and several brigades of corps heavy artillery were also firing on the division's front. The bombardment began on the night of 26/27 September with harassing fire and gas shells, followed with intense bombardment with high explosive shells until the morning of the assault. Every field gun was used in carefully timed barrages: creeping barrages (including smoke shells) ahead of the attacking troops, with pauses at the end of each phase, including a standing barrage of three hours to allow mopping-up of the first objectives to be carried out and for the second wave of troops to pass through and renew the attack behind the next creeping barrage. The first of these creeping barrages actually progressed at twice the normal pace while the infantry rushed downhill to seize the canal crossings; it was described in the Official History as 'one of the finest ever seen'. The attack was a brilliant success, and by the afternoon the field artillery batteries were crossing the canal by the bridges that had been captured or thrown across, and were coming into action on the far side. After a brief rest, the brigade rejoined 46th (NM) Division during the follow-up attacks against the Beaurevoir Line on 4 October, when Beaurevoir itself was bombarded by the guns of 13 divisions and 15 AFAs, as well as heavy guns. The brigade then switched to 6th Division for the Battle of Cambrai (1918) on 8 October. The 6th was troubled by a French formation on the flank not coming up, and a creeping barrage not being fired for a second attack, but still took nearly all the objectives, including 'Mannequin Wood'. It was CCXXXII AFA Brigade's last action; from 10 October until the Armistice with Germany it was in GHQ Reserve with Third Army. In 1919 it was placed in suspended animation. 2/III North Midland Brigade Meanwhile, the men who had not volunteered for foreign service, together with the recruits who were coming forward, remained to form the 2/I North Midland Brigade, RFA, in the 2nd North Midland Division (59th (2nd North Midland) Division from August 1915), which concentrated round Luton in January 1915. At first the 2nd Line recruits had to parade in civilian clothes and train with 'Quaker' guns – logs of wood mounted on cart wheels – but these shortages were slowly made up. Uniforms arrived in November 1914, but it was not until March 1915