| 47th | Infantry Brigade | 2400 | |
| 59th | „ „ | plus 6th Oxford and Bucks L.I. | 2300 |
| 60th | „ „ | less 6th Oxford and Bucks L.I. | 1000 |
| 61st | „ „ | 2253 | |
| Total | 7953 |
The operations began at 6 A.M. on the 3rd with a deliberate bombardment of certain selected areas. A “Chinese attack” was made at 8.15 A.M., when all batteries delivered a burst of rapid fire on the enemy’s lines. At 8.30 the whole of the 6th and 24th Divisional Artilleries concentrated an intense fire on an area on the north-east of Guillemont known as the “trap” area, which had purposely not been shelled before, while the howitzers opened with gas shell.
At 9 A.M. the 5th Division began to advance towards Falfemont Farm. This attack was at first only partially successful, but indirectly it was very useful in diverting the enemy’s attention from Guillemont.
Zero hour for the 20th Division was noon. Just before this, liquid fire was projected and a “push pipe” mine was exploded with the object of destroying a German machine-gun emplacement in the line of the first sunken road opposite Arrow Head Copse—a formidable obstacle which had held up former attacks on this flank. The mine had evidently struck a stone in being run out and had turned back. The explosion made a shallow trench about 120 feet long, leaving intact the machine-gun emplacement, which was, however, destroyed by the guns and which gave no trouble in the advance.
At zero the artillery fire became intense. Half the field artillery guns were used for stationary barrages and half for creeping barrages. At the beginning of the advance towards each objective the procedure was the same; a stationary barrage was put down and a creeping barrage moved forward in front of the assaulting infantry at the rate of fifty yards per minute. The stationary barrage lifted at certain stated times, or whenever the creeping barrage came up to it.
At zero, too, the infantry advanced close under the creeping barrage. The first objective was quickly reached. On the right strong opposition was met at the first sunken road by the 11th and 10th R.B., who lost a good many men at this point. The 6th Oxford and Bucks L.I. now came up, and passing through the two Rifle Brigade battalions carried on the assault to the second sunken road, which was the first objective on this flank. They, too, suffered a good many casualties, the three leading companies losing all their officers and their company sergeant-majors before the second road was reached. On the left the 47th Brigade moved forward rapidly, reaching the German lines at one point just as the enemy was manning his parapet and mounting a machine gun. Here the enemy was completely surprised and surrendered freely. In their impetuous advance the Connaught Rangers on the right passed the Quarries without completely clearing them, and the left flank of the 10th K.R.R.C., attacking on the left of the 59th Brigade, was placed for a time in a difficult position. Lieut.-Colonel Blacklock, commanding this battalion, at once grasped the situation, and by detaching his reserve company and a platoon from one of the companies in the line to clean up the Quarries averted what might have been a very awkward state of affairs. Later he was awarded a bar to his D.S.O. for this action.
Both brigades had occupied the first objective by 12.30 P.M., at which time the situation was as follows. On the right the 6th Oxford and Bucks L.I. and the 10th K.R.R.C. held the second sunken road and the west side of the village as far as Mount Street, with the 10th and 11th R.B. in rear. On the left the 6th Counnaughts and 7th Leinsters held the rest of the western and the northern sides of the village, supported by the 8th Munsters, while the 6th Royal Irish were moving up from Trônes Wood. The 7th Somerset L.I. had reached the first sunken road after losing a good many men in passing through the enemy barrage at Arrow Head Copse; the 12th King’s, moving forward under severe shell fire, had entered the northern part of Trônes Wood; the 7th K.O.Y.L.I. and the 7th D.C.L.I. were marching up from their billets, the leading companies of the former being east of Bernafay Wood. An officer who saw the battalions of the 61st Brigade stated that they advanced through a very heavy barrage in perfect order as if on parade.
The attack on the second objective in the 59th Brigade sector was carried out by the 11th R.B., the 10th R.B., and one company of the 10th K.R.R.C., supported by the Oxfords and the 10th K.R.R.C., with the 11th K.R.R.C. in reserve. On the left the Munster Fusiliers moved to the assault, leaving the Leinsters and Connaughts to consolidate the positions won. The advance was timed to begin at 12.50 P.M., and very soon afterwards reports that the troops had reached their allotted positions began to come in. It seems clear that the whole of the second objective had been captured by 1.30 P.M. There was a good deal of hand-to-hand fighting in Guillemont itself and in the orchards on the south side of it, where the supporting battalions were engaged in clearing up and consolidating the village.
At 2 P.M. the whole line went forward up to the Ginchy—Wedge Wood road, which the 59th Brigade reached without heavy casualties in spite of many small parties of the enemy who were found in dug-outs along the road and at the cemetery east of the village and were made prisoners. On the left the Royal Irish passed to the attack through the other battalions of the brigade. They were joined by the Munsters, and these two battalions having got forward under a hot fire to within 70 yards of the road, rushed the position, where they captured a machine gun and more than 100 prisoners.
As soon as this line had been reached it became clear to the commanders in the front line of the 59th Brigade that for the time being no further advance could be made. The 5th Division should by this time have got forward to the line of Leuze Wood, and was reported to have done so. Many of the enemy could, however, be seen both in the wood itself and on the spur south-west of it on the right of the 20th Divisional line. Lieut. H. R. Hill, 7th Somerset L.I., received the M.C. for a valuable reconnaisance he made at this time into Leuze Wood, which he found strongly held. Lieut.-Colonel White, Oxford and Bucks L.I., who had been placed in command of the front line troops of the 59th Brigade, decided not to attack the fourth objective, but only to send forward patrols towards it until the right flank was more secure. About 2.20 P.M. XIVth Corps reported that Ginchy had been occupied by the 7th Division, and at the same time ordered Major-General Douglas Smith to co-operate with the 5th Division in clearing the trench running from the south-east corner of Guillemont to Falfemont Farm by bombing down it from the north, For this purpose an additional battalion of the 61st Brigade—the 7th D.C.L.I.—was put at Brig.-General Shute’s disposal, to be used in case of necessity. At 3 P.M. the left brigade of the 5th Division was reported in the trench running north-west from Wedge Wood, while the right brigade was about to attack the line Wedge Wood-Falfemont Farm. Brig.-General Shute had not by 3.45 P.M. gained touch with the 5th Division, so he prolonged his line to the right for some 300 yards with the Oxford and Bucks L.I., and brought up the 7th D.C.L.I. to form a defensive flank to the south-east. To the left of the Oxfords the line was held by the 11th R.B., one company of the 10th K.R.R.C., the 10th R.B., and a portion of the 96th Field Company R.E., while the 10th and 11th K.R.R.C. were consolidating the position in Guillemont.