On 4 October 1914, German attacks by the II Cavalry Corps (General Georg von der Marwitz) and the XIV Reserve Corps drove the group of the 81st, 82nd, 84th and 88th Territorial divisions (General Joseph Brugère) back from Hébuterne, Gommecourt and Monchy au Bois to the north. The village was captured by the 1st Guard Division on the night of and held against French counter-attacks, which were stopped short of Gommecourt, where the front settled until March 1917. The French XI Corps attacked at Beaumont Hamel on 19 November but failed to capture the village, after being held up by uncut wire. A diversion was conducted by XI Corps from 1915 at Toutvent Farm, to the north, during the Second Battle of Artois. On a stretch of the German front line, an area deep was captured and held against German counter-attacks, at a cost of The area around Gommecourt was taken over by the British in July 1915.