The picture above shows the area of the Queen Victoria's Rifles and Queen's Westminster Rifles attack on 1st July 1916.

The land runs down towards the German front lines before rising again to the ridge in the distance. The QVRs were to take and hold the first three German lines, building a strongpoint in the third line at the junction of Epte trench. The QWRs were to push through the QVRs and move up Etch trench to take the Quadrilateral and move left to the Cemetery to link up with the London Rifle Brigade.

The wire was only partillay cut in places here and both battalions suffered heavily getting through the gaps. They quickly lost their company commanders and command fell to a small group of young and fairly inexperienced subalterns. For a time they were held up in the sunken Gommecourt to Puisieux Road before an attack up Etch trench broke the deadlock. A small group of QWRs led by 2nd Lt Arthur of the 1/5th Cheshires made it to the Quadrilateral before being forced to withdraw by heavy German bombing attacks.

The failure of The Rangers attack on their right allowed German counter-attacks to infiltrate their position and the two battalions were forced diagonally to the left. This withdrawal was covered by a small party of Lewis gunners led by 2nd Lt J Horne of the QWRs. He was the last man killed, having reputedly been shot after firing his revolver at the advancing Germans as a last resort. He was not given a gallantry award.

The few remaining men of the QVRs and QWRs eventually retreated into Fen and Ferret trenches where they made a last stand with the LRB before escaping into No Man's Land.

169th Brigade
London Rifle Brigade
The Rangers
168th Brigade