the Brigades many losses, since the last replacements arrived 9 months earlier.

July1917 Brigade prepares for Third Battle of Ypres.

12^th July 1917                         End of the Battle of Messines.

August 1917 SA Brigade prepares for Battle of Menin Road and the German “pill-box” threat.

17^th September 1917      SA Brigade moved into front line. They were disposed as follows: 3rd Regiment on the right with the 1^st Regiment in support, the 4^th Regiment on the left with the 2^nd Regiment as its support.

20-21^st September 1917       On a wet misty morning at 05:40 the Battle of Menin Road began. Due to careful planning the SA Brigade took all its objectives and the “pill-box” threat was largely diminished. The day was full of gallant individual exploits and the Brigades second VC was awarded to Lance Corporal W.H. Hewitt of the 2^nd Regiment for an attack on a “pill-box”. The attack has been described as the “most successful achievement up to that date in the campaign”. This great battle came at a cost with 263 killed and 995 wounded or missing.

4^th October 1917                    SA Brigade in training for five days.

12^th October 1917                  SA Brigade enters support lines along the canal bank at Ypres.

13-21^st October 1917              SA Brigade’s 2^nd and 4^th Regiments moved back into front line trenches.

16^th October 1917               Night of the 16^th October the 2^nd and 4^th Regiments were relieved by the 1^st and 3^rd Regiments, and for the next five days took part in no action but were bombarded constantly.

23^rd October 1917                   SA Brigade relieved and enjoys some rest. In the ten days it had been in the Salient it had no less than 261 casualties.

The struggle at Ypres came to a close on the 6^th November, when the Canadians carried the last fragment of the Passchendaele Ridge.

During late October and November 1917 more new drafts arrive to bolster the thinning SA Regiments.

December 1917 The SA Brigade prepares for the upcoming “Great German Attack” (Somme Retreat).

3^rd December 1917          The 2^nd and 4^th Regiments moved into the front lines on the east slope of Quentin Ridge extending from Gauche Wood, on the right to a point near the head of Flag Ravine. The 1^st Regiment were in support and the 3^rd Regiment in reserve. Heavy shelling took place during December on this area. Casualties during this time cost the Brigade an average of 30 men a day.

8^th December 1917       During the night the 2^nd and 4^th Regiments were relieved by the 1^st and 3^rd Regiments with the 4^th becoming the reserve and the 2^nd the support regiment.

13^th January 1918                    SA Brigade comes out of the line for a ten-day rest.

23-30^th January 1918         On the 23^rd January the 2^nd and 3^rd Regiments moved into the front line, followed by the 1^st and 4^th Regiments the next day.

31^st January 1918                    All four battalions relieved for a much needed month’s rest.

17^th February 1918                  Brigade attends the Delville Wood memorial service.

18^th February 1918             The 3^rd Regiment disbanded, its remaining troops dispersed to the other three Regiments, the reason being that there were just not enough replacements coming through.

12^th March 1918              The Brigade moved up to the front east of Heudicourt. The South African sector covered 2,000 yards between Quentin Redoubt to just south of Gauche Wood. The 2nd Regiment on the right and the 1st on the left held the forward zone, with the 4^th Regiment in reserve although still in the “battle zone”. The battlefield had been divided into zones behind the Main Line of Resistance. The Yellow or reserve line, the Brown line being the final line of the “battle zone” and the Green line some three miles to the rear.

21^st March 1918                At 04:45 am precisely the Germans with thirty-seven divisions started to attack. There was a major attack on the B Company of the 2^nd Regiment in Gauche Wood but they held on bravely. The Germans reached a little height called Chapel Hill but as this little hill commanded the area known as the Yellow Line it had to be retaken. Early in the afternoon A Company 2^nd Regiment were sent forward but made no progress. At 05:30 pm A Company 4^th Regiment made a spirited attack on Chapel Hill and took it. The Brigade fell back to the “Yellow Line” with the three companies of the 1^st Regiment in the left of the front line with a company in the Brown Line. On the right three companies of the 4^th Regiment were also in the Yellow Line and on Chapel Hill, and the remaining company was at Revelon Farm. Two companies of the 2^nd Regiment were assisting the 4^th Regiment at Chapel Hill and the remainder were in the Brown Line. So ended the first day of the German attack.

22^nd March 1918              Under cover of heavy artillery the Germans advance and retook Chapel Hill and Revelon Farm. By 4.30 pm the Brigade fell back to the Brown line. B Company of the 2^nd Regiment with its heroic commander Captain Green of Delville Wood fame were destroyed, fighting to the last.

23^rd March 1918             At 02:00 am the SA Regiments fell back to “Green Line” and were in fact now a divisional reserve. Due to a wavering front all men were once again called back to the front. Withdraw was the order of the day and overnight the whole line withdrew to new positions. Casualties over the first two days of battle had been about 900 all ranks.

24^th March 1918                 By dawn on Sunday the South African regiments were holding an area near the northern point of the Marrieres Wood. The brigade was soon to add another broken woodland name to the already proud defences of Delville and Gauche Woods. The Brigade strength was now down to only five hundred. Giddy with lack of sleep, grey with fatigue, poisoned by gas and tortured by a ceaseless bombardment the men faced new perils. With limited ammunition the South Africans defended their positions all day. Some time around 4:15 pm there was a fresh assault on the last 100 troops still standing, many of them wounded and with virtually no ammunition left. The brigade almost ceased to be. The survivors were taken prisoner. The Officer Commanding the 1^st Regiment Lieutenant-Colonel F.H. Heal D.S.O. had died alongside his men. It is recorded that even the German Headquarters admired the last stand put up by the South African Brigade.

25-27^th March 1918      The final remnants and depleted companies that had gone astray continued to fight alongside other brigades. On the night of the 27^th March the whole division was withdrawn from the line.

During April SA Brigade received 960 new drafts in preparation for the upcoming Battle of the Lys.

It was at the start of this campaign on the 11^th April that Haig had issued his famous “back to the walls” order and that “every position must be held to the last man”. The following forty-five days would see the SA Brigade obey this command to the letter.

The reformed brigade with its new drafts had a strength of 39 officers and 1,473 men.

8-9^th April1918                                Saw the reformed SA Brigade holding ground between Messines Ridge and Lumm’s Farm.

10-13^th April 1918              At 5:45 pm the SA Brigade deployed for the attack on Messines Ridge. The 1^st Regiment was on the right and the 2^nd on the left. The 4^th Regiment was in support of both with one of her companies attached to the 1^st Regiment for the initial thrust. D Company of the 2^nd captured Lumm’s Farm whilst the other companies together with the 4^th Regiment took Four Huns Farm, Middle Farm and Swayne’s Farm. Taking these objectives cost the 2^nd Regiment dearly with close to fifty per cent losses. The 1^st Regiment took part in a bayonet charge and severe hand-to-hand combat pushing the Germans back but were compelled to withdraw owing to a shortage of men. On the 11^th the Germans attacked making some ground and by the 12^th April had gained the Ridge. For thirty hours the brigade had held up the German advance and they did not break through. These last 3 days had cost the Brigade 639 casualties.

14^th April 1918                    The SA Brigade was withdrawn from the line for a very brief rest.

16-21^st April 1918                The SA Brigade moved into a position just east of Kemmel Village with the 1^st Regiment on the right and the 4thRegiment on the left both regiments were now reduced to approximately 250 men each. The 2^nd Regiment with 292 men were disposed in the second line along the front. Fighting started at 3:30 pm and continued late into the night. Fighting continued on the 17^th April. On the morning of the 18^th April the Germans attacked the 1^st Regiment’s positions and they suffered 49 casualties. On the 19^th April the 4^th Regiment were still fighting line.

23^rd April 1918                 SA Brigade had been withdrawn out the front line and were all assembled at Hopoutre.

Due to the severe losses the Brigade had sustained it had reached an all time low regards numbers and could no longer be considered a full strength brigade. On the 23^rd April 1918 it was reformed as a Composite Unit but it would still be referred to as the SA Brigade. Included in the Composite Battalion were the 9^th Scottish Rifles and the 2^nd Royal Rifles. It was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel H.W.M. Bamford, M.C. of the 2^nd Regiment.

27 – 29^th April 1918            The South Africans were once again in action around Mont Kemmel in an attempt to repel the rapidly advancing Germans. The Scottish Regiments suffered heavily but by the 29^th the battle was over and the Germans had been repulsed with around 20000 casualties. The final attack on the 29^th was effectively the last great episode of the Battle of the Lys, although the 5^th May is officially the final day.

5^th May 1918                     The SA Composite Battalion was relieved from the Front Line on the final day of the Battle of Lys. In the previous forty-five preceding days the SA Brigade had twice been destroyed as a unit but had continued to serve to the final man on numerous occasions. 

The summer of 1918 and the SA Brigade had shrunk to battalion size, and the previous proud regiments had now become mere companies.

10-23^rd May 1918                           SA Composite Battalion in training in the Heuringhem area.

24^th May 1918                                SA Composite Battalion in support lines at Hondeghem.

2^nd June 1918                      They assisted the Australians who were on their right; straighten their line in their sector with minor losses.

11^th June 1918                     The Composite Battalion marched to Thieushoek and relieved the 7^th Seaforth Highlanders in divisional reserve.

24^th June 1918                  SA Battalion and 1^st Australian Brigade attack German positions about Meteren village and took twenty-nine prisoners and captured six machine guns. Losses were seven killed and twenty-one wounded.

25^th June 1918.                     The battalion was relieved and moved back to Hondeghem.

19-29^th July 1918            They took part in some heavy action, which resulted in the capture of Meteren Village, ten trench mortars and twenty-three machine guns. Casualties sustained by the Battalion were 27 killed, 2 died of wounds and a further 101 wounded.

30^th July 1918                     The 5th Camerons relieved them.

5^th August 1918                 Composite Battalion moves back into the frontline, on the right of the division near Meteren Becque.

18^th August 1918                They took part in the capture of Hoegnacker Mill, taking 240 prisoners.

18^th August 1918              During the night of the 18^th the SA Battalion were withdrawn from Front Line.

The Composite Battalion was rewarded for the operations it took part in with two bars to the Military Cross, three Military Crosses, one Distinguished Conduct Medal, one bar to the Military Medal, and thirty Military Medals. Since it’s formation on the 24^th April 1918 the Composite Battalion had 7 officers killed and 11 wounded. It had lost 84 men killed and 27 dying of wounds with a further 329 being wounded and 1 missing.

During August 1918 1,000 reserves arrive from England, and it was again possible to consider the reorganization of the Brigade.

11^th September 1918             On this date the SA Brigade now re-formed was withdrawn from 9^th Division and on the 22^nd September it was transferred to VII Corps and it joined the 66^th Division. After fighting with the Scots since it first arrived in France, it was to finish the war alongside the men of Ireland and North England.

With Foch in control his first aim was to push the Germans back behind their prepared defences and destroy the German reserves with continual methodical attacks on limited fronts. This initial campaign of destruction had begun on the 8^th August and continued through to the 26^th September 1918. The plan was on target and by the 24^th September Ludendorff and his army were in their last lines of defence, and the end of the war on the Western Front was in sight.

6^th October 1918                 The South Africans once again prepare to go into battle with the 2^nd Regiment on the right and the 4^th on the left with the 1^st Regiment in support, to destroy the remnants of the Beaurevoir line in the Siegfried zone.

7- 8^th October 1918          The SA Brigade moved into the Siegfried lines at Bony and by 3.30 am on the 8^th had occupied its battle position. Lieutenant-Colonel Bamford, the commanding officer of the 2^nd Regiment was wounded during this movement. Supported by Whippet tanks the 2^nd Regiment made it’s objective by 7o’clock taking 500 prisoners, two anti-tank guns, seventeen machine guns and four field-pieces. The 3-4 mile advance by the allied forces had not come cheaply, the 1^st Regiment had been caught in a barrage and suffered 23 casualties, and the 4^th Regiment faced heavy machine gun fire and suffered 49 deaths and 194 wounded.

9^th October 1918              Starting in the reserves but by 10:30 the Brigade moved forward the second objective of the day a line east of Maurois and Honnechy and Gattignies Wood. Strong opposition faced the 2nd and 4th Regiments but they progressed so well that they moved beyond their objectives. The 1^st Regiment occupied Reumont village. It had been a day of distinguished achievement with the Brigade taking 150 prisoners, more than twenty machine guns, several anti tank guns and at Bertry a motor car containing a German officer. Losses for such a day were light, with the 4^th Regiment having 27 killed and 75 wounded and the 2^nd Regiment had only one officer casualty.  

10^th October 1918       The SA Brigade was in the reserves at Reumont and Maurois, but the 1^st Regiment still sustained some 20 casualties due to continuous shelling.

11^th October 1918               The SA Brigade prepares to attack the “Herman Line” near the village of Le Cateau. The 1^st Regiment held the line opposite Le Cateau with the 2^nd and 4^th Regiments in support on the right and left.

12-15^th October 1918         The 1^st Regiment pushed forward up to the River Selle, which flowed through the town. The 2^nd Regiment was assigned the task to establish a bridgehead in the town and hold the two ruined bridges, whilst under constant machine gun fire. The 1^st Regiment suffered 20 casualties and 8 men missing.

16^th October 1918              2^nd Regiment detail continued to hold out only rejoining the Brigade late in the day after bravely holding out for thirty-six hours. The rest of the Brigade attacked at 5:45 pm to win positions on the eastern bank of the Selle, so that eight bridges could be thrown across the river. By 4:30 on the morning of the 17^th made their positions secure, some within fifty yards of the enemy.

17^th October 1918             Heavy fighting all day with the Brigade taking many casualties and by the end of the day the town of Le Cateau had been won, but not the vital ridge to the east of the town. All night enemy bombing patrols were busy together with unceasing artillery and machine gun fire. This day would go down in the annals of the Brigade along with their advance at Third Ypres as a brilliant piece of offensive warfare.   

18-19^th October 1918      The final objective of the Brigade was established around 04:30 on the morning of the 19^th. The Crossing of the Selle was to be the last of the Brigades great battles. Between the night of the 7^th October and the night of the 19^th October they had taken prisoner 4 officers and 1,238 other ranks, captured 367 machine guns, 19 trench mortars, 22 field guns, 4 anti tank guns and a mass of other equipment. Their casualties were 47 officers and 1,229 men, of whom 6 officers and 187 other ranks were dead.

20^th October-2^nd November 1918 the SA Brigade was in rest billets at Serain.

2^nd November 1918              SA Brigade left Serain for the front.

It was now time for Foch to do what Wellington had done at Waterloo, and on the 4^th November gave the signal for “everything to go in” and the allied armies attacked on a thirty-mile front.

 8^th November 1918         Brigadier-General W.E.C. Tanner the Brigades officer commanding was given the order to create a mobile column, combining his infantry brigade with two batteries of RFA artillery, a field company of engineers, a company of machine gunners, two armoured cars and two platoons of cyclists. They were to move on Beaumont and cross the steam there.

10^th November 1918         The column moved out from Solre-le-Chateau on the Beaumont Road with the 1^st Regiment forming the advanced guard. They faced rearguard action and the retreating Germans had opened the sluices of a reservoir upstream causing a delay in the advance.

11^th November 1918      The 1^st Regiment were in action early on this last day of the war, but little progress was made. The Germans on hearing of the armistice increased their bombardment “as if he had resolve to have no surplus ammunition left when the hour of truce arrived!” At the hour of armistice the line reached by the advance guard represented the easternmost point gained by any troops of the British Armies in France.

THE SOUTH AFRICANS HAD THE HONOUR OF FINISHING THE WAR

AS THE SPEAR-POINT OF THE ADVANCE TO VICTORY.