The following week was very quiet, but on the night of the 9th/10th of August a very successful little raid was undertaken on the front of the 59th Brigade, which at that time held the Lens sector. The raid was carried out by No. 7 Platoon, “B” Company, of the 11th R.B., under Lieut. Stonham, M.C. It was a difficult place to raid, as a heavily wired railway embankment had to be crossed.
A “box” barrage was put down two hours before the raid took place to simulate a raid, and a bugle was blown from the front trenches a few minutes after the artillery fire had ceased, to make the Germans think that the raiding party was being withdrawn. During the real attack only smoke shells were used. Within half an hour two prisoners, both wearing iron crosses, had been taken, the enemy’s dug-outs had been blown up by two sappers, and the whole party had returned without a scratch.
By this time the British offensive had opened with an attack east of Amiens, launched in the early morning of the 8th of August. Success was rapid and complete. In five days the enemy was driven back to his old Somme defences of 1916, with the loss of nearly 22,000 prisoners and over 400 guns.
This was followed by a larger operation on the whole Somme front. The main attack was delivered on the 23rd of August on a front of 33 miles from our junction with the French near Chaulnes to Mercatel, four miles south-east of Arras. Again our troops met with immediate success. By the 1st of September they had driven the Germans with very heavy loss across the old Somme battlefield to the line Peronne—east of Bapaume—Bullecourt.
The battle front extended northwards on the 26th of August, when the right of the First Army attacked the German positions astride the Scarpe, east of Arras. By the 27th these troops had approached to within assaulting distance of the strong trench system which ran from the Hindenburg Line at Quéant to Drocourt, five miles south-east of Lens. Once this line was broken the whole of the enemy’s organised positions on a wide front southwards would be turned.
On the northern front the enemy began to withdraw from the Lys salient on the 18th of August, closely pressed by our troops. By the 6th of September he had fallen back to a line just west of Armentières.[20]
The 20th Divisional front meanwhile had been considerably extended. On the 14th of August the 60th Brigade, which had then just moved into reserve, came up into the line again, taking over the Méricourt sector on the right from the 8th Division. This front was covered by the 242nd (Army) Field Artillery Brigade. The 59th Brigade was then in the centre holding the Avion sector, with the 61st in the Lens sector on the left. Five days later the 24th Division on the left took over one battalion front from the 61st Brigade, and the brigade boundaries were readjusted.
Owing to the operations east and south of Arras the Division side-slipped to the right on the 27th, taking over from the 8th Division the Acheville sector. The Lens sector on the left then passed to the 24th Division.
The result of these changes was to bring the Divisional left flank down to the Souchez river, thus giving up about 2000 yards of the old line, and to extend the right to a point over 4000 yards south of the original boundary. By the evening of the 28th, when the necessary re-distribution of troops had been made, the 61st Brigade held the Acheville sector, the 60th the Méricourt sector, and the 59th the Avion sector on the left.
The 59th Brigade was then under the command of Brig.-General H. D. O. Ward, C.B., C.M.G., during the temporary absence of Brig.-General Baylay. At the same time the 92nd Field Artillery Brigade moved from the Lens to the Acheville sector to cover the 61st Infantry Brigade. The 242nd (Army) Field Artillery Brigade and the 91st Field Artillery Brigade remained, covering the 60th and 59th Infantry Brigades respectively.