83rd Brigade now began moving its lighter guns forward across the canal to support 46th (NM) Division in the pursuit, leaving behind the 8- and 9.2-inch howitzers of 135th and 69th Siege Btys under the temporary command of 14th Bde. On the night of 3/4 October three caterpillar tractors were made available to move half of the battery to Magny-la-Fosse, where it was ready for action by 08.00. The remaining guns came up next night. However, early on 6 October 135th Siege Bty was badly bombed, suffering a number of casualties and damage to equipment. On 8 October IX Corps attacked Mericourt as part of the Second Battle of Cambrai, and 135th Siege Bty supported this with CB fire from four howitzers, one being unserviceable. By 08.00 the Germans had retreated and the battery was almost out of range. Next the battery was ordered up to Bohain to prepare for Fourth Army's next setpiece operation, the Battle of the Selle. Launched at 05.20 on 17 October the attack quickly achieved an advance of and after firing on enemy batteries 135th Siege Bty found itself out of range soon after 11.20. The Germans retired across the Sambre–Oise Canal and destroyed the bridges behind them.Walters & Hurle Hobbs, pp. 152–60.Blaxland, pp. 249–52.Edmonds & Maxwell-Hyslop, 1918, Vol V, pp. 189–92, 248–9, 295, 300–5, 354.Farndale, Western Front, pp. 307–8.
