Battling hills and thunderstorms to walk in my grandfather's steps of the Battle of Cambrai 1917 - Riding In My Grandfather's WW1 Footsteps - CycleBlaze
Battling hills and thunderstorms to walk in my grandfather's steps of the Battle of Cambrai 1917
Well, today is the day. We have been researching and planning a route to get us inland to Masnieres/Cambrai and find the Monument that commemorates the heroic actions of the Fort Garry Horse Regiment and Barry's grandfather, Lloyd Havens (Pipsie), during World War I. We are excited to start our adventure and feel keenly the ghosts of this historic past as the Somme region is filled with reminders of this time - monuments, cemeteries, museums and locals wanting to share their stories.
Pipsie will be riding with us today in spirit as we seek to honour the memory of his efforts and experiences during his 4 years of service.
First of all, we must applaud the incredible Tourist Office in Peronne. The staff who work there are exceptional and are great ambassadors for their region. The woman working there today, copied out a map and created a route on secondary roads to take us to Masnieres.
It has been a long journey to find our way to the monument which celebrates the achievements and mourns the huge losses of the mission of the Fort Garry Horse Regiment on the St. Quentin Canal. Our quest began in Ieper when we realized that the location of Cambrai would be a possible place for us to visit, whether by train and hiring a guide or by changing our intended cycle route and riding inland. We decided to ride the Somme Canal inland as it would take us within about 60 km of Masniere ad it felt better to have made this trek on our own with our bike over the land on which Pipsie had ridden his horse.
While in Ieper, we took a photo of the description of the location of the monument. By all accounts, it is not easy to find...no signposting, not on any of the official maps - so we will follow the info we have. It will be an interesting day.
Tourist Office in Peronne - wonderful staff and tips, including the map she prepared for us.
Locals enjoying the day at the Tabac/Bar as well as the spectacle of two Canadians riding such a big rig in their town. We do seem to amuse people. Is it us..the strange bike...our trailer....or all 3?
St. Jean Baptiste Church built in the Flamboyant Gothic style in 1509 and is marked by the wounds of history and has endured the wars of 1870 and the two WW's. Like the city hall, it has earned the nickname of Martyed Edifice.
The Mairie (City Hall) in Peronne, built in 1509 in the Renaissance style. Over the centuries it has survived damage from the 1536 siege through the centuries and qualifies as a "martyred monument. The salamanders, the royal emblem represent the rebuilding in the 16th century due to a royal loan by order of Francois I.
Another piece of history in Peronne - the Port de Bretagne - dates from the early 17th century, and is one of the remaining entry gates of this fortified city. It is along this Flanders road that the Bretons (English pilgrims) arrived.
10 km out of Peronne and this is our first stop of the day to escape the downpour and heavy thunder storm. The villages here have no commerce or opportunities for a place to take shelter - thank goodness for the churches that dominate these landscapes and villages. You can count on a covered area at the entrance to the church.
This is our third stop so far today, escaping the continual rain and thunderstorms. We have changed clothes so often, that it feels like we are back at school helping little kids to get ready to go outside for recess! This charming shed is the bus stop at the 4 Flower rated village of Villers-Guislain.
The Battle of Cambrai is noted for the unprecedented use of tank warfare (over 400 tanks) by the British in the assault. We marvel at the juxtaposition of massive tank assaults with vulnerable horses and their riders. Men of the Cavalry deeply felt the cruel conditions endured by their horses. A terrible war for all involved.
Barry's grandfather, like most veterans of his generation, did not talk about his experiences. He made an exception for Barry. While in high school, Barry interviewed his grandfather for a History assignment and Pipsie shared with Barry the details of this battle and what it was like for him to be in the Cavalry in WWI. Of the 144 men in his battalion caught behind enemy lines during this time, only 46 survived and all of the horses were lost. The Germans were about to surrender to the Canadians, but when they realized that the Canadians were alone and stranded, they opened fire. The "Garrys" fought off a number of counter attacks by the Germans, were known to have created much havoc behind the lines and helped to destabilize the German line.
The commander of Pipsie's regiment was killed and replaced by Harcus Strachan - he got a Victoria Cross for his leadership. The soldiers credited much of their success and survival to the courage and ability of one of the Garry's who spoke German. While they were hunkered down in a ditch evading the Germans behind their lines, this soldier would speak in German to the German soldiers and thus camouflauge their Canadian identity.
At this battle on the canal behind German lines, they were able to bring back many Germans as prisoners and much valuable information.
This obelisk monument of the Fort Garry Horse Regiment means a great deal to us and we are so pleased to have been able to visit it and honour the memory of their efforts and sacrifice.
Behind Barry is the St. Quentin Canal and German lines were on the other side of the canal. The monument stands where his grandfather was before crossing the canal.
Looking down the canal, Barry remembers Pipsie talking about these locks. Their significance is that this narrow lock is where the cavalry most likely crossed the canal. They had planned to cross the bridge but a British tank had been hit by fire while crossing and the bridge was blown up.
Always share the road - especially with a monster farm vehicle. The funny thing is that just before this photo, the advance vehicle which cleared traffic could not budge a cat and she had to get out and shoo it away.
There was so much loss of life in the Battle of Cambrai at the St. Quentin Canal. This school (next to the Cdn monument) was built by the surviving family of a young American pilot who died here. Thus it is called Ecole Primaire Hostetter.
