When the Division first took over this sector a German attack was expected, so that for the first two or three months all efforts were concentrated on maintaining an adequate defence. With a view to meeting any attempt by the Germans to recapture Vimy Ridge, the troops in reserve were practised in occupying defensive positions and in delivering counter attacks, sometimes under the personal supervision of the Corps Commander. Units were chiefly composed of new drafts, fresh from England. These had to be trained. Great attention was paid to patrolling, to the inculcation of the fighting spirit, and to leadership by subordinate commanders, with the result that the efficiency of the Division rapidly improved. By the middle of July the conditions had completely changed; a moral ascendency had been obtained over the Germans and our patrols were masters of No Man’s Land.
On the 4th of June two officers and 84 other ranks of the 12th R.B. raided a point on the south-west face of the Bull Ring east of Avion with the co-operation of the 20th and 52nd Divisional Artilleries and the 20th Machine Gun Battalion. As the raiders approached the enemy retired hurriedly from his advanced posts, but on reaching the Bull Ring the party came under heavy fire from the north-east and suffered severely, losing both officers and several of the N.C.O.s. Company Sgt.-Major Whitmore took command and bombed the dug-outs on the north-east side of the embankment. A German greatcoat was found and brought back, but as the enemy had retired no prisoners were taken.
Early in June the command of two of the infantry brigades changed hands. On the 5th, Brig.-General Duncan, who had been appointed to command the 61st Division, handed over the 60th Brigade to Brig.-General W. R. H. Dann, D.S.O., and on the 7th, Brig.-General Ovens commanding the 59th Brigade was succeeded by Brig.-General A. C. Baylay, D.S.O.
Up to the middle of June each brigade had held its sector with two battalions in the line, the reserve battalions each sending one company to hold the defences on Hill 65 and the Hirondelle Ridge. Between the 18th and the 22nd the defensive scheme was modified so that from that time onward each brigade held its front with three battalions distributed in depth.
A raid on the Bull Ring just north-west of the outlying houses of Méricourt was very well carried out by the 2nd Scottish Rifles, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Sandilands, in the early morning of the 23rd of June. At 3.5 A.M. the Divisional Artillery, with the assistance of Stokes, medium, and heavy trench mortars, barraged the enemy’s position. Two minutes later “A” and “B” Companies of the Scottish Rifles advanced, and after crossing two belts of wire concealed in long grass reached the embankment. Up to this time very few of the enemy were seen. Out of four who tried to run away two were shot and gave the identification required. Behind the embankment there were many deep dug-outs, and it is clear that the Germans had retired into these and were surprised by the raid. A few of them attempted to come out and showed some fight, but bombs were thrown into the dug-outs before they had time to do much. The raiding party included six men of the 96th Field Company R.E. who carried mobile charges and blew up six deep dug-outs. According to statements made later by prisoners, great damage was done and many Germans were killed.
When the party had been seven minutes in the lines the enemy began to barrage the embankment. Both companies then withdrew, having carried out a very successful raid, killed many of the enemy, and obtained an identification with a total loss of ten men. Capt. D. F. Campbell, who commanded the raiding party, was awarded the M.C., and Cpl. E. Pow and Lance-Cpl. W. Henderson the M.M.
On the 13th of July a gas beam attack was carried out on the First Army front at 12.15 A.M. In the Divisional area gas was liberated from four railheads on the light railway, two in each sector, and altogether 4000 cylinders were used. A prisoner captured a few days later stated that in one company forty casualties were caused by our gas.
A new system of allotting the work of the R.E. field companies came into force on the 14th. Instead of being attached to an infantry brigade, and going into and out of the line with it, each field company took over a definite part of the front and became responsible for the work in its own area. The 83rd Field Company took over the right, the 96th the centre, and the 84th the left.
On the night of the 18th/19th, a thousand Stokes gas shells were fired in the Avion sector. Two sections of twelve guns each were employed, each section firing 250 rounds lethal and 250 rounds lachrymatory.
A marked characteristic of the Lens sector was the frequent and heavy shelling with mustard gas which the enemy poured into Lièvin. On the night of the 26th/27th of May between four and five thousand shells are estimated to have fallen in the town, followed by some three thousand more the next night. Several times in July Lièvin was heavily shelled, chiefly with mustard gas. The men of the 92nd Field Artillery Brigade then began to suffer rather badly from the effects of the gas, although most of them remained at duty. In a heavy bombardment on the 29th of July Major P. Belcher, commanding C/92 Battery, was mortally wounded.