ing his reserve brigades more speedily into action. As it was, a
further advance did not commence before 3:30 o'clock. The Twenty-first
Brigade was able to form up in the open on the left without a shot being
fired at it, thus showing that, at the time, the enemy's resistance had
been paralyzed.

The brigade pushed forward in the direction of Moulin-du-Pietre. At
first it made good progress, but was subsequently held up by machine gun
fire from houses and from a defended work in the line of the German
intrenchments opposite the right of the Twenty-second Brigade.

Further to the south the Twenty-fourth Brigade, which had been directed
on Pietre, was similarly held up by machine guns in houses and trenches.
At the road junction, 600 yards to the northwest of Pietre, the
Twenty-fifth Brigade, on the right of the Twenty-fourth, was also held
up by machine guns from a bridge held by the Germans over the River Les
Layes, which is situated to the northwest of the Bois du Biez.

While two brigades of the Meerut Division were establishing themselves
on a new line the Dehra Dun Brigade, supported by the Jullunder Brigade
of the Lahore Division, moved to the attack of the Bois du Biez, but
were held up on the line of the River Les Layes by a German post at the
bridge, which enfiladed them and brought them to a standstill.

The defended bridge over the Les Layes and its neighborhood immediately
assumed considerable importance. While the artillery fire was brought to
bear, as far as circumstances would permit, on this point, General Sir
Douglas Haig directed the First Corps to dispatch one or more battalions
of the First Brigade in support of the troops attacking the bridge.
Three battalions were thus sent to Richebourg St. Vaast.

Darkness coming on and the enemy having brought up reinforcements, no
further progress could be made, and the Indian Corps and the Fourth
Corps proceeded to consolidate the position they had gained.

While the operations, which I have thus briefly reported, were going on,
the First Corps, in accordance with orders, delivered an attack in the
morning from Givenchy simultaneously with that against Neuve Chapelle,
but as the enemy's wire was insufficiently cut very little progress
could be made, and the troops at this point did little more than hold
fast to the Germans in front of them.

On the following day, March 11, the attack was renewed by the Fourth and
Indian Corps, but it was soon seen that fu