Palmerston’s Last 100 Days
By: C.Chad Martin
November 10, 2018
If you were to look at each year of the Great War, the most desperate, savage and intense fighting by far happened in 1918. It was the all or nothing year, someone had to win, the course of the war needed to change, and both sides were hell bent on making it happen. Beginning in March of 1918 the German forces made the gamble and launched a ‘Hail Mary’ offensive known as the Ludendorff Offensive. The goal was to move with lightning speed and overwhelm the enemy positions to cause such heavy casualties that the Allied forces would have to capitulate.
The German forces had an influx of troops and equipment from the Eastern Front and time was of the essence. A devastating attack was needed before the Allied forces would be bolstered by fresh troops and equipment from the Americans. With all their ‘eggs in one basket’ the German armies launched a lightning fast attack that set the Allies on their heels. The German armies gained ground quickly but it came at a cost. The defensive positions set up by the Allies inflicted a heavy toll and after five major battles the German armies had lost 688,000 troops while the Allies suffered 860,000 casualties.
By July of 1918 despite the extensive set back inflicted on the Allies, the German forces were over extended, exhausted and depleted. The Allies re-grouped and prepared to respond. Like a cornered boxer the Allies came out swinging on August 8th. Spearheaded by the Canadian forces, a brutal surprise attack was laid down at Amiens, starting what has become known as the Last 100 Days.
The blistering attack by the Canadian and Allied forces drove the enemy lines back 12km, which became the largest defeat inflicted on the German forces to date. Ludendorff was quoted as saying August 8th was "the black day of the German Army in the history of this war . . . Everything I had feared, and of which I had so often given warning, had here, in one place, become a reality.”
The Canadians lost 1,036 soldiers, 3 of which came from Palmerston. Private George Everson, Private George Dobberthien and Lieutenant Horace Parker. All three had served with distinction to that point and had helped press the attack; the vicious onslaught conducted by the Canadian and Allied Forces inflicted 26,000 German casualties, captured 5,000 prisoners and 161 guns. One of those guns included a 75mm Trench Mortar “Mienenwefer” which later became the Palmerston War Trophy that was placed outside the Library on November 17th, 1920.
With the new found momentum the Canadian Forces were like that rebounding fighter and kept punching with ferocity. Next came a series of attacks, the Second Battle of the Somme, and the Battle of the Scarpe. It was here in the Battle of the Scarpe outside the village of Monchy Le Preux that the 42nd Battalion recorded this:
The operation was carried out with the utmost dash and gallantry by all ranks and tested the endurance of every man. For six and a half hours the Companies were heavily engaged at close quarters pressing home the attack with bomb and bayonet. There was heavy shelling during the early stages while the whole area was swept by intense Machine Gun fire from the front and both flanks. The attack resulted in the capture of a heavily wired and stubbornly defended enemy trench system to a depth of one thousand yards on a front of nearly a mile and was of vital importance to the success of the operation planned for the following morning.
Within the attack on Monchy le Preux it was stated in a despatch that:
Pte. Lambier be awarded for conspicuous bravery at the front - that of rescuing a wounded comrade under the deadly fire of the enemy's batteries. In the stress of battle, with the enemy's batteries booming and death lurking everywhere, Pte. Lambier rose to the true greatness of his heroic resolve to bring relief and assistance to a wounded soldier in the peril of his own life. His magnificent display of tenacity and courage at a critical moment has written the word "Hero" in letter of fire.
Palmerston’s own Frank Lambier received a bar to his Military Medal and became one of only 848 to be awarded the Medal for gallantry twice.
While one Palmerston son was putting his life on the line in the Battle of Arras another was sacrificing his in the same battle near the village of Vis-en-Artois, Corporal Alex Skelton of Palmerston was reported missing on the 27th of August and was found later to have been killed while fighting with the 58th Battalion. Sadly, only one day earlier Alex’s father John had received a letter from Alex telling him not to worry, and that he was doing well and feeling fine. John nearly suffered a fate no parent should have to endure by knowing that his other son Franklin, was also with the 58th Battalion at Arras. Franklin was only injured during the battle and fortunately survived. The Canadians suffered 11,000 casualties at Arras, but they knew they still had a long ways to go before victory could be won.
(As a side note, Franklin also won the Military Medal as well as the Distinguished Service Cross for his service during the First World War. When the Second World War came along, Franklin re-enlisted as a Lieutenant with the Veterans Guards of Canada.)
For the next month, intensive planning an preparations were being made for the Canadians to launch another attack on the Canal du Nord, with the ultimate goal of taking Cambrai. The canal was heavily defended and bristling with artillery and machine gun positions, the Germans had made an attack even more challenging by flooding the area around the canal. On September 27th under the leadership of Lt. General Arthur Currie, the Canadian forces attack and by nightfall had crossed the canal.
The Battle of Canal du Nord continued on to Cambrai and captured the town by the 11th of October. As a result another 30,000 Canadian casualties were added to the mounting list of those killed or injured. Amongst them was Private Walter Lovett, who saw action at Vimy, Passchendaele, Amiens and Arras but missed seeing the end of the war by mere weeks. While we’re not completely sure as to his connection to Palmerston, Walter is listed on the Palmerston Cenotaph. He was originally from Ripley.
On the push to Cambrai, Palmerston lost it’s last two sons to the hellish battles of the First World War. On the 29th of September while with the Canadian Machine Gun Corps 4th Battalion Private Frederick Brittain and less than a mile away on the 30th of September with the Canadian Machine Gun Corps 3rd Battalion Sergeant Lloyd Bramhill were both struck and killed in the intense fighting.
The war unfortunately continued on after Cambrai, but the writing was on the wall and everyone knew there was an end in sight. The goal after Cambrai was simply to stay alive long enough to make it out.
Life at home was beginning to settle down and news flowed in about the victories in France and Belgium. On October 22nd, 1918 the Palmerston Town Council held its last meeting prior to the Armistice, the war was winding down but no one knew how long it would keep going. The recruitment efforts had all but stopped and the new post-war world was started to show glimmers of hope. The Town Council minutes show just how little thought was being given towards the war efforts and consisted of the following:
-Minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed
-A Communication was read from S. Burns asking for a Pool Room License.
-Moved by J.B. Skelton and seconded by A.H. Baird that the application of S. Burns for a Pool Room License be granted. Carried
-On motion Council adjourned.
While Council didn’t have much focus on the war effort at the time, in subsequent sessions focus shifted to establishing a returning veterans fund and building of the new Soldiers Memorial. But, for the time being, the fighting still raged on. After Cambrai came the Battle of the Selle, the Battle of Valenciennes and finally, Mons.
The 42nd Battalion War Diaries described Mons on November 10th and 11th as:
Soon after midnight a message was received that “D” Company had entered Mons, whereupon Lt. P.P. Hutchison led his platoon forward to one of the bridges, temporarily repaired it with planks and crossed in single file to the Boulevarde encircling the city. Finding the streets deserted the men ran their rifles along the grilled windows of the cellars and in a few moments the street was filled with civilians.
Before 2 a.m. the city had been mopped up and the Battalion had established a line of outposts on its objective along the eastern outskirts. The Pipe Band leading details of the Battalion not in the outpost line played its way into the city about 7 o’clock and created tremendous enthusiasm. Thousands of civilians lined the streets and the Grande Place and the Battalion was given such a welcome as it has never seen before. Men, women and children vied with one another in expressing their hospitality: hot coffee, cognac and wine were distributed with the utmost generosity. Soldiers were everywhere embraced and kissed and the rapidity with which French and Belgian flags, hidden away since the beginning of the war, appeared was remarkable.
Recapturing Mons was of symbolic importance, rumours were circulating that an armistice was about to be signed or the Germans were about to retreat, but no one was completely sure. At 6:30 am Lt. General Sir Arthur Currie received word that hostilities would officially cease at 11 am that day. By 7 am word had spread like wildfire and Private Frank Lambier, along with the rest of the 42nd Battalion celebrated with the citizens of war torn Mons.
It is said when word reached Palmerston about the armistice the townspeople rushed downtown for their own celebrations and an effigy of the Kaiser was raised up onto a pole and set aflame.
The war was finally over and a collective sigh of relief swept the world, while many were hopeful for a brighter future, just as many were uncertain of what would happen next. While the politicians unknowingly began setting the stage for the next war, the world was about to be devastated by the rampaging virus that became known as the Spanish Flu. Palmerston like so many other communities in Canada was not immune, the first wave began in the spring of 1918 and the second wave started in the fall of the same year. It was October 15th, on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, both Private William Bridge and Private Almer Deaton of Palmerston passed away from the influenza pandemic. 55,000 more Canadians would succumb to the Spanish Flu by 1920.
With the fighting officially over, the ravages of war still had one of Palmerston’s sons in its grasp. Private George Merrick, who enlisted in 1915 and was sent to France in early 1916 spent much of the war in an out of hospitals for a series of injuries and illnesses. His medical reports read like a battle in itself:
May 1916 – Fractured knee cap
March 1917 – Trench fever
May 1917 – Shrapnel wound in shoulder
July 1917 – Broken Leg
November 1918 – Bladder troubles and Typhoid fever
December 1918 – Skin infection on back
February 1919 – Transferred back to Canada for further medical treatment
On August 22nd, 1919, after 5 more months of failed treatments, Private George Merrick died in hospital from the culmination of his injuries and illnesses. Officially, George Merrick became the last Palmerston native to perish while in uniform during the First World War.
The Last 100 Days of the First World War for Palmerston and Canada was bloody, violent and devastating. No victory comes without a cost and from the ashes came stories of valor and events to be memorialized. The profound impact of the First World War can still be felt 100 years later, the ramifications it had on the 20th Century and the direction the world has taken since, still affects us all. The war to end all wars had a short lived peace, for a small community of 1,800 people, Palmerston was dealt a major blow to its people, but its resolve was even stronger afterwards and carried on that way for the next 100 years, if not longer.
By: C.Chad Martin
November 10, 2018
If you were to look at each year of the Great War, the most desperate, savage and intense fighting by far happened in 1918. It was the all or nothing year, someone had to win, the course of the war needed to change, and both sides were hell bent on making it happen. Beginning in March of 1918 the German forces made the gamble and launched a ‘Hail Mary’ offensive known as the Ludendorff Offensive. The goal was to move with lightning speed and overwhelm the enemy positions to cause such heavy casualties that the Allied forces would have to capitulate.
The German forces had an influx of troops and equipment from the Eastern Front and time was of the essence. A devastating attack was needed before the Allied forces would be bolstered by fresh troops and equipment from the Americans. With all their ‘eggs in one basket’ the German armies launched a lightning fast attack that set the Allies on their heels. The German armies gained ground quickly but it came at a cost. The defensive positions set up by the Allies inflicted a heavy toll and after five major battles the German armies had lost 688,000 troops while the Allies suffered 860,000 casualties.
By July of 1918 despite the extensive set back inflicted on the Allies, the German forces were over extended, exhausted and depleted. The Allies re-grouped and prepared to respond. Like a cornered boxer the Allies came out swinging on August 8th. Spearheaded by the Canadian forces, a brutal surprise attack was laid down at Amiens, starting what has become known as the Last 100 Days.
The blistering attack by the Canadian and Allied forces drove the enemy lines back 12km, which became the largest defeat inflicted on the German forces to date. Ludendorff was quoted as saying August 8th was "the black day of the German Army in the history of this war . . . Everything I had feared, and of which I had so often given warning, had here, in one place, become a reality.”
The Canadians lost 1,036 soldiers, 3 of which came from Palmerston. Private George Everson, Private George Dobberthien and Lieutenant Horace Parker. All three had served with distinction to that point and had helped press the attack; the vicious onslaught conducted by the Canadian and Allied Forces inflicted 26,000 German casualties, captured 5,000 prisoners and 161 guns. One of those guns included a 75mm Trench Mortar “Mienenwefer” which later became the Palmerston War Trophy that was placed outside the Library on November 17th, 1920.
With the new found momentum the Canadian Forces were like that rebounding fighter and kept punching with ferocity. Next came a series of attacks, the Second Battle of the Somme, and the Battle of the Scarpe. It was here in the Battle of the Scarpe outside the village of Monchy Le Preux that the 42nd Battalion recorded this:
The operation was carried out with the utmost dash and gallantry by all ranks and tested the endurance of every man. For six and a half hours the Companies were heavily engaged at close quarters pressing home the attack with bomb and bayonet. There was heavy shelling during the early stages while the whole area was swept by intense Machine Gun fire from the front and both flanks. The attack resulted in the capture of a heavily wired and stubbornly defended enemy trench system to a depth of one thousand yards on a front of nearly a mile and was of vital importance to the success of the operation planned for the following morning.
Within the attack on Monchy le Preux it was stated in a despatch that:
Pte. Lambier be awarded for conspicuous bravery at the front - that of rescuing a wounded comrade under the deadly fire of the enemy's batteries. In the stress of battle, with the enemy's batteries booming and death lurking everywhere, Pte. Lambier rose to the true greatness of his heroic resolve to bring relief and assistance to a wounded soldier in the peril of his own life. His magnificent display of tenacity and courage at a critical moment has written the word "Hero" in letter of fire.
Palmerston’s own Frank Lambier received a bar to his Military Medal and became one of only 848 to be awarded the Medal for gallantry twice.
While one Palmerston son was putting his life on the line in the Battle of Arras another was sacrificing his in the same battle near the village of Vis-en-Artois, Corporal Alex Skelton of Palmerston was reported missing on the 27th of August and was found later to have been killed while fighting with the 58th Battalion. Sadly, only one day earlier Alex’s father John had received a letter from Alex telling him not to worry, and that he was doing well and feeling fine. John nearly suffered a fate no parent should have to endure by knowing that his other son Franklin, was also with the 58th Battalion at Arras. Franklin was only injured during the battle and fortunately survived. The Canadians suffered 11,000 casualties at Arras, but they knew they still had a long ways to go before victory could be won.
(As a side note, Franklin also won the Military Medal as well as the Distinguished Service Cross for his service during the First World War. When the Second World War came along, Franklin re-enlisted as a Lieutenant with the Veterans Guards of Canada.)
For the next month, intensive planning an preparations were being made for the Canadians to launch another attack on the Canal du Nord, with the ultimate goal of taking Cambrai. The canal was heavily defended and bristling with artillery and machine gun positions, the Germans had made an attack even more challenging by flooding the area around the canal. On September 27th under the leadership of Lt. General Arthur Currie, the Canadian forces attack and by nightfall had crossed the canal.
The Battle of Canal du Nord continued on to Cambrai and captured the town by the 11th of October. As a result another 30,000 Canadian casualties were added to the mounting list of those killed or injured. Amongst them was Private Walter Lovett, who saw action at Vimy, Passchendaele, Amiens and Arras but missed seeing the end of the war by mere weeks. While we’re not completely sure as to his connection to Palmerston, Walter is listed on the Palmerston Cenotaph. He was originally from Ripley.
On the push to Cambrai, Palmerston lost it’s last two sons to the hellish battles of the First World War. On the 29th of September while with the Canadian Machine Gun Corps 4th Battalion Private Frederick Brittain and less than a mile away on the 30th of September with the Canadian Machine Gun Corps 3rd Battalion Sergeant Lloyd Bramhill were both struck and killed in the intense fighting.
The war unfortunately continued on after Cambrai, but the writing was on the wall and everyone knew there was an end in sight. The goal after Cambrai was simply to stay alive long enough to make it out.
Life at home was beginning to settle down and news flowed in about the victories in France and Belgium. On October 22nd, 1918 the Palmerston Town Council held its last meeting prior to the Armistice, the war was winding down but no one knew how long it would keep going. The recruitment efforts had all but stopped and the new post-war world was started to show glimmers of hope. The Town Council minutes show just how little thought was being given towards the war efforts and consisted of the following:
-Minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed
-A Communication was read from S. Burns asking for a Pool Room License.
-Moved by J.B. Skelton and seconded by A.H. Baird that the application of S. Burns for a Pool Room License be granted. Carried
-On motion Council adjourned.
While Council didn’t have much focus on the war effort at the time, in subsequent sessions focus shifted to establishing a returning veterans fund and building of the new Soldiers Memorial. But, for the time being, the fighting still raged on. After Cambrai came the Battle of the Selle, the Battle of Valenciennes and finally, Mons.
The 42nd Battalion War Diaries described Mons on November 10th and 11th as:
Soon after midnight a message was received that “D” Company had entered Mons, whereupon Lt. P.P. Hutchison led his platoon forward to one of the bridges, temporarily repaired it with planks and crossed in single file to the Boulevarde encircling the city. Finding the streets deserted the men ran their rifles along the grilled windows of the cellars and in a few moments the street was filled with civilians.
Before 2 a.m. the city had been mopped up and the Battalion had established a line of outposts on its objective along the eastern outskirts. The Pipe Band leading details of the Battalion not in the outpost line played its way into the city about 7 o’clock and created tremendous enthusiasm. Thousands of civilians lined the streets and the Grande Place and the Battalion was given such a welcome as it has never seen before. Men, women and children vied with one another in expressing their hospitality: hot coffee, cognac and wine were distributed with the utmost generosity. Soldiers were everywhere embraced and kissed and the rapidity with which French and Belgian flags, hidden away since the beginning of the war, appeared was remarkable.
Recapturing Mons was of symbolic importance, rumours were circulating that an armistice was about to be signed or the Germans were about to retreat, but no one was completely sure. At 6:30 am Lt. General Sir Arthur Currie received word that hostilities would officially cease at 11 am that day. By 7 am word had spread like wildfire and Private Frank Lambier, along with the rest of the 42nd Battalion celebrated with the citizens of war torn Mons.
It is said when word reached Palmerston about the armistice the townspeople rushed downtown for their own celebrations and an effigy of the Kaiser was raised up onto a pole and set aflame.
The war was finally over and a collective sigh of relief swept the world, while many were hopeful for a brighter future, just as many were uncertain of what would happen next. While the politicians unknowingly began setting the stage for the next war, the world was about to be devastated by the rampaging virus that became known as the Spanish Flu. Palmerston like so many other communities in Canada was not immune, the first wave began in the spring of 1918 and the second wave started in the fall of the same year. It was October 15th, on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, both Private William Bridge and Private Almer Deaton of Palmerston passed away from the influenza pandemic. 55,000 more Canadians would succumb to the Spanish Flu by 1920.
With the fighting officially over, the ravages of war still had one of Palmerston’s sons in its grasp. Private George Merrick, who enlisted in 1915 and was sent to France in early 1916 spent much of the war in an out of hospitals for a series of injuries and illnesses. His medical reports read like a battle in itself:
May 1916 – Fractured knee cap
March 1917 – Trench fever
May 1917 – Shrapnel wound in shoulder
July 1917 – Broken Leg
November 1918 – Bladder troubles and Typhoid fever
December 1918 – Skin infection on back
February 1919 – Transferred back to Canada for further medical treatment
On August 22nd, 1919, after 5 more months of failed treatments, Private George Merrick died in hospital from the culmination of his injuries and illnesses. Officially, George Merrick became the last Palmerston native to perish while in uniform during the First World War.
The Last 100 Days of the First World War for Palmerston and Canada was bloody, violent and devastating. No victory comes without a cost and from the ashes came stories of valor and events to be memorialized. The profound impact of the First World War can still be felt 100 years later, the ramifications it had on the 20th Century and the direction the world has taken since, still affects us all. The war to end all wars had a short lived peace, for a small community of 1,800 people, Palmerston was dealt a major blow to its people, but its resolve was even stronger afterwards and carried on that way for the next 100 years, if not longer.