The 63rd (Naval) Division in the Battle of the Ancre

The 63rd (Naval) Division, formed in 1914 from naval reservists, had served as infantry at Antwerp and in Gallipoli. Their first taste of major action on the Western Front was as part of the BEF's final effort of 1916 on the Somme front to dislodge the Germans north of the Ancre River from the positions they had held since 1 July. In mid-November, the 63rd attacked along the north bank of the river in awful conditions: rain, mud and fog ruined well-laid plans, and despite the action being described as 'a failure, redeemed by one brilliant, even astonishing, success', the division captured its objective - the village of Beaucourt - albeit at a terrible cost.

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