val to their right, south of Guillemont, a
distance of eleven miles, was the gain of the ridge southeast of
Thiepval commanding the village and northern slopes of the high ground
north of Pozieres. The British also held the edge of High Wood and
half a mile of captured German trenches to the west of the wood.
Advances were also made to the outskirts of the village of
Guillemont, where the British occupied the railroad station and
quarry, both of some considerable military importance. As a result of
these operations the British captured sixteen officers and 780 of
other ranks.

German guns continued to shell the British positions throughout the
day and evening of August 18, 1916, but no infantry attacks were
attempted. On the following day after a heavy bombardment the Germans
made three vigorous bombing attacks on the British positions at High
Wood, all of which were repulsed, though the Germans succeeded in some
instances in gaining a foothold for a time in the British trenches. In
the aggregate the British successes in this region had in a week
resulted in the capture of trenches which, if put end to end, would
reach for a number of miles.

On August 24, 1916, the French completed the capture of Maurepas, for
which they had been battling for nearly two weeks, after seizing the
trenches to the south of the village. Maurepas was of great military
importance, for, with Guillemont on the British front, it formed
advanced works of the stronghold of Combles. The attack was launched
at five in the evening on a front of a mile and a quarter from north
of Hardecourt to southeast of Maurepas. The French troops captured the
German portion of Maurepas at the first dash, and a little later the
strong intrenchments made by the Germans to cover the Maurepas-Combles
road were in their possession. The victory was won over some of
Germany's best troops, the Fifth Bavarian Reserve Division and the
First Division of the Prussian Guard under Prince Eitel Frederick.

On the same day, August 24, 1916, the British troops on the north of
the Somme attacked the German positions in the Maurepas region and
carried with a rush that part of the village still held by the Germans
and the adjoining trenches, taking 600 prisoners and eighteen guns.
South of the village the Germans made a violent attack on the British
position at Hill 121, but owing to the concentrated fire of artillery
which mowed them down they were unable to reach the British lin