From July to Sept. 1917, the Division was in the front line (“R3” and “R4” Sectors, Oppy and Gavrelle) and with the exception of a few casualties, nothing of special note occurred during this period so far as the Artists’ were concerned. After a normal tour, the Division was relieved by the 47th (formerly 2/London) Division, the Artists themselves being replaced by the 22/London, commanded by Lt. Col. C. F. H. Greenwood, an Artists’ Officer, and moved to La Comté. On coming out of the line inexorable Anno Domini deprived us of our Commanding Officer, Col. Chatfeild-Clarke, while our esprit de corps was momentarily ruffled by the appearance of a reinforcing draft composed not of Artists, but of 119 men from another unit. It was recognised however that pooling, not only of reinforcements but of C.O’s. was now inevitable: that as no other Battalion overseas was being exclusively fed from its own Regiment, the Artists could not expect different treatment. During the ensuing twelve months they had five new Commanding Officers, all drawn from other Regiments. OCTOBER 1917. In October, the Division was ordered to the Ypres front: we journeyed to Houtkerque, thence to Reigersburgh and on the 28th left camp for our first big fight, the C.O. Major Edlmann, bringing news, that owing to the impossible state of the ground the Divisional front had not been advanced so far as had been expected, so that what was to have been our jumping off line would now be our objective. During the next thirty hours we suffered a good many casualties from long range artillery fire, D Co. losing their C.S.M., C. W. W. King. The story of the battle for the Passchendaele Ridge, so far as the Artists are concerned, is soon told. Other Divisions before us had been taking their share in the slow process of gaining ground in this water-logged area, at tremendous cost. The 188th was the first Brigade of the 63rd Division to attack; and advancing under a terrific artillery and machine-gun barrage they, too, made some headway, but suffered severely. Early on the 30th our Brigade attacked, also under a very heavy barrage: the British artillery averaged one gun to every 9 yards of front. To reach our objective we had to cross the Paddebeeke, on the map an insignificant streamlet, but in fact by this time a wide and almost impassable swamp. { _B Co. (Capt. Bare)._ _A Co. (Capt. Mieville)._ _ORDER OF BATTLE_{ _C Co. (Capt. Chetwood) Support._ { _D Co. (Capt. Royds) Reserve._