August to November 11, 1918 is known as "The Hundred Days". The last days of World War I. But to many it is known as "Canada's Hundred Days" for during this time the Canadian Corps was the vanguard of the march to Mons and the end of the war.
It was slated to start Aug. 8 with an attack on an important position near Amiens. But, before that, a deception was played out. After the successes by the Canadian troops at Vimy and Passchendale the Germans had come to regard any movement by the Canadians as a sign of an imminent attack. Therefore, the head of the Canadian Corps, General Sir Arthur Currie, sent part of the corps north to Ypres. After making their presence known there they hurried back to Amiens. All preparations were done at night in great secrecy.
Starting the advance at 4:00 am, without the usual bombardment to soften up the enemy positions, the Germans were taken by surprise. Flanked on the right by the French and the Australians on the left, the Canadians followed the British tanks. By the third day the Canadians had advanced 12 miles. In a war where lines remained static for weeks on end this was a huge advance. It came at a cost though. The corps suffered 9074 casualties in those three days. But the morale of the German High Command was badly shaken. General Ludendorff said that Aug. 8 was the "black day of the German Army." And it wasn't to be the last one. Continuing with a series of innovative and daring attacks the Canadian Corps spearheaded a breakthrough of the mighty Hindenburg Line - Germany's main line of defence and on to Mons by the time of the Armistice.
Why do I have an interest in this particular battle? Part of the 3rd Division of the Canadian Corps was the 1 Patricias Canadian Light Infantry, and a soldier in that battalion was Private Ernest Boicey, who just happens to be my grandfather. He and his brother Wilfred had enlisted together in 1916 and were soon sent to France to join the fighting, though with different units.
It was on that first day of the battle during the crossing of the Luce River that the battalion came under enemy shelling. One soldier was killed and five others were wounded, including my grandfather. He was shipped back down the line and due to his injuries, and the after effects of a previous gas attack, he did not return to the fighting. He was eventually sent home, married and raised a family (including two sons who served in WWII and beyond), and worked in the civil service. He passed away in 1960, still feeling the effects of that late night gas attack.
Almost all of the veterans of the Great War have gone now. But that does not give us license to forget their sacrifices and I hope this little article gives someone the incentive to learn more about our brave countrymen.
