Receiving mobilisation orders the next day, the division arrived at its war station of the coastal defences, railways and dockyards of the Tyne and Wear area.

Two battalions of the brigade (1/4th Green Howards and 1/4th East Yorkshire Regiment) were the first of the division to attack the Germans, attempting to take St Julien in the afternoon, but being beaten back and returning to Potijze in the dark.

(with a company of Monmouths and one of the Middlesex Regiment) at Boetleer's Farm, suffered almost constant shelling throughout the day, some of it from the rear from the southern end of the salient, but held on to repulse a German attack in the evening.

With only 35 minutes in which to prepare before the start of the attack, no artillery support was obtained and the routes through the wire of the GHQ line were unknown, as a result the troops were slow in leaving and presented targets for the Germans.

The infantry of this novice and unacclimatised Division was withdrawn from the salient during the night of 2–3 May, having lost 3764 men killed, wounded and missing since 24 April.

[26][c] The 5th Northumberland Fusiliers lost 24 dead, 90 wounded and 170 missing, while the 5th Borderers simply state in their history that they had heavy casualties to gas but difficulty in numbering them due to the dispersion.

(now 275 of all ranks strong) was ordered to reinforce this Southern section and close the gap and after being shelled moving up through the GHQ line, succeeded in surprising the Germans and rushing 200 yards of open ground without loss to do so.

[32] There began the never-ending task of trench repair and strengthening, shared by 151st Brigade in the reserve lines around Maple Copse, "...notorious for being the meeting place for half the stray bullets in the district.".

This part of the line was considered to be quiet compared with the Ypres salient, but still included artillery duels, trench mortaring, grenades, sniping, mining and patrolling no-mans-land.

[40] In September the division's artillery supported the opening of the Battle of Loos, the infantry also demonstrated on the front line to (unsuccessfully) deceive the Germans.

The now wrecked field drainage system caused the buildup of thick mud in all areas and Trench foot made its appearance in the division.

[48] Since their time in Armentieres, the division had aimed to have the last word in any exchange of grenades or trench mortars, returning double the number of rounds on any occasion.

[f] In the centre the 6th Durham Light Infantry had mixed fortunes, the right suffering in the same manner as the 8th, while the left succeeded in establishing a block in the 'Grid' trench.

The infantry battalions of the 151st Brigade lost 967 men of all ranks, killed, wounded or missing and with the pioneers and machine gun companies the losses approached 1000.

Wherever one looked, one saw the same endless extent of black mud and water, christened all over the place with the remains of old trenches and wherever one walked, one slipped or slithered about among the innumerable shell holes.

[93] Fifty square miles of slime and filth from which every shell burst threw up ghastly relics, and raised stenches too abominable to describe; and over all...the sickly reek of deadly mustard gas.The already difficult terrain was made even more so by rain on the night before the attack, and on the morning of 26 October the 149th Brigade was unable to keep up behind its creeping barrage.

[96] In February 1918, the army's divisions were reorganised from four infantry battalions per brigade to three, as the result of manpower shortages, caused in part by the British government's reluctance to send new recruits to be "wasted" on the Western Front.

Over the next two days continued infiltration and exposure of flanks by the advancing Stormtroopers caused the retreat of 50th Division troops to line from Chaulnes to Curlu on the Somme.

German attacks on this line on 27 March were stopped, opposite Vauville however confused orders caused a withdrawal by part of the 149th and 151st Brigades, who later counter-attacked and regained the lost ground.

[113] A German attack in this area had been thought possible since before the Somme offensive, however when that battle began ten divisions had been moved South from the Ypres salient.

[114] The division was reinforced to some degree by new recruits from the various regiments' graduated battalions, veterans 'combed out' from various depots and numbers of hastily reclassified 'category B' men.

The German attack began on 9 April forcing back the Portuguese, the 151st brigade advanced to La Gorgue and Lestrem, and at midday contact was made with the enemy at Leventie by 6th Durham Light infantry.

By the evening the 6th Durham Light Infantry had been pushed back to the Lys, and had been reduced to four officers and 60 men, with only small bridgeheads at the bridges over the river.

[118] Over the next two days with considerable artillery and trench mortar support the Germans advanced slowly against the troops of the division until the line consisted of small groups of isolated men, who in some cases had been fighting for 30 hours.

[119]I think the only thing that saved us that night was the amount of liquor the Bosches found in Estaires and Neuf-Berquin, as I have never heard such a noise in my life as they made, singing.Looting also slowed the Germans after they captured Merville in front of the 150th Brigade, where the 4th East Yorkshire were reduced to three officers and 120 men.

[121] By 12 April the division's line was reduced to a thin and disorganised one north and north-west of Merville; it was in no state to withstand a determined attack, with only the 149th Brigade able to mount resistance to the slow German advance that day.

[122] Both Corps and Army Commanders (General Sir H S Horne) praised the division in its slowing of the Germans on the Lys, giving time for reserves to be brought in.

[124] Arriving on 27–28 April, the division went into the line on 5 May between Pontavert and Chaudardes on the Chemin des Dames ridge with all three brigades on a front of 7,700 yards, with the river Aisne behind them.

[135] After conducting training, those men being treated for malaria restricted to four hours a day,[133] the newly reassembled Division joined the Fourth Army as part of XIII Corps in October.

[136] The division took part in the Battle of Beaurevior from 3 to 5 October, capturing the villages of Le Catelet and Gouy at the Northern end of the Riqueval tunnel of the St. Quentin Canal.