Sir Douglas Haig’s despatch of 23rd December, 1916, as to the Somme battle, paragraph 27 (Dent’s edition, note and map, p. 41), shows that the 50th Division was employed in the attack of 15th September, officially the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, it being then in the III. Corps, Fourth Army. The attack was successful and a big gain of ground was made. The map opposite p. 43 shows that the Division was again in the attack of 25th and 26th September, the Battle of Morval, when another section of the German defensive system was bitten off. During October the Division had, frequently, bitter fighting in the Eaucourt-Le Sars area, the Battle of the Transloy Ridges, when further ground was gained and made secure. Winter’s arrival found them still in the mud of that much fought-for region. The despatch of 25th December, 1917, dealing with the Battle of Arras, 1917, paragraph 18 (Dent’s edition) as to 13th and 14th April, states: “In the centre a Northumberland Brigade of the 50th Division (Major-General P. S. Wilkinson), advancing in open order, carried the high ground east of Héninel and captured Wancourt Tower. Three counter-attacks against this position were successfully driven off and further ground was gained on the ridge south-east of Héninel.” Officially this is the First Battle of the Scarpe, 1917. Paragraph 21, as to the attack on 23rd April, the Second Battle of the Scarpe, 1917: “On the main front of attack good progress was made at first at almost all points. By 10 a.m. the remainder of the high ground west of Chérisy had been captured by the attacking English brigades (30th and 50th Divisions).” The enemy made many counter-attacks “in great force ... and with the utmost determination regardless of the heavy losses inflicted by our fire.” Part of the ground gained in the morning was lost in the afternoon but all was made good in another assault on the 24th after very fierce fighting. In the Arras battle the Division operated with the XVIII. and VII. Corps. The Division was brought north in October and entered the line on the north side of the Ypres salient, where, as part of the XIV. Corps, they had an indescribably bad time amidst lakes of mud and water. Movement at the best could only be very slow, often it was impossible, and thus the losses of the attacking troops were rendered very heavy.