By 3 A.M. on the 1st of December the brigade was again in action just north of Beaucamp.
Among the many decorations awarded to the 91st Brigade for its successful action this day was the M.C. to Lieut. Ardagh, who was the sole remaining officer of C/91 Battery.
The same night Divisional Headquarters moved from Villers Plouich to a point half-way between Gouzeaucourt and Gouzeaucourt Wood.
Meanwhile the main German attack had been delivered with great determination on the north face of the salient. The divisions on this front inflicted enormous losses on the enemy, and against greatly superior numbers held their general line unbroken.
During the two following days the enemy’s attacks on the Divisional front were directed against the centre and the right of the line; the 61st Brigade on the left was not seriously threatened. Capt. Pegler, commanding the 10th R.B., who with a small party of his battalion had been fighting during the 30th under the 61st Brigade, reported at 2 A.M. on the 1st to Lieut.-Colonel Priaulx and took up a position on either side of the La Vacquerie—Masnières road. The enemy delivered two assaults against the 10th R.B. and the 11th R.B. at this point during the morning, but both were driven back, and the line was held under severe shelling throughout that day.
On the right the 60th Brigade was engaged more heavily. At dawn the Guards attacked along the ridge and entered Gonnelieu from the west, but at 8.30 A.M. the enemy put down a heavy barrage, followed by an attack on Gonnelieu and on the front of the 12th R.B. and the 12th K.R.R.C. to the north. The Guards were forced out of the village, and a wedge was driven between the centre and left companies of the 12th R.B. The three front line companies of this battalion (“D,” “A,” and “B”) had then only one unwounded officer among them. The company sergeant-major of “D” Company organised a counter attack with some of his men and a handful of “A” Company, and was last seen advancing against vastly superior numbers of the enemy near Gonnelieu. The right company of the 12th K.R.R.C. (“D” Company, under Capt. G. B. Loyd) meanwhile fired into the flank of the attack. At a critical moment Capt. Loyd was mortally wounded while directing the fire of his men, and this company, with twenty remaining men of “B” Company of the 12th R.B., fell back.
The situation at this point was saved by the right company of the 12th R.B. (“D” Company, under Capt. Williams, M.C.), which stood firm in the face of repeated attacks. Although wounded in the leg Capt. Williams remained in command and drove back the Germans on his front when they had broken through the gap on the left and were 200 yards to his rear. The men on the left used nearly all their ammunition, and three Lewis guns fired about twelve drums each into the enemy at ranges under 100 yards. The company suffered severely, only five men remaining unwounded in the left platoon, but the enemy was held and abandoned his efforts to break through.
At 10 A.M. the Guards delivered a counter attack with great steadiness under machine-gun fire and again entered Gonnelieu.
Meanwhile the 12th K.R.R.C. had been engaged at La Vacquerie. After very fierce fighting most of the day, they gallantly drove the enemy back and held the line unchanged. The battalion held a long line with no reserves, and the men were very exhausted. That night the 60th Brigade was relieved by the 183rd Brigade of the 61st Division.
The 29th Division at Masnières still held its ground, and during the day beat off a succession of determined attacks, withdrawing under orders during the night to the west bank of the canal. The gallant action of this division and of the 12th R.B. and 12th K.R.R.C. on each side of La Vacquerie went far to check the German advance.