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The centre of the English line from Lens to the

Somme above Monne attained its main objective on Thursday week, when the New Zealanders entered Bapaume, and the enemy began a retreat to the south of that town In three weeks, as Field-Marshal Haig reported with justifiable pride, the operations of the Fourth, Third and First Armies had resulted in clearing the old Somme battle- field. The German rearguards fought stubbornly after this, and even delivered some violent counter-attacks east of Bapaume on Saturday. But our troops would not be denied and steadily moved eastward, reducing one by one the strongly fortified villages on either side of the Cambrai road, though Le Transloy, which we did not reach in 1916) held out till Monday.

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