system was fated to be shattered in one mighty blow, and the effect of this reverse on the moral of the German Army and the German people must have been tremendous indeed.
The fall of St. Quentin following on the breaching of the Hindenburg Line was inevitable. Perhaps the best tribute to the work of the Division on this day of days in their history is seen in the remark of a staff officer of another formation, who, in reply to a question as to who took the city of St. Quentin, replied: “The French walked into St. Quentin, but the 46th Division captured it when they took Bellenglise.”
On the evening of the 27th September the 138th Infantry Brigade, then holding the northern portion of our line, was ordered to attack the trenches on the ridge between the two ravines west of Bellenglise and Riqueval. This preliminary operation was quite local, and was undertaken with the object of ensuring that our troops should meet with little resistance west of the Canal on the day of the main assault. All went well with the attack. After a preliminary bombardment, the companies of the 4th Leicesters detailed for the assault left the forming-up line in good order, and, following the barrage closely, occupied the line of trenches which was their objective without difficulty and with very little fighting. The attack resulted in the capture of two officers and one hundred and forty-six other ranks, and all concerned had good reason to be satisfied with the work, and to trust that it was an omen of greater success to follow shortly, when the preparations for the attack on the Canal were completed.
Our new line was immediately consolidated, and communication trenches leading towards the enemy were blocked; and at the conclusion of this operation the
