Irish Guards, supported by the Coldstreamers, advanced down the
valley beyond Loos and gained the lower edge of Bois Hugo, near the
chalk-pit, while the Scots Guards assaulted Puits 14 and the building in
its group of houses known as the Keep. Another body of Guards, including
Grenadiers and Welsh, attacked at the same time the lower slopes of Hill
70.

Puits 14 itself was won by a party of Scots Guards, led by an officer
named Captain Cuthbert, which engaged in hand-to-hand fighting, routing
out the enemy from the houses. Some companies of the Grenadiers came to
the support of their comrades in the Scots Guards, but suffered heavy
losses themselves. A platoon under a young lieutenant named Ayres
Ritchie reached the Puits, and, storming their way into the Keep,
knocked out a machine-gun, mounted on the second floor, by a desperate
bombing attack. The officer held on in a most dauntless way to the
position, until almost every man was either killed or wounded, unable to
receive support, owing to the enfilade fire of the German machine-guns.

Night had now come on, the sky lightened by the bursting of shells and
flares, and terrible in its tumult of battle. Some of the Coldstreamers
had gained possession of the chalk-pit, which they were organizing
into a strong defensive position, and various companies of the Guards
divisions, after heroic assaults upon Hill 70, where they were shattered
by the fire which met them on the crest from the enemy's redoubt on the
northeast side, had dug themselves into the lower slopes.

There was a strange visitor that day at the headquarters of the Guards
division, where Lord Cavan was directing operations. A young officer
came in and said, quite calmly: "Sir, I have to report that my battalion
has been cut to pieces. We have been utterly destroyed."

Lord Cavan questioned him, and then sent for another officer. "Look
after that young man," he said, quietly. "He is mad. It is a case of
shell-shock."

Reports came through of a mysterious officer going the round of the
batteries, saying that the Germans had broken through and that they had
better retire. Two batteries did actually move away.

Another unknown officer called out, "Retire! Retire!" until he was shot
through the head. "German spies!" said some of our officers and men, but
the Intelligence branch said, "Not spies... madmen... poor devils!"

Before the dawn came the Coldstreamers made another desperate attempt to
attack and