To Bapaume?

Monday 12th August 1918

Your correspondent is currently with the headquarters of 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, just west of Albert. The battalion is part of 4th Army.

In this pause between attacks it seemed to me that readers might be interested in an order Field Marshal Haig issued two days ago. The order was to the 3rd Army men in the Albert-Arras sector, immediately north of of us. The order reads as follows: "Carry out raids and minor operations in order to the enemy's intentions on the Albert-Arras front, and to take immediate advantage of any favourable situation which the main operations may create, and push advance guards in the general direction of Bapaume".

An attack from other parts of the British Expeditionary Force is imminent, following the great attack of 8th August and the enemy must know this. An advance towards Bapaume seems to be setting up the prospect of a Second Battle of the Somme, two years on from the first. If so all will fervently hope it is less bloody, less protracted and even more successful.