In the despatch of 23rd December, 1916, paragraph 14 (Dent’s edition), Sir Douglas Haig said: “On the 16th July a large body of the garrison of Ovillers surrendered, and that night and during the following day, by a direct advance from the west across No Man’s Land, our troops (48th Division, Major-General R. Fanshawe) carried the remainder of the village and pushed out along the spur to the north and eastwards towards Pozières.” Paragraph 17: “An assault delivered simultaneously on this date—23rd July—by General Gough’s Army (1st Australian Division and 48th Division) against Pozières gained considerable results, and by the morning of 25th July the whole of that village was carried, including the cemetery, and important progress was made along the enemy’s trenches to the north-east.” Paragraph 19: “Apart from the operations already described others of a minor character, yet involving much fierce and obstinate fighting, continued during this period (August). Our lines were pushed forward,” etc. Among the troops mentioned in a note as engaged was the 48th Division. In February 1917 the enemy opposite Gough’s Fifth Army commenced to withdraw, and early in March the Fourth Army found a similar movement commencing on their front. The 48th were then in the Fourth Army. The despatch of 31st May, 1917, as to the German Retreat, paragraph 13 (Dent’s edition), states: “At 7 a.m. on the 18th March our troops (48th Division, Major-General R. Fanshawe) entered Peronne and occupied Mont St. Quentin, north of the town.” Paragraph 16 shows that the Division “after fighting of some importance” on 4th and 5th April took part in the capture of Ronssoy and other villages. At this time the Division formed part of the XV. Corps, Fourth Army. In the _History of the Fourth Army_ by Major-General Sir A. Montgomery (Hodder and Stoughton) at page 93, the Advance to Peronne, on 29th August, 1918, there is a note which says that the whole ground was familiar to the Fourth Army as they had crossed it in the early spring of 1917. “The first troops to reach the eastern bank on that occasion had been those of the 48th Division. They had secured Biaches and La Maisonette and then, forcing a crossing where the embankment of the Canal du Nord crossed the Somme south-west of Halle, had seized Mont St. Quentin.” The despatch of 25th December, 1917, Third Battle of Ypres, as to the attack on the 16th August (Dent’s edition), states, paragraph 46: “On the left centre West Lancashire Territorials and troops from other English Counties (48th and 11th Divisions) established themselves on a line running north from St. Julien to the old German third line due east of Langemarck. This line they maintained against the enemy’s attacks and thereby secured the flank of our gains further north.” Officially this is the Battle of Langemarck, 1917.