LITTLECHILD, Charles Cecil

NAME:                                LITTLECHILD           Charles Cecil    
RANK:                                Private
DIVISIONAL UNIT:         3rd Canadian Infantry Division
                                             8th Infantry Brigade
                                             5th Canadian Mounted Rifles - Quebec
                                             Canadian Infantry Corps
SERVICE NO:                   654213
RESIDENCE:                    Goderich – Ontario 
DATE OF BIRTH:            November 23, 1896
                                             England
DATE OF DEATH:           September 27, 1918             21 years     10 months
CEMETERY:                    Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension – Abbeville –
                                             Somme – France
                                             IV     F     23
PARENTS:                         Mr. William and Mary Littlechild – Goderich – Ontario
Occupation:                        Sailor                                    Religion:     Church of England
Enlistment:                         Goderich – December 21, 1915 – 161st Huron Battalion
Enlistment Age:                 18 years     1 month
 
Upon his arrival in Englandon November 11, 1916, Private Littlechild and the rest of the 161st went to Witley Camp – Surrey and here he transferred to the 4th Reserve Battalion on February 23, 1918. Then in March he transferred to the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles and goes into France at the end of March 1918.
Private Littlechild was with his battalion during military operations on August 26th, when he was severely wounded in the left abdomen and crotch from the shrapnel of an enemy shell. His wounds were immediately dressed and he was taken to No. 10 Field Ambulance. That same day August 26th he is moved to No. 7 British Casualty Clearing Station – Ligny St Flochel and then evacuated to No. 1 South African General Hospital located in Abbeville. 
On September 16th, the doctors classify him as dangerously ill but he died from the wounds he received and an abscessed lung on September 27, 1918.
The 8th Brigade was positioned in the vicinity of Arras on August 26, 1918.
The order of that day was to attack and to capture enemy positions from the Arras-Cambrai Road to the Scarpe. 
The 5th CMR had the support of 2.5” Newton Trench Mortars and one forward section of the Canadian Field Artillery. They also had No. 1 Company of the Canadian Machine Gun Battalion that would provide them cover as they made the attack onto Orange Hill and Monchy village.
The night of August 25/26 was dark and very rainy and they were unable to see more than 50 feet ahead.
Zero hour came and the artillery barrage began to fall onto the enemy positions and the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles advanced. At 5:10 am. Then 2 lamps flashed from the crest of Orange Hill indicating that the green line had been reached. At 5:17 am three lamps flashed from Orange Hill indicating that the three advancing Battalions were on Orange Hill. 
At 5:50 am the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles reported all was going well and that the Battalion was beyond the Green line. Then at 6:55 am it was reported that the Battalions were moving over Orange Hill and that the artillery was following them. At 7:07 am the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles reported they had some prisoners and that some guns were captured. About this time the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles moved forward to assist the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles.
At 8:15 am the 5th Canadian Mounted Rifles reported that they had reached the outskirts of Monchy. At 9:48 am they reported they had entered Monchy and had been able to establish a line in Circle Trench with the right flank but that the enemy was shelling their positions from the area of Infantry Hill.
Then at 8:45 am the message was received that the 7th Infantry Brigade was about to pass through the 8th Infantry Brigade and take over the assault.
It was during this advance where Private Littlechild was wounded critically and would lose his life as a result.