Meanwhile the attack on the left had failed.  At Zero Captain Wynne led “B” Company from their trenches and advanced towards the “L-shaped” building.  They had hardly started before their ranks were swept from end to end with machine gun fire from the houses to their left and front.  Capt.  Wynne and 2nd Lieut.  R.B.  Farrer were killed, 2nd Lieut.  W.I.  Nelson was wounded, and the company had no officers left.  Still, under the N.C.O.’s, they tried to push forward, only to meet with more losses.  They were compelled to stop, and, under Serjeant Martin, the senior N.C.O. left, began to dig a line a few yards east of their starting trench.  Serjeant Passmore, who was acting Serjt.-Major, Serjts.  Kemp, Thorpe and Hibbert were all wounded, L/Cpl.  Aris and nine others killed, and more than half the Company wounded.  For some time Battalion Headquarters knew nothing of this disaster, and it was only when the Signaller L/Cpl.  Woolley came back to report, that Col.  Trimble heard what had happened.  He at once ordered “D” Company to fill the gap, so as to protect the left flank of “C” Company, which he knew must be seriously exposed.

“A” Company, carrying ammunition, had also had their casualties, and 2nd Lieut.  Broughton, after being hit more than once, eventually had to leave them.  He had been personally organizing most of the parties, and during the battle was everywhere, quite regardless of danger.  Consequently, when he went, “A” Company became scattered; parties which had delivered their ammunition did not know where to go; and some of them, a few under Serjeant Putt and Pte.  Dakin, wandered into the slag-heap and took part in the battle, helping to kill some of the Boche there.  “D” Company lost two killed and ten wounded, for their position, joining the two flanks, was exposed to a considerable amount of enfilade fire.  As soon as they had cleared the summit of the slag-heap “C” Company started to consolidate “Boot” and “Brick” trenches, while the most forward of the attackers formed a protective screen.  Their position was precarious.  They were exposed to heavy fire from the generating station and “Hill 65,” while unable to keep a watch on the low ground of the Souchez river valley or East of the slag-heap, where numbers of Boche could assemble unseen.  The “L-shaped” building, too, was a thorn in their left flank.  Still they were well established, when Col.  Thorpe and Captain Wade, the Brigade Major, came round the line and looked at our new positions.  They left the slag-heap just before dawn, and a few minutes later, when they were talking to Capt.  Moore in his headquarters in the cottages below, a runner came in to announce a big Boche counter-attack.  It was still too dark to see much, but our sentries could make out large numbers of men closing in on them from three sides, and fire was opened.  The Boche dropped into shell holes, but continued his advance steadily, making use of all available cover.  “C” Company, finding their rifles useless and very short