Meanwhile, plans had been made for operations on a considerable scale further south, to begin on the 25th of September. The general plan was that the French were to advance in Champagne, and in conjunction with this the British troops were to attack near Loos on a front from about Grenay to the La Bassée canal.
Along the rest of the front subsidiary operations were to be carried out:—
(1) By the 2nd Division of the First Army near Givenchy.
(2) By the Meerut Division (Indian Corps) near Neuve Chapelle.
(3) By the 8th Division (IIIrd Corps) near Le Bridoux.
(4) By the Vth Corps near Bellewarde Farm, east of Ypres.
It is with the operations of the Meerut and 8th Divisions, on the immediate right and left of the 20th, that we are now concerned.
The Meerut Division was to assault the enemy’s trenches about Mauquissait with the ultimate objective, should the enemy show signs of demoralisation, of the high ground between Haut Pommereau and La Cliqueterie Farm. This would pave the way for a further advance of the Indian Corps in a south-easterly direction, breaking the enemy’s line and assisting the advance further south by turning the La Bassée defences. The Gharwal Brigade was detailed to attack on the right and the Bareilly Brigade on the left.
The 8th Division, on the left of the 20th, was to attack the German line from about La Boutillerie to Le Bridoux. Its further objective was the capture of Bas Maisnil, Le Bridoux and Ferme Houssain, to prepare the way for a possible advance of the whole corps to the Aubers-Radinghem ridge. This operation was to be carried out in the first instance by the 25th Brigade.
Between these two operations the 20th Division was to co-operate:—