This panorama shows the area of the 169th Brigade's attack and the left of the Rangers' attack from a position just off the Hebuterne to Bucquoy Road on the approximate site of the old British front line. The land runs away from the viewer into a slight dip, on the far side of which lay the German front line trenches (marked in blue and named). A hundred yards or so behind the front line was the German second line and another hundred yards behind that lay the Gommecourt-Puisieux sunken road. The German third line was a few yards behind that. Along the top of the ridge in the far distance was the Garde Stellung which ran from the centre of Gommecourt village to Rossignol Wood. Other communication trenches then ran back to villages like Bucquoy and Puisieux.

German artillery batteries were located in places like Biez Wood and Rettemoy Farm. The road to Rettemoy Farm was visible from the British old front line and lorries carrying ammunition supplies to the farm could be seen driving up the road from early in the day. Nothing was done by the British artillery to disrupt these supply systems.

In the centre of the panorama is the Quadrilateral, the target of the Queen's Westminster Rifles and the place where they should have met the Sherwood Foresters of the 46th Division coming down the communication trenches from the direction of Pigeon Wood. These men never arrived and the small party of Queen's Westminsters, led by 2nd Lt Arthur of the 1/5th Cheshires, who did get to the Quadrilateral were swiftly bombed out by strong German reinforcements.

For more detailed panoramas of the battalion frontages click on the following links:

London Rifle Brigade
Queen Victoria's Rifles
The Rangers
168th Brigade