Thirty Third Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Saturday 1st September 1917

Two small, but stiff, fights have rent the air in different sectors of the Ypres battlefront today. 24th Division in the infamous Inverness Copse found themselves under attack, but managed to throw the attack back. Meanwhile 61st (2nd South Midland) Division further north launched an attack on Hill 35, managing to occupy a portion of it. As one of my football-minded colleagues put it - Great Britain 2, the Kaiser 0.

7th Battalion are hard at work practising for their next attack. They are at a village called Buysscheure well to the west of Ypres and in France. They have been undertaking a new form of attack, developed from experience in their recent fighting.

The 8th Battalion are in trenches south-east of Lens. Their total strength, the adjutant tells us, is 40 officers and 856 other ranks. They have received 22 men back from hospital but the grim weather in August has sent 45 of their fellows thither. 1st/5th Battalion, in far-away Palestine, reports that there are, on average 35 men in hospital at any one time at the moment, but thanks to reinforcements. Their strength has risen from 16 officers and 707 other ranks on 1st August to 27 officers and 855 other ranks as of yesterday.

Sources: X550/6/8; X550/8/1; X550/9/1