Commander--"Will you please convey to the 6th Division
my warm thanks and hearty congratulations on their success to-day.
They have done admirable work, and I wish them all good luck for
to-morrow."

From the Corps Commander--"Well done 6th Division. So glad casualties
so light, considering what Division has accomplished."

Almost before the final objective had been captured an order was
received from the Corps for the Division to take over a portion of
the 30th American Division front on the left, hand over some ground to
46th Division on the right, and attack at dawn on the 9th behind a
barrage. Though very tired, and though it was a pitch dark night, the
71st and 16th Infantry Brigades somehow managed to carry out these
almost impossible orders, and advanced splendidly at zero hour--the
artillery putting down an accurate barrage. The attack progressed
successfully, the first objectives being gained by both brigades
without much difficulty, but the enemy was able to delay our advance
from the Railway Line, where after stiff fighting the 1st Leicesters,
by a turning movement, captured some prisoners and machine-guns. The
9th Norfolk Regiment on the left worked round by the north, and during
the night captured Bohain, where some 4,000 inhabitants were liberated,
and vast quantities of war material fell into our hands.

During this phase of the operations the 5th Cavalry Brigade was
attached to the Division, but circumstances did not allow of much
cavalry activity.

We were now in a different country to that in which the operations
since 1914 had been conducted. The country had seen no war, houses
were intact, inhabitants looking starved and downtrodden were
delighted to see the British troops. To stop our advance all roads in
Bohain had been cratered at their exits from the village, and
delay-action mines on the railways were constantly going up. As an
example, D.H.Q. was in Brancucourt Farm, in a main road which had been
cratered just outside the farm. A railway bridge just opposite had
been blown down and the line cratered. The Canadian Engineers
repairing the line had removed a great many bombs, but about three
days after the arrival of D.H.Q. a delay-action mine went off on the
railway at 7.30 p.m., and two days later again at 7 a.m. Fortunately
on both occasions no men were working on the line, and D.H.Q.
suffered no worse harm than some injuries to staff cars from falling
debris. The total captures by the Di