[9] The division's first trench raid was carried out by a 53 strong party from the 17th Lancashire Fusiliers, it was forced to retire as the Germans had been alerted and the allocation of only 30 rounds of ammunition per gun to the 157th and 158th Artillery Brigades was insufficient to support or adequately cut the wire.

The next day the positions east of the farm were heavily bombarded and pushed back, and when the battalion was withdrawn on 20 July it had suffered 35 officers and men killed, 194 wounded and 7 missing.

Reinforced by only two companies from the 23rd Manchesters, the attack was reduced to an assault on two specific targets, Maltz Horn Farm and Arrowhead Copse, without observed artillery support due to the lay of the land.

The infantry absorbed new drafts, however, these contained some of those rejected during the division's formation and others of the bantam type were no longer strong,[c] there being a limited supply of this kind of man.

[24] In the early hours of 26 November, a trench raid was planned by the 19th D.L.I., in preparation the manning was thinned out in the front line for the inevitable artillery and mortar retaliation.

took place, and while some men reached the Germans trench, most were stopped in no-mans-land by their own covering artillery barrage and their demoralisation due to the previous hours events.

[d][29] The Germans conducted many trench raids on the division front, with the British high command believing this was a defensive cover for the planned retreat to the Hindenburg Line.

On 17 March, after supporting a French attack to the south and noting the lack of a response, the 17th West Yorkshires entered the German front line trench and reported it empty.

[33] From the end of July planning was started for a raid which would gain control of the Knoll and lead to British views over the German lines and rear areas.

Early on 21 August, by which time the artillery support had been thinned out, the Germans made a determined attempt to recapture the trench, now held by the 14th Gloucestershires, using Flamethrowers in the attack.

[38] The division's first set piece attack since the Somme was to be made on 22 October as part of the general battle to remove the Germans from the high ground around Ypres.

[39] In the early morning of 22 October the attacking battalions formed up in the wet and cold weather in advance of the front line to escape the usual dawn bombardment.

[40] On the right the 23rd Manchesters, advancing behind a rolling barrage, starting at 05:35 hrs, which moved at 100 yards (91 m) every eight minutes, lost contact with the 34th Division as it had been prevented from taking a forward position due to heavy German bombardment.

The advance wave reached its objective but came under heavy enfilading machine gun fire from the right and an overlooked set of huts, and so the remaining 50 unwounded men under command of a Company sergeant major were gradually withdrawn to the start line.

Between 18 and 29 October the division had suffered 368 killed, 1734 wounded and 462 missing, by the time the 17th West Yorks left the line they had been reduced a company strength.

[45] The infantry were rested briefly around Poperinge and when they went back into the line on 16 November the 17th West Yorks had been replaced with the 4th Battalion (Extra Reserve) North Staffordshire Regiment.

The division remained in the line until the night of 8–9 December, suffering from the deteriorating weather as well as being subject to bombardment and attempted German trench raids.

[48] The Allies knew that the Germans would attempt an offensive with troops freed from the Eastern front, and as part of the defensive measures the division was put to work on the Army line in the region north of Ypres.

They were extracted with the aid of the 17th Royal Scots, a pair of tanks and a Canadian Motor Machine Gun Battery and withdrew by the evening to the line between the villages of Curlu, Hardencourt and just to the east of Montauban-de-Picardy 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-east to north-east of Maricourt.

[g] The division was now on the north bank of the Ancre, protected by a railway embankment, with outposts over the river, between Dernancourt and Ribemont-sur-Ancre, a south-east facing line 3 miles (4.8 km) long.

That evening, after initial German probing was broken up by the division's artillery positioned around Bresle 2 miles (3.2 km) north-east of the line of the Ancre, the 19th N.F.

As many machine guns as possible were deployed in this sector, with some on the southern side of the embankment, ammunition for which grew scarce due to a German bombardment 200 yards (180 m) to the rear hindering resupply.

The Germans had occupied the south east corner of the wood from 27–28 April, and the village of Aveluy approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of the division's line.

The advance by the 105th brigade with the 106th supporting, was halted for a time by German machine guns in the remains of Zanvoorde, even after it had been bombarded by the artillery in response, repulsing an attack by the 15th Cheshires.

The strongpoint was reduced by another bombardment and the attacking battalions pushed forward ending the day at Ten-Brielen 2,500 yards (2,300 m) south east of Zanvoorde, but short of the objecting of Wervicq, having advanced through a maze of unused, but deep and maintained, support trenches and wire.

For the battalions of 105th brigade the resistance was stiffer, as it was learned later, that the Germans had concentrated their defences facing west in front of the canal, the 4th North Staffs.

In the afternoon General Marindin decided to use the 106th brigade to take the left hand part of the final objective, advancing from the west to east.

Encountering strong wire defences and machine gunfire as they advance towards the village of Kreupel (1 mile (1.6 km) south of Zwevegem) at 23:20 artillery support was called for and the 17th Royal Scots were ordered to pass through the 15th Cheshires and link up with the 12 H.L.I.. By 04:50, 21 October, the ridgeline had been taken, although the 4th North Staffs.

By 07:00, with additional plank bridges built by the engineers the 15th Sherwood Foresters began to cross and by midday, together with the 15th Cheshires and 18th H.L.I., outposts were established on the Ronse - Nukerke road 6,000 yards (5,500 m) east of Berchem.

[75] On 12 November the division learned that it was not to part of the army of occupation, and to their further disappointment they were not to stay in their current pleasant and undamaged location but were to march to billets in the Saint-Omer area.