"Our men are in excellent spirits, despite heavy artillery and machinegun fire, and low-flying bombing. They just shake themselves afterwards, and laugh.
"The fighting yesterday was in blazing sunshine and almost tropical heat. Many of the men fought in their shirt-sleeves, "Probably the German attack in this sector would have been fiercer, but for the terrific artillery bombardment of several bridges on Wednesday, in which more than 30,000 shells were fired.
"So far," concludes the comment tator, "it is not clear whether or not this attack on the lower Somme is merely a side-show to distract attention from a much heavier assault further east, which the French armies are so gallantly resisting. Whatever should develop, however, every preparation has been made to meet the situation."—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.