Rangers Roads - November 11th 1918: The 20th on the Last Day

On November 10th, 1918, the 20th (and the rest of the 4 th Brigade) were tasked with flanking Mons to keep up pressure on the Germans. Reinforced with a troop of cavalry, four armoured trucks from the CEF Machine Gun Corps and a battery of 18 pounders, the Rangers skirmished forward from Framieres before dawn.

The rolling Belgian countryside offered much cover to both the advancing Rangers and the German machine gunners waiting for them. However, after 21 hours of steady pressure, the 20th had advanced over 6 miles (and lost 12 dead) but had liberated the suburban town of Saint Symphorien, southeast of Mons. The city, where British troops had first clashed with those of the Kaiser in August 1914, was now almost cut off.

Dawn on 11th November found the Rangers digging shell scrapes from Saint Symphorien and along the edge of the road running towards Mons. The city didn’t need to be assaulted, but the Germans still there had to be prodded along, and the 3rd Canadian Division advanced into Mons at dawn. The Rangers were to hold still.

At 8 AM, Battalion headquarters received the following message passed down from the Corps; it was immediately forwarded to the troops.

“Hostilities will cease at eleven hours on the 11th instant. Precautionary and defensive measures will be maintained, present positions held and reported to Corps Headquarters. No interchange of communication with the enemy. Further orders will follow later.”

At 10:00, a Ranger outpost captured a German, the last POW taken by Canadians. At 10:57, the last shell was fired by a nearby Canadian 18 Pounder battery. At 11:00, things went quiet, for the first time in over four years. The troops went quiet and absorbed the fact of their survival.