Sunday 16th
July 1916 From our Correspondent in the
Field
Today I
understand from the adjutant that 7th Bedfords, currently out of the front line
at Maricourt, were ordered to be prepared to attack the village of Guillemont
but as they began to move off around 2 pm the order was cancelled as the
Germans were still holding parts of Delville Wood and Longueval village, immediately
west of Guillemont. Sadly the South Africans have been so decreased in numbers that
their attempts to take the last portion of the wood (the north-west tip) have
come to nothing. An attack to take the northern part of Longueval village by
other units of 9th Division was also repulsed.
Elsewhere the
village of Ovillers has finally fallen after sixteen days of attacks. The
victors, we believe, were units from 25th and 48th Divisions. In High Wood the
units of 7th Division in the wood were withdrawn just before midnight in the
face of overwhelming German numbers and strong defensive positions.
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