Complex sentence: On 7 July, Gough asked for a delay of five days as some of the British heavy artillery had been lost to the German counter-bombardment, some delayed in arriving and bad weather had hampered the programme of counter-battery fire.
Split into simpler sentences: On 7 July, Gough asked for a delay of five days. Some British heavy artillery had been lost to the German counter-bombardment, some delayed in arriving and bad weather had hampered the programme of counter-battery fire.