Army cyclist in kilt delivering message to Lieutenant Colonel Guy Kirkpatrick, DSO. (78th Bn - sic 72nd Bn) [but a Seaforth] [NAMES ON BACK OF ORIGINAL]. The 1998 Photo register states that this photo is "Lt Col Cameron, MC". Lieutenant Colonel Guy Kirkpatrick never served in the 78th (Winnipeg Grenadiers) Battalion, CEF. He was the O.C. of the 11th Canadian Mounted Rifles and later the 72nd Battalion, CEF in September, 1918 when J.A. Clark was promoted to Brigadier. The 78th Battalion (Winnipeg Grenadiers), CEF was an infantry battalion of the CEF. The 78th was authorized on 10 July 1915 and embarked for Great Britain on 20 May 1916. It disembarked in France on 13 August 1916, where it fought as part of the 12th Brigade, 4th Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the armistice. From the Regimental History, page 165: "At dawn on November 2nd, "B" and" C" Companies leap-frogged through "D" -and" A ", respectively, land continued the advance. "B" Company pushed swiftly through the northern half of Valenciennes, while "C" Company drove the enemy from the northern environs. The work of the cyclists attached ,to the Battalion for this operation, is deserving of special mention. Pedalling swiftly along one of the main (avenues, they reached the eastern fringe of the city at about 7:30 a.m. Swinging north-east along the main road to St. Saulve, they had proceeded about a quarter of a mile, when they ran at top speed into a nest of German machine guns. The unexpected fire at close range told sadly on the cyclists. Taking cover in the ditches of the road they returned the fire. The odds were against them, however, until the welcome kilts of our advanced patrols appeared on the scene. They had come through the city at the double, and reinforcing their gallant brethren of the wheel, they hurled themselves into the fight with true early morning zeal. There was a short, fierce struggle, and three Boche machine guns and their personnel were wiped out. The city of Valenciennes had been taken in the first rush. It was a curious fight, for the civilian population peered from their doorways as the kilted platoons swept through the deserted streets".