95 Days to Armistice

The close of battle at Amiens left the Allies with nowhere to go but forward. Like the day before, the advancing Canadian Corps clashed with the German Army around the villages of Fouquescourt and Parvillers. Days between major engagements saw soldiers engaged in brutal fighting over the smallest scraps of territory. A joint assault on Parvillers carried out by the Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry and the 42nd Battalion saw 4 days of attacks, retreats, counterattacks, and flanking maneuvers before the Canadians captured the town. But little rest could be afforded to the Canadians. The capture of Parvillers only meant a new task the next day – but if any force could bear this burden, it was the Canadian Corps.

Sergeant Robert Spall was awarded the Victoria Cross for heroic actions on this day, at Parvillers.  With his platoon isolated following German counterattacks, Sgt. Spall manned a Lewis gun and ordered them to move. While holding off the enemy saved the lives of his men, it claimed his. His body was never recovered – he is commemorated at the Vimy Memorial, with 11,000 of his fellow countrymen.