The ten days’ incessant fighting in March, and the extremely heavy losses suffered during that time, left the Division no longer fit to take the field. For the 20th, and for many other divisions, a rest was imperative, and large reinforcements were needed before units could be brought up to their former strength. At the same time it was unlikely that the Germans would rest long before renewing their offensive, and although by this time preparations for an attack north of La Bassée were known to be nearly complete, the strong forces still concentrated in the Somme battlefield directly threatened our positions east of Amiens. On the 9th of April the Germans attacked between La Bassée and Armentières, driving back the British troops from positions that had been held since the autumn of 1914. On the 10th they advanced as far north as Wytschaete, and in the following days drove a deep wedge into our position. Merville and Bailleul fell, and it became necessary on the 15th to withdraw from the Ypres salient to a line nearer the town, giving up the ground which had been gained at such heavy cost in the summer and autumn of the year before. After the 18th there was a lull in the fighting, broken on the 24th by the battle of Villers Bretonneux in the Somme area and on the northern battle front on the 25th by fierce German attacks which ended in the capture of Kemmel Hill. This marked the end of the enemy’s successes south of Ypres, and with the failure of all attempts to penetrate further in the following days the second phase of the German offensive came to an end. The 20th Division, less the artillery, withdrew on the 2nd of April to Quevauvillers, ten miles south-west of Amiens. In the week spent in this area all units were busily employed re-organising and absorbing large drafts. On the 3rd of April the Division suffered a severe loss when Major-General W. Douglas Smith, who had commanded the Division so ably through all its most serious fighting, departed to take up a command in England. He was succeeded by Major-General G. S. Carey, C.B., who had been on his way from England to take up the command of the Division on March 26th, when he was placed in command of the force of details that became so well known as Carey’s Force. About the same time Brig.-General Hyslop handed over command of the 59th Brigade to Brig.-General R. M. Ovens, C.M.G. From Quevauvillers the Division went back to the country south-west of Abbeville and there carried on the work of training and of taking in reinforcements until the 17th, when it moved into the First Army area with Divisional Headquarters at Villers Châtel about ten miles north-west of Arras. The Division then came back again to the XVIIIth Corps. In the last days of April units began to move forward again towards the line, and between the 1st and 3rd of May the 20th took over from the 3rd Canadian Division the Avion and Lens sectors of the front.