Over coffee, crumpets, and custard at Lansdowne, Lady Bird informed Aubrey that her brother had recently seen action. Gabriel and Auré had returned to aid in the Spring Offensive or the Kaiserschlacht.
The Canadian Cavalry Brigade was found to be one of the sole Allied units that was not falling back in the face of the enemy’s offensive. To the east of Amiens, Moreuil Wood was a vital railway junction that brought together the English and French militaries. The brigade was trotting through the forested ridge on the foggy morning of March 30th.
General J.E.B. Seely, commander of the brigade, wanted his men to dismount in order to fight throughout the forest. By way of overwhelming guns, the brigade’s units were quickly trapped.
One of the three regiments in the Canadian Cavalry Brigade was the C squadron’s section of Lord Strathchona’s Horse. Commanded by Gordon Muriel Flowerdew, it was the only one not caught by the hail of enemy fire. Flowerdew was a thirty-three-year-old veteran cavalryman, an English-born, British-Columbian rancher. He and his troops were at the northeast of the wood’s fringe. Three hundred metres from the squadron lay a gaping area where the foe was clearly visible. Flowerdew cried, “It’s a charge, boys! It’s a charge!” Hard on the heels of their commander, his men unsheathed their sabres.
Squadron C galloped onwards to halt enemy reinforcement. Flabbergasted at a mounted unit advancing, the Germans quickly recovered and began using every firearm at their disposal. Brave bugler boy199, trumpeter Trooper Reginald Longley, was hit and bled out prior to sounding the introductory note for the unit’s advance. Moments after the charge began, Trooper Dale had to leap his charger over Longley’s corpse. As they galloped across open fields, the cavalry found their sole protection in leaning bent over behind their horse’s necks. They carried on while mates slammed to the earth and thoroughbreds crashed into their masters about them. Flowerdew was gravely wounded in both legs and suffered two bullets wounds to his chest ahead of being able to confront the foe face-to-face, and the commander lost control of his steed. As Flowerdew lay on the ground, he encouraged the brigade onwards while his men rode past him. He cheered, “Carry on, boys! We have won!” Sabres thrust and sliced madly while the squadron attacked astride their chargers in the wooded area. A sole Trooper, Wooster, fought clear the path of the enemy and was able to reach the other side of the wood. In the thick fog and smoke, he was startlingly found to be by himself. Mounted, Wooster made his way to Seely to inform the general that Flowerdew’s squadron was completely gone. The report proved overstressed. Of C Squadron, 1 in 3 fell, and a further 15 would become fatal casualties. Plagued by overwhelming numbers and fatigue, the brigade withdrew afore the tree line. The stalwart drive of C squadron badly affected the Germans, and their plan to take Amiens came to a halt when the second time the remaining squadron charged, the Germans retreated from the area.
Flowerdew was accorded the Victoria Cross, posthumously. He succumbed to his wounds the ensuing day.
Lieutenant Flowerdew and his seventy-five troopers triumphed over three hundred enemies who had machine guns and artillery. Moreuil Wood fell to the Canadians, and with the battle, the finality of grand cavalry charges in warfare. C squadron’s success elicited great commendation throughout Allied senior ranks. Supreme Allied Commander Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France wrote the Corps was an army second to none after visiting the Canadians shortly before. He declared the Canadian Cavalry Brigade “saved the day.”