Church bells rang

Steve Shannon writes about the Battle of Cambrai.

Aerial photograph of Cambrai, taken 1 October 1918 (DCRO D/DLI 13/2/246)

At dawn on 20 November 1917, over 1,000 British guns opened fire on a five-mile wide section of the Hindenburg Line in France. There had been no warning and the German defenders were completely taken by surprise. 

Then, ten minutes later, following a creeping barrage and covered by smoke, over 470 British tanks attacked. As the massed tanks crushed the barbed wire under their tracks and crossed the trenches, destroying German strong points, six infantry divisions followed. 

Within hours, the British divisions had advanced some five miles and taken over 8,000 prisoners, and seized many German heavy guns and machine guns. However, almost 200 of the British tanks had broken down or been destroyed. 

Across Britain, church bells rang out for the first time in years to mark a famous victory. But the German Army was not prepared to accept defeat at Cambrai. After the first few days of fighting, the German defences stiffened and the British advance ground to a halt on Bourlon Ridge, a few miles south-west of Cambrai.

Then on 30 November, after their artillery had rained high explosive and gas shells on the British positions, the Germans launched a counter-attack, forcing the British back from almost all their earlier gains and even seizing some of the old British front line. 

The fighting at Cambrai ended on 5 December 1917. In the two weeks of fighting, British casualties totalled over 44,000 killed, wounded and missing, including 6,000 prisoners, whilst the Germans lost 45,000 men, including 10,000 prisoners.

Three Durham Light Infantry battalions - the 2nd, 11th, and 14th Battalions - were in action at Cambrai. During their advance on the first day of the battle, soldiers from the 2 DLI bayonet charged and captured five German field guns. The three battalions suffered few casualties during the first few days of the fighting.

2nd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, Captain Joseph Shea is seated on left of the second row, August 1917 (DCRO DLI 2/1/267(33))

But the German counter-attack resulted in very heavy losses, including 2 DLI’s Joseph Shea. Born in 1873, he had first joined the DLI as a Regular in 1891. As a colour sergeant, he had fought in the Boer War and been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Promoted to regimental sergeant major, and then quartermaster, by 1917 he was Captain Shea. During the German counter-attack at Cambrai, Captain Shea organised a defence using all available men - storemen, cooks, tailors, and shoemakers - and held on until relieved by other soldiers. During this desperate fighting, Joseph Shea was mortally wounded. He died the next day on 1 December, aged 44 years. 

Grave marker of Captain Joseph Shea, c.1918 (DCRO DLI 7/627/2)

The Battle of Cambrai also saw the loss of Brigadier-General Roland Bradford VC MC, possibly the most famous Durham soldier of them all, whilst another Durham soldier, Captain Arthur Lascelles, was awarded the Victoria Cross. Their stories, however, will keep to another day. 

Note: Joseph Shea’s medals are in the DLI Collection and may be seen by appointment at the University of Durham’s Palace Green Library:

https://www.dur.ac.uk/library/asc/dlimedals/