“Cease Work”
Spring 1918: the German offensiveBy April 1918 Robertson was second-in-command of a Canadian Engineers unit his diary only ever calls “the yard” or “the salvage gang”: the Savy engineer park, with a detachment at the Mont-St-Éloi siding. On the papers it is the “P.B. Company, C.E.” For administration it was grouped, oddly, with the labour companies of No. 21 Labour Group, among them the 107th Chinese Labour Company.
These three sheets are the unit's copy of a secret contingency plan, issued on 12 April 1918, the second week of the German offensive on the Lys. If the line broke, every unarmed man was to clear the forward area on the code words “CEASE WORK” and concentrate around Aubigny and Frévin-Capelle. In the meantime, kit was to be cut to the bone and returned to Ordnance. Robertson's diary shows him doing exactly that over the following days: “Made out scheme for demolition of stock” (April 14), “Sent a big box of stuff to SAVY – Ready to travel light” (April 15). A Military Forwarding Services slip dated 13 April 1918 (a package of his surplus kit sent back to London) survives as a small paper trace of the same order being carried out.
A further sheet, over the Chief Engineer's stamp and dated 13 April, spells out what would have become of the yard itself. Addressed to the officers of the Corps engineer parks (Savy among them) it orders that on any withdrawal “all materials in the R.E. Parks must be destroyed”: explosives kept ready to wreck the engines and machinery, petrol and oil to pour over the timber and huts and set them alight. The order to actually do it would come later, “direct to the Park concerned by C.E., Canadian Corps”. This sheet was only the instruction to stand ready for it. It is what the diary means on 14 April by “scheme for demolition of stock.”
The last sheet is his own reply, in his hand and over his signature: he has no cyclist orderly to spare, the one bicycle is on loan and busy carrying reports to the Chief Engineer, most of the company is already at Savy, and the headquarters telephone runs to the Corps exchange under the cover name “Corps Expense Stores.”
Canadian Corps. M.45.
1. Cyclist Orderlies will be kept available for duty at all times between Group Headquarters and Companies.
2. These secret orders will be communicated at once to all concerned.
3. Orders for withdrawal will be notified by the code words “CEASE WORK.” In the event of this applying to one or more particular units only, the numbers of the Units concerned will precede the above code words.
4. It must be borne in mind by all concerned that the chances of any extra transport in case of hurried evacuation are very decidedly limited: in fact so limited that they should not be counted on. In order to meet this, steps are being taken to secure [space] at proposed concentration points where surplus kit can be stored. By surplus kit is meant everything over and above that which all ranks actually require to carry on with.
5. [Companies] will at once go into this as to what amount this will come to and will furnish to this office a statement as early as possible. In the meantime it is pointed out that every effort should be made to reduce kit etc. by returning as much to Ordnance as possible.
6. O.C. Coys will also furnish a statement to this office as soon as possible, showing the minimum G.S. Wagon transport which will be required in addition to that already in possession, after the above reductions.
7. In the event of a hostile attack on the Canadian Corps Front the action to be taken by A.T. Companies, 5th Can. Div. Engineers, Pioneer Reinforcements, [Corps Escorts], Div. Wing Survey Coy., and Labour Units employed in Corps and Div. areas will be divided into two headings:— (a) Action by Armed Units. (b) Action by Unarmed Units. The action to be taken by unarmed Units is shown in Appendix “B” attached hereto.
8. Please acknowledge and comply with paras. (5) and (6).
II. Orders for the move of Labour Units from Forward Area to Aubigny, Frévin-Capelle and Servins area will be issued to Lab. Comdt. Can. Corps by Can. Corps “Q,” and repeated to Canadian Corps “G.”
III. On receipt of these orders the Labour Comdt., Can. Corps, will issue orders to 21st Labour Group H.Q. for the withdrawal of Labour Units of this Group as follows:— 54th Labour Coy., 169th Labour Coy., 907th Area Employment Coy., 127th, 179th, 737th, 149th, 107th Chinese, 2nd Can. Div. Employment Coy., 122nd, P.B. Company C.E.
VI. Officers of Labour Coys. will be responsible for reconnoitring routes allotted to them.
VII. On the line of march, 200 yards will be maintained between every 150 men. Men must keep in fours and no straggling allowed.
13. P.B. Coy., Canadian Engineers — from Mont St. Eloy and Savy — to Aubigny.
Route: detachment at Mont St. Eloy by track running from F.8.c.8.8. – F.7.d.5.4. – E.12.d.7.1. – E.12.c.6.5. – F.10.b.9.9. – E.9.a.9.9.
Canadian Corps. C.E.89/11-16. 13-4-18.
Officers in charge of Parks will arrange for a supply of explosives (with necessary primers, detonators, fuze, lighters, etc.) for the destruction of engines and machinery, etc., and for a supply of petrol or oil to pour on all inflammable materials and huts to aid in setting them alight.
The order to destroy and burn the park will be issued direct to the Park concerned by C. E., Canadian Corps.
This information is only to be communicated to those directly concerned when the situation appears to warrant it.
Your C.C. M.45 of the 12-4-18 herewith acknowledged.
As we have no transport or bicycles on our establishment I am unable to send a cyclist orderly. The one bicycle we have on loan is used for taking reports to the Chief Engineer.
Most of my Coy. is now at the Canadian R.E. Park — SAVY.
I should require one G.S. wagon to move the remainder from (MT. ST. ELOI STATION).
Our telephone at Coy. Hdqrs. (19. St. Eloi 5..) is on a direct line to Canadian Corps Exchange under the name of “CORPS EXPENSE STORES.”
The originals are in the Treherne family collection. “SECRET” is the 1918 security marking; contingency and operational records of this kind are held openly at Library and Archives Canada and The National Archives today. Some words lost to creasing are shown in [square brackets]. On that sheet the signature, a flowing scrawl, is read as Bogart; the initials are read as J. L. H., for the signals officer Major J. L. H. Bogart who appears in the diary.