[2] The division was formed rapidly during the Race to the sea, initially in fine weather, which broke at the end of October, giving the men a mild taste of the muddy conditions at the front.

[22] In the cold and wet of November, the troops of the division, and of all armies on the front, learned to live in the trenches, which were initially of primitive construction, drainage and defensive organisation compared to those that would develop.

Lieutenant Philip Neame of the Royal Engineers found a method of lighting these fuses and while standing on the parapet of the trench threw sufficient numbers of the grenades that the Germans were delayed enough for the remainder of the British and the wounded to get clear.

On Christmas Day the troops met with their German opponents in no-mans land exchanged cigarettes, "kicked footballs about" and "lent each other implements for reinforcing each other's wire entanglements".

This was repeated in the afternoon when they tried again reinforced by the 1st Worcs.. Communications between the front and brigade headquarters had broken down due to the retaliatory German bombardment, which broke telephone lines as quickly as they could be repaired and made it almost impossible for runners to get through.

Before nightfall IV Corps ordered 7th Division to renew the assault the next morning, however their unfamiliarity with the trenches and the German bombardment meant that any attack would be delayed and it was abandoned.

[k] From 10 May the division posted only one brigade in the front line as preparations were made for a large scale assault, not unnoticed by the Germans who provoked the occasional artillery duel.

These suffered comparatively few losses, except on their extreme left, which was unable to make progress; the remainder, finding the German wire cut, succeeded in occupying the whole of their intended trench section.

were unable to keep up with even the slow rolling barrage due to the state of the ground, and found their objective trench held in great numbers by Germans who had attempted to escape the preliminary bombardment in front of 23rd Brigade, only to find their route blocked.

An attack by the 25th Brigade's reserve battalions to gain the centre of the line was ordered and the bombardment begun, but due to the steady rain through the night, and despite moving off before zero hour of 03:50, the troops were stopped after 70 yards (64 m) with heavy casualties.

[66] The state of the British trenches meant that the attacking troops were drawn up in the early hours of 4 March in posts in front of the line and along tapes placed in the open behind them.

The weather had continued to be wet and the battlefield was in an even worse condition then when the division had left it previously, and the Hanbeek, which had been crossed briefly on 31 July, was now a "formidable obstacle" and would need the portable bridges which had been prepared.

The central battalions, experiencing less of this fire, advanced up the other side of the valley and, after hard fighting, were able to take Zonnebeke and Iron Cross redoubts and Anzac ridge between them.

The arrival of German reinforcements was visible to forward observers, but aircraft were unable to fly due to the low cloud, which also interfered with the signals sent by the infantry (Verey lights) for artillery support.

The Germans advance in small parties, using shell holes and first attacking available flanks and then the centre, in this way methodically pushing the brigade back to the foot of the Westhoek ridge.

The division was moved to the Caestre area, 13 miles (21 km) south west of Ypres, when inspected by Sir Douglas Haig, the parade numbered 3,950 all ranks.

Raiding was particularly active, with the German placement of small parties in shell holes as the posts in front of the line, allowing the opportunity to take prisoners for identification.

Alternating periods of thaw and freeze created intense discomfort and a storm on 15 January washed away many of the duckboard routes across the mud during a relief of the 23rd Brigade, leading to an arduous trek back to camp, leaving "all ranks in a state of complete exhaustion".

On the evening of 22 March, the division began to detrain at Nesle, Chaulnes and Rosières, with orders to take up a support line 5 miles (8.0 km) east of the Somme.

In the confusion, a billeting party from the 24th Brigade had been ordered to look for accommodation in the village of Atheies, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of the Somme, arriving on the night of 22–23 March, they had to fight their way out shortly afterwards.

At 08:00 the 23rd Brigade was flanked from the north by the Germans, with C Company of 2nd Middlesex being surrounded, only 10 men led by Capt Toye managed to break out, the rest killed or captured.

General Heneker, believed that a daylight attack into the large number of machine guns the Germans had brought onto the field, would not succeed and result only in heavy casualties.

Trim villages nestled in quiet hollows beside lazy streams, and tired eyes were refreshed by the sight of rolling hills, clad with great woods golden with laburnum blossom; by the soft greenery of lush meadowland, shrubby vineyards and fields of growing corn.

In the shell holes grass had grown and water plants; near the gun emplacements in the reserve line grew lilies of the valley, forget-me-nots, larkspur and honeysuckle.

At daybreak of 26 May, increased movement and the appearance of boards[x] in the German lines, and by noon IX Corps was warning of a possible attack on the 8th Division front the next day.

[130] As expected, at 01:00 on 27 May, the Germans began their bombardment on the whole of the IX Corps front and rear areas, with high explosive and gas, outpost lines were also attacked by trench mortars.

All the morning's work of consolidation had been for nothing, and as the tired khaki figure struggled up the steep slope south of the river, they could see enemy artillery and transport pouring in continuous streams down the two roads converging on Jonchery, while infantry swarmed busily across the open country.

A number of French colonial troops completed the toll of men.At around 15:00 having located their positions, the Germans began to bombard them, and at 17:45 the infantry attacked forcing a withdrawal onto another ridge line.

[141] The division began the usual routine of active trench defence; the Germans opposite were sheltered in deep dug-outs, behind strong belts of wire and "showed little enterprise".

In the early morning of 11 November, the 2nd Middlesex, with the 4th Hussars (once more under command of the division) met a weak German rear guard on the Erbisœl-Mons railway, 2.25 mi (3.62 km) to the north east.