Gradual advance of First Division--Hard fighting of Thirty-third Division at High Wood--The South Africans in Delville Wood--The great German counter-attack--Splendid work of 26th Brigade--Capture of Delville Wood by 98th Brigade--Indecisive fighting on the Guillemont front {ix} CHAPTER VIII THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME The Operations of Gough's Army upon the Northern Flank up to September 15 Advance, Australia!--Capture of Pozières--Fine work of Forty-eighth Division--Relief of Australia by Canada--Steady advance of Gough's Army--Capture of Courcelette CHAPTER IX THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME August 1 to September 15 Continued attempts of Thirty-third Division on High Wood--Co-operation of First Division--Operation of Fourteenth Division on fringe of Delville Wood--Attack by Twenty-fourth Division on Guillemont--Capture of Guillemont by 47th and 59th Brigades--Capture of Ginchy by Sixteenth Irish Division CHAPTER X THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME Breaking of the Third Line, September 15 Capture of Martinpuich by Fifteenth Division--Advance of Fiftieth Division--Capture of High Wood by Forty-seventh Division--Splendid advance of New Zealanders--Capture of Flers by Forty-first Division--Advance of the Light Division--Arduous work of the Guards and Sixth Divisions--Capture of Quadrilateral--Work of Fifty-sixth Division on flank--Debut of the tanks CHAPTER XI THE GAINING OF THE THIEPVAL RIDGE Assault on Thiepval by Eighteenth Division--Heavy fighting--Co-operation of Eleventh Division--Fall of Thiepval--Fall of Schwaben Redoubt--Taking of Stuff Redoubt--Important gains on the Ridge {x} CHAPTER XII THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME From September 15 to the Battle of the Ancre Capture of Eaucourt--Varying character of German resistance--Hard trench fighting along the line--Dreadful climatic conditions--The meteorological trenches--Hazy Trench--Zenith Trench--General observations--General von Arnim's report CHAPTER XIII THE BATTLE OF THE ANCRE November 13, 1916 The last effort--Failure in the north--Fine work of the Thirty-ninth, Fifty-first, and Sixty-third Divisions--Surrounding of German Fort--Capture of Beaumont Hamel--Commander Freyberg--Last operations of the season--General survey--"The unwarlike Islanders" INDEX {xi} MAPS AND PLANS Approximate Positions of British Line at the Battle of the Somme British Battle Line, July 1, 1916 Quadrangle Position, July 5-11, 1916 Mametz Wood Trones Wood: Attack of 54th Brigade, July 13, 1916 The Second German Line, Bazentins, Delville Wood, etc. Map of Delville Wood Attack on German Left Flank, September 3, 1916 Final Position at Capture of Martinpuich Attack on Quadrilateral, September 15, 1916 Plan illustrating the Capture of Thiepval, September 26, October 5, 1916 Stuff Redoubt System, showing Hessian, Regina, and Stuff Meteorological Trenches, September 30-November 6, 1916