Taken out of the line after its heavy casualties, the brigade spent the last months of the war as General Headquarters Troops, including a period as a motorised column, before being broken up in the Guards Division after the Armistice.

The raid failed as the 4th Grenadiers in the front line 'dealt rudely' with the intruders, but the couple of hours of fighting with artillery support was a good rehearsal of the new 'defence in depth' policy.

However, by the time the German spring offensive opened on 21 March 1918, 31st Division was in GHQ reserve, with 4th Gds Bde in the area of Tincques, east of St Pol.

34th Division had been forced back to the rear of its Battle Zone, but there was little activity on 23 March, 4th Gds Bde holding a line astride the Sensée river under intermittent shellfire and using rifle fire to prevent enemy parties from massing in front or penetrating round the flanks.

On 24 March the enemy massed to make their main effort against the village of Ervillers, standing on the Mory spur, the capture of which would render the Green Line untenable.

93rd Brigade of 31st Division was also heavily attacked north of the Sensée, and in the afternoon there were reports that the Germans had broken through here and were in rear of 4th Gds Bde, but these were false.

This attack was destroyed by British artillery fire, and the watching troops of 4th Gds Bde complained that they were not given a fair chance to use their rifles against this target.

A much stronger German attack in the afternoon, with artillery support, drove the West Yorkshires out again, but reinforced by a company of 2nd Irish Guards, they clung onto a position round the village.

Later orders came through from Divisional HQ to extend the defensive flank to the south even further, but Ardee considered it out of the question with the troops he had; soon afterwards the report of the German breakthrough was contradicted.

Ardee was gassed during the afternoon and had to be evacuated, Lt-Col the Hon Harold Alexander of 2nd Irish Guards taking temporary command of the brigade.

31st Division's commander even sent up his pioneer battalion (12th King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI)) ready to make a counter-attack.

Another German attack in the afternoon was broken up solely by British field artillery fire, and a final unsuccessful attempt was made to break through at Ayette at 18.45.

Here, Brig-Gen the Hon Lesley Butler (Irish Guards) arrived to take command of the brigade, and reinforcement drafts for the shattered battalions joined from the UK.

However, as soon as the men of 4th Gds Bde, tired after their disrupted journey, had got into bivouacs, orders arrived to rouse them and send them to restore the position in front.

At about 08.00 strong bodies of German infantry advanced, but they were driven back by rifle and machine gun fire before they could reach the trenches of the Grenadiers and Coldstream.

Two companies of 2nd Irish Guards extended the Grenadiers' line, while on the left the gap was blocked by 31st Division's pioneer, battalion, 12th KOYLI, which was placed under Butler's command.

The position covered 4,000 yards (3,700 m) of farm buildings and scraps of trench, 3rd Coldstream on the right, 4th Grenadiers in the centre, and 12th KOYLI on the left, with 2nd Irish Guards in reserve.

The right of the battalion fell back 500 yards (460 m) but the left held firm and its enfilade fire caused heavy losses on the Germans attempting to advance beyond the village.

A gap in the Irish Guards' line was filled with the men of the Trench Mortar Battery and a company of 1st Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry from 95th Bde.

On 17–18 April 4th Gds and 92nd Bdes relieved an Australian brigade in the reserve line, where they worked on improving the defences of Hazebrouck.

Here they were repeatedly shelled with gas: the Brigade major and staff captain of 4th Gds were both affected and evacuated on 22 April, followed by Brig-Gen Butler two days later.

On the night of 23/24 April, 2 officers and 80 men of Nos 2 & 4 Companies 2nd Irish Guards, supported by an artillery, machine gun and trench mortar barrage, raided Beaulieu Farm taking some 25 prisoners and causing significant damage, for casualties of 7 slightly wounded.

4th Guards Bde was moved by bus and train to the Third Army area, where it was sent to work on the 'GHQ Line' of final defences in front of Barly Wood in case the Germans renewed their offensive in the Arras–Amiens sector.

This was a force of all arms intended to advance in lorries and cars, entirely independent of horse transport:[37][39] Before the end of September the column was moved up to Bray-sur-Somme with the possibility of it being sent into action with Le Cateau as its objective.

In conjunction with the Household Cavalry Machine Gun Battalion and the corps cyclists, it pushed forwards up the Montbrehain–Brancourt–Prémont road, coming under enemy artillery fire.