The Battle of the Scarpe was a

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

battle that took place during the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Western Front, the Allies pushed the Imperial Germa ...

between 26 and 30 August 1918.

26 August

The

Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December 19 ...

advanced over 5 kilometres and captured the towns of

Monchy-le-Preux Monchy-le-Preux () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France southeast of Arras. History During World War I ten Commonwealth soldiers, from Newfoundland territory while still independent from Canada ...

and

Wancourt Wancourt () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about southeast of Arras. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 887 communes of the ...

. Lieutenant Charles Smith Rutherford VC MC MM from the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division performed actions that earned him the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

. He captured a German party of 45, including two officers and three machine-guns, then captured another pillbox along with another 35 prisoners and their guns.

27 August

Heavy rains during the night resulted in slippery ground, difficulties in assembling troops and late starts for the assaults. Stiff resistance from the Germans and their heavily defended positions limited gains to around 3 kilometres.

28 August

The 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Divisions seized an important portion of the German Fresnes– Rouvroy defence system after three days of intense fighting. Total casualties were reported as 254 officers and 5,547 other ranks. They captured more than 3,300 prisoners, 53 guns and 519 machine guns. Lieutenant-Colonel William Hew Clark-Kennedy, 24th Battalion, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, earned a Victoria Cross by personally driving the advance despite being severely wounded, and suffering from intense pain and loss of blood. Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. G. McKenzie, Commanding Officer of the 26th (New Brunswick) Battalion, was killed during action on 28 August. He was posthumously awarded a bar to his Distinguished Service Order.

29 August

Brutinel's Brigade, the first fully motorized brigade in the British Empire armies, advanced the front line by approximately one kilometre by seizing Bench Farm and Victoria Copse. The Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion established posts right up to the

Scarpe River The Scarpe () is a river in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It is a is long left-bank tributary of the river Escaut (Scheldt). The source of the river is at Berles-Monchel near Aubigny-en-Artois. It flows through the towns of Arras, Doua ...

30 August

Soldiers from the Canadian Corps cleared portions of the Fresnes–Rouvroy trench system, including Upton Wood. After holding all day under heavy fire, they drove off a German counterattack, capturing 50 prisoners and five machine guns in the process.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarpe 1918 Battles of the Western Front (World War I) Battle honours of the Rifle Brigade Scarpe August 1918 1918 in France Battles in 1918