During the night the mass of wounded was cleared up with the greatest energy. At 7 a.m. on the 16th strong German reinforcements were seen to enter the Quadrilateral. On the evening of that day the K.S.L.I. made what proved to be an important move. That battalion got round to the south-west and dug themselves an assembly trench, the left of which rested on the railway.
On the 18th September at 5.30 a.m. the gallant Salopians advanced. The guns started to time and a party of the York and Lancaster bombed up the trench on the right flank of the Quadrilateral, the Stokes mortars bombarding as fast as possible. At 6.28 a wounded man, passing Brigade Headquarters, reported that the objective was taken. This was confirmed by Lieut. Marsh, K.S.L.I., half an hour later, and at 2.20 Germans were seen massing on Morval Hill. It is a pity that the Buffs were not amongst the troops that took the great obstacle. The battalion was too knocked about to be so, as were the Bedfordshire, but there was much rejoicing at the success of their good comrades.
On the 19th September the battalion, being relieved, marched sixteen miles back to billets at Morlancourt, expecting a good long rest and very, very weary. It got one day’s rest only and, on the 21st, it moved up again to relieve a Guards brigade which occupied a sector of our line with a frontage of only about two hundred and fifty yards. This frontage, which was in the vicinity of and about one and a half miles to the west of the Quadrilateral, was occupied by the Buffs with the 8th Bedfordshire in support, the remainder of the brigade remaining back in the Braquelerie area. A new attack had been arranged for the 23rd, but the dreadful weather caused a two days’ postponement.
In the interval a very useful piece of work was done by a Buff patrol under Sgt. Dowman (afterwards recommended for V.C.): this patrol was very nearly cut off, but got back safely with valuable information. The following is the wording of the recommendation referred to:—
“1st The Buffs. 5032 Acting Sergeant Edward Dowman. For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on the 23rd, 24th and 25th September in front of Morval. He several times reconnoitred in daylight a trench held by the enemy and threw bombs on them, inflicting casualties; when an attack was made on our trench on the 24th, he organized the defence and himself led a counter-attack in the open, which drove back the enemy and ascertained the exact position they were holding.
“On the 25th he was killed whilst leading, with conspicuous gallantry, a bombing party which took the German trench, capturing a machine gun, and about 50 prisoners. His excellent reconnaissance before the attack and his gallantry and determination in carrying it out were undoubtedly mainly responsible for the success of the attack on this most important trench.
“He gave his life in his supreme devotion to duty.”
The enemy seemed to know what was coming, for on the 23rd, the day our attack should have taken place, they assaulted the whole of the front occupied by the 6th Division in which the 1st Battalion served, but they were driven back. During the night of the 24th/25th the Buffs cut all the opposing wire before them and, as far as possible, that in front of the 15th Infantry Brigade. The operations of the next few days were a glorious success, and the following short extracts from the official despatches on the subject may serve to make clear the parts taken by the Buffs, both the 1st and the 7th Battalions, in the good work:—
“At 12.35 p.m. on the 25th September, after a bombardment commencing early in the morning of the 24th, a general attack of the Allies was launched on the whole front between the Somme and Martinpuich. The objectives on the British front included the villages of Morval, Les Bœufs and Gueudecourt and a belt of country about one thousand yards deep, coming round the north of Flers to a point midway between that village and Martinpuich. By nightfall the whole of these objectives were in our hands with the exception of the village of Gueudecourt.... In the early morning of the 26th September the village (Combles) was occupied simultaneously by the Allies. The British to the north and the French to the south of the railway.... On the same day Gueudecourt was carried.... Accordingly at 12.25 p.m. on the 26th September, before the enemy had been given time to recover from the blow struck by the Fourth Army, a general attack was launched against Thiepval and the Thiepval Ridge, the objective consisting of the whole of the high ground still remaining in the enemy’s hands extending over a front of some three thousand yards north and east of Thiepval and including, in addition to that fortress, the Zollern Redoubt, the Stuff Redoubt and the Schwaben Redoubt with the connecting line of trenches.... The attack was a brilliant success.... Schwaben Redoubt was assaulted during the afternoon (of the 27th September) and, in spite of counter-attacks delivered by strong enemy reinforcements, we captured the whole of the southern face of the redoubt and pushed out patrols to the northern face and towards St. Pierre Divion.”
As far as the 16th Brigade was concerned the attack commenced with the Buffs knocking out with trench mortars two German strong points and capturing two machine guns. At 12.50 the infantry had their first objective. This was seized by the Buffs, and the second objective was the spoil of the K.S.L.I. and York and Lancaster. At 3.10 the whole objective was reached and the infantry was digging in. At 4.30 enemy’s guns opened from Le Transloy and our side sent out advanced posts, Les Bœufs and Morval being in our hands. At 5.45 came a telegram from the Corps commander: “Hearty thanks. Sincere congratulations to you all. A very fine achievement splendidly executed. Cavan.” The brigadier recorded his opinion in the following words: “A most successful day and casualties slight. Success due to fine artillery work, 1st Buffs excellent surprise attack on strong posts, and the parade-like steady advance of the 1st K.S.L.I. and 2nd Y. and L.”