It was very dark when the Battalion started on its march, and the artillery on both sides was very quiet. The order of march was No. 2 Company under Captain Carter, No. 4 under Lieutenant Jones, No. 3 under Captain Simpson, and the King's Company under Lieutenant Brown, while Lord Gort, accompanied by Captain Lovell, the Adjutant, and some orderlies, walked at the head of the Battalion. On reaching the Bapaume--Cambrai road a halt was made to wait for zero hour, 5.20 A.M., at which time the Battalion was to advance towards Flesquières. At zero hour the advance began across country to Demicourt. There was at first very little shelling, but as the Battalion neared the Canal du Nord the shells began to fall more rapidly. There was no water in the Canal, and by means of short ladders placed against the banks the crossing was effected 100 yards north of Lock Seven, with only a dozen casualties, including Lieutenant Jesper, who was wounded as he reached the near bank. Lord Gort went back to Lock Seven to confer with the officer commanding the tanks which were to support the Battalion, and was unable to find him; it was ascertained later that he had been wounded. The Battalion had to be in position east of Flesquières at 9.20 A.M., and Lord Gort therefore continued the advance without further delay. The ground over which it was necessary to pass was undulating, and was swept by the enemy's fire, but the skilful manner in which Lord Gort conducted this advance accounted for the small number of casualties the Battalion sustained. The situation did not look very promising, for the Germans were still holding Graincourt some 4000 yards to the left rear. The 2nd Battalion was unable to advance on Orival Wood, which should have been taken before the 1st Battalion started, and the Third Division, through which the 1st Battalion had to advance, had failed to carry Beet Trench. On nearing Flesquières, the enemy's machine-gun fire from the direction of Graincourt became very heavy, and Captain Carter was killed, being hit in the head. On reaching Flesquières Lord Gort took the leading companies round the northern edge of the village, threading a way through the houses, as the machine-gun fire was heavy from the left flank. Two enemy batteries were still in action in the neighbourhood of Beet Trench, and the Germans were also holding the Beetroot Factory and Beet Trench very strongly with infantry and machine-guns. No sign of any troops on the left could be seen, and tanks, which were to co-operate, had not yet arrived. Lord Gort himself took the leading platoons of the two leading companies into position for assault, and while doing so was slightly wounded over the left eye. While the patrol platoon of No. 2 Company was crawling forward to locate the exact position of the enemy, Second Lieutenant Clarke, with the patrol platoon of No. 4 Company, worked round the left flank of the enemy, captured Beetroot Factory, and took the garrison prisoners.