Arleux
This is the 16th in order of Battle Honours of The Regiment. I
is not entitled to be borne on the Colours.
The Battle Honour was not originally awarded to The Regiment as
it involved only the 1st Canadian Division. This Battle Honour was
added to the Regimental Battle Honours when the London Fusiliers
and Oxford Rifles were merged to form our Militia Battalion. The
London Fusiliers and Oxford Rifles formed the 1st Battalion of the
Expeditionary Force.
This battle took place on April 28, 1917. It was part of the
second battle of the Scarpe. The Canadians attacked the Arleux
loop, which was located just South of the Vimy Line in France. The
battle was fought in an effort to exploit the success of Vimy and
to help take pressure off the French as their previous disaster at
the Aisne had gravely affected morale. It became obvious that the
French were not prepared for an offensive, so the British Force
Commander, Sir Douglas Haig, suspended the offensive which had
little effect on the Germans as they successfully counter-attacked
and took back their line.
Casualties for this battle are not available, but by April 1917
Canadian casualties totalled 13,477.