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| Newfoundland's Caribou at Monchy-le-Preux |
In the Allied spring offensive of 1917 the regiment distinguished itself by assisting in the securing of the fortified village on Monchy-le-Preux. Next, they were redeployed over the summer to the Ypres Salient, where they fought in several of the actions of the Battle of Passchendaele. Newfoundland's year was not yet finished, however. After replenishing their ranks the Newfoundland Regiment was moved by train and forced march to the area around the Cambrai sector. Here, the Allies were massing their troops for a major assault on the German lines. The 88th Brigade of 29th Division, of which the Newfoundland Regiment was a part, was ordered to secure Masnieres and Marcoing.
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| Nine of the "Monchy Ten" Who Held Off a German Attempt to Recapture the Village |
On Tuesday 20 November 1917 the Battle for Cambrai commenced. The Newfoundlanders advanced forward under protection of a withering artillery barrage. The German defensive lines were decimated as the newly introduced British tanks tore through dugouts and machine gun nests. Both Masnieres and Marcoing were freed of German defenders. Only the arrival of German reinforcements saved their hold on Cambrai. While the Allies had made spectacular advances they had failed to break the German stronghold of Cambrai. The Newfoundland Regiment stayed at Marcoing for three days. On 23 November, the German guns started a continuous barrage on Marcoing and Masnieres. From 25 to 28 November, the battalion occupied trenches on the north side of the canal facing north toward the Beaurevoir line, then returning to the cellars of Marcoing after an uneventful tour of frontline duty. On 30 November 1917 the Germans counterattacked all along the Cambrai sector. The main thrust of nine German Divisions would be a drive from the east, then a drive north to eliminate the salient the British attack had created. The Newfoundlanders were recalled from reserve and ordered to relief in front of Masnieres. It was in this defensive phase where the regiment would earn its greatest distinction of the Great War.
The night before, the regiment was ordered forward to carry out relief at Masnieres. Early the next morning, heavy shelling of Marcoing foretold of an imminent attack. The two battalions of the 86th Brigade holding the line near Les Rues Vertes reported they were being engaged from Rumilly and Crevecouer, and a battalion of the 20th Division to the south was falling back. At 10:00 a.m., an urgent message from Brigade instructed the CO to move the Newfoundlanders forward with the other battalions of the 88th Brigade. The heavy shelling prevented them from moving to their designated positions. Because of the shelling, the companies had to move to the assembly point near Marcoing Copse independently.
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| The St. Quentin Canal at Marcoing, Captured on 20 November 1917 |
As they approached Marcoing Copse, they were met by advancing Germans coming from the direction of Les Rues Vertes, trying to outflank the 29th Division. The Newfoundlanders deployed and attacked with bayonets, stemming the German advance. On their right, the Essex, and beyond them, the Worcesters and Hampshires extended the line south. By night, the four battalions assisted by the Kings Own Scottish Borderers of the 87th Brigade pushed the enemy back one mile. As night fell, they dug in on a line beginning from Les Rues Vertes running south.
For the next 24 hours, the 29th Division hung on to their rather precarious position. The Germans kept up machine gun and sniper fire exacting heavy casualties. Farther south, the Germans had pushed to the outskirts of Gouzeaucourt. As darkness fell on 1 December, the 29th Division was at the tip of a dangerous salient, subjected to heavy bombardment and repeated infantry attacks. Over the next days, the 88th Brigade left with a diminished front of 2000 yards, south of the canal in front of Marcoing Copse. On its left flank, the Newfoundlanders were dug in beside the canal lock. . .
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| Newfoundlanders Resting in the Trenches |
On 3 December, the enemy started a crushing bombardment along the canal bank, followed by intensive and accurate mortar fire forcing the Regiment to withdraw to the west of the lock. Waves of Germans made repeated attacks on the front, but somehow the assaults were halted. That evening, the Hampshires came forward from reserve to relieve what was left of the Newfoundland battalion. They withdrew half a mile and rested as best they could in old German dugouts. On 4 December, the Third Army was ordered to withdraw to a line through Flesquieres. This withdrawal was successfully executed, relinquishing the ground captured in the attack. The 29th Division was the only division that did not collapse on 30 November.
In the early part of December 1917 the governor of Newfoundland, Sir Charles Harris, was notified that His Majesty the King had approved the title "ROYAL" for the Newfoundland Regiment. The Royal Newfoundland Regiment was the only regiment on which this honor was bestowed during the war and only the third time that this honor had been given to a regiment in time of war. (The other times were in 1695 and in 1885).
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| The Regiment's World War One Honors Flag |
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