 Second Lieutenant Leslie Averill, the intelligence officer for 4th Rifle Battalion, continued to investigate the defences. He was able to locate a route to a section of the ramparts that appeared unmanned and was not under fire from the defenders. He was ordered by Barrowclough to force an approach. With the benefit of covering mortar fire, Averill and a platoon of the battalion reserve company, managed to cross the moat and found themselves at the inner ramparts. With the aid of a 30-foot (9.1 m) ladder supplied by the Divisional Engineers, Averill was able to ascend to the top of the ramparts, closely followed by the platoon commander. With his revolver, Averill fired at two Germans manning a guard post, forcing them to cover, fire and the rest of the platoon joined him. Shortly afterwards, Barrowclough and the rest of the battalion used the ladder and entered the town. At the same time, a party from 2nd Rifle Battalion, seized the gate guarding the road into Le Quesnoy from Valenciennes and began entering the town from the north and the Germans quickly surrendered.
