The newly-appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward.

At the end of August 37th Division entrained for Doullens and then marched to the sector south of Arras, where the BEF was taking over more of the line from French troops.

From 23 to 27 September during the Battle of Loos the division was stationed at La Cauchie to act as reserve for the French Tenth Army's attack, but then returned to Arras and the routine of trench holding through the autumn and winter.

Unlike the opening attack of the offensive, the assault on the German Second Position (Braune Stellung) was to be launched at dawn after only five minutes of bombardment to achieve surprise, though this entailed a difficult assembly at night.

[23][24][25] The Battle of Bazentin Ridge was launched at 03.20 on 14 July with a sudden intense artillery bombardment of the enemy positions, while the machine guns fired on fixed lines.

In a few hours Fourth Army had seized the whole Ginchy–Pozières Ridge, but despite this resounding success, poor staff work meant that 7th and 3rd Divisions did not advance to take High Wood, and the cavalry arrived too late to exploit the breakthrough.

It was quiet sector, with little shelling, and the old French trenches from 1915 were much overgrown, but 8th Leicesters did carry out one raid to bring back a prisoner for identification of the force opposite.

Some 1,500 yards (1,400 m) of trench up to Point 91 were cleared and German casualties were very heavy, 8 officers and 362 ORs surrendering, including a battalion HQ; 110th Bde's losses were just 5 men.

Half an hour later a counter-attack on Gueudecourt by three German battalions was caught by some 60 field guns of the British artillery and the attackers fled towards Le Transloy, throwing away their weapons.

[37] In February the Germans began their planned retreat to the Hindenburg Line (Operation Alberich) and 21st Division was sent south to take part in the pursuit.

When the attack began, the German barrage was weaker than expected thank to previous British Counter-battery fire, but the infantry assault was hurried, and with 18th (E) Division shying to the right away from the shellfire, 8th and 9th Leicesters were also shouldered off to the right.

At 19.15, to cooperate with 18th (E) Division, two companies of 7th Leicesters was ordered to bomb their way down a trench that proved to be no more than a trace on the ground and afforded no cover, the battalion suffering heavy casualties in consequence.

[20][21][40][41] 110th Brigade returned to holding the former Hindenburg Line trenches facing Fontaine, with BHQ in shelters dug into the side of the Saint-Léger–Hénin road and company HQs in former German pillboxes.

The brigade spent the summer months alternating between the front line and a rest camp at Moyenneville, before withdrawing in mid-August to Manin, west of Arras.

In mid-October the brigade was relieved and withdrew to Wardrecques, but by the beginning of November it was back in Polygon Wood, though the emphasis in the fighting had now shifted north to Passchendaele.

By February 1918 the BEF was suffering a manpower crisis and it was forced to reduce each infantry brigade from four to three battalions, the remainder being disbanded to provide reinforcements to the others.

The heavy German bombardment started with a mixture of high explosive and gas at 04.40 and the attack on 21st Division's positions began at 07.00 when the enemy coming out of the fog attempted to enter the Forward Zone in front of Épehy.

However, the fog had now cleared and the British machine guns and field artillery could be used with effect on the enemy troops packed into the Heudicourt Valley, who made no further progress.

The brigade used its only reserve (two companies of 6th Leicesters at Saulcourt) to form a defensive flank between Épehy and Sainte-Émilie, joined by the remnants of 2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers from 16th (I) Division.

It began with a short bombardment by German artillery and trench mortars, then between 08.00 and 08.30 a considerable enemy force came out of the mist and attacked 21st Division's forward positions.

It rested and received some reinforcements and then 110th Bde went into the line south of the Menin Road on 9/10 April, its positions including the 'Tower Hamlets' ridge and 'Shrewsbury Forest'.

Two attacks were driven back with rifle and Lewis gun fire, so the enemy resorted to bombing their way up communication trenches to surround and capture the strongpoints one by one.

As the brigade climbed the ridge the skyline was crowned by a wave of French infantry, and together they formed an all-round defence until the German artillery finally caught up and forced them off.

By nightfall the remains of 110th Bde were back across the River Vesle, reorganised as two small battalions, which took up new positions at a tile works west of Muizon and on Hill 202, with BHQ in Rosnay.

The following morning the Germans chose not to make a frontal assault on the Vesle but to continue the turning movement through Jonchery while shelling 110th Bde's positions.

[20][76][77] After the casualties sustained during the German offensives, the BEF's commander-in-chief, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig decided to use his scarce 'Class A' reinforcements to rebuild 8th and 21st Divisions from the Aisne front.

6th Leicesters lost direction and was late starting, so 1st Wiltshires advanced alone at 20.00 in the dark, crossing country devastated by the fighting of 1916, and passing between German troops.

However, 62nd Bde's initial advance was immediately checked by machine gun fire from high ground north of Le Sars and they lost their barrage.

During the night two companies of 1st Lincolns (62nd Bde) got across the River Sambre on planks at a damaged lock, followed by 6th Leicesters and 1st Wiltshires who had been held up by machine guns, and they organised a bridgehead.

[99] The following officers commanded 110th Bde:[10][20][19][100] 21st Division's formation sign consisted of a circle of three red 7s (for 21) conjoined at the base on a black disc.