At 7 a.m. the 127th Brigade passed through the 126th, the 5th Manchesters on the right, the 6th on the left, and the 7th in support. At the outset the 5th Manchesters were badly knocked about by enfilading machine-gun fire from the right flank, which caught the advancing waves on the bare high ground, south of Marou and west of Maison Rouge, which had to be crossed. The deadliness of this enfilading fire was due to the fact that very strong enemy counter-attacks had forced the division on the right to withdraw temporarily, so the right flank of the Wigan men was in the air. The enemy was offering a stubborn resistance, infantry and machine-gunners fighting skilfully and well. But the 6th Manchesters on the left overcame all obstacles. At the start the leading company suffered many casualties from machine-guns, which held up the advance for a short time. Lieutenant F. C. Benton successfully organized attacks against these nests, and took fifty prisoners. The Red Line was secured, and the hamlet of Marou cleared with machine-gun, rifle and bayonet. Sergeant W. Tinsley led an attack against a strongly held position. His section had to pass through fierce machine-gun fire and shell fire, but the post was captured, and Tinsley himself killed five men with the bayonet. Private A. Brewer, when his section commander was killed, took charge of a section, and, attacking a machine-gun nest which was holding up the advance, captured twelve prisoners and the gun. The 6th, though anxious to press forward to the final objective, were ordered to remain on the Red Line until the situation on the right had improved.